By Otto Gomez
Staff Writer
The Lions’ men’s basketball team opened up their 2015-16 season with a tough loss in the first game of Wheaton Tip-Off Tournament on Friday, Nov. 13, against Salve Regina by a score of 80-79. The team rebounded against Wheelock College on Saturday, Nov. 14, coming up with the 89-65 win.
While the team started off slow against Salve Regina in the first half, they picked up after ending the first half down, 49-40. They were able to start the second period off hot, erasing the nine-point deficit in less than five minutes.
At one point the Lions took the lead, thanks to their very tough defense that held Salve Regina scoreless for the first five minutes of the second half. For the rest of the half, both teams battled back and forth, trading shots until the end of the game.
However, the team ended up on the wrong side of the one point margin, coming up just short of victory in the last seconds.
Things look bright for the team, though, as sophomore guard Eric Murdock, Jr., posted a strong stat line with 19 points, nine assists, five rebounds and four steals. The team also got a great contribution from freshman Kevin Bloodgood, who scored 12 points off the bench.
In the second day of the Tip-Off Tournament, the Lions faced off against Wheelock College and bounced back in a strong way, posting their highest scoring total since the 2011-12 season.
The team was hot from the beginning, as they took a nine-point lead and kept the momentum of the game into halftime.
After the break, the Lions showed no sign of letting up as they scored 51 points in the second half, with the result of the game ending up as 89-65.
Murdock put up yet another strong stat line, recording 19 points, six assists and three rebounds, earning him an All-Tournament Team spot. More importantly, another Lions freshman stepped up with a strong game, this time it being 6’5” forward Jordan Glover, who put up a resounding 18 points and 14 rebounds.
The Lions hope to continue this strong play in their home opener this Wednesday, Nov. 18, at 7 p.m. against Western Connecticut State in Packer Hall Gymnasium.
