The Saluki men finished up exhibition play with a 97-51 win over Lincoln Memorial today.
Brandon Wood showed significant improvement from the first exhibition game. Wood had 11 points, 3 rebounds, and 3 assists in 24 minutes of play. It might be more important to note he only had 2 turnovers in 24 minutes. Wood said he felt more comfortable and showed it with an explosive tip-in dunk.
After the game Lowery said that he was "very pleased" with Christian Cornelius who had 11 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 assists in 22 minutes. Cornelius looked much more comfortable in this game and Lowery stuck with him even when he was tired and was calling for a breather during the first half. Conditioning might be an issue early on but putting faith in Cornelius now could pay big dividends later in the season.
Josh Bone was injured while diving for a ball in practice this week but Lowery said that he probably could have played today.
Carlton Fay was a little off shooting the ball today but shooting won't be a concern for Fay. He did have 3 assists and just 1 turnover and Lowery said that "he could be special on both sides of the ball" citing his ability to take a charge and his willingness to give his body up. The areas for Fay to improve on include close outs and his overall quickness getting to the ball.
Dion Coopwood played tough defense and hit 4 of 5 shooting. Lowery envisions using him in a similar role as he used former walk on Austin Brooks. It is important to have that extra guard if there are additional injuries combined with players in foul trouble. In that case, Coopwood could come in and play a few meaningful minutes.
Tony Boyle scored 10 points and grabbed 6 rebounds in his return from a broken hand. Boyle still needs to work on limiting his fouls but he showed that he's healthy and ready for the season to start.
