If you're wondering how Elizabethtown College's basketball team beat athletic, powerful, Division II Millersville Wednesday, Saturday's 76-63 defeat of Arcadia didn't provide answers.
"I think my guys were reading the newspaper, and listening to people telling them how good they are," E-town coach Bob Schlosser said.
"I'm disappointed, but I'm glad we got the W."
That it wasn't a great night doesn't mean it hasn't been, so far, a great year. The Blue Jays went 9-15 last year.
With a win at home Saturday over Rutgers-Camden, they'll have nine wins before the holiday break, and go to the break undefeated for the first time in Schlosser's 18 seasons.
They're doing it with mostly the same players, and exactly the same frenzied, pressing, up-tempo style.
"It is an incredible improvement," Schlosser said. "The truth it's a chemistry issue.
"I credit our seniors and captains [Mike Schatzmann and Chad Piersol] for doing everything they needed to do to get us ready.
"If I could put it to you in one word, it'd be sincerity. They were really, really serious about preparation for this season."
For this season. Not for Saturday night.
"The outstanding leadership wasn't here tonight. They [Schatzmann and Piersol] need to hear that."
Naturally, this all sounds worse than it was. The Jays led by 21 at halftime.
But at the break Arcadia (3-3), a team of virtually all guards, seemed to arrive at a better understanding of what they were up against.
The Jays were never in serious trouble, but the Knights pulled within eight twice.
E-town's MO is to make opponents go faster than they want to. But the Jays kind of did that to themselves here, as evidenced by 29 turnovers.
Eight of those turnovers were credited to point guard Phil Schaffer, who nonetheless gave E-town energy and intensity, especially on the defensive end, in 30 frantic minutes.
Senior forward Jordan Dirago and freshman guard Keith Fogel also provided a spark off the bench.
Fogel, a 6-0 combo guard from Mifflinburg, is the most important new piece. He scored 14 Saturday on 5-of-6 field-goal shooting.
"He really listens," Schlosser said. "Some of the older guys, you have to con them a little, but Fogel does everything we say. Maybe some guys will learn something from that."
This is all making Schlosser sound grouchy, and Schatzmann/Piersol sound lethargic. He isn't, and they weren't.
Piersol, who came in averaging a hair under 20 a game, scored 18, with nine rebounds and three assists.
Schatzmann also scored 18, with eight boards. He shot 7-of-11, mostly by working the baseline in E-town's flex offense for layups.
With both teams sprinting end-to-end so much, the three-point shot was as small a factor as it ever is in a college game.
E-town was 1-for-7 from the arc. To have a chance, Arcadia had to do much better than 6-for-25, especially since leading scorer Eric Elliott is a lone-range bomber.
Elliott scored 19, but shot 6-for-22, 4-of-14 from the three.
Last year, of course, a 13-point win against anybody, anywhere, anytime, would have been cause for celebration. Schlosser gets that.
"When I wake up tomorrow I'll feel better," he said.
Mike Gross is a Sunday News sports writer. E-mail him at mgross@lnpnews.com.
