CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. – It hasn’t been the smoothest of starts for Holy Cross, where things were expected to be different this season. It’s still early, and there’s no reason to expect a repeat of last season’s 9-22 showing, but the Crusaders’ 0-4 start – the second season in a row where they have lost their first four (they lost their first six last year) – isn’t exactly what was envisioned, either.
For a little over a half, the Crusaders were right with Boston College. Even when BC went up 55-40 and seemed to be in control, Holy Cross scored seven straight to get within striking distance. But the Eagles followed up with a 14-2 run to put the game away.
“They made a three, then we turned it over and they made an and-one,” said head coach Milan Brown. “So they scored six points in about 30 seconds, and it hurt us.”
The culprit for the Crusaders hasn’t been the same thing every game. Against College of Charleston, they ran into a hot team and didn’t have any way of stopping them en route to shooting 63.6 percent from the field. Offense was more the issue against Harvard, where they never really got untracked and it also hurt on the defensive end, as well as New Hampshire on Saturday. In each of the prior two games, they shot below 40 percent from the field, and in all three games they had more turnovers than assists (which they did again on Monday as they had nine assists and 12 turnovers).
The blowout loss at Harvard was illustrative of one thing the Crusaders picked up on as something that could help them. In that game, Harvard consistently got back on defense and never allowed the Crusaders to get an easy basket or two, which set a tone all night long. That was also elusive against Boston College.
“We’re going to do what we need to do on the defensive end, but I also know we have to find ways to score points and hopefully score some easier baskets just to loosen the other team up,” Brown said. “We can’t play against halfcourt defense the entire night and think we’re going to score 70 points, it’s just not going to happen.”
One of his seniors concurs, and can see the effect that missing some of the good looks they have been able to get in the halfcourt has had on the team.
“It’s hard to score against teams in their halfcourt set, so we’ve got to get some throw-ahead shots or throw-ahead duck-ins for layups just to make it easier on ourselves,” said forward Andrew Keister. “Getting those kinds of points can easily turn the tide.”
Brown added that the team has been more reactionary than pro-active on both ends. The Crusaders haven’t been able to dictate anything, whether it’s the pace of the game or how plays happen. The turnovers have certainly been part of that at the offensive end. Even when they have been able to get a good look, they have had some missed opportunities.
“Some of it isn’t just the turnovers, but we’ve had some looks that we haven’t finished,” Brown said. “Sometimes, when you miss those, the rim gets a little tighter.”
It certainly doesn’t get easier for the Crusaders, who have two more road games – at UMass and Wake Forest – before coming home again. At that point, they play America East contender Stony Brook and MAAC favorite Fairfield. The effort hasn’t been an issue, according to Brown, but they have to do more than they have done to this point.
“They’re playing hard, which is first and foremost, and now we have to make a few more winning plays,” Brown said.
