Nov. 4, 2013 - For Concordia University Chicago's Tyler Jones, Monday night's preseason exhibition against the University of Connecticut was all about perspective. While a 98-38 loss to the Division I Huskies might not seem a cause for optimism for some, the Cougars' sixth-year head coach believes that some of the attributes his players showed will serve the CUC men's team well as they now prepare for the Nov. 16 regular-season opener against Robert Morris University of Chicago.
"I think two of the best things about tonight were that we played with a lot of energy and without fear," said Jones. "We know the reality is that Connecticut is one of the elite college teams in the country, but I don't feel that we went out there intimidated by the fact that it was a Division III team playing a Division I team. I think the prevailing attitude was that 'it's our five players against their five players, let's get out there and go at it.'"
It took a few minutes for the Cougars to find their rhythm. The Huskies drew some early fouls and scored six of their first eight points from the charity stripe. The home team led 10-0 before freshman Mike Walmer (Orlando, FL/Orlando Christian) got the Cougars on the board by splitting a pair of free throws at the 16:34 mark. Moments later, Joe Guinan (Omaha, NE/Gross Catholic) knocked down CUC's first field goal of the year as the Cougars began to get into the offense.
Midway through the half, the Cougars built some momentum by way of the long ball. Nat Pearson (Palatine, IL/H.S.) knocked down a pair of threes within a 30-second span. Not long after, Pearson found Joel Kosberg (Anthem, AZ/Valley Lutheran) behind the arc for the open three. The Cougars' hot shooting would cool off in the final minutes of the half however, and they found themselves trailing the Huskies at the break by a 42-18 score.
The second half opened with a brief flurry of threes. Shabazz Napier and Omar Calhoun connected for UConn while Pearson and Brandon Stinson (Schiller Park, IL/East Leyden) went downtown for Concordia. However, led by Calhoun's hot shooting, the Huskies remained hot from long range. Their 10-14 shooting from three-point range enabled them to open up a huge lead over the final 10 minutes and cruise to the final margin of victory.
Assessing his team's performance, Jones began with Pearson's 11-point effort in his return to the team after sitting out the past two seasons. "Nat missed not playing these past few years, and he showed how eager he was to get back into the game. He had a very solid effort tonight." Jones also praised the effort of Walmer, noting that "Mike had a very rough shooting night from the field, but he stayed with it and was able to contribute in other ways. One thing I liked in particular was his aggressiveness in going to the hole, drawing some fouls and getting to the line seven times." Also of note, senior Marcus Elston (Chicago, IL/Benito Juarez) was limited to 25 minutes thanks primarily to early foul trouble, but he came back to capture a team-leading seven rebounds.
In the end, Jones reiterated the Cougars' gratitude for having a chance to play UConn at the XL Center before a crowd of 5,500. "It's been an unforgettable weekend for our guys from our activities Sunday to the game tonight. And of course, our team was happy for the opportunity to raise the banner for cancer awareness again." That feeling extended to the home team's bench as well. "Kevin (Ollie, UConn head coach) was very gracious, thanking us for the opportunity to take part in this cause," said Jones. "I told him, 'No, I thank you.' This was a very special night for all of us."
