[MoonlightGraham]

January 12, 2013
Lafayette 68, Colgate 56
I had been thinking about swapping Billy Weiler for Stephen Thames, and making Billy a starter once again. I waited, and today Stephen vindicates my decision to leave him in the first five with a solid 19-point performance.

Hubert Song adds 15 more, and Clark Nolan has 11 rebounds for the second straight game. Our conference season begins in fine style.
Record: 8-7 (1-0 in Patriot League play.


January 16, 2013
Holy Cross 75, Lafayette 46
Ouch. We're pummeled by the Crusaders, who dominate us in every aspect of the game. Our offense consists of flinging three-point shots very inaccurately. We set a new Sims-era record with 27 attempts from behind the arc, and we make FOUR of them.

Rhett King, who plays a lot in reserve of James Sanders and Clark Nolan, does the "one-point-and-double-digit-rebounds-thing" with a 1/10 performance. Hubert Song finishes as our top scorer with 13; he's responsible for half our made threes, going 2-6. Turn the page, please.
Record: 8-8 (1-1).


January 19, 2013
Bucknell 65, Lafayette 58
Bucknell wasn't anything special in non-conference play, but they're 3-1 in the Patriot League after beating us on our home court. When you allow another team to make 61 percent of its shots, you're almost always going to lose, a precept we embody today.

Hubert Song gets his, finishing with 17 points. Big Colonel establishes a new high with 15 points. I wish they'd come in a winning effort.
Record: 8-9 (1-2).


January 23, 2013
Lafayette 83, Navy 66
We visit a Navy team that has come back to earth a bit in January. They're led once again by high-scoring guard Steven Ison. The conference's leading scorer, Ison finishes with 22 points, but he needs 20 shots to get them. Meanwhile, Hubert Song drops a much more efficient 20. The rest of our backcourt trio, Stephen Thames (18) and Billy Weiler (13) join him in double figures. Weiler gets 10 of his at the line, where he's perfect on the night.

Quite a few of Ison's misses are retrieved by Clark Nolan, some of his 17 rebounds. Back to .500 we go.
Record: 9-9 (2-2).


January 26, 2013
Lafayette 69, Army 61
Our tour of the service academies continues with a trip up to the Hudson, where we earn a victory that moves us into the top half of the conference standings.

It feels like a standard Lafayette win, based on solid defense and just enough offense to get the job done. James Sanders (14 points) Stephen Thames (14) and Billy Weiler (12) lead our scorers, as Hubert Song endures an off night and is held to 9.
Record: 10-9 (3-2).


January 30, 2013
American 75, Lafayette 68
The first round of our season series with the Patriot League's marquee program goes to the Eagles, to almost nobody's surprise. American bounces back from a shocking loss at home to Lehigh and runs their conference record to 5-1.

One of the angles the media promotes before the game is a matchup between American's Victor Reed, a high-scoring junior guard, and Herbert Song, a similar, younger player. Reed narrowly wins their individual scoring matchup, 25-22, and his stronger supporting cast makes the rest of the difference today. Clark Nolan scores 12 for us, but three Eagles join Reed in double figures. American still seems like they're a cut above the rest of the Patriot League.

Venceslás Castillo leaves the game early in the second half after he catches a stray, inadvertent elbow. He'll be day-to-day for about a week.
Record: 10-10 (3-3).