Just the Facts, Ma'am: The Blue Demons of DePaul made a few runs, but Notre Dame held them off every time to win 69-54. Devereaux Peters led the way for the Irish with 16 points, 12 rebounds, six blocks, and three steals; Natalie Novosel also had 16 points. Katherine Harry had 14 to lead DePaul.
For footwork, cockiness, devils in blue dresses, and all of the lights, join your intrepid and drained blogger after the jump.
On to DePaul and Notre Dame, with sound issues and a cheer-off about logos. DIBS is dancing with devils in blue dresses, and only at Notre Dame does the cheer squad have to learn Irish step dancing. We're starting to see a few more Johnnies, too.
38-26 Notre Dame at the half- we have achieved offense, and it is a beautiful thing. It's sort of clear that DePaul is short-handed and getting worn down by Notre Dame's talent. McBride has 11 for the Irish, while Diggins has 10; Harry has 10 for the Blue Demons.
Of course the DePaul band performs Chicago. Of course. They seem to keep a general Chicago theme to their music- their version of Kanye West's "All of the Lights" makes me want a recording. I don't say that about bands often. They really got into their cheers, having special ones for each player. Good volume from the cheerleaders, though they need to work on their projection and pitch. Trust me, I know what it sounds like to be very loud and very shrill.
After some of the tripping by Notre Dame, I was expecting Doug Bruno to abuse a chair. I know, you do it once, you're branded for life.
The Blue Demons got good minutes off the bench from Megan Rogowski and Kelsey Reynolds, both of whom were able to put up points, though their impact was more in the second half, when Notre Dame had backed off the pedal slightly. But that gave DePaul a chance to rest their starters and try for one last run.
Katherine Harry was doing work inside. She had some pretty shots off the glass, though I don't know how many friends she was making with tough screens. She's one of those players who turns interesting colors when she's tired. Jasmine Penny was a disaster in the early going- bad passes, bad shots, stupid fouls. She got better in the second half and made a difference in the paint and the midrange. Deanna Ortiz's threes got the pro-DePaul portion of the crowd going, and her flying save on the baseline was impressive. Anna Martin was rendered into a non-factor, except that maybe Notre Dame's defense was forced to leave the post players open due to doubling and switching. Brittany Hrynko looked like she was trying to force the matter, though that might be because someone had to try and make something happen from the perimeter to give DePaul even the ghost of a chance.
Notre Dame didn't get much from their bench, but they didn't need much from their bench. Ariel Braker scored the last basket, and while from the margin at the time, it might have looked like the Irish were rubbing it in, it was a clear putback for a player who hadn't been on the board. You can't tell a player not to take that shot; it'll ruin her instincts. Natalie Achonwa came off the bench later than I was expecting, but made a little noise in the first half with a pretty bank shot. Don't remember much else about the Notre Dame bench.
Skylar Diggins tried to showboat a little in the first half, and wrenched her back doing it. In the second half, when they had a little bit more of a margin, she was more successful in her fancy passes to Peters and Novosel. She kept busy on defense, playing the lanes well. Brittany Mallory did not endear herself to us with constant tripping of her opponents. Watch your feet, Mallory, because West Virginia's better at that game than you'll ever be. Kayla McBride was red hot in the first half, but receded in the second. Natalie Novosel was solid all the way through. But the star of the show and the best player on the floor beyond a doubt was Devereaux Peters, who imposed her will on the game on both ends of the floor with powerful blocks and forceful shots. She showed a few moves, and an ability to use both hands and both sides of the basket. Honestly, the only reason I have any skepticism about her ability to play in the WNBA is her knees- she's got the skills on both ends of the floor. I like her a lot.
It's one thing to leave a blowout early if you're a neutral fan, or if your team is losing. I don't blame the UConn fans who were only there because they had all-session passes or were curious or wanted to prove that they weren't just cultists. But Notre Dame fans were leaving a game that they were winning. How spoiled is that?
I can't go much further on this without being inappropriately biased, because I like and respect Doug Bruno, and I don't necessarily like Muffet McGraw. My memory is faulty, my notes insufficient; I don't want to risk giving the wrong impression of the game because of my distaste for the top dog.
Monday, March 5, 2012
March 4th, 2012: DePaul at Notre Dame
March 4th, 2012: Louisville at St. John's
Just the Facts, Ma'am: Louisville forced overtime with an Antonita Slaughter 3, but the Red Storm outscored the Cardinals 12-5 in the overtime to claim a 68-61 win. Shenneika Smith led St. John's with 24 points and eight rebounds, while Nadirah McKenith added 15 points, six rebounds, and five assists. For Louisville, Shoni Schimmel and Antonita Slaughter each had 16, with 11 of Schimmel's in the first half and 13 of Slaughter's in the second.
For rebounding, free throws, levitation, amazing shots, and why you need to guard shooters, join your intrepid and exhausted blogger after the jump.
Then there was an intermission, and much to my horror, I discovered that my battery had died, and because it took so long to find affordable food around the XL Center (what kind of arena neighborhood can't support a McDonald's?) I didn't have a chance to work on notes during the intermission like I thought I would, and I deeply apologize.
I do recommend Burger Baby, but not if you're in a hurry. Good, gourmet burgers. The meatloaf burger is amazing.
For the night session, also known as the entire damn reason we went to Hartford instead of Philadelphia in the first place, we got tickets through St. John's. Since St. John's was the higher seed, their allocation was right behind the home bench. I believe the applicable phrase in this situation is "Oh. Hell. Yeah." The seats were almost too close- it was hard to see plays at the other end of the floor, and you can't exactly tell Bonita Spence "DOWN IN FRONT!". Well, you can, but I wouldn't want to try.
I miss the hockey jerseys Louisville's band used to wear. They were stylish and awesome. These new band uniforms are too generic. The St. John's band brought out more wigs than usual, though I didn't see the gnome. That's a shame. I like the gnome. I guess he's not a traveling gnome. :P
So many shinies! Da'Shena Stevens cleaned up. I took lots of pictures. I don't think I've ever claimed not to have a horse in this race.
I did not get to see the comedic stylings of Jeff Walz, since my angle was wrong, but he had some good reasons to be annoyed and confused at the officiating.
Antonita Slaughter saved the day for Louisville. Shoni Schimmel will get all the attention, and she deserves attention, but she showed more detailed range with mid-range shots in addition to the long ball, and she hit the boards well. I was not expecting that out of her, and I was duly impressed. She was the one who stepped up in the second half, while Schimmel was making noise in the first half. This is my second time seeing Jude Schimmel, and so far I'm not impressed with her. Maybe she'll blossom later, but right now she seems like a small guard who isn't sure about her position and has no outstanding qualities. Sara Hammond got fairly physical in her time in the game, but wasn't statistically relevant. Shelby Harper only came in at the end of the game, when Bria Smith fouled out and someone needed to take her place; I think Walz was thinking threes, but for all I know he just wanted a fresh set of fouls. Shawnta' Dyer committed some rough fouls. I thinks he was the one who was undercutting a lot.
Normally, I don't object to letting Shoni Schimmel go bombs away. She's a volume shooter and not a high-percentage one. Of course, in the first half, she was hot, with 11 points, and we were screaming at our team to guard her. (Defining "we" as your intrepid blogger, her dashing husband, and Kim's son Trevor, who should be a coach someday.) She cooled off in the second half as Shenneika Smith kicked up the D, but her teammates stepped up. Bria Smith scored all her points in the second; Becky Burke hit two big threes to give Louisville the momentum they needed to force the overtime. I've already mentioned Slaughter. Sheronne Vails got the start to provide some size in the middle, but Walz played her very little once it was clear who had the hot hand.
Keylantra Langley usually has a knack for making the big shot at the right time, and her field goal to end the first half was a prime example of that. She had one really awful turnover in a similar situation with the shot clock running down, but was otherwise solid. Tesia Harris was off her game- you can't stand there and watch shots when everyone in the building has been shooting like intramural kids, you have to crash the boards, especially when Louisville is absolutely slaughtering you on the boards. (Intentional pun is in fact intentional.) Briana Brown parlayed her big game against Georgetown into being the first player off the bench, but while she showed amazing hustle going after loose balls, she was not as effective as she had been against the Hoyas.
Amber Thompson, stop dribbling. You're six-two with surprisingly broad shoulders for your build. When you rip that rebound out of the air, go up strong with it, because when you do that, no one will be able to stop you except yourself. If she stops doing that, and if she can become more accurate with her chip shots, she'll be a force to be reckoned with not just in the Big East, but in all of college basketball. She's only a freshman. I believe she can learn- she's got the right person on the bench to learn from in Joy McCorvey. Eugeneia McPherson had a solid game with no egregious mistakes that I can recall. Da'Shena Stevens had to contend with the Louisville rebounders, but was able to draw fouls on them, and her game picked up in the second half. She can be sneaky like that sometimes. Nadirah McKenith, sporting a nifty new ponytail look, ran the offense well, though not as well as we've become used to. She wore down a little near the end of the game. Kim, please don't kill our point guard, we don't have any spares right now. Shenneika Smith was the hero of the day. She produced and produced hard on both ends of the floor, slashing to the rim, hitting threes, defending Schimmel- her steal and fast-break lay-up was the prettiest play of the game for me. All she needed was a cape.
Apparently there was an issue with the arrow and the refs gave the ball to the wrong team at the start of the second half. I hadn't noticed, but that was because my brain was starting to glaze over. I did think it was odd that the foul was on Briana when she was the one holding her shoulder in pain, and Nadirah didn't step out of bounds by herself. Also, it is not a good idea to get fancy with your footwork in front of Bonita Spence. That doesn't end well. Overall, the officiating was sketchy, and both coaches were ready to kill someone by the end of regulation.
We did our part to represent, and I'd like to think we played a role in Louisville's abysmal free throw shooting in the first half with our disconcerting of the shooter. The towels were whirling, and my throat still hurts from cheering.
Huge shoutout to the RedZone member who won the American Eagle shootout, nailing not just the $50 free throw, not just the $100 three-pointer, but a halfcourt shot for free jeans for a year. We really are taking the Big East by storm, aren't we?
We out-toughed Louisville, especially in the overtime. But those Cards can be a dangerously good team. I give them credit and more for not folding under pressure.
March 4th, 2012: West Virginia at Georgetown
Just the Facts, Ma'am: In a game that featured bad shots, contested shots, and ill fortune for both teams, the West Virginia Mountaineers took out the Georgetown Hoyas 39-32. The Mountaineers got 11 second-half points from Taylor Palmer to break the game open, while Asya Bussie had nine points and 13 rebounds. Sugar Rodgers led the Hoyas with 14 points and 11 rebounds, but no other Georgetown player managed more than five points, as Georgetown shot 14.7% from the field for the game.
For amateur photography, battling bands, the song that never changes, and shooting so bad the rims were unkind the rest of the night, join your intrepid and drained blogger after the jump.
Good morning, everyone! We're coming to you on a slight delay from the XL Center in Hartford for what I can only describe as a metric ton of basketball. Please note that your intrepid blogger had been up since 3:30AM, so if these notes descend into incoherency and/or more tangents than usual, I beg your forgiveness (and Q's editing).
It's a good sign when your bus driver is a St. John's fan as you make your way out to Hartford. We arrived right on time, maybe even slightly early, and found breakfast at the Hilton next to the XL Center. Got to wave hello to our team, which was nice. Pretty sure I saw Harry Perretta jogging past in shorts, which was not so nice. Definitely crossed paths with Quentin Hillsman, and furthermore deponent sayeth not.
The XL Center was prepared for fans to come early- this pregame prelude is being typed in the Hoopla Hangout just off the Hallway of Champions. Unfortunately for the sanity of all involved, it is also being typed to a repeating loop of "A Horse With No Name". It's already played at least six times; if you don't get any further notes from me, it's because I went berserk and damaged XL Center property. The chairs and couches are very comfy, though, and the power strip is much appreciated.
I would love to win one of the autographed balls, except for the St. John's one because I've already got a poster on my wall at home and a poster on my wall at the office, both signed by this year's team. It's fascinating to see teams' culture as expressed by signatures and game balls.
There will be beads. It will be glorious.
So far there's been a batch of UConn fans, some Rutgers fans, a couple of Notre Dame fans, scattered members of the West Virginia band, a few Marquette fans who wished us luck, and some Nova people. I'm hoping to see someone from every team, even if it's just team officials.
Just saw a guy in an awesome West Virginia jacket. The Mountaineers' fans are drifting in in greater numbers. Credit to them.
The XL Center/ESPNU is doing their best to make sure that folks in the upper deck on the non-TV side are represented. They're doing it by moving us down to the lower bowl and on the TV side in exchange for a blurb for a video for the 30th anniversary or something- look, it's a free upgrade, I don't care.
A few Georgetown fans have arrived to back their team. There's a few well-dressed Louisville fans in the next section with some very nifty gear, and a Pitt fan who seems to have joined them just to cheer against West Virginia. And the Georgetown and West Virginia bands have declared war on each other- Georgetown's band played "Pretty Fly (For a White Guy)"- at which point West Virginia answered with the same song (and better). And then there was cacophony as the teams came out around the same time.
This is forty-seven flavors of ugly at the half. It's 15-12 West Virginia, and there is some impressive tackling going on by the Mountaineers. Georgetown's been retaliating with trips and hip-checks. I've seen Georgetown players leave with blood three times already.
There is a random Maryland fan over by the Louisville fans, sitting with someone in a "I Back Pat" shirt. Lost Rebounders? Have the Basketcases misplaced anyone? Props also to the guy in the Cincinnati cap- it takes a real fan to admit to being a Cincy fan these days. We are currently being serenaded by a high school choir (guys, "America the Beautiful" is not the national anthem, you don't have to stand).
Rodgers has eight to lead Georgetown; five each for Bussie and Bethel.
Holy Mary, mother of God. Don't ever let that happen again. I am not taking the Lord or the Virgin's name in vain. That is a prayer, not a blasphemy. Do not let a game like that happen again, I beg You.
The Guest Notes of Doom mentioned that Briana Brown off the bench was the heroine of the game when Georgetown was the home team against St. John's. Taylor Palmer served the same role for West Virginia. She got West Virginia going with a three that sparked off a full-fledged offensive run. Akilah Bethel provided a full third of the Mountaineers' offense in the first half, all five points of it. Averee Fields came on late. I don't remember Brooke Hampton doing much other than committing a foul.
Asya Bussie was how we knew that the Connecticut Sun's old PA announcer was doing this tournament. We thought it was him from the voice and the flaming red hair, but then he gave Asya Bussie the same call he gave Asjha Jones back in the day, and that was a clincher. She came up big for the Mountaineers, though how she didn't get called for anything after giving Adria Crawford some free dental work, I will never know. She didn't have to score a lot, but she was big on the boards and in the middle. Ayana Dunning ran into foul trouble in the second half and was generally knocked out of her comfort zone. Not that anyone was actually comfortable in that game, but you know what I mean. I think Christal Caldwell was the one who kept getting bad luck on her shots. I don't recall much about Linda Stepney and Harlee, other than tough play and missed shots.
Alexa Roche played well for Georgetown in the first half, but not so much in the second half. Tia McBride tried to get things going, with no luck. You're going to hear that phrase a lot in this part of the game notes; we're talking about a team that shot 14.7% from the field. Andrea White looked lost in the one stretch that she was in for, which was probably why she only played in that one stretch. Alexa Roche had the hands going on defense with steals and two gorgeous blocks. Morgan Williams is not ready to take over for Rubylee Wright yet. She doesn't have good control (or perhaps understanding) of the offense, and her judgment is a bit suspect.
I thought Tia Magee was going to kill someone by the end of the game. It might have been one of the West Virginia players, it might have been one of the refs, it might even have been one of her own teammates. But between her inability to hit even the chippies and the physical beating she was taking, she was hot under the collar. Adria Crawford was also irked, though that was from a simpler reason- she got an elbow in the mouth and nothing to show for it. Sydney Wilson played well in the middle, but I think she was out of position more than she would want to admit. She had to come out for blood early in the first half. Rubylee Wright was at a major disadvantage for most of the game, and it didn't help that defensive switches or a lack thereof kept leaving her on Asya Bussie. I don't think I have to tell you why it's a bad idea for little bitty Rubylee Wright to be on a big bruiser like Asya Bussie. Sugar Rodgers tried so hard to keep her team in the game, crashing the boards and fighting for loose balls in addition to her usual shooting, but West Virginia's defense was keying on her for most of the game, especially in the second half, and she was often trying to force things against two and three defenders. When those defenders are Mountaineers, that plan does not work all that well.
Lots and lots of physical play. Lots and lots of fouls that should have been called. Lots and lots of fouls that were called. And then the clanking began. West Virginia missed something like five free throws in a row to let Georgetown stay within six points until they got one from Bussie.
West Virginia played ugly, but Georgetown played ugly, stupid, and desperate. They were forcing things, and I suspect they were missing their signals. There were a lot of looks back and forth and a lot of animosity in the air after turnovers or especially egregious defensive breakdowns.
The best part of the game was when the Georgetown band played "Hey! (Baby)" and the West Virginia band immediately started singing along. That's really not the kind of thing that should be the best part of the game.
Sunday, March 4, 2012
March 4th, 2012: Rutgers at Connecticut
Just the Facts, Ma'am: Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis nailed five threes in the first half for 15 of her 17 points, and the UConn Huskies paced Rutgers to a 49-34 win. Stefanie Dolson added 10 points, eight rebounds, and four blocks for UConn. Erica Wheeler led the Scarlet Knights with 13 points, while Khadijah Rushdan had 10 points and seven rebounds.
For a lack of pants, climbing Knights, public relations epic fail, swatted shots, and a turning point, join your intrepid and zombie-like blogger after the jump.
UConn and Rutgers finished off the night, and this was the game most folks in the arena were waiting to see. Obviously the UConn fans were out in force, and the Cagers made their presence felt across from their bench.
The bands had it going for a good while, and the rivalry was definitely evident in timing and style. They're both excellent bands and both very involved in the game. I like UConn's whiteboard to cue their members.
Geno's fun to watch. I couldn't hear him most of the time, which was a shame. I've always wanted to learn how to curse in Italian.
We got to sit next to Kim Barnes Arico for part of the first half, and that was cool. We wished our team well, though we still have not located Keylantra Langley's pants. Warm-up pants. You perverts.
Shout out to the two patient, knowledgeable, respectful, passionate UConn fans who moved behind us for the second half and chatted with us for much of the game. I didn't think UConn fans who were all of the above existed- who could chant and cheer and then turn around and chat pleasantly with non-UConn fans. (Especially ones who don't shut up.)
Christa Evans, stop fouling. I know the game is over, but stop fouling anyway. She did nothing worth noting except commit stupid fouls. She was committing enough fouls that the refs tried to call her for one when she wasn't even on the floor. (It was later corrected to Sykes, I think. Definitely corrected, think it was Sykes.) Betnijah Laney was the only guard off the bench for the Scarlet Knights, and she played like a freshman. She was part of the defense, but that's it.
I thought Khadijah Rushdan was going to go postal on Kathleen Lynch after the second travel where Rushdan swore blind she didn't move her pivot foot. I couldn't see the second one, but I thought she had a fair case on the first one. She was hustling and trying to carry her team, but UConn was on to her. April Sykes was a real non-factor- if anything, one of the shots she missed in the second half was a momentum killer for Rutgers when they were trying to make a run. If I had to choose a Rutgers player to go all 40 minutes, it would probably not be Nikki Speed, whose decision-making was not sharp, both as a passer and as a defender. But Rushdan got hurt and had to sit out briefly- really, RU, if a player who's already had a concussion this season bangs her head in front of your bench, your trainer ought to be a little faster on the draw. But we'll go into a bit more detail on that later. Erica Wheeler's shot selection was... interesting; it looked like UConn was daring her to beat them from outside while they put a body on Monique Oliver late and kept Rushdan from putting the team on her shoulders one last time. It worked. Oliver had a brief surge, then got bodied by the UConn posts and wasn't effective.
Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis was rolling from three in the first half, with a stroke so beautiful that it should have been caught on film and used to teach young shooters how to make that perfect splash. Five threes in the first half. It was incredible. Kiah Stokes made an impact on defense, with big blocks and taking up space in the lane. She forced Rutgers to change their game plan, except I'm not sure Rutgers knows how to change their game plan.
Caroline Doty was red hot in the first few minutes, with two quick long bombs, and then she got into foul trouble and that was more or less the last we saw of her. Either Geno wanted to rest her or some body part of another was giving her agita. Her knee brace is quite terrifying up close. It makes Rebecca Lobo's brace look small, both in scale and overall. Kelly Faris, other than one three point shot and entirely too much enthusiasm from the UConn faithful, didn't register. Bria Hartley took some good shots, and took some truly dumb shots. (I'm... starting to wonder about the shot selection at North Babylon, I really am.) And I'm sorry, but she's not a point guard, no matter what awards you nominate her for or what you try to force her into. Tiffany Hayes really didn't get involved until late, and the crowd was well-pleased when she finally hit a three. Rutgers was daring them to shoot from outside, and they hit a few, and they missed a bunch. Stefanie Dolson, while not as strong offensively as UConn would have liked- you can't miss easy shots in a low-scoring game- was a defensive presence and a rebounding presence for the Huskies. Mosqueda-Lewis's shooting is the story, but without Dolson that game gets a lot more interesting (and the semi gets a lot more winnable for the Red Storm, not that I have my preferences and biases or anything).
Rutgers spent a fair bit of time up in arms at the refs, but Rutgers fans do that. I see their case in a few cases, but I think UConn hd a better case to be mad at the refs in the first half, when it seemed like everyone for the Huskies was picking up fouls left, right, and center on seemingly ticky-tack calls. The officiating loosened up a bit in the second half. Maybe they got a little too loose, given the major clock issues that took place in the second half. One of the officials forgot to fix the shot clock when she fixed the game clock, and it was a hot mess. Geno was about ready to blow his top, but he was ready to blow his top often.
Rutgers is dead to me. As Red as I am, as much of a Johnnie as I've become, there's always been a little part of me that's still Scarlet, that's still the proud daughter of a Rutgers alum. There's always been that part of me that hears the R-U and wants to respond, or that wants to rip off a "RAH RAH RUTGERS RAH". But that part of me is gone. It's sitting on the XL Center floor, broken in little pieces where Erica Wheeler sat in agony while her coach walked off the court. If you have a player who can't get up- who tells people not to help her up- the correct response is to at least acknowledge her existence and maybe offer a little support. It's not to act like everything's under control and take your team off the floor. Preliminary reports are claiming just dehydration and cramps, which is more an indictment of not resting your players, but they did an awful lot of testing and probing and making sure she didn't put weight on the leg for my liking. When the opposing band goes quiet, when they choose not to play their alma mater after a win, because your player is sitting on the floor wincing with every breath, you might want to consider showing that you care. I've been off the Stringer bandwagon for some years, but this cemented it. I'm a St. John's fan, crossing myself and praying to a God I don't necessarily believe in, while your assistants and your trainer carry your player to a wheelchair because she can't walk, and you're... in the locker room? Really?
I'm going to stop myself here before I go into any more ranting before all the evidence is in. All I'm going to say now is that both UConn and St. John's need to play much better basketball if one wants to get past the other.