I can’t say I’m surprised at this point, but I’m still pissed off. That stretch in the 2nd half encapsulates more or less everything that is wrong with this team. We fight and claw our way back out of a giant hole to take the lead. 59-57. The Dome is rocking and Villanova is reeling. Then… what? They figure the game is over? How many times has that happened this season (and last)?!?
For the record, the next 6 SU possessions after taking the lead went like this:
- turnover
- turnover
- missed layup (Rautins)
- missed jumper (Harris)
- turnover
- turnover
Over a span of nearly 3 minutes, SU got off just two shots, neither of which was a particularly high-percentage attempt. Meanwhile Villanova scored 11 points in that same time frame. Some on fast breaks off turnovers, others on offensive rebounds. And that was, as they say, that. We were overly fortunate just to be able to have that shot at tying things up in the final seconds — without a couple uncharacteristic turnovers by Reynolds in the final minute, this is a ten-point loss. So I don’t want to hear anything about “oh, if only Jonny’s shot went down”. No moral victories here. This was a home game against an opponent that should be “at the same level” as we are. Those kind of games you are supposed to win.
Baaaaaaaaaargh.