After an 82-54 win against N.C. Wesleyan, the Panthers have started 3-0 in back-to-back seasons.
All night the team dominated in the paint scoring 50 of the 84 points inside.
Head Coach Patrick Corrigan said transition offense, offensive rebounds, and executing in the half court gave them success scoring down low.
This helped carry a 41-27 lead into the half.
“We talk about playing a focused 40 minutes often. The difference between wins and losses a lot of the time is the consistency of execution,” Corrigan said. “Executing while you’re tired and being disciplined every possession, no matter the score, is what good teams do. Our goal is to limit the errors that we can control. Our depth helps us play at a higher intensity for longer, and I think it showed at crucial points of the game.”
In the second half, the team continued to stay disciplined as they shot 62% from the field compared to the 46.88% they shot in the first half.
“Our guys stayed the course and adjusted to what the defense was giving us,” Corrigan said. “Getting some easy ones in transition and off the glass always helps.”
Rebounding and defense has been a focal point for Corrigan, and against N.C. Wesleyan the team held the Bishops to 37.7% from the field and 5.9% from three.
“I thought we played physically and contested the majority of shots. We executed our game plan,” he said. “It was a team effort to keep those guys from getting good looks. I was proud of our effort defensively and on the glass. My favorite stat from the game was 46-26 on the glass.”
Senior Bryant Wall led all scorers (22) and was one rebound shy of a double-double.
Junior Alfredo Abel-Rivera also scored 20 points and brought in 13 rebounds for his first double-double of the season.
The Panthers look to move to 4-0 tonight at 7 p.m. when Mary Baldwin enters Swartz Gym.
This will be the fourth of six out-of-conference games before the team starts ODAC play Dec. 4 at home versus Averett.
“We just have to keep getting better and keep chasing being able to play a complete 40-minute game,” Corrigan said. “Still a lot to get better at on both sides of the ball. We still can be a lot more organized and consistent on offense and defense. Just have to keep getting better daily throughout the season.”
