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SG Lenzelle Smith (Hapoel Eilat - Israel)

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Q. A comment on Lenzelle tonight and the cut over his eye, the whole regional he had here? Could you have expected that from him? He's had flashes of various things all season but maybe not back to back like this.
COACH MATTA: Well, I'll tell you what: It's funny because, as crazy as this sounds, he had lost his man on defense and given up a three and then came down and threw kind of a wild pass that almost got picked off, and I was literally saying he doesn't have it at the moment, let's get him out and we'll talk to him. Then he bangs a three, and I'm like, he's back.
So we let him ride it out. But the runner he had up over I don't know which one it was, but he played great basketball, knocked down his free throws when we needed them. You love to see it.
The funny thing is as he was shooting those threes and as we ended shoot around this morning or this afternoon, he made 25 straight from the corner. I was like, all right, he's on, and I felt like he could have a pretty good shooting night.
Lenzelle has learned the value of commitment, the value of hard work, and couldn't be happier with how he played.
 
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Lenzelle was the man tonight. Very solid game, and tourney for Zelle.
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You can say the samething about Craft, Sullinger, Thomas as well as far as reaching the F4. Never-the-less, he is gaining confidence and shooting much better at the perfect time.

:oh:

RB07OSU;2132109; said:
Kid has played out of his mind this tourney...difference maker thus far. Without his play, no Final 4.
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Magua;2132099; said:
Q. A comment on Lenzelle tonight and the cut over his eye, the whole regional he had here? Could you have expected that from him? He's had flashes of various things all season but maybe not back to back like this.
COACH MATTA: Well, I'll tell you what: It's funny because, as crazy as this sounds, he had lost his man on defense and given up a three and then came down and threw kind of a wild pass that almost got picked off, and I was literally saying he doesn't have it at the moment, let's get him out and we'll talk to him. Then he bangs a three, and I'm like, he's back.
So we let him ride it out. But the runner he had up over I don't know which one it was, but he played great basketball, knocked down his free throws when we needed them. You love to see it.
The funny thing is as he was shooting those threes and as we ended shoot around this morning or this afternoon, he made 25 straight from the corner. I was like, all right, he's on, and I felt like he could have a pretty good shooting night.
Lenzelle has learned the value of commitment, the value of hard work, and couldn't be happier with how he played.
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25 in a ROW!!!!!!!!!!!!! WOW!!
 
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Thanks to a bloody Lenzelle Smith, Ohio State can see clearly to the Final Four: Bill Livingston
Published: Saturday, March 24, 2012
Bill Livingston, The Plain Dealer
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John Kuntz, The Plain Dealer
Ohio State's Lanzelle Smith (L) and Deshaun Thomas celebrate their victory over Syracuse, 77-70, on Saturday, March 24, 2012, during the 2012 NCAA men's basketball East Regional final at the TD Garden in Boston. (John Kuntz / The Plain Dealer) OSU Tops Syracuse, 77-70 gallery

BOSTON -- Four stitches sewed the gash above Lenzelle Smith Jr.'s right eye closed before he rushed back to the Ohio State bench, barely able to see.

But even now, with the shooting eye that was so sharp at the morning's light practice focused again, with the Buckeyes' ticket to the Final Four punched after beating Syracuse, 77-70, he couldn't say he was feeling no pain.

"I still feel it," Smith said, after he scored 18 points that couldn't have been predicted unless you spied on the shootaround. If you had been there, you would have hoped it implied an even bigger evening than the 15 he scored on Cincinnati in the East semifinals Thursday.

"He made 25 3-pointers in a row from the corner this morning. I was counting," said coach Thad Matta.

The OSU sophomore missed five minutes of the first half after Syracuse's Brandon Triche made a spin move that resulted in his head slamming into Smith's eyebrow. "Busted it wide open," said Smith.

"He was pretty calm," said Ohio State team doctor Grant Jones, "especially after getting hit in the head and with blood all over the place."

cont...
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http://www.cleveland.com/livingston/index.ssf/2012/03/thanks_to_a_bloody_lenzelle_sm.html
Smith shows he’s cut above
Buckeye is stitched up, then stands out
By Amalie Benjamin and Michael Whitmer
Globe Staff / March 25, 2012

At the end of the first half, Lenzelle Smith Jr., had 2 points and four stitches. At the end of the game, the sophomore guard had 18 points, had been a major force in stopping a late run by the Orange, and had coach Jim Boeheim lamenting Syracuse’s inability to stop him.

“Lenzelle, the bigger the game, the better he plays,’’ teammate Jared Sullinger said.

And that was huge against Syracuse Saturday night at TD Garden in the NCAA Tournament’s East Regional final.

“I thought, for the game, we did a good job on everybody except for him,’’ Boeheim said.

Smith wasn’t available immediately after the game because the medical staff had to finish up some stitch work. But his impact was clearly felt.

“He stepped up and made a couple of big shots for us,’’ guard Aaron Craft said. “On the other end as well, he did a good job of keeping their great guards in front of him and trying to do his best. He was a little out of it the first half after getting hit and getting those stitches, but he did a great job at halftime of regrouping.

“He knocked down some big shots for us.’’

Like the 3-pointer with 7:13 to go that came right after Syracuse narrowed Ohio State’s once double-digit lead to 1 point.

Smith averaged 6.3 points per game this season, but had 15 points on 6-of-7 shooting in Ohio State’s win over Cincinnati Thursday. Against Syracuse, his shooting percentage wasn’t nearly as good (4 of 10), but his baskets were crucial, even after missing all four attempts in the first half.

At one point, Smith had lost his man on defense, given up a three, and thrown a wild pass in the first half. Coach Thad Matta was thinking to himself, Smith doesn’t have it. He was thinking he needed to take him out.

Then Smith hit a three.

“He played great basketball, knocked down his free throws when we needed them,’’ Matta said. “You love to see it.

“Lenzelle has learned the value of commitment, the value of hard work, and we couldn’t be happier with how he played.’’
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http://www.boston.com/sports/colleg...les/2012/03/25/ohio_states_smith_a_cut_above/
 
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