Men’s basketball falters after strong start
By Aleta Cox
Once again the Denison University Big Red proved to be too good a competitor for the Quakers as they trounced the Quakers for the second year in a row, ending the game at 61-74. The Quakers now stand at 3-18 overall and 1-10 in conference play.
The men’s basketball team’s only conference win was against Oberlin College on Dec. 5 when the Quakers defeated the Yeomen 82-77, while the women’s only conference win was against Allegheny College on Jan. 8 as the women upset the Gators 75-69.
Initially the men’s team was scheduled to play a game versus Denison University on Saturday, Feb. 6, but the severe winter weather that hit the Midwest last weekend pushed the game to the following afternoon instead.
The men, although controlling much of the first half, would eventually lose to the Big Red. The men were 28 for 64 in field goals and 4-14 from the three-point range. Although the Quakers would shoot at nearly the 42 percent mark, the Big Red’s free throw attempts and percentage were more than the Quakers could handle.
Freshman Dustin Rusk hit a three-pointer and classmate Marty Broderick added a basket to give the Quakers a 5-2 lead. However, the Big Red battled back and was able to tie the contest up with a successful three-pointer at 5-5 with 11:24 to go in the opening period. The Quakers managed to build a 22-15 margin lead over Big Red with 4:47 remaining in the first half after Sophomore Ryan Taylor scored a three-pointer. Denison battled back and eventually tied the contest 26-26 off a three-pointer with six seconds left before halftime.
A difficult second half proved to be the overall decider of the game, however, as the Big Red began the second half with a 13-5 run to gain a 39-31 lead over Earlham. From that point on, Big Red would widen its margin to double digits and maintain their distance from the Quakers. After the game the Big Red stood 5-16 overall and 5-7 in conference play.
Successful contributors in the game included freshman Matt Marsh, who posted a career high with a total of 19 points and also had four steals. Sophomore A. J. Sutherlin finished with a 11 points and eight rebounds for the men’s team.
The men’s team continued their play Wednesday against Wittenberg at 7 p.m.
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