South Bend, Ind. The Bulldogs outscored the Fighting Irish by four points in the second half, but it still was not enough to come back from a 40-12 first half deficit causing The Citadel to lose to Notre Dame, 74-50, on Sunday afternoon in South Bend, Ind.
“The game was obviously won in the first half,” said The Citadel Head Coach Ed Conroy about his team that shot 21.7 percent in the first period. While turning the ball over 11 times, the Bulldogs hit 5-of-23 shots, including a Demetrius Nelson jumper at 17:42 to put the first field goal on the board for The Citadel and bring the Bulldogs the closest to Notre Dame at 6-3.
“I am not very pleased with the way our team came out in the first half. Notre Dame is a very good basketball team. I think they knocked us backward and they were much more aggressive in the first half,” Conroy said. “They have been doing a good job with the press this season, but when you score five baskets in the first half, you just can't get into it.”
Another first half problem for the Bulldogs was Notre Dame's forward Luke Harangody, who came off the bench shooting 7-of-8 to score 16 points in the first half.
“We wanted to make him work on the defensive end,” Conroy said about Harangody. “He's very tough for anyone, especially with our deficiency in height and bulk. He was very difficult for us.”
The Citadel came out with more energy in the second half, outscoring the Fighting Irish, 38-34. Senior forward J'Mel Everhart, who was held scoreless in the first half with only three attempts at the basketball and one board, exploded in the second, scoring all 12 of his points in the period. Senior guard Donny McLendon, who led the Dogs in scoring with 16 on the night, also added nine second half points.
“We tried to get into our press. I think we were more aggressive, trying to post up and screen,” Conroy added about the Bulldog's second period effort. “I was just very disappointed in our guys letting opportunities slip away from them in the first half. I think they are an excellent basketball team, but they have some weakness we need to work on.”
The Bulldogs finished the night shooting 34.5 percent from the field. They hit six second half three-pointers to tie a season-high of seven (of 18) from long range for the night, averaging 38.9 percent. The Citadel went to the line on three occasions, hitting 5-of-6 free throws for 83.3 percent, a team season best.
McLendon led the Bulldogs in scoring with 16 points and four boards. Everhart added 12 points and only three rebounds, two assists and a steal, while Nelson and senior guard Kevin Hammack led The Citadel with five boards each. Harangody led the Fighting Irish with 18 points and three steals off the bench, while four of their five starters recorded double figures in scoring. Notre Dame shot 43.5 percent on the night, scoring 23 points off 19 Bulldog turnovers.
The Citadel Basketball will head to Los Angeles to take on Southern Cal on Tuesday, Nov. 21 at 7:30 p.m. pacific time. For more stats, photos or information on Bulldog Basketball, go to www.CitadelSports.com.
