Basketball's a tough game if you can't put the ball in the basket

NORFOLK

As encouraging as this week's victory at James Madison was, Old Dominion's loss Thursday night to George Mason was, if not dispiriting, at least a little puzzling.

It's "about half befuddling to me," Blaine Taylor said, pointing to a senior core - Kent Bazemore, Chris Cooper and Trian Iliadis - that shot 8 for 38 on its home court.

Another upperclassman, redshirt junior Nick Wright, was 1 for 6.

A neutral observer might say what was truly befuddling about the game was how ODU stayed in it despite shooting 25 percent in the second half. And, for the game, making less than half its free throws.

Yet with 1:06 to play, Bazemore rose up for a 3-point attempt that would have brought the Monarchs to within two. When he missed, a Mason team dressed in uniforms the color of a box of Crayolas tucked away its 63-54 victory.

Afterward, Taylor talked about "layups and 3-pointers rattling out" and how ODU let Mason "off the hook quite a bit."

Most befuddling of all was how ODU could grab 22 offensive rebounds (to only eight for Mason) and come away with a paltry two second-chance points.

Offensive rebounding is what Taylor teams are known for; it's what carried the Monarchs to the NCAA tournament the last two seasons. But what good does it do to corral an errant shot only to miss again? Repeatedly. Or if fouled on a put-back attempt, throw away points at the free throw line?

The 6-foot-9 Cooper, who led ODU with 14 rebounds, had seven offensive boards, but shot 3 for 16 from the floor (almost all his attempts coming from point-blank range) and only a little better at the line (3 for 9).

"I just need to learn how to finish when I get to the rim," he said.

Cooper and his teammates have developed a bad habit this season of missing around the rim, sometimes inexplicably.

"It's been a recurring theme," said sophomore guard Donte Hill, who finished with 10 points. "We've got to toughen up."

Nobody questions the Monarchs' toughness; the fact that they stayed with Mason despite the visitors' superior shooting is a testament to ODU's resolve and work ethic.

Still, sometimes there's no substitute for putting the ball in the basket. Especially when the shots are taken from underneath the basket.

But with a record of 7-8, this is who the Monarchs are - a blue-collar group that has to work very hard to overcome its offensive deficiencies. And it's not as if this ODU team is blessed with an abundance of talent in any phase of the game.

"When the ball doesn't go in the hole and you can't hit from the foul line," Taylor said, "that magnifies things."

Actually, from what we've seen so far this season, it clarifies things. It's rare when ODU shoots lights out. More often, the Monarchs shoot as if in the dark.

ODU is adept at setting the pace, what some might describe as dragging a superior opponent down to its level. But doing that, without the benefit of dependable scorer or two, makes for too much work over the course of a long season.

Or as Bazemore said, "It's going to be tough winning a game shooting 25 percent."

Bazemore shot 5 of 15 from the field, while Iliadis was a frigid 0 for 7. They shouldn't stop shooting any more than Cooper should stop crashing the glass.

The team's determination isn't being questioned, but to become a factor in the CAA race, ODU will have to improve its aim.

Bob Molinaro, 757-446-2373,bob.molinaro@pilotonline.com

Twitter@BobMolinaro