Lafayette's Will Kirksey (left) grabs a rebound in front of Marquette's Andy Rosburg in the first half.
(Photo by Whitney Curtis) |
To the uninformed outsider, Lafayette might seem like the Tyler Griffey show.
But though he is the team's sole returning starter and only highly-touted Division I prospect, he is not the only weapon.
The Lancers showed that Friday night at Marquette, winning 55-37 even though Griffey was in foul trouble for much of the game.
"We can score from all five positions," Lafayette coach Dave Porter said. "We're deep."
The Lancers demonstrated their depth Friday, using a nine-man rotation to thwart the Mustangs. Junior center Will Kirskey led Lafayette with 19 points. Tony Meier had 16 points, and Griffey added 11.
"Most of the teams think we just rely on Tyler," Meier said. "But we've got other guys capable of stepping it up."
Still, the game was not always as lopsided as the final score.
The Lancers rolled through the first quarter, leading 14-6 after eight minutes. But Griffey picked up his second foul with 4:54 left in the first half and spent all but one remaining possession on the bench. The Lancers led by just one point at halftime.
Griffey picked up his third foul with 5:16 left in the third quarter, and he once again sat on the bench.
But though the Mustangs closed to within one point on Chad Haley's 3-pointer with 4:30 left in the third quarter, Lafayette never relinquished its lead.
With Griffey out, the Lancers relied on the spirited play of Meier, a 6-foot-8 senior guard. He scored 10 points in the third quarter, mostly when Griffey was on the bench.
"I realized when Tyler came out I had to take over a little bit and be more assertive," he said.
Griffey said he occasionally gets in foul trouble, and he has learned to live with it so long as it does not happen too often. On Friday, he got two steals in the first half and then continued to play aggressively.
"It happens," he said. "It's something you play through."
Griffey and his teammates kept their composure in what was occasionally a raucous gym. All 1,100 tickets to the game were sold by Tuesday, and the gym was full — at least until the final minutes.
"It was a little overwhelming," Meier said. "We tried to not get too caught up in it."
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