December 10, 2002
Monday night against a clearly overmatched Division III opponent, The Citadel set season highs for points, 3-pointers, and field-goal percentage. But it was a smothering defense that set the stage for the Bulldogs' most lopsided victory in three years.
Ben Tobias scored a career-high 18 to lead five Bulldogs in double-figures, and The Citadel turned 24 turnovers into 30 points in a 95-55 victory over Oglethorpe. The 40-point victory, which came before a crowd of 945 at McAlister Field House, was the Bulldogs' biggest since a 57-point blowout of Toccoa Falls early in the 1999 season.
The Citadel (3-3) opened in a full-court press and never let up, the defense leading to easy baskets and fueling an offense coach Pat Dennis has opened up. The points in transition helped the Bulldogs post a high shooting percentage for the second consecutive game, the 59.1 percent The Citadel netted Monday coming on the heels of a 55 percent performance in an 82-67 win Thursday over High Point.
"I thought it helped us gain some offensive confidence," Dennis said. "The fact that we've scored 82 and 95 points (in the past two games), I don't care who you're playing, that's helping us a lot. We don't feel like we've got to get a stop on the defensive end every possession."
Romas Krywonis recorded his first double-double of the season, adding 15 points and 10 rebounds for the Bulldogs, who are off for exams until a Dec. 18 game against Southwestern (Texas).
The Citadel canned 12 3-point goals, four of them by Dante Terry, who posted a career-high 14 points.
Stan Goldberg led Oglethorpe (1-4) with 18.
The Stormy Petrels were only able to keep the game close for a few minutes until The Citadel's pressing defense took its toll.
During one stretch midway through the first half, the Bulldogs forced Oglethorpe into six turnovers in seven possessions, converting the takeaways into points on the other end.
Freshman Kevin Hammack keyed the run with a pair of 3-pointers, and the few cadets who weren't studying for exams were brought to their feet by a Clyde Wormley dunk.
"That was definitely the plan, to jump out on them early and kill their confidence early," Krywonis said. "I think that's one of the keys when you play a team that's not Division I, to kill their confidence early so they don't think they can play with you."
"We just wanted to take them out of everything they had," added Tobias.
The Citadel did just that, rolling to a 44-27 halftime lead. What passed for drama in the second half came with 16:33 remaining, after a three-point play by Oglethorpe's John Williams trimmed the Bulldogs' lead down to a manageable 13 points.
But again, The Citadel's defense was the difference.
The Bulldogs held the Stormy Petrels to just one basket over the next seven minutes, turning one Oglethorpe turnover after another into a 17-2 run that took the last bit of fight out of out-classed visitors.
"We didn't want this game to get into a grind-it-out, half-court game, and we've been working on pressing more and getting after it," Dennis said.
"I felt we were very effective with that in bothering them on the defensive end, which allowed us to run a lot more, which we're trying to do."
Following a loss to Charleston Southern on Dec. 5, Dennis tweaked his offense, pushing the tempo and trying to rely less on 3-point baskets. Through two games, the Bulldogs like what they've seen.
"We changed our style of play a little bit, and we're getting some easier buckets," Krywonis said. "We're not just heaving up 3s and taking tough shots and grinding it out. I think us getting out and running a little bit has given us some easier shots."
"I'm very happy with the way we're starting to stroke the ball, and I think our confidence is coming with the shooting, no question about it," Dennis said.
