Hello Fighting Scots' fans! Welcome to the January 13 edition of the "Coach's Corner". This week we will take a look at our two games from last week against Regis College and Wentworth Institute of Technology, and talk about this week's games against Endicott College and Curry College.
 
Last Tuesday we traveled to Weston, Massachusetts to take on Regis College, who came into the game with an 8–4 record. I give our players credit, we played hard and never gave up, but we couldn't quite overcome a second half 10-point deficit, and lost 77-73. We had a good look at a three-point shot at the end of the game to tie the score, but Alex Daniel's shot just rimmed out. We quickly fouled, which explains the four-point loss. Alex led the way with 24 points. Ryan Brooks had another one of his steady games with 15 points, six rebounds, and three assists. Chiko Kalu gave us a very nice spark off the bench with 10 points and six rebounds. This was our last non-conference game of the season, and 12 CNE games are all that remain on the schedule.
 
This past Saturday, we traveled to Boston to take on Wentworth. Wentworth is really struggling this year, but you can always be certain that they will play hard and physically, and that was the case this past weekend. Alex injured his hamstring in the Regis game and was unavailable for this game, so we were going to need some players to step up in his absence. On a few different occasions during the game, we built a double-digit lead, but we could never seem to put Wentworth away. We hit the shots when we needed to and came away with a 75–69 CNE road victory. I don't care what anyone says, but when you can get a victory on the road in conference, that is always a great thing. Chiko followed up his strong game at Regis with another outstanding game against Wentworth. He finished with 19 points on 7–10 shooting from the field, and 3–4 shooting from three-point range. Drew Brander had a solid game with 15 points and four rebounds, followed by Ryan with 13 points and 12 rebounds. Although Bruce McGuire only scored five points, he was a spark off the bench with his defense and 10 rebounds. That brings our record up to 3–2 in CNE play.
 
This week we have two very different games. Tomorrow, we face off at home against crosstown rival Endicott College. Endicott is having an outstanding season, and has put themselves into the top-25 in the country. They have two All-American level players in Elijah Kinney and Marcus Montagnino, but they are surrounded by several outstanding players in support. Those two players have both been selected as national players of the week this season. To say we need to have an outstanding game against them would be an understatement. When we win the possession game, we are a very good team. When we don't rebound well and turn the ball over, we are not a good team. We must play with urgency with regard to our desire for the ball. We need to box out on defense, and we need to attack the offensive glass. If not, it could be a long night.
 
On Saturday we host Curry College. Curry has been much improved this season, and has as many wins on the season as we do. They are competitive in every game (except for their last conference game against Roger Williams). The interesting part is that they took RWU into overtime the first time they played them. They are a very young team, and I think they will just keep getting better. They are very good offensively, but we've been much better defensively this season. If we can win the battle on the defensive end of the court, and take care of the ball, I like our chances.
 
This season has been a crazy season with all of the injuries, but we have had a lot of different players step up when needed. This past week, Chiko Kalu played very well, and helped us to one, and almost two victories. This week we will need another player to step up, especially if Alex isn't able to play.
 
I hope and pray that you all have a great week, and we hope to see you at a game soon. GO SCOTS!
 
God Bless,
  Coach Murphy
 
"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." - Romans 8:28