Nice win by the Jackets, but we were still plagued with inconsistency. I have to agree with what BG said in the post-game audio, the defense at the end of the first half was the best that it has been all season. We were cutting off penetration, helping on D, and we stretched the lead. However, we came out at the start of the second half and didn't look like the same team. We have to do a better job of sustaining our energy level...especially on D.
It was the same thing on offense. In the first half, we ran some good sets, moved the ball, and was patient until a good shot presented itself, and most importantly, our guys were making them. In the second half, we couldn't find driving lanes, and our guards were trying to do much. Marcus missed a couple of gimmes, and he also got too aggressive drawing two offensive fouls. We were taking quick shots.. Just not pretty for a long stretches.. We must get more consistently good execution on this end to be a better team, and I think that comes the more that these guys play together.
Big shout out to Ben Lammers. He played great in short time in the first half. He had a couple of big blocks, and he also knocked down a pair of free-throws. Let's get this young man some more PT. I would have agreed that Bolden played some good minutes until he threw the ball away for a breakaway dunk, and then compounded the mistake by committing a soft foul for an And-1. With that said, it is encouraging to see him knocking down 3's early in the season.