Editor’s note: Last year, we started off a new weekly roundup of all things Bakersfield Jam. Each weekend after the Bakersfield Jam play, we will break down the week, assess the top performers and break down some of the significant numbers from the past outings.
For the 2015-16 Bakersfield Jam Week 1 roundup, click here.
Last week: Bakersfield Jam (3-1) vs. D-Fenders (L), Stampede (W)
At just 1-3 on the year, this season for the Jam has felt much different from last season. However, sometimes the hardest thing to do is to get that first win. After topping the Idaho Stampede on the road on Saturday, it’s very possible the team could start to turn things around, though they’ll certainly be tested.
However, even at 1-1 in the last week, things are moving in the right direction.
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Really, seven of the eight quarters the team played over the last week were solid. The team absolutely fell apart in the fourth quarter against the Los Angeles D-Fenders; minus that quarter — where the Jam were outscored by 17 points — the Jam outscored their two opponents by a combined score of 186-159.
C.J. Wilcox and Earl Clark led the way for the team in both games. The duo combined to average 42.5 points and 17.5 combined rebounds and assists per game. Wilcox in particular was a +24 in the two games; he was the only player to post a positive plus/minus greater than 10 in each contest. Terrico White was actually second on the team in total plus/minus, posting a mark of +17 between the two games.
Top performance:
In the second quarter against Idaho — the game the Jam won — it was Earl Clark who took over. Clark had 11 points in the period, including the opening basket of the quarter, as the Jam took a 22-21 lead. It was the team’s first lead in about five minutes of game time; the Jam would lead the rest of the way, and they would lead by double-figures for all but 17 seconds in the second half.
Final in Idaho: Jam WIN 98-79.
— Bakersfield Jam (@BakersfieldJam) November 22, 2015
Clark finished with a game-high 23 points to go along with 10 boards. @UCjwilcox23W added 18p-8r.
However, the best one-game performance probably came from Xavier Munford, who posted 20 points, nine assists and six rebounds against the Los Angeles D-Fenders. In the second quarter of that game, there was a stretch where Munford scored or assisted on 16 of the team’s 18 points; all in all, he scored or assisted on 23 of the team’s points in the period, as the Jam outscored the defenders by 12, taking a five-point halftime lead.
On the season, Munford is averaging nearly 16 points per game, up around five points from the year before. He’s also shown dramatic improvement in his efficiency, shooting over 55 percent from the field, 47 percent from three and 88 percent from the free throw line, albeit with a four-game, 105 minute sample size.
Three numbers to note:
6 — The number of three-pointers C.J. Wilcox made against the Los Angeles D-Fenders. Shooting 6-of-9 from distance, Wilcox singlehandedly rose the team’s three-point percentage from 18.2 percent without him (2-of-11) to 40.0 percent (8-of-20).
38.5 — The number of bench points per game scored by the Bakersfield Jam over the last week. That number dropped off severely in the team’s second game, as C.J. Wilcox — who scored 22 points in the team’s first game of the week — went from coming off the bench to the starting lineup. He replaced Kyle Casey, who was a -20 in the team’s first game.
13 — The number of turnovers the team committed against the Idaho Stampede. In the Bakersfield Jam’s three losses, they committed 19.3 turnovers per game, posting at least 18 turnovers in each of their first three contests of the season.
Moving forward:
Next: Phoenix Suns Mailbag: The Bag Knight
The Jam will look to avenge their first loss of the season, as they’ll face off against the Santa Cruz Warriors. Both the Warriors and the Fort Wayne Mad Ants — the Jam’s second opponent of the week — are 3-1 on the year. The Mad Ants have already won two games by 20+ points, while the Warriors have really just played in one blowout — which was a win against the Jam. The Warriors’ other three contests have been decided by three, six and four points respectively.