DURHAM, N.H. – A new day, new month, even new year, and the result was different at long last.
New Hampshire has been in a number of close games since the beginning of the 2007-08 season, but all too often has wound up on the short end. They were 7-12 last season in games decided by single digits, including a 1-9 mark in games decided by five points or less, and they lost all three overtime games they played in. This season, they are 3-4 in games decided by five points or less through 13 games – more than half of their games have been that close. So it’s not a stretch to say that Sunday’s win over Santa Clara is a win that’s been a long time coming.
“Great win for us, much-needed just to feel good in conference, because we’ve been knocking on the door,” said head coach Bill Herrion.
But don’t just ask him. Ask his players, who said the difference in the locker room following Sunday’s game and that following their last game was night and day.
“It feels really good to get a win. Those close losses, man, those really hurt,” said Alvin Abreu, who led the way with a huge shooting afternoon. “In the locker room, we’re in there with our heads down after those close losses because we fight so hard, we work so hard, and you want to get rewarded for the hard work you put in.”
“We’ve been in so many close games, it gets to the point where you’re kind of like, we have to win one,” said senior guard Tyrece Gibbs. “It feels good to finally win.”
Abreu has had his struggles this season, but was lights out shooting the ball on Sunday. In scoring a career-high 28 points, he was 8-14 from the field and made all seven of his three-point attempts. He scored 19 of those points in the second half and keyed a big run to start the half where the Wildcats took the lead for good.
Gibbs was the only other player in double figures with 12 points, as the Wildcats won this with defense. They forced 19 turnovers and scored 21 points off them, and frustrated and shut down Santa Clara big man John Bryant. They doubled him often since they didn’t have the size, but they also made it difficult to get the ball in to him and made the catch difficult. Bryant scored a season-low seven points.
Last year, and so far this year, the Wildcats have not been out of many games. Big leads have not been safe against them. But they’ve had trouble breaking through, and that they’re a young team is only part of it. And at some point, youth ceases to be a real explanation for a team coming up just short by virtue of either not starting well, not finishing well or otherwise not being able to win. Herrion may be reaching that point, but as troubled as he has seemed at times after some losses, one can sense he’s had optimism all along.
“These kids play hard, and even coming into this game at 3-7, I got a feeling with this team,” Herrion said. “They don’t stop playing. Would we like to have a few more wins and have the record be a little bit better? Absolutely. But you’ve got to learn how to do that, we’re a young team.”
Herrion has almost never had a problem with the effort of his kids in the last season-plus. It’s not hard to believe when one sees how they compete. The results aren’t there, but there’s reason to believe they will be in time, even if it’s not this season. But what’s always a question is if a team will really get better after showing promise while young or not. It doesn’t happen automatically, no matter how much some of us in the media might make it seem that way at times. It takes work to get to another level along with being older – it’s not being older, but what one does with it.
In light of that, along with what he sees from his team in practice, Herrion remains optimistic. He’s also keeping some perspective.
“I think the first thing in trying to build a program and trying to win is you have to compete,” the fourth-year mentor reflected. “They have to learn to play hard and compete first, and we do that. I just said to the kids in the locker room, what we’ve got to really work on right now is becoming better basketball players and a better basketball team from the neck up – not physically, from the neck up, mentally, with our understanding of the game.”
Sunday’s game might not be the beginning of a trend where the Wildcats start winning the close games more than they lose them. But they broke through at a good time, after losing several and not giving up hope that they could eventually be on the other side of such a game, and with America East play ready to begin with Hartford visiting on Wednesday.
It’s a new day, new month, new year on the calendar, and for a change the result was new as well. The Wildcats hope it’s also a new day in the direction of the program.
