The Chicago State Cougars are playing hard after not having a winning season in three years. They look to change that streak this year, and took another step towards their goal when they played the Samford Bulldogs at home Saturday evening.

Samford’s first possession was cut short with a steal by Cougars guard John Cantrell and a three-pointer sunk by senior point guard David Holston seconds later, a microcosm of the Bulldogs’ upcoming struggles in the Jones Convocation Center.

Holston is the second leading scorer in Division I NCAA, behind Davidson point guard Stephen Curry. Coming in to the game, it was expected that Holston would run circles around the Bulldogs defense.

Compared to recent games, Holston’s performance was fairly average, but the Bulldogs clearly focused on neutralizing him, opening up significant scoring opportunities for his teammates.

Despite his 5’8” stature, Holston commands significant respect from opposing players. On offense, he is frequently double teamed and pressured to either shoot or pass immediately; on defense his man plays unusually far off, and does not attack the paint directly through Holston.

The Bulldogs clearly took into account Holston’s speed and scrappiness, yet he still led the team in steals with five and led the scorers with 19.

Defensively, the Bulldogs played a 3-2 zone and closed down with two or even three players to stifle Holston. With so much focus on Holston, Cantrell and forward Carl Montgomery were allowed more freedom to play to their strengths.

Montgomery had one of his best defensive games of the season. He led the Cougars with 10 rebounds and four blocks, enough to convince the Bulldogs to pursue other avenues to score.

Cantrell was the Cougars second leading scorer, shooting 44 percent from the floor and rounding out his play with six rebounds and four steals. Cantrell plays physical, and had a pair of dunks that set the tone when the Cougars needed a boost of energy.

The Bulldogs struggled to establish an inside presence throughout the game. They passed or drove the ball inside, only to kick it out to a shooter along the perimeter.

On the other side of the court, the Cougars were effectively aggressive on both offense and defense, limiting the Bulldogs to eight points from the paint while scoring 38 themselves.

At times, the Cougars played sloppily, but as Samford pulled within three points with ten minutes left in the game, they cleaned up their play and went on an 11-0 run, holding the Bulldogs scoreless for the next six minutes of the second half.

The Cougars do not use many designed plays; their offense consists of blending speed with ball movement and improvisation. While this technique lent itself to some occasional miscues, it translated to 13 steals and 16 points scored off of turnovers.

If there was one weakness, however, it was certainly the Cougars’ inconsistency from the free throw line. The team averaged 25 percent from the line, and Cantrell, their most consistent shooter from the foul line that evening, shot only 50 percent.

Because so many of their points came in transition, they did not have the opportunity to get to the line more often. Those missed free throws will be crucial when the Cougars play against stronger opposition.

Holston did not stand out, but the team as a whole did. His toned down performance may actually be beneficial to the team’s success; three of his games of scoring over 30 points came in losing efforts. “I play my heart out every night,” said Holston, “but now we’re playing as a team.” For someone who hasn’t seen a winning record since high school, that’s all that matters.

The Cougars play the 3–6 Eastern Illinois Panthers this Monday in Charleston.

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