Patriots look to rebound from slow start to season

After a tough start to the season, Coach Kenny Bizot and the University men’s basketball team are looking to bounce back into the mix for a spot in the American Southwest Conference playoffs.

Photo by Victor Texcucano

The team showed signs of promise in Thursday’s 49-45 victory over Sull Ross State University.

Guard Brandon Levine lead the team with 17 points, including 12 points from beyond the three-point line.

However, the Patriots fell to Howard Payne University on Saturday, 67-60, bringing their overall record to 2-6 (1-5 ASC).

Levine again led the Patriots with 20 points, but it wasn’t enough to hold off the Yellowjackets, who shot more consistently throughout  the game.

The Patriots began their season on Nov. 17 with a tough 76-72 loss at Austin College in Sherman, Texas.

The Patriots field goal percentage was 36 percent, although their free throw percentage was a respectable 78 percent.

On Nov. 23, the men again faced Austin College, this time at home in the Herrington Patriot Center.

The game went down to the wire, ending in a dramatic game-winning shot by junior guard Stephan Tarpley.

Tarpley received an inbound pass at the top of the key, where he attempted a pass to a teammate. The pass instead hit a defender on the knee, and bounced back to Tarpley, who successfully drained a jumper from just beyond the free throw line.

Officials put a damper on a Patriot celebration however, as they reviewed the tape to see if Tarpley completed the shot before the buzzer sounded.

After a few minutes, the HPC crowd celebrated as game officials confirmed the shot was good.

Guard Larry Carpenter, senior kinesiology major, expressed relief after the Patriot win.

“It was an exciting game,” he said. “I’m just glad it bounced our way.”

Senior guard Jacob McDonald felt similarly.

“We watched a lot of film for this game, so we were well prepared,” he said. “It went back and forth, and it came down to the last pass and Tarpley hit a big shot.”

The Patriots celebration soon dwindled, however, as they got back to business and traveled to Abilene to face Hardin-Simmons University on Nov. 26, where they lost 88-81.

The Patriots bested the Cowboys in field goal percentage (54.2–49.2 percent), free throw percentage (71.4–69 percent) and three-point percentage (41.2–37.5 percent), but the Cowboys scored more points from turnovers.

Hardin-Simmons scored 21 points from the 23 Patriot giveaways, which McDonald said led to the defeat.

“We played well, but the turnovers killed us,” he said. “It was, for me, our toughest loss.”

Bizot said ball control must be a priority for the rest of the season.

“We need to take care of the ball,” he said. “Our record would be different if not for turnovers.”

Next, the men retuned to Abilene on Nov. 28, where they fell to McMurry University 99-74. The Patriots were stifled offensively, as they shot 43.1 percent from the field, although they shot an impressive 85 percent on free throws.

“McMurry taught us a lesson,” McDonald said. “We have to play hard the whole game.”

McMurry lead only by four at the half, but ended up winning by 25 points.

On Dec. 1, the men faced Concordia at home, losing 88-80. The Patriots led 43-36 at the half, but had trouble holding off the Tornados, who played an aggressive full-court press the whole game. The Patriots were outscored 52-37 in the second half.

Again at home, the Patriots faced Mary-Hardin Baylor University on Dec. 3. The Crusaders entered the game ranked 15th in the nation in Division III.

The Patriots lost 72-54, as the teams’ field goal percentage was 30.2 percent, to the Crusaders’ 50 percent.

Turnovers again plagued the Patriots, as their 19 giveaways led to 22 Crusader points.

Despite their misfortunes, the Patriots have shown bright spots, Bizot said.

“There’s been good and bad,” he said. “We’ve done great on free throws and have four guys in double digits (in scoring). But we need to work on turnovers and rebounding.”

Now, the Patriots will look to bounce back from a rough start and make the ASC playoffs.

The Patriots overcame a 1-4 start last season to finish 11-9, earning a spot in the postseason.