Just the Facts, Ma'am: St. John's put four players in double figures and led wire to wire in their 75-38 win over Boston University. Eugeneia McPherson and Shenneika Smith each had 15 to lead the Red Storm, with McPherson adding six steals. Chantell Alford had 12 for the Terriers, while Rashidat Agboola had eight points and eleven rebounds.
For cool hats, exhaustion, ennui, and unexpected points in the paint, join your intrepid and ringing blogger after the jump.
The last Game Notes of Doom of 2011! Hard to believe, isn't it? The year's gone by so quickly...
I have to give BU fans credit- they took advantage of the three-day layover in New York and came in force. There were a lot of them. I also like their player-family gear. Johnny Thunderbird was almost too friendly to them- he darn near ran out of hats by the time he got to our section. (Yes, we got New Year's hats. Mine was red. /preens)
Our band has a gnome. Your argument is invalid.
BU looked exhausted. They were a step slow for most of the game; we're a good defensive team, but I've never seen us stay with a team through as many moves as we did. They would fake one or two or three times, and we'd be with them every time.
We saw a lot of their bench in the second half, because, y'know, thirty-point game, even a Terrier knows when to lay off. The spelling of Troi Melton's name makes me wonder if her family were Trekkies (but that's just because I'm a Trekkie myself). She gave them some good minutes. Whitney Turner was the first one off the bench in both halves, bringing them some size and physicality. Kristen Sims played a lot, but wasn't able to accomplish much. Greenberg started mixing in her deeper bench early in the game, so we saw a lot of players for short spurts.
Chantell Alford played well. She has a nicely balanced game, which I like in a player. Caroline Stewart didn't have a boxscore kind of game, but I like the way she took up space and the defense she brought. Rashidat Agboola did not demonstrate the world's greatest ball control, especially in the first half, when she had two bad turnovers in a row. Alex Young tried to make something happen, but it didn't happen. Mo Moran, who I dimly recall from her freshman year being someone to keep an eye out for, wasn't much of a factor.
Maybe someone gave Kelly Greenberg downers, maybe she's gotten one too many technicals, maybe she was wiped after three days in New York, but she was a lot calmer than I remember her being. I'm not sure if this is a good thing for her team or not.
Jennifer Blanding! The most popular woman in the room and the namesake of our Christmas tree, she got in late and made an impact. Big girl takes up a lot of space in the middle, and I wish Kim Barnes Arico would use her in those situations more. Briana Brown can't shoot straight, but she hit a three in an attempt to light the tree (alas, Mallory Jones went scoreless, meaning that Jennifer Tannenbaum is the only St. John's tree lit up today). Tesia Harris played surprisingly well, coming up with more loose balls than I think even she was expecting. Keylantra Langley was solid but unremarkable except for the one three that beat the shot clock. (Her flair for the dramatic usually annoys me, except when it has to do with the shot clock.) I think someone clued Mary Nwachukwu in to the fact that she needs to get her act together if she's going to get minutes, with Da'Shena's return and Amber's improvement. Either that, or she's still BC enough to get up for a game against BU, and she'll go back to soft mediocrity against Providence. But it was nice to see her hitting shots and going for loose balls.
Oh, hey, Nadirah McKenith! Nice to have you back. She's still a couple of steps slow, and the knee's bothering her, but she's going to be back, and I'm quite glad of it. She and Amber Thompson hooked up for a couple of beautiful plays. Amber was more assertive on offense than I've seen her in a while, and kept up her hustling for rebounds, even if she wasn't always able to get her hands on them. Shenneika Smith was quiet and a bit fumble-prone early in the game, but as time went on, that dagger-like shot showed up for the party. Eugeneia McPherson went for the shot instead of the foul, and her game was better for it. This is the Gina I enjoy watching- the one who goes to the rack without fear, who gives up her body without hesitation, and who strips the ball from her opponents like a pickpocket working Times Square. Da'Shena Stevens was bothered by injury- she was noticeably slow getting up and down the floor, and her shots were way off to the right.
The offense was a little loosey-goosey, and I think the coach got a little frustrated with the way they weren't taking care of the ball. But I liked the defense. Defense is good.
The officiating was the usual combination of confusing and solid. I'd really like to see more of an emphasis on tripping in the women's game, though. Too many knee injuries for us not to be careful with that.
It was hard to really get into this game after the big run in the first half. After it was 7-6, things got rapidly out of hand, which was refreshing and much needed. Now the hard part begins...
Saturday, December 31, 2011
December 31st, 2011: Boston University at St. John's
Sunday, December 18, 2011
December 18th, 2011: Memphis at St. John's (Chartwell's Holiday Classic)
Just the Facts, Ma'am: It was tight at the end, but St. John's came out as champions of their holiday tournament with a 64-60 win over Memphis. Shenneika Smith had 18 points for the Red Storm, while Brittany Carter had 23 for the Tigers.
For jackets, the incandescent rage of Kim Barnes Arico, Panthers (or possibly Seawolves), and the show-the-ball trick, join your intrepid and decorated blogger after the jump.
Finally, after entirely too long, it was time for the second game, and nothing says “pressed for time” like the team going straight from the stands to the court. I think the long delay due to both the foul issues and the, y'know, triple freakin' overtime left both teams a little out of sorts.
Big games mean tight rotations. Ann Jones was the reserve post, coming mostly to shift the forwards and set screens. Danay Collier was the reserve guard, mostly there to give the guards a break. She was a little bit of a threat from the outside, but not much else.
I love the way Bilqis Abdul-Qaadir runs the offense. She's going to keep Memphis fun to watch for a couple of years; if she's this fast a year off a torn ACL, I wish I could have seen her at full speed. Jasmine Lee was shut down- she was able to get position often, but she wasn't able to get the ball and move on the smaller posts. Unfortunately for us, that meant letting Brittany Carter get loose and shoot, and shoot, and shoot some more. She's got a pretty stroke. I like her hustle and her work in the lanes. Nicole Dickson also had a good game. Fouls got her in the second half. Ramses Lonlack is very much a loose cannon, and there are times when I like a player like that, but this wasn't one of those days. Well, as a St. John's fan, it was, but as a basketball fan, it wasn't.
Memphis stays on you. You can't show them weakness. I look forward to their matchups with UAB. They're similar enough in attitude that those games are doing to be interesting, to say the least.
Da'Shena Stevens is back. Be afraid, Big East. Be very, very afraid. By the time she gets to you, her shot is going to be all the way back, and her defense is already on point. She's still getting used to her teammates again, but when she's got Nadirah spearheading the break... this is going to be good. Tesia Harris's on-ball defense could use some work, but she had a good stretch in the middle of the game where she was contesting shots and pulling down rebounds like nobody's business. She's going to be one of those players we don't necessarily expect a lot from, but expect a steady stream of something from.
If I had a wee bit more of an ego, I'd think Shenneika Smith read the GNoD this morning and decided that she didn't like being called out for being less active than usual in the last couple of games. She was much more assertive today, coming up with the big shots in the first half. She had a couple of boneheaded passing plays that she knew were bad, but you live with those with her. Keylantra Langley got entirely too cute with her ballhandling, which is not the greatest of plans when facing an opponent with very quick hands (nine turnovers, Jesus Christ, you know Kim Barnes Arico tore her a new one for that). She's a good substitute, but she's not a point guard. Amber Thompson had a rough start shooting, but was able to get herself in better position in the second half and hit some shots inside. I love how she works, I really do. Eugeneia McPherson put up some wild and ridiculous shots that had no business going up. At leats she got free throws for some of them in the first half, but I'm going to lay off my usual soapboxing vis a vis the focus on drawing the foul first instead of attempting to hit the shot. I'm tired and you've heard it all before. Which is also why I'm going to lay off Mary Nwachukwu; she didn't do anything she hasn't been doing all season, and by 2012 she's going to be coming off the bench anyway, so I'm going to do a little work for my blood pressure and let go of my frustrations about her inability and/or unwillingness to use her size.
I was waiting for Kim to kill someone. There was a point in the game where (I think) Keylantra was pinned against the sideline by a Memphis trap and about to be forced out of bounds or into a five-seconds-stationary call. Kim was screaming for a timeout loudly enough for those of us in the tenth row to hear... somehow, Bonita Spence and the crew managed to miss it. Kim was... incensed. To put it mildly. The same situation happened a couple of possessions later, and Kim called the timeout with such an exaggerated gesture that we nearly died of laughter. And then they missed it again. Combine that with some sketchy block/charge calls, and I was pretty sure that one of those stiletto heels was going to be turned into a weapon.
Memphis brought a very loud contingent for both games, including one lost lady who persisted in sitting in our section for the first half. Ma'am, if you have been informed that you're sitting directly behind the opposing coach's family, you might want to move, as if sitting next to the band and behind the cheerleaders wasn't enough of a hint.
Football is stupid.
I can't say I'm overjoyed with this result, but a win is a win.
All-tournament team: Jasmine Bendolph of Louisiana Tech, Brittany Carter and Jasmine Lee of Memphis, and Shenneika Smith and Da'Shena Stevens of St. John's, with Eugeneia McPherson as MVP.
My picks: Carter, Smith, Shantale Bramble-Donaldson of Louisiana Tech, Kiara Etienne of Prairie View, and Nicole Dickson of Memphis (or Kiara Young of Louisiana Tech), with McPherson as MVP. Etienne got screwed.
December 18th, 2011: Louisiana Tech at Prairie View (Chartwell's Holiday Classic)
Just the Facts, Ma'am: Down by 14 with 6:26 to go in regulation, the Lady Techsters fired off a 21-5 run to force overtime and (eventually) pull out a triple-OT 89-83 win over Prairie View. Kiara Young and Jelena Vucinic each had 21 points for Louisiana Tech, while Kiara Etienne led Prairie View with 24.
For entropy, exhaustion, chanting, attempted murder, and telepathy, join your intrepid and worn out blogger after the jump.
So is the game over yet? With all due respect to Prairie View and Louisiana Tech, by the middle of the second overtime, I was approaching the game the way I usually approach baseball games- “please, for the love of God, let the team that's in the lead win so the game will end!” I'm pretty sure everyone around us thought we were insane, but we just wanted it to be over. Honestly, I found myself wishing that Cynthia Cooper was still at Prairie View so she and Spoon could settle it in a one-on-one duel after the second overtime.
With all due respect to the National Anthem, I'm not going to applaud a recording, especially not one that drags on forever. Pick one that doesn't go on forever.
I don't think I like Louisiana Tech's alternate road jerseys. They don't go with the rest of the color scheme. I understand that these alternate jerseys match the men's scheme, but come on. Spoon worked the all-black everything pretty well, though.
Change in the starting lineup from yesterday, which shuffled the bench around a bit. Kanedria Andrews became the first player off the bench, and she was not nearly as effective as she was yesterday. Courtney Hayes, she of the not-actually-existing on the roster, put in a first half bucket and was never seen again. Tavasha Anderson started to make her presence felt late in the game, once the rosters had thinned and she was needed. She threw her weight around, especially in the third overtime (which, I'm sorry, is a ridiculous phrase to end up typing).
I'm not sure whether Kiara Young was consistent, per se, but she was always in on plays, and her score line on my card is quite beautifully multi-colored. Jelena Vucinic, I humbly apologize for forgetting about you and your crazy spins yesterday. I'm sorry. I won't forget your outside shooting again. Please forgive me. Shantale Bramble-Donaldson played well in the second half, and when she fouled out in the first overtime, I thought Louisiana Tech was done for. Whitney Frazier got her shot going, and had a really nifty block in the first half. Jasmine Bendolph hit the shot to send the game into the first overtime, so I'm not thrilled with her.
I felt like I should have been rooting for Louisiana Tech, but somehow I wasn't. Strange, that.
Fouls, fouls, everywhere fouls for Prairie View. LaReahn Washington managed to foul out off the bench; her temper got a little bit the better of her. Asha Hampton-Finch played a lot off the bench, and her length was useful in getting to the basket. She had to do a better job of holding on to the ball, though.
Kiara Etienne didn't put on quite as much of a show as she did yesterday, but she didn't need to. She came up big in the overtime, but that was as much a function of three people fouling out as anything else. The coaching staff really worked on Jeanette Jackson all game; I thought that was an interesting point of emphasis. I like her willingness to penetrate, and her judgment will improve with time. Larissa Scott continued to set the screens that so intrigued me about her, plus was able to get into the paint and hit some lay-ups. I like her offensive rebounding, too. She's raw, but she's a freshman; it happens. Michaela Burton and Latia Williams shared the same problem- an inability, or an unwillingness, to handle the ball. At one point, Coach Wilson yelled, “Just keep dribbling, Michaela, you're a guard!” This is a very young, very raw, team- no seniors and only two juniors of consequence, so they're going to be more dangerous next year than this.
The officiating was administratively messed up. With nine seconds left, the officials had to take several minutes to settle up the foul count. Turns out they'd mis-allocated a Prairie View foul to Louisiana Tech. Because both books were wrong, no free throws for Louisiana Tech. The foul was eventually retconned out of existence (for the record, it was Larissa Scott over the back- I had it on my chart, which is why I chart fouls and use different colors for each period, which becomes a lot harder at the third overtime, darnit).
By the second overtime, I was sure that Kim Barnes Arico was going to ninja someone with one of her stiletto heels if they tied the game again. It was hysterical. We may have been loopy by then.
Prairie View's contingent got a lot louder today than they were yesterday.
Classy move by Spoon not to have Louisiana Tech huddle up directly at center court.
It might be a long season in Ruston. They looked more like a Teresa Weatherspoon team today, feeding on their opponent's weaknesses and flashing better ball movement, but Fresno State would eat this team alive.
Saturday, December 17, 2011
December 17th, 2011: Memphis at Louisiana Tech (Chartwell's Holiday Classic)
Just the Facts, Ma'am: The Memphis Tigers put the pedal to the metal and never looked back in an 86-67 win over the Lady Techsters of Louisiana Tech. Brittany Carter led all scorers with 24 points, while Jasmine Lee put in 23 for Memphis. Louisiana Tech got 16 points and 10 rebounds from Shantale Bramble-Donaldson.
For emptiness, awkwardness, team colors, and a ball of confusion, join your intrepid and sleepless blogger after the jump.
So then everyone left. The end.
I'm mostly kidding, but there's something painful about the neutral game in a hosted tournament. At least with the home team playing, you get the atmosphere of a game. But when the band packs up to go home and the cheerleaders put on real clothes and the bulk of the crowd leaves, things get quiet, and a little depressing. You can hear the referees communicating, the voices from the bench, everything.
Liberty fans, I am disappointed. You were enticed with the promise of Teresa Weatherspoon, and where were you? Shopping? You could shop tomorrow. Lucky you, the awkward choice doesn't have to be made.
We could have ended up with an awkward situation if both the family of Memphis guard Bilqis Abdul-Qaddir and the family of one of the Louisiana Tech assistants had stayed in our section. But the Memphis folks moved along behind the road bench, and we scared off the Louisiana Tech family. I'm okay with that. I like my space to yell at the refs.
There's something very 21st-century about hijab accompanied by a Memphis supporters' scarf.
I was more impressed with Memphis than I was expecting, but then, I've been skeptical of Memphis since around the time Tamika Whitmore gave up on being a consistent player. So sue me. I hold grudges sometimes. They play a lot taller than they are, and they're fast.
Lauren McGraw had a tendency to play a bit out of control- lots of fun flash, but a lot of moving faster than she was ready for. Danay Collier got a fair bit of playing time in her homecoming, but I can't recall much of what she did- I was surprised to find she had played that much, to be honest. Ann Jones came off the bench as sixth woman in the first half and showed a little touch, though the illegal screen she drew as one of her first moves was not exactly a promising portent. McFerrin only threw in most of her bench near the end of the game, so they weren't in a position to do anything exciting or interesting.
Jasmine Lee impressed me, though I can see the flaws in her game. Her stamina and conditioning could stand some improvement, but I like her instincts. She worked hard in the paint. Bilqis Abdul-Qaadir ran a nice offense- she's small, but she's effective, and fast. Brittany Carter's athleticism impressed me- she had a resounding block that we could hear on the other side of the court. Nicole Dickson displayed a little range, but also athleticism. I was most intrigued by senior guard Ramses Lonlack- she plays a lot taller than she is, and she has the footwork of a soccer player. Control wasn't great, but Memphis seems to like to play fast and frenetic.
Spoon, give Sophia back her 1999/2000 hair. Some things just aren't right.
Louisiana Tech went deep into their bench- everyone played at least five minutes, but I don't think Savanna Langston's five minutes were terribly impactful. Tavasha Anderson moves well for a big girl. Kanedria Andrews got into a lot of plays late in the game, but I think they were expecting her to do a lot more earlier in the game. Kiara Young brought speed, and offense, but not much else.
It's probably for the best that Courtney Hayes didn't do anything of note, because somehow she didn't make it onto the roster that St. John's printed up. So now I'm confused and don't know anything about her. Jasmine Bendolph showed a nice stroke, but I think she might be having back problems- she looked a little pained, and I thought I saw a heating pad come off her during one timeout when she was about to check in. Shantale Bramble-Donaldson did a good job establishing position down low, but Memphis was able to make her less of a factor in the second half. Whitney Jones can play- nothing spectacular, but a nice all around game from her.
Ah, the peril of double-headers when I can't bring the computer to the game. Things get vague, especially when people keep distracting me.
My husband/viewing partner/distraction pointed out that Louisiana Tech threw a lot of high passes, and wondered whether there's just that little height in the WAC. They were fast, and had great ball movement, but I'm not sure whether they are really her team yet. They made a lot of stupid mistakes and couldn't hit a lot of easy shots. I expected a lot better out of them, and maybe they were just off their game today. We'll see more tomorrow. Or today. Time travel tense trouble here.
The officiating bothered me- not necessarily because of the quality of the calls, but because it looked like they weren't sure who was the crew chief. Spence and Aliberti got into a debate early in the game.
Crowning Moment of Funny: Shantale Bramble-Donaldson grabs a rebound. Bilqis Abdul-Qaadir rips it out of her hands cleanly and promptly falls over on the endline. The whistle blows. Teresa Weatherspoon explodes, charging off the sideline to protest the call. The funny part? It was a travel on Memphis for Abdul-Qaadir rolling with the ball. Nothing says WTF like screaming bloody blue murder at a ref who's making a call in your favor... even as your team inbounds the ball.
Hello, Chris, you poor unfortunate bastard! Did you miss us? Because we miss you. I have no idea whether anything did go on at Taffner Field House; we had a long walk home to look forward to.
Tomorrow's matchups will be fun, and Lordie, do I wish Cynthia Cooper was still at Prairie View right about now.
December 17th, 2011: Prairie View at St. John's (Chartwell's Holiday Classic)
Just the Facts, Ma'am: St. John's held the Lady Panthers of Prairie View scoreless for stretches of five and seven minutes in the second half to claim a 66-50 comeback win. Eugeneia McPherson led the Red Storm with 20 points, also notching five steals. Kiara Etienne led all scorers with 27 in a losing effort for Prairie View.
For debuts, excitement, lots of purple, eyebrows being raised, and really good-looking wings, join your intrepid and chilly blogger after the jump.
There's something discomfiting about being down by a hefty margin to Prairie View in the early going. We were sloppy, and we missed having a steadying hand at the point to keep us from doing too much stupid stuff.
Attendance disappointed me greatly. Promotion needs work. Even luring Liberty fans with the tantalizing promise of Teresa Weatherspoon doesn't appear to have worked.
Prairie View looked like they were going with a short roster, and banking on the success of SWAC bowling in the design of their warmups. (Which is not to disrespect SWAC bowling; I had an acquaintance who bowled at a SWAC school, and it's SRS BZNS there. But bowling and basketball have different design sensibilities.)
A fair whack of the band was at the Holiday Festival at the Garden for the men's game, so they filled in with alumni and other substitutes. They didn't do a bad job, which is good. Our band has been hit or miss, to put it delicately. They did the anthem, and it wasn't bad.
Our PA announcer wasn't quite sure how to pronounce LaReahn Washington's first name when she first entered the game; as near as I can tell, it's a variation of Lorraine. She demonstrated a fondness for diving that would have made Mery Andrade proud. We didn't like her very much; she was rather fond of plays that were just this side of dirty. Kathryn Jackson played briefly near the end, and she moves pretty well for a big girl. Asha Hampton-Finch was in a lot, and I remember her being tall, but I can't think of anything else she did in the game.
Larissa Scott was rendered a non-factor because of the fouls. She positioned herself pretty well as a screener, opening up shooters, but not much else. Kiara Etienne stole the show, especially in the first few minutes, when she had 13 of Prairie View's 15 points. She impressed me with her shooting, especially from outside, but doesn't seem to know when to stop. Reaching with six seconds left in a game you've lost by 16, and then complaining about the call, is perhaps not the brightest move in the world. I seem to recall Latia Williams having a decent defensive game, but too much time has passed and I'm easily distracted. Michaela Burton looked pretty good for the Lady Panthers as well.
I have no idea how Tesia Harris's shot goes in. She puts it up like a shotput, and for a fair amount of time, it doesn't go in. But I don't understand how it ever does. She and Briana Brown both got additional time because of the injury to Nadirah McKenith, and I think Tesia made better use of it than Briana; Briana looked too much like a player who was rusty and uncomfortable with actual playing time, which is one of those cycles that has to be worked through, because yanking her makes the problem worse. Jennifer Blanding, folk hero of the masses (or at least the pep band) got to make a cameo, and it always impresses me how well she calls for the ball- the way she establishes position is almost textbook. Zakiyyah Shahid-Martin put in a little time, and tried to do some good stuff. But most importantly of all, St. John's got Da'Shena Stevens back. I won't deny that it did my heart good to see her back in uniform. She's still rusty, but her defense is on point. We've missed her quick hands. Haven't missed her sketchy free throw shooting, though. Come mid-January, we'll be fine.
Especially if Keylantra Langley keeps maturing. I've given her a lot of flack over the last season and change, but she's coming into her own. She's much more suited to a 2/3 role than the point guard role she'll be playing while Nadirah's out, but she's stepping up to the plate there. I also like what I'm seeing out of Eugeneia McPherson. She's choosing her spots and she's stepping up. She played the passing lanes hard today. Shenneika Smith's always a threat, and she'll come up with the big shot, but she seems to be receding lately. Maybe it's just that there hasn't been as much opportunity for her to get to the rack, which is her strength. Mary Nwachukwu, I am starting to give up. Stop staring at rebounds. Grab them. I like the little midrange shot, but we're going to need more than that, even with Da'Shena Stevens back. Amber Thompson couldn't hit the broad side of a barn in the first half, though she was getting good shots. She got better in the second half.
I don't know what was said in the Red Storm's locker room, but they need to bottle it and keep it for the BEast season.
I squeed a lot at our new assistant, but I have kvelled at length in the past about Joy McCorvey, so I will save you from my fangirling of the player whose jersey I wear.
I'm not sure what to think of Prairie View, beyond being duly impressed with Kiara Etienne. I suppose we'll know more tomorrow.
Sunday, December 11, 2011
December 11th, 2011: DePaul at Tennessee (Maggie Dixon Classic)
Just the Facts, Ma'am: The Lady Vols of Tennessee induced 24 turnovers and 47 missed shots on their way to an 84-61 win over the Blue Demons of DePaul. Glory Johnson led Tennessee with 16 points, while Cierra Burdick and Alicia Manning both added double digits off the bench. Jasmine Penny led DePaul with 16 in reserve.
For exhaustion, wandering eyes, blurs of color, and a lot of orange, join your intrepid and sore blogger after the jump.
Tennessee is home for this game, so we're behind their bench with a lot of people in orange. I especially like the Tennessee-colored lei over in section 106. Tennessee is up 12 at the half, and it doesn't feel like it should be that much. DePaul's shooting well, though they'd be a lot better off if they could hit some of their bunnies. Tennessee's been rebounding well, and their defense is on point.
I love how John Whisenant talks about how there are WNBA prospects in all four games. Yes, maybe if you include the class of 2013, but I don't think a single senior played a significant role in the Baylor-St. John's game. I also don't think it's a good idea to talk draft strategy when the Seattle coaching staff is in attendance scouting (oh, and the Connecticut staff, too, though Thibault is a wee bit biased).
Kara Lawson is across from the Tennessee bench. There was a lady who looked a little bit like Loree Moore, but much girlier, so I don't think it was her.
Full disclosure: between looking for my team, gossiping with Ray, working on the Baylor-St. John's notes, and chatting with the people next to us, I found myself not paying as much attention to the game as I should, so these notes are not up to par, and I'm sorry.
Tennessee fans have some of the niftiest gear. They traveled in large groups, but the biggest group in orange... well, we spotted them during the first half, wearing the “We Back Pat” shirts. My husband went to talk to them at the half to see where we could get the shirt. Turns out the group in the “We Back Pat” shirts wasn't from Tennessee and weren't Tennessee fans. They were UConn fans who'd come for the doubleheader, basically to prove that UConn fans shouldn't be judged by the worst of their fanbase. We saw a couple of stray UConn fans, a lost UNC fan, a very lost South Carolina fan, and far too many Penn State fans.
Live by the three, die by the three, DePaul. Tennessee wasn't that much bigger than you are. Maureen Mulchrone (just a wild guess, what with the pale skin and the red hair and the name, she's of Irish descent) came in as a shooter off the bench. Jasmine Penny came in and played big minutes for the Blue Demons with Keisha Hampton and Katherine Harry both dealing with big foul trouble. I was impressed, though I wasn't thrilled with the way she knocked out Glory Johnson at one point. I don't remember much of anything else from the DePaul bench. My apologies.
Anna Martin looked like she was looking for shots she could get against the minor D-I teams of Chicagoland, but that she wasn't going to get against a team like Baylor. Brittany Hrynko couldn't hit the broad side of a barn, but she always seemed to be in a good place on the other side of the ball. Keisha Hampton never seemed comfortable, though that might have been because of the foul trouble. I didn't even see most of the calls; I blinked and she was out of the game. Katherine Harry showed off a pretty hook shot, but I don't remember much else she did. And I don't even know who Kelsey Reynolds is. I'm sorry, Kelsey Reynolds.
Alicia Manning put on a show. She was in a lot of places, and I think she had the move of the game with her pretty spin move. Briana Bass is adorably tiny, but not much else. Cierra Burdick went on a run in the second half that helped bury DePaul for good. Not much time for Isabelle Harrison.
Vicki Baugh's knee, or shoulder, or whatever, must have been acting up, because Burdick and Manning shouldered the load for her. Glory Johnson was everywhere on the court. Taber Spani looked a little out of sorts, like she wasn't quite with the program. I'll admit that when watching Tennessee on television, I tend to mix up Shekinna Stricklen and Glory Johnson, and when not looking at a roster, it's possible to mix players up. You have to understand that my perception of the game was less detailed than usual, and fading hours later; I have impressions of fast-moving orange and blue missing shots.
DePaul fell apart in the second half, and that's uncharacteristic of a Doug Bruno team. I guess that says as much about Pat Summitt as it does about Doug Bruno, though.
December 11th, 2011: Baylor at St. John's (Maggie Dixon Classic)
Just the Facts, Ma'am: 23 points from Eugeneia McPherson and a halftime lead weren't enough for the St. John's Red Storm to overcome the Lady Bears of Baylor. Brooklyn Pope led Baylor with 19 points in the 73-59 win.
For dizzying heights, depressing lows, hustle, pride, and supporters' scarves, join your intrepid and drained blogger after the jump.
Good morning, everyone! (Words that should never open a game report from a sporting event. It is too early for this.) But we're tipping off early due to a Ranger game at 7PM, making this the only time I've ever hated my Blueshirts.
I'm not sure I like the new Garden yet. It's very slick and very professional, but I miss the whimsy of the old Garden. The navy seats with their mahogany-colored armrests are very dignified, but depressingly dark. I'm sure it'll develop a soul over time, but right now it's... sort of generic.
A fair number of Baylor fans are here, though I'm not sure how much of that is connected to last night's Heisman presentation. Fortuitously, the Liberty section is right over the home tunnel. Hiiiiiii, St. John's band! Hiiiii, St. John's! You thought you'd escape us, didn't you? You thought you'd get a little peace and quiet, didn't you? Fuhgeddaboutit. I've seen a lot of orange, not enough red, and not a lot of blue. Maybe the flight from Chicago is late.
Baylor is tall. Not just that Griner kid, either. And there's a lot of them!
Very nice anthem by Maggie Dixon's cousin.
WE ARE LEADING THE NUMBER ONE TEAM IN THE COUNTRY AT HALFTIME. This isn't the best moment of my life, but that's only because I was at the Bethany Donaphin game and I was there when we beat Notre Dame. And we may get slapped around like a red-headed stepchild in the second half for our audacity, but we'll always have a two-point margin on the scoreboard at the half. St. John's is playing fearless and tenacious. Nadirah McKenith and Eugeneia McPherson and Shenneika Smith and all of them- my team, I love them. I love them so much.
This game breaks your heart. That's what it does. That's what it's meant to do. I'm sitting here near tears not because we lost, because I can take losing with dignity, I can take showing effort and pride, because we gave Baylor much more of a fight than we rightfully should have. No, I'm about to cry because I can't get the image of Nadirah crumpled on the court, holding her knee, being carried off, out of my head. It's not fair. It's not right. It's not fair. And it breaks your heart. I've seen ACLs. I was there for Rebecca Lobo and Meg Bulger and Becky Hammon and Stephanie White, and I know what it means if a player stops in a stretch and crumples to the ground holding her knee, what it means if they're testing the knee for flexibility and she has to be carried off the floor with no weight on her leg. I know what it means. And it hurts. (I mean, it hurts more for Nadirah, since it's her knee.)
So I don't know how to put the thoughts into words. I don't know how to talk about X's and O's and lay-ups and WHY ARE YOU SO TENTATIVE MARY and players I've never seen when I'm looking around the stands to see if Nadirah's back, if she's okay, if she's moving all right. It also doesn't help that the Maggie Dixon program had no scorecard, so I wasn't able to keep track of stats by half the way I usually do, with color-coded pens for each half and squiggly arrows connecting steals to assists to field goals, with running foul counts for both halves and starters marked. I had to make do with the back of a spare piece of paper and my trusty four-color pen. So if I'm a bit vague about who did what, it's because I couldn't balance both the makeshift scorecard and the program on my lap. And then there's the whole distraction of a point guard holding her knee, and I've seen that on the Garden floor before, I've heard that silence and wanted to pop someone for laughing during it.
Sorry. I'm dwelling, and if you're in Waco, you probably want to hear about your team. I was surprised that Kim Mulkey didn't take the opportunity to go deeper into her bench; I suppose she was expecting to do so in the second half, forgetting that past performance is not an indicator of future results. Sune Agbuke came in briefly for a lay-up, maybe for a little size. Apparently Destiny Williams went out a wee bit too late last night and got suspended for the first half, but I'm inclined to think she was showing the effects in the second half. She did a good job matching up athletically with Shenneika Smith, but Shenneika matched up equally well with her. I'm going to give Makenzie Robertson the benefit of the doubt and assume she's a better player than she showed today, because otherwise, I'm going to scream “NEPOTISM!” at the top of my lungs. Scrappy hustle players who play a little defense and not much else should not be your primary bench players.
I was surprised Brooklyn Pope got so much support from the crowd as she did. Given the way she left Rutgers, I would have thought the crossover fans (the confused folks in section 105 with the Rutgers gear on) would have told her to stick it where the sun don't shine, but she got bigger cheers than anyone except Griner. She played well in the first, but faded back a little in the second as Williams and Griner stepped up. Brittney Griner is an amazing player- I hesitate to use the term 'freak of nature' because someone's going to think I'm alleging something along the lines of what got Jordan Barncastle popped in the face, which I most certainly am not and would not. But that combination of speed and height is amazing. She did a great job on the boards simply by being able to reach up and pluck rebounds out of the air or tip them away from opponents. That being said, she won't make your jaw drop if someone plays her without fear. There's something about Kimetria Hayden that I like that I can't quite put my finger on. Well, other than the flop. I don't like that. But she was in the right place at most of the right times and took most of the right shots. Jordan Madden has an appropriate name for sports, and she just kept shooting. I'm not sure if Odyssey Sims is Baylor's point guard or not, or if they really have one, or if they really need one, but even the Baylor fans behind me were wondering why she was in the game at some points.
Zakiyyah Shahid-Martin came in, got a couple of offensive rebounds, and proved that she couldn't shoot over someone that much bigger than she is. Tesia Harris came in for a couple of stretches when we were a bit short on guards, but did nothing of note. Keylantra Langley played the bulk of the minutes off the bench, and Lord, I hope she's ready if Nadirah's injured. She played the passing lanes well, but I do wish she'd work on her shooting form if she's going to shoot at that kind of pace.
You know what I like most about Amber Thompson? She's not afraid of anyone. She's only a freshman and she's going toe-to-toe with Brittney Griner. She's going into the paint and taking opportunities when she can find them. And I repeat: she's only a freshman. I'm so looking forward to watching her mature and develop. She might be something special. Eugeneia McPherson stepped up, and I'm starting to think she might be turning into one of those people who steps up in big games. (Which is good. We need someone like that.) Shenneika Smith had a flashy defensive game and hit a couple of big shots, but she's more of a slasher, and there was a 6'8” presence in the paint who might have gotten in the way of her usual route. Nadirah McKenith was up and down at points, sometimes a step slow and a thought behind the defense, but she was starting to heat up when there was a confusion of bodies and a black and green blur and Nadirah on the floor holding her knee. She got a little fancy sometimes, but she was fearless. They were all fearless, except for Mary Nwachukwu, who needs to be less tentative. Don't tell me you're scared of Brittney Griner when you used to scrimmage against Shields and Swords, okay? Not getting the rolls didn't help, either.
It would not be reasonable to blame the referees for a 14-point loss. Baylor has more talent and more height than we do. I can accept that. To be honest, I can even accept bad officiating. I'm used to it. But I cannot abide uneven officiating. I cannot abide undercutting, hammer blows, and tripping not called on one end and ticky-tack calls made on the other. I cannot abide 20-4 free throw differentials and 16-7 foul differentials. You're going to tell me it's okay for people to get slammed with no call? And Dee Kantner let this go on, that's what shocks me the most. That, and I'll say the same thing I said after one of these debacles last year. Baylor is a very good team, currently the best in the country according to the polls. They don't need the officials' help to score. They can do it all by themselves. Don't let the way things “should” be dictate what you do.
All in all, we did exactly what I wanted us to do: we impressed a bunch of potential, neutral fans. We proved that, yes, there's a team out there worth watching that's a lot closer to most Liberty fans than Rutgers is. We showed heart and fire and passion and grit and talent. We made it a much closer game than it should have been according to all the stats, brought it under the spread, even led them at halftime. People know we exist now. People are interested. I should be happy.
But I just keep seeing Nadirah on the Garden floor...
Sunday, December 4, 2011
December 4th, 2011: Hartford at St. John's
Just the Facts, Ma'am: Amber Thompson's 19 points and 13 rebounds powered St. John's in a 70-45 win over the visiting Hartford Hawks. Daphne Elliott led Hartford with 12 points.
For imaginary Girl Scouts (and no damn cookies), validation, adventures with Sharpies, swag, and short-term jersey loans, join your intrepid and most squeeful blogger after the jump.
Hartford is not the Hartford they once were. Maybe somebody didn't pan out, maybe Rizzotti didn't get someone she was expecting to get, maybe the pipeline shut down, but this bunch of Hawks didn't impress me. Something seems not right about it, though. But I'll take a 25- point win anywhere I can get it.
The anthem singer definitely knew how the anthem should be done. I don't know if she had the voice for it, but she had definitely gotten some training. I think after last time, they weren't going to stand for a bad anthem, especially when ROTC was presenting colors. (The ROTC instructor doesn't tend to appreciate that kind of disrespect, and he's the only person at Carnesecca Arena louder than we are.)
There was supposedly a Girl Scout event going on that day, but I didn't see many Girl Scouts. /Girl Scout salute from Junior Troop 4839/ Apparently my high school's team put in an appearance too. Nostalgia day much?
Hartford got some rough play off their bench. Alyssa Englert has one of the fastest free throw releases I've ever seen, and she uses her elbow brace like a weapon. I'm minded of how Barry Bonds used his pads and protectors to draw HBPs. She took Nadirah down pretty badly with no call, and got a little bit of her own medicine right back when Eugeneia ran into her and drew a block on her. Milana Gilbert was not making friends with her elbows and physical play down low. Cherelle Moore came on as an offensive spark, but didn't spark very much. I seem to recall Taylor Clark being small, fast, and annoying, but not much else.
Daphne Elliott fired off three quick baskets in the first half, the second off a gorgeous Ruthanne Doherty screen, but we clamped down on her in the second. Doherty has the strangest pronunciation of her surname I've ever heard. She went in on us in the second. Amber Bepko sounds familiar from somewhere, which is really odd, because she's a freshman and I haven't seen Hartford this year. I'm wondering if she has an older sister or something. She's got a nice little shot. Nikkia Smith has the most potential out of those starters, in my opinion. I'd like her to lay off the elbows when she makes that strong spin move to the basket, but as a basketball fan, I like strong spin moves to the basket. Alex Hall didn't do anything that I recall. I assume that Jennifer Rizzotti looks for distributing point guards.
I like Hartford's drills with the weak hand, and if their three-point shooting gets hot, they could be a dangerous opponent, but while this is a team that can compete against any non-BCS team you care to name, they look like they'll have trouble with teams that either have more size or more talent.
It was nice to see all the kids get into the game. Given how physically Hartford was playing, I might have put Mallory Jones in earlier- she's a big guard, and she's not afraid to use her body, so the Hawks might have thought twice about some of their shenanigans. Briana Brown didn't score, but pulled down a couple of nice defensive rebounds. Keylantra Langley brought clutch shooting, including a buzzer-beating three to end the first half, and strong defense. I think this is the kind of game I'd like to see from her on the regular- I don't necessarily need her to beat the clock every time, but I'd rather she take fewer shots and have them count, then focus more on her defense, than go crazy shooting. Jennifer Blanding and Zakiyyah Shahid-Martin worked together on one offensive rebound that chewed up a lot of time and resulted in a lay-up for Jennifer. Tesia Harris was back to looking lost, simultaneously not assertive enough and too aggressive.
I'm starting to think that Eugeneia McPherson is getting a reputation for diving and throwing up junk to draw a foul, because she was getting fewer calls than usual in the first half. She's starting to step up her offense, and if she can stabilize her shots, she might get more respect on them from officials. It was nice to see Mary Nwachukwu back in town, and I hope things are better for her. She looked a little tentative, which makes sense given how long she's been away from the team, but she seemed to adapt to that and focused more on boxing out and doing the little things to help her team win. Shenneika Smith's rebounding has been great, but her shot's been off. I think she's trying too hard to make herself an outside shooter, and that's not her strength. She's a slasher- she needs to slash to the basket and use her height and long arms to get things in there. Good things happen when she goes to the hole. Nadirah McKenith had one of her “how many columns can I fill in the stat sheet?” games, even if she wasn't getting the shots to fall. It didn't help that she was playing long stretches without a break- I think that wore her down faster than getting regular rests, but I'm not Kim Barnes Arico. It was kinda obvious when her reaction time slowed.
But this game belonged to Amber Thompson. This was her coming out party. (Not like that.) Da'Shena Stevens had UConn; Amber had this game. She was more assertive than I'd seen her in the first seven games; if she hadn't had some odd rolls and missed free throws, she could have gone for 25. As a freshman, she's producing as well as the senior we lost to graduation, Coco Hart. If she can develop, she could become a Crystal Langhorne kind of player. I'm psyched about her. It's been a while since I've been this psyched over a freshman, and even longer since I've been excited about a post.
This was the post-game autograph session game, so we lined up with the Girl Scouts and the random passers-by and waited our turn with poster in hand. Eugeneia ribbed us a little bit- “how many of these do you have?” (The answer, by the way, is five including this year's, or six if you include the signed scorecard from the big Georgetown game {which is in my cubicle}, or seven if you include the roster and the signed ball, or twelve if you count all the signed college posters, or thirteen if you also include the Mystics poster.) Da'Shena's thinking Chartwell's for her return, which is about right. I do not think it would be a good idea to bring her back against Baylor. Keylantra came in late, so we had to double back to get to her. Then my loving husband figured that we might as well get some of the coaching staff while they were glad-handing, so he grabbed my spare Sharpie and the poster and worked with them.
Meanwhile, I got official approval from the former owner of my jersey to keep it. Hey, I kept saying that if Joy McCorvey wanted her jersey back, she could have it. I got a chance to ask her today, and it was settled. And I was happy. (We all have our favorite exceedingly obscure player. We all stan for someone. Leave me alone.)
These officials... I think there's a Twitter slang for where they can go, but I don't remember which direction the arrow goes in. But honestly, how much undercutting do you allow before enough is enough? It got to the point where Kim Barnes Arico gave the three of them several large and PG-rated pieces of her mind before going into the locker room. I think they had the fear of Kim in them at the end; the calls were much more plentiful against Hartford in the second half. I expected better from that crew; Lynch, Lonergan, and Aliberti are experienced refs, and they're usually pretty solid.
If this wasn't an anomaly for Amber, and if we can work on our free throw shooting, and if we can find someone to be the outside shooter so our slashers can slash, and if Nadirah doesn't fall over from being run into the ground, we're going to be good.