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Flat-footed Frontcourt Flops at Belmont

12/14/02
by John C. Thomas
The famous Rambler road curse returned for an encore, this time pickin' and grinnin' on a lost Saturday afternoon in Nashville. Miserable shooting, lackluster defense, and bad decisions wasted a near comeback from a 17-point first half hole, and the Loyola three game winning streak was snapped in a 75-57 spanking at Belmont.

Loyola won the tip, and Bailey raced in for a layup to put Loyola in front 2-0 in the first five seconds of the game. It was pretty much downhill from there. The Ramblers missed a wide variety of open jumpers, layups, tips, dunks, and free throws as Belmont raced to a 28-11 lead in the first 14 minutes. Loyola shot 23% in the first half, while Belmont hit field goals at 59%. It was 39-27 at the break.

The Ramblers must have had some kind of talking to in the locker room at halftime, because they came out in the second half with a 7-0 run to quickly cut the deficit to 39-34 with 17:24 left to play.

But whatever lesson Coach Farmer imparted in the locker room didn't stick. Belmont led by only five points with 13:57 left, but Anthony Smith was called for a technical foul and Belmont hit some key buckets on an 18-4 run over the next seven and a half minutes to put Belmont ahead 63-44 with 6:08 left. After trading baskets over the next two minutes, Coach Farmer trotted out the subs, whom together had scored a total of five points in the first 35 minutes. White flag.

The final numbers were ugly. For the first time this year, only one player, David Bailey with 19, scored in double figures (the previous low was three players in double figures in the loss at Northern Illinois). Loyola shot just 32% for the game, while Belmont fired it up at nearly 60%. The threes were even worse-- 4 for 21 (19%) for Loyola and 7-for-17 (41%) by the Bruins. The worst stat of the day, though, was rebounds: 41-28 for the Bruins, an amazing figure considering the shooting percentages. The two leading rebounders in the Horizon League, each averaging more than eight boards per game, combined for only seven.

Loyola was without freshman guard Terrance Whiters, who had a bad case of the flu. And there has been no news forthcoming about the possible return of Corey Minnifield, who could have helped provide some experience and spark of the bench. But still, the timing of this loss and the level of the competition has to put this one near the top of the most disappointing losses over the past two seasons.

The first game of Loyola's grueling six-game tour was considered the easiest of the lot. Next up, Michigan State, winners today over Kentucky on the road. Then the conference opener on the road against the preseason favorite. Then a three game tournament in which two of the three teams played in the postseason last year, and the other is a member of the Big 12. What could they be thinking?

Not much, evidently. As hard as the team worked last year to reverse more than a decade of disappointment and unfulfilled potential, this group seems to be working almost as hard to revive it.