Offense?

NCC 74- CARTHAGE 85
81 FGAs
42 Threes
28% ORBs
30 TOs
+5 Shots

Once again we struggled offensively, shooting only 29% from the field against Carthage.  Though we played with much more energy tonight, and kept the game close for 35 minutes, we just do not seem to have an answer right now for a big, physical defense that packs into the lane and overplays all penetration. 

My feeling is that while at ONU we had several good penetrators, this team at NCC is smaller, and our personnel might not be as good a fit for the driving game.  We could emphasize the screening action more to get some ball movement before we initiate a drive.  But the real problem seems to me to be that we just aren't quite meshing yet.  The offensive flow is ragged due to poor passing, which leads to a "herky-jerky" action in our movement. 

One last mystery is why we have started out so poorly on the offensive boards the last several games.  Tonight we had onlu 16% in the first half!  Yet after a scolding at halftime (again) we hit the boards hard and got 45% ORBs.  I'm fairly certain this is mental... we didn't learn anything about rebounding in the locker room at halftime that we didn't already know.

I'm hoping things will mesh soon, because scoring 65 and 74 in our last two games is not System basketball.