Valpo from da'Couch ..............

[Taj79]

A win.  

The postives ..... Demarius Jacobs and learning to win without two of the big three.   Goodwin short a rebound for a double/double.

The negative ............ how does Valpo get 35 free throws in our house?  The so-called stoic defense needs a reality check.  Of course, I don't know who could stay with Sackey and Freeman is all MVC so I get that.  Good thing they didn't have Fazekas.

I thought we didn't have a speck of fire in the second half.  That may have been because of the foul calling because they called every stupid thing possible on us.  French has got to learn to lose the battle but win the war as Hmark said.  For all the greatness of Jacobs and Goodwin in the first half,they were both extremely quiet when compared to the second half.  Yuri was very good but could have slowed down some.  I'll take errors of commission however.  At least he got the lid off the basket on his free throws.  Hankton was servicable and pretty big at points when Valpo closed to three or four points.  Jacobs looks like a guy who can make some free throws at the end too. Forty one of seventy from Sackey and Freeman on the night.  Without French we give up a lot of offensive rebounds it seems.  Good thing they missed almost as many FTs as they made.  

Our slash was 48/31/58.  Free  throws remain a problem it seems. Goodwin and French were both 1 of 3 but inconsequential down the stretch.  The energy Valpo expended coming back ran out at the end.  Despite the fouls, Goodwin and Thatch were there at the end.  Still we seem somewhat clueless on how to attack a zone.  The best was when the entry pass went into Goodwin at the foul line, but we didn't seem to do it enough.  Jacobs and Weaver added to the stable of guards we have.  Bell and Perkins must get better.  

All in all telling.  As in we can do okay with two of the big three having off nights.  But it was Valpo and not Dayton or Rhodey or VCU.  I have watched a lot this weekend so far and I will say no halftime lead is ever safe.  And that's not just us.  There was more squirming on da'Couch than opening night but it was still an 11 point win.