Page 16
Lion Cagers Rule 'The Pit'
by Todd J. Irwin
Collegian Staff Writer
Erie Hall is a far cry from
LA's Forum in all aspects but
one ... home court advantage.
"It's a pit to play in," said
Behrcnd's men's basketball coach,
Doug Zimmerman, "but it's
home."
What a home it is! The Lions
are 7-0 in Erie Hall, which, at
best, resembles an elementary
school gym, and they are holding
close to an old success formula.
"A general rule of thumb is win
at home and split on the road,"
said Zimmerman, "We've been
winning at home and almost
splitting on the road."
Undefeated at home and 3-5 on
the road bring the Lions to 10-5
overall.
After roaring out to a 4-0 start
back in December, the Lions
dropped by one point to SUNY-
Fredonia. The next day,
Bchrcnd's hoopers stomped
Bethany College to up their
record to 5-1 before the semester
break. The team returned to
practice on December 26 in
preparation for the Mt. Union
Tournament, but dropped two
games in two nights there.
"Overall the break hurt us," said
Zimmerman, "we lost the
momentum we had early in the
season."
The Lions bounced back
-uickly, though, pulling out a
ti, le point victory over St.
Vi. .ent at home on January 4.
A i id trip to Grove City gave
Behrtad its fourth loss, 86-94,
but the following week the Lions
returned to "the pit" , and won on
consecutive days. On January
13, Behrend's cagers avenged their
first loss of the season by beating
Fredonia, 83-79. Thiel fell to the
Lions by one, 77-76, the next
day. Keuka College visited
Bchrend on January 17 and also
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fell in the pit. Geneva broke
Behrend's three game winning
streak, but the Lions got back on
track with another home victory
over St. John Fisher, 87-70.
Zimmerman's team has held
true to his preseason predictions.
"The team has good chemistry.
Everyone gets along and the
scoring is spread out," said
Zimmerman. Five of Behrend's
players, senior Dave Gurska,
junior Mo Pringle, and
sophomores Randy Baughman,
photos by Rick Brooks
Lions' forward Moise Pringle (left) and guard Randy Baughman each get a two against - Keuka
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Rick Demski, and Chris Viscuso,
average more than ten points per
game. Add in senior Bob
Minford at just under 10 points
per game, the result is a very
well rounded offense.
Zimmerman admits that his
team is usually smaller than their
opponent, but use their quickness
to a maximum in a running
game. Coach Zimmerman uses
this analogy to describe his
team's play, "It's pretty hard for a
big dog to catch a quick rabbit,
TONIGHT IN ERIE HALL:
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January 28
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The Collegian Wednesday, January 25
but if he does, we're in trouble."
According to Zimmerman, the
next couple weeks are important
to the team's chances for
postscason play. Bchrend's best
shot lies in the East Coast
Athletic Conference (ECAC)
Tournament. Bdhrend's coach is
hoping that the selection
committee takes into
consideration that Bchrend plays
many larger teams, many of
whom offer athletic scholarships.
It's not going to get any easier
Mens' Basketball
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with teams like Geneva and
Grove City remaining on the
schedule, but Zimmerman
remains optimistic, "We're
relatively young, starting three
sophomores ... but expectations
arc still high." A bid for
postseason play was one of
Zimmerman's main goals for this
season, and the Lions are
certainly keeping that goal in
their sights.
On Jan.. 23, the Lions beat
Suny-Brockport 97-96