Just the Facts, Ma'am: Damika Martinez's 2000th career point was among her game-high 29, spurring a 73-62 win over Stony Brook. Joy Adams added 14 points, eight boards, and three steals. Sabre Proctor had 17 to lead the Seawolves, with Jessica Ogunnorin adding 14 points and nine rebounds.
For hard choices, small children, flicking tiles, amazing names, pacing issues, hard bleachers, and smoking on the subway, join your intrepid and mildly ashamed blogger after the jump.
These are not the droids St. John's Game Notes of Doom you were looking for.
I've always been a fan of defensive basketball. The New York Liberty started me that way, the Miami Sol developed me further, and Rutgers finished the job. But every so often you have to stop and appreciate a scorer. The peril of following defensive teams, though, is that you rarely see a phenomenal scorer. I haven't had a college team with a 2,000 point scorer since I was a Rutgers fan back in the day and Cappie Pondexter scored all the points.
But that was then, and this is now, and at 1:25 PM before the Iona-Stony Brook tip, Damika Martinez is sitting on 1,994 points. And I want to see her do it. So St. John's plays Wagner at 2, and Iona plays Stony Brook at 2, and I'm in New Rochelle.
Graphics team is already ready for Mik2K, but it's bad luck to keep it up quite so long.
I wish you could see this roster card. Typesetting, you're doing it so wrong, and possibly drunkenly.
Even the toughest basketball players love small kids. Damika and one of (I think) her little cousins were just too adorable.
Mik2K has been achieved. Damika has 14 at the half, and Iona is holding on to a 31-25 lead over Stony Brook. Only three Seawolves have even scored, led by 11 from Sabre Proctor. But I do not like the pace. All our guards are capable of running- so why are they slowing down the pace and pounding the dribble like it's a Rutgers-Villanova-Utah round-robin? "Don't think too much- you'll hurt the ballclub."
That game had the odd feeling of both feeling like it was closer than it should have been and not as close as it should have been. Does that make any sense? I felt like Iona should have been pressing more on offense- but Stony Brook had a lot more makeable shots and looks at the basket, and the margin sort of ballooned during a second half run and with Damika getting free throws (which, hey, cool, freebies as she winds toward 2467!)
Kristie Costantino had a couple of fantastic defensive plays, especially one in the second half where she flew in to deflect a ball that would have been a sure fast break lay-up. Kim Hanlon committed pretty much all the fouls. She looked taller than she's listed, though that might have been in comparison to shorter teammates. I'm also considering the possibility that the roster listed on Iona's scorecard is inaccurate. Alyssa Coiro was tall and got inside well, though she took it kind of personally when Aaliyah Robinson got her hard on the inside (to be fair, it should have been a foul on Aaliyah) and checked her from behind. I think Stony Brook does have hockey, but playing hockey in the middle of a basketball game is uncalled for. Christy Scognamiglio managed to sneak in for offensive rebounds.
I know it's petty, but Sabre Proctor pronouncing her name "sa-BREE" makes me sad. Your name is a sword! You have an Awesome McCoolname, and you make it mundane? Okay, fine. She was solid for the Seawolves, hitting jumpers and holding down the fort in the first half. Brittany Snow is tall, and Stony Brook used her size well early, setting her up on the inside for easy, easy lay-ups. She was also active on the boards, using her height against smaller Gaels. (Which would be most of them.) Miranda Jenkins really didn't make much of an impact- Stony Brook went a little larger off the bench, and she was the odd woman out. Jessica Ogunnorin was pretty impressive, and would have been even more impressive if a lot of those pretty jumpers had gone in. She was a mismatch on both sides of the floor, getting to the basket with some speed on offense and guarding Damika Martinez on defense, making sure Damika had a lot of trouble getting the ball. Kori Bayne-Walker, possessor of another Awesome McCoolname (no, seriously, whenever I see Stony Brook, I am possessed with an urge to write a fantasy series called "Banewalker"), ran the offense- she's a very wide guard, hard to put most guards on, and she started finding her threes in the second half.
Stony Brook has better size than I remembered, and a better idea of how to use that size. I'm interested in how that low post game is going to work out against Albany- yes, Albany lost Craig, but they still have strong forwards.
Kristin Mahoney still looks like a freshman out there- and worse than a freshman. Maybe it was intentional (though I certainly hope not), but she was constantly moving to the ball instead of staying with a specific assignment on defense. That's high school gym class instincts there. Philecia Gilmore gave good minutes in the backcourt, though I was surprised that we didn't try to use her to defend Bayne-Walker and give our shooters a little more space to move comfortably. I like her instincts on the court. Cassidee Ranger tried to defend at the four (she's more of a three, IMO) and fired off one of her sweet threes from the corner. Aurellia Cammock took a little while to get her groove, but got her feet under her in the second half to pull down rebounds and defend down low. She's starting to show me something this year, and I like it.
I still think Marina Lizarazu is a capable point guard, but I'm starting to be less enamored of her style. She seems to be a slow-it-down, pound-the-dribble guard, or at least that's the system she's being told to run, and it's frustrating when you know how good the transition game can be with this team. Maybe it's a trust issue early in the season, and maybe it'll change. She had some beautiful passes when the game sped up, including a wrap-around pass to Joy Adams for a basket down low that got the crowd going. The aforementioned Joy got off to a slow start in the first half, but her teammates were able to find her more in the second half, and she really took off. She was badly out of position often at the defensive end, though. I thought one of her teammates was going to drag her into place at one point in the first half. Karynda DuPree had a gorgeous block and pulled down a couple of boards, but she needs to be more assertive on offense- there was one play where Damika rifled her a pass inside in perfect position for a lay-up- and she threw the ball back out to Marina so unexpectedly that Marina stood there and stared as the pass went out of bounds. (Bad play by both of them.) Aaliyah Robinson put up threes and didn't make too many mistakes- a lot of the time that's what Aaliyah's there for, to hold down the fort and keep everyone's keel even. Damika Martinez was hurting- she had an enormous bandage wrapped around her ribs in the pregame, and seemed to be moving stiffly. She went for three quickly, then went cold for a while, then started popping threes. She seemed to loosen up more in the second half, and padded her totals with cheap free throws at the end. I am okay with this.
Officiating was interesting. It always is. Tight, for the most part, but there was a fair amount of contact late that they let go.
I still worry about Iona, but I'm happy for Damika. 444 points to go..
Sunday, November 30, 2014
November 30th, 2014: Stony Brook at Iona
Saturday, November 29, 2014
November 29th, 2014: St. Joseph's at St. Francis (Seton Hall Thanksgiving Classic)
Just the Facts, Ma'am: St. Joseph's pulled away in the second half with size and strength, claiming a 64-42 win over St. Francis of Brooklyn. Natasha Cloud led the Hawks with 16 points, eight rebounds, and seven assists. Adashia Franklyn added 11 rebounds off the bench, helping the Hawks to a 46-25 rebounding edge. Eilidh Simpson led St. Francis with 12 points.
For family affairs, torturous Christmas music, magic feathers, taunting, the vagaries of fate, all the colors, and uncomfortable implications, join your intrepid and numb blogger after the jump.
On to game 2, and we've decided that we're rooting for whichever team has Seton Hall's bench. It's easier than moving. Early indications suggest that we've ended up rooting for St. Francis, which I'm okay with. I know it's probably better for Seton Hall's RPI, SOS, and other TLAs that they play St. Joseph's tomorrow, but sometimes I get tired of considering the big picture and just want to cheer for a team.
Pretty much everyone who's not here for the second two teams has cleared out. Seton Hall men are at the Prudential Center at 4 and volleyball is going for the Big East title at 5, so the Pirate people have mostly left. A couple of the usual suspects are still here, though. And there are Simmonses(eseseseses) everywhere. They will not relinquish Daisha and Ka-Deidre.
St. Joseph's brought a Hawk. Because, as we all know, the Hawk will never die. Unfortunately, the head doesn't fit tightly and the shade of maroon is a little off, so it looks like they brought their own turkey. This is a comment on the quality of this specific costume, not on the idea of the Hawk in general, please don't shoot me.
A couple of latecomers just sat next to me, not realizing that the start times had been swapped and Seton Hall had played at noon. And that, ladies and germs, is why you always come for both games of a doubleheader. Why wouldn't you? Free basketball is free! (And just to make my point, once they realized that Seton Hall had already played, they left. Why? WHY?!)
I should probably be disconcerted that a team from Brooklyn has no New Yorkers on it, right? Or that a team from Brooklyn has precisely one black player? I'm not crazy to be bothered by that, right?
At halftime, St. Joseph's is up 33-28. It's been sloppy for both teams. Eilidh Simpson is keeping St. Francis in it with 10 points, while the load is more balanced for St. Joseph's.
What is with the Christmas music, SHU? Stoppitomg.
It's okay, y'all. I can take the loneliness. Leave me here alone in these impossibly hard bleachers. That's all right. Just leave me here. You can all go. Just leave me here alone.
Signs your bleachers might be uncomfortable: your coach and his family would rather perch on a wooden box than sit in the bleachers.
This is going to sound weird and maybe a little unfortunate, but St. Joseph's looked much more like a Division I basketball team than St. Francis did, especially down the stretch. Their conditioning was way better, as was their form.
I hope Jordan Strode is all right after taking that hit to her braced right knee. She looked like she was in a lot of pain. Adashia Franklyn made some noise down low, going hard after offensive rebounds and blocking shots. I was very impressed with her. Chelsea Woods played a lot of the guard minutes off the bench in the second half with the absence of Strode, and comported herself well. Jessica Pongonis filled space in the middle.
Ashley Robinson (no, not that one) was all up on the offensie boards, following her shot. She definitely had some moments that were reminiscent of the professional Ashley Robinson. Kathleen Fitzpatrick sunk the dagger late in the second half with a long, high, arcing three that splashed through the net from somewhere in the vicinity of Cherry Hill. Her teammates occasionally had trouble spotting her. That might be because she's tiny. Sarah Fairbanks took advantage of the baseline all night- baseline and more height. She made a difference down low for the Hawks. Natasha Cloud did pretty much all the things, whether it was finding her teammates at the right time with the ball, pulling down long rebounds, or hitting shots from the outside. Ciara Andrews did a lot of her scoring in the second half.
I thought it was smart of Coach Griffin to conserve Cloud for a long stretch of the second half. They're going to need her tomorrow, and they didn't need her against St. Francis. (Also, if they go to stall ball, and she's holding it, does that mean the Hawks are utilizing Cloud storage?)
(...I'll show myself out.)
The Terriers' bench is very inexperienced. I think all of them are freshmen, and they showed it. Alex Delaney shows promise, but I don't know if I'd have a player with her build hanging out around the three-point arc as much as she does. Cassidy Derda looked a little lost out there, though she made some decent plays setting screens for her teammates. Blair Arthur is just adorably tiny. In general, though, they were not a memorable bunch. I hope they develop- you know how much I like seeing good basketball in the city. (Though see above caveat regarding the makeup of a team- if they aren't representing my city, they can't count as a city team.)
Jaymee Veney missed one ill-advised three pointer badly, and the St. Joe's fan section never let her live it down- the "airball, airball" chant came up every time she touched the ball. I think it got into her head, too. She didn't hit a shot afterwards, and she seemed disconcerted whenever they started up. That might also have been the defense, because they keyed on her pretty quickly. Leah Fechko had her moments of hustle, but then there was the play where she lost her balance and decided to literally sit the play out. Eilidh Simpson scored the first seven for the Terriers, but wasn't able to get the ball afterwards, as St. Joe's was able to adjust and change the passing lanes. I like the leadership of Katie Fox, both on and off the floor. She made a lot of good, smart plays. I think I expected more out of Sarah Benedetti, and she had moments where she looked like a solid senior, but she looked overmatched for most of the game, more than most of her teammates.
The St. Francis bench kept yelling to their players to box out. I don't think it really hit them that as hard as they were trying, St. Joseph's was bigger, stronger, and taller than they were, and no matter how much St. Francis threw their bodies in front of players, they weren't going to successfully keep St. Joseph's off the boards.
Officiating was unmemorable, so mediocre but otherwise survivable.
It took us a while to get out after the game, so we got to see one of the Hawks (I think Fairbanks, but don't hold me to this) use a volleyball to play soccer with a small child. D'awww.
Also, the Hawk will never die, but it will sometimes shed. I now have a Hawk feather in my coat pocket, because why not?
Props to the St. Joe's students who kept the noise up all through the game. I may not have been rooting for their team, and I may not root for their team tomorrow, but making the trip for women's basketball makes you a star in my book.
Odd note about this game- both teams wore their colors, St. Francis in bright blue, St. Joseph's in maroon. Hopefully either St. Francis or St. Peter's brought white.
November 29th, 2014: St. Peter's at Seton Hall
Just the Facts, Ma'am: Seton Hall dominated start to finish against St. Peter's in a 75-45 win. Daisha Simmons led all scorers with 30 points on 12-19 shooting, adding four steals. Bra'Shey Ali notched a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds; Janee Johnson was scoreless, but had the game-high with 11 rebounds. Alyssa Velles led St. Peter's off the bench with 17 points; no other Peacock had more than six.
For drab colors, old hatreds, a lack of pressure, brain farts, forgotten post players, free throw issues, and multitasking, join your intrepid and fortunate blogger after the jump.
It's entirely too early for this, though part of it has to do with the amount of transit time required. Part two of your intrepid blogger's "weekend? What weekend?" basketball extravaganza is the first day of the Seton Hall Thanksgiving tournament, otherwise known as the Seton Hall coaching alumni reunion. Seton Hall goes up against St. Peter's (with former Pirate coach Phyllis Mangina and favored GNoD target Pat Coyle), while St. Francis (with Pirate alum John Thurston at the helm) faces off with St. Joseph's (not sure how they ended up on board the Pirate ship, though).
It's cold. That hill is even longer when it's cold.
It's taking every ounce of strength I have not to tell Mangina off right now. "Gosh, it's fun watching Seton Hall recover from the ashes you burned it down to," or words to that effect. I think I should be applauded for my remarkable restraint there, given that I remember how much talent she managed to squander in those years. (How Noteisha Womack never ended up on someone's radar is beyond me.)
At halftime, Seton Hall is up 34-18 against a really, really bad St. Peter's team. I mean, really bad. I mean, come on, guys. Daisha Simmons has 16 for the Hall, punctuated with a spinning scoop to end the half. Bra'Shey Ali has 10 and what feels like all the rebounds. She's been reading the peculiarities of the road-side rim well. Alyssa Velles has nine of the Peacocks' 18 points on some late shooting.
Your early contender for brain fart of the day: Bra'Shey Ali inbounding the ball to the ref. Ref's response: "I'm not on your team."
The intensity was not what the coaching staff was looking for, but it's kind of hard to be intense when your opponent is that far below you in skill. We got to see some extended minutes for the reserves, which is always my favorite part of a blowout.
Alyssa Velles supplied most of the scoring for St. Peter's, shooting sweet jumpers whenever she was given space- and she was given space too frequently for my liking. I know the scouting report probably focused on Mostafa and Bethea, but still. Sajanna Bethea has some potential, but right now she plays like someone who's accustomed to having a huge size advantage on everyone and hasn't learned how to play with anything that resembles finesse. She's big and reckless and has all the shooting skill of a CYO fifth grader. Teresa Corchado threw her body at a block and was very easily rattled when Seton Hall threw the press at her. Talah Hughes boxed out inside well enough, but I admit to being distracted by how fluffy her hair was. Fluffy! I was pleasantly surprised at how well Marcia Senatus ran the offense off the bench- nothing flashy, but she didn't make too many mistakes, either. Neechelle Ingram made a couple of plays in the middle- I'm surprised she fell to the back of the rotation. Or I would be if I hadn't suffered through years of Pat Coyle.
Hala Mostafa has really developed since her freshman year. Her shot is still a little weird, but not as awkward as it was early in her career, and she's developed a nice little spin move and quick first step. She had a couple of resounding blocks. Bridget Whitfield looked to have a little bit of a temper on her- got away with spiking the ball after she was called for a double dribble. Antonia Smith was quieter than I had expected- I thought she was going to be more of an offensive threat, but she was one of many Peacocks (I still want to call them Peahens, because biological accuracy was for the win!) taking really bad shots. So was Rebecca Sparks, which disappoints me because I always like to see Rebeccas do well. I'm an egoist, what can I say? Samantha Meier was a big body down low, but not an accurate shooter.
St. Peter's focused most of their defensive energy on clogging the lane- a Pirate, usually a Simmons, would drive and find herself covered in navy blue jerseys. They couldn't keep it up.
Nice to see Teresa Kucera on the floor again. She fell to the back of the rotation with the newcomers. Claire Lundberg had herself a nice little stretch in garbage time, though she seemed to be backing off her three-point shot. I'll take a pretty finger roll, though. Kat Egan was tough defensively. Love her hustle. She got tasked with guarding Mostafa for stretches in the second half, with mixed results- she had a lot of trouble hanging on the swift change in direction. Tara Inman brought the hustle. She shook a lot of balls loose on the ground. Lubirdia Gordon still can't catch a pass to save her life, but she's getting better at corralling rebounds and setting screens. Jordan Mosley ran a steady offense off the bench, but had some bad luck with the rim. We were rooting for her to get that basket.
Bra'Shey Ali grabs all the rebounds. I know I just said the same thing about Amber Thompson yesterday, but it's true. I love watching the way Shey reads an odd hop and scoops it up like a vacuum cleaner. She was fierce and tough and I love watching her work. Janee Johnson was much sneakier with her rebounding. I had no idea until I grabbed the final stats that she had the game-high. I was mostly caught up in the dumb mistakes she was making. I ride Janee on dumb mistakes harder than I do most players because if you have the brains for Duke, you should not be making quite so many dumb mistakes. It's a bass-ackwards form of respect. (I <3 Janee and her hustle.) Ka-Deidre Simmons didn't make much of an impact on the score, but she was making life miserable for the ballhandler and finding her teammates with the ball. (Except for that one time her assignment fired up a three while she was fixing her hair.) Tabatha Richardson-Smith found her offense in the second half, not so much her defense, but that's Tab. She'll give you all the offense in the world, but not so much the defense. She's tall and she can get in the way, but she's not going to hang defensively. It seems unfair to be harping on her after this game, but it means I'll lay off her later. Daisha Simmons put on a show, and seemed to be trying to put on a show- she had fancy moves on offense, she poke checked like she'd been hanging out at Devils games, and she made sure she had every shot she could get. I thought it was a little ridiculous that she was shooting when Seton Hall was up big and she was already at 25 points with scoreless players on the floor, but maybe she had her reasons for going for 30.
Hitting people in the face is apparently no longer a foul, but other than that the officiating was fairly solid. Travels were mostly being allowed to slide, but I'll chalk that up to game management, given that it took almost nine minutes for St. Peter's to score and another three for them to get a field goal.
Overall, it's hard not to be satisfied with a 30-point win, but at the same time, I feel like Seton Hall was aware of just how bad St. Peter's was and was willing to play down to them. They're not going to be able to do that against St. Joseph's. (Spoiler: St. Joseph's won the other semifinal.)
Friday, November 28, 2014
Noember 28th, 2014: Binghamton at St. John's
Just the Facts, Ma'am: The Bearcats came in feisty, but the guards stepped up for St. John's once more in a 67-51 win over Binghamton. Aliyyah Handford and Danaejah Grant had 19 points each to pace the Red Storm; 15 of Handford's came in the first half, while 12 of Grant's came in the second. Jade Walker (11) and Amber Thompson (13) fueled a 51-26 edge on the boards. Jasmine Sina had 20 to lead Binghamton, with Imani Watkins adding 18.
For swag, turkey comas, mild worries, guards guards!, gearing up, and fan hypocrisies, join your intrepid and flushed blogger after the jump.
Good afternoon, ladies, gentlemen, and other sorts of loyal readers! Your intrepid blogger has done her Black Friday shopping here at Carnesecca Arena, and now awaits the St. John's-Binghamton game.
The jersey selection wasn't as good as in previous years, so we claimed our Pink Zone jersey (#15, Jennifer Blanding from the era) and a couple of shirts. Aliyyah Handford is awesome and I would love to wear her jersey, but she and Amber Thompson both only take medium, and my chest does not accept mediums.
Everyone was kvetching about having to wait outside for the gates to open, and most people found excuses to cajole their way into the building early. In a dose of irony/cruelty, the person who had the most trouble getting in was the pizza delivery guy. SMH. Whiny suburban moms can get in, but the guy with the food has to be cross-examined.
One peeve about the rummage sale: no socks. I want the Under Armour cityscape socks so badly and I still can't get them. I am willing to give people money for them. I'm not even asking for a freebie. I want to buy socks. Let me buy your socks!
Since the men are playing at the Garden, the band and cheer squads are split. The band is supplementing with alumni.
Dude in Seton Hall Paradise Jam shirt, you had a pretty awesome week, but you are just a wee tiny bit lost. Trust me on this one. I've learned to tell the difference. (As it turns out, Binghamton's lead guard is the sister of a Seton Hall men's player, so a bunch of people have turned out for her. I'm not taking any bets on any of these people showing up for the Thanksgiving tournament tomorrow at Walsh, though.)
It's 35-24 St. John's at halftime, after a first quarter that was closer than it needed to be. Jasmine Sina, the aforementioned Pirate sister, was hot to start for the Bearcats, but Aaliyah Lewis has stepped up the defense on her. Aliyyah Handford has 15 of the 35. Amber Thompson has pretty much all the rebounds. (No, really. Just looked at the box. Amber has 11. Binghamton has 10.)
St. John's turned it up in the second half to pull away, but I have to admire Binghamton's fight. When they got down, they didn't get emotionally down. They got angry, and they made a couple of little runs to keep the margin under twenty. I have to respect that.
Binghamton doesn't have a long roster anyway, and they were even shorter-handed than their roster would suggest; only nine players were in uniform, and only seven of them played. Our PA guy had a lot of trouble with Gintare Surdokaite's name, which makes me think someone forgot to get the pronunciation guide out in time. I think she played most of her minutes in the first half. I don't have many clear memories of her. Kylie Libby was first off the bench- I think she was mostly in the second half. I seem to remember her on the boards.
(By the way, this is why I prefer jerseys with names on them. It's a lot easier to remember who you are if your name is on your back. Otherwise, it's easy to mix you up with a player who wears a similar number and quite possibly has a similar build to you.)
Jasmine Sina lit us up from the outside in the early going. She's very small, but she's excellent for her size. Aaliyah Lewis locked her down on defense in the second quarter (as a shorter form of saying "in the latter stages of the first half", I'm well aware that college doesn't use the quarter system). As her teammates became more effective in the second half, and as the defense shifted in response, Sina was able to get open again for the long ball. She's a feisty little thing. Imani Watkins took advantage of the lane in the second half and really drove hard to the basket. Kristin Ross got whatever rebounds Amber didn't. She was the Bearcats' size not necessarily directly in the middle, but in the post. Kim Albrecht did a little bit of everything, and seemed to be doing a lot of the right things at the right time on the floor. (It's more of a hockey phrase- "doing something good with the puck"- but it can be adapted for basketball.) Sherae Swinson was mostly quiet, though there were some strong moments down low.
Play I was most impressed with: Sina's last three-pointer, high and sweet and perfect over the long arm of Amber Thompson.
You may add to my list of things that frustrate me about Kyra Dunn the inability to grasp a rebound once she's on the case. She tipped out a lot of balls. Teaming her up with Amber might be better than teaming her up with Jade- she can tip the balls and Amber can catch them, because Amber catches all the rebounds. Crystal Simmons played big, solid minutes with Aliyyah Handford out for much of the second half. That created some interesting backcourt dynamics with Aaliyah Lewis, with Aaliyah almost seeming to move to the two while Crystal handled more of the ballhandling. Imani Littleton got her time in the second half, and seemed strangely unbalanced, ending up on the floor a surprising amount of times. She lurked around the basket and got buckets. Tamesha Alexander ran point for stretches in both halves and seemed fairly steady, but as a placeholder, not as a playmaker. That last turnover on her was not a fair call- that should have been a trip on Binghamton.
Today we saw what happens to a two-player team when one of those players can't hit the broad side of a barn. Danaejah Grant was not getting good shots in the first half, and was taking bad ones. There were at least two occasions where she ignored a player calling for the ball and instead took and missed a shot. She got a little better in the second half- I think she realized that without Aliyyah in there she was going to have to be the primary scoring threat, and made better decisions. Amber Thompson backed off a little bit in the second half, but in the first half she took down everything that looked like it might even consider being a rebound, with phenomenal positioning and great ferocity. Jade Walker stepped up her offense in the second half, with soft midrange jumpers. She was as fierce on the boards in the second half as Amber was in the first. Aaliyah Lewis stepped her game up. I know I keep saying she's growing on me, and part of that may be my feeble, futile hope that she'll sprout a few extra inches somewhere along the line, but I'm impressed with how she's developed at the beginning of this season. Her passing vision still needs a little work, but that should come with time. Aliyyah Handford had a fantastic first half, including some long jumpers, and since I've been saying that she needs to develop her jump shot if she wants to be the next Johnnie in the WNBA, I'm happy with that. She took a hard hit near the end of the first half and spent much of the second half on the bench with a towel over her head like a Russian grandmother's shawl.
One of the Binghamton (or possibly "Binghamton" fans) in the next section over wouldn't stop riding the refs. Every. Single. Possession. Every single possession he was either complaining that there hadn't been a foul on Binghamton, that there had been a foul on St. John's, or that a violation of some sort had occurred. Not that I haven't had my share of disagreements with officiating, and not that Amber didn't get away with a couple of shoves, but you've got to know when to pick your battles. (Such as the travel called on Tamesha that should have been a trip. Or Aliyyah getting hit in the face.)
Player families, or at least the specific subset that I tend to call "Team Jersey", have started helpfully labeling themselves- Danaejah's family had t-shirts with her name and number on them, Aliyyah's mom had a sweatshirt, Amber's mom was rocking a nifty shirt.
I still think the prize for the shopping spree game should have been whatever the kids could get into the cart.
I think Jade and Aaliyah proved in this gae that they have the capability to step up if one of our backcourt diarchy is out of the picture, whether that was Danaejah with the bad shooting in the first half or Aliyyah with the injury in the second half. That's bigger than any rough opening against a team that shouldn't have been a challenge for as long as they were.
Thursday, November 20, 2014
November 20th: Florida at St. John's
Just the Facts, Ma'am: Florida made up all of a 14-point halftime deficit, but the one-two punch of Danaejah Grant and Aliyyah Handford was enough for St. John's to prevail 72-66. Handford finished with 27 points and Grant with 26. Carlie Needles led Florida with 16 points, adding eight rebounds.
For worrying trends, mass transportation woes, the possibility of getting into a cab with a stranger, conditioning issues, proper hydration, lack of focus, and repurposed ducks, join your intrepid and unfocused blogger after the jump.
I hate my job. I do not necessarily hate my job because of what it is and what I do, but because I work in the industrial armpit of Queens, which means that if a truck stalls out on either the Grand Avenue Bridge or the Metropolitan Avenue Bridge, I end up waiting 40 minutes in the cold for a bus and thus missing most of the first half of the St. John's game.
At halftime, it's 40-26 St. John's over Florida. That's the good news for the Johnnies. The bad news is that it's the Danaejah Grant/Aliyyah Handford show, which is not sustainable in the long run. Aliyyah has 17 and Danaejah has 16. That leaves seven points scored by other players. That's not sustainable in the long run. From what I've seen, we've been moving very quickly on both ends of the floor.
It's Military Appreciation Night at St. John's, so we got swearing-in ceremonies at halftime and the team has "We Support Our Troops" shirts.
I did not enjoy the sloppiness and lackadaisical play in the second half that allowed Florida to come back and take brief leads, and I'm still not comfortable with everything being about two players, but the season is still young, younger than most of our roster.
I'm really not feeling the black road jerseys for Florida, though I'm not sure what they should be wearing instead. Maybe blue?
There was a fairly large contingent of Florida fans- maybe two rows' worth- behind the bench. Why in the name of all that is sweet and holy would you come to New York from Florida in mid-November? It's cold up here! I know it's been cold in Florida, but it is way colder up here, are you people crazy? In any case, they were loud, and one of our fraternities did work trying to drown them out.
January Miller moves pretty well for a guard of her build. She was all up in everyone's business on defense. I keep meaning to check whether Haley Lorenzen is any relation to Jared Lorenzen. One of those random connections my brain throws up sometimes. I feel like I should be remembering more of the bench, but I think they played the bulk of their minutes in the first half, when I wasn't there to see them; it felt like the starters were the key players in the second half.
Carlie Needles has a really obnoxious habit of yelling out assignments while on the lane for free throws. It's to the point where it's legitimately disconcerting to the shooter, and I'm surprised that none of the refs got on her case for it. She seems to run that team. Cassie Peoples launched threes from all over the floor and showed a fair amount of hustle. Ronni Williams took a nasty spill in the second half and twisted her ankle- she came off limping, but was well enough to come back and come up with some big plays late in the game. Antoinette Bannister pressured the ballhandler, and when someone less sure than Aaliyah Lewis had the ball, it did not end well for St. John's. Kayla Lewis mixed it up down low, aggressive for a player with a relatively slimb uild for her height. She was impressive. I could have done without some of the forearm shivers, though.
Oh, Kyra Dunn. I can already tell that you're going to be that player who makes me want to tear my hair out. I love her shot blocking, and we do need height, but height is not particularly effective if it runs away from anything and everything in sight. It also distresses me that she's not terribly fast for her size. Usually it's the big posts who lumber, but despite looking kind of like a stick insect, Kyra does not move very quickly. She was in and out as necessary. Imani Littleton played in spurts, but when she made freshman mistakes, she was sent back to the bench, same with Tonoia Wade. Tonoia's gotta hit shots on the break like that. More oomph is required. Minutes were brief for most of the bench players, which worries me for the rest of the season. We need a blowout so they can get extensive minutes so we can determine who they are and what they can do.
Amber Thompson remains a strong defensive force and a tough rebounder. I don't know if she's looking ofr her offense and not finding it, or if she's been told not to shoot, but I'm not sure I'm comfortable with her only getting two shots. If she's not a credible threat, then there's more defense on Aliyyah and Danaejah. Jade Walker came up with big baskets down the stretch, and it's absolutely amazing that she didn't foul out of the game, since there were three calls after her fourth foul that I thought were going to be on her and were instead passed. At least she's trying. I'm not sure I like the outside jumpers, but as long as they're falling, I shouldn't complain. Aaliyah Lewis is growing into her own as a point guard- still a little unsure of herself, but growing in confidence both with her teammates and within herself. I just wish she weren't so tiny! Aliyyah Handford was hot in the first half, but cooled somewhat in the second, though I think Florida intensified the defense on her. She went down late in the game and scared the living daylights out of most of the people in the arena. She got back up, though. I think she came up with a steal right after that. Danaejah Grant was fantastic in the first half and again at the end of the second half. I think she was letting some of the foul calls get into her head- I'm not sure she was completely engaged. Maybe I'm wrong. I'm a little wiped out.
We got frustrated with the officiating, as always. But if they'd called everything we had seen, I'm pretty sure Amber would have fouled out, so there's something to be said for non-calls. I guess.
We got our first look at the new student section for St. John's, the 6th Man. I certainly hope they're involved for longer stretches of the game than this during men's games. Three rows of standees at center court are not going to be very popular if all they're doing is standing, not cheering. The guys from the baseball team, on the other hand, were pretty cool. (Yes, I'm demanding when it comes to fan participation.)
I'm not worried about Binghamton or Wagner. But I'm starting to worry about Auburn and Seton Hall.
Sunday, November 16, 2014
November 16th, 2014: Sacred Heart at Iona
Just the Facts, Ma'am: Iona's two stars hit milestones, but Sacred Heart hit 12 threes to spoil the Gaels' home opener, 82-80. Kelcey Castro, Shelby Hickey, Hannah Kimmel, and Adaysha Williams each had 14 points to pace a balanced Pioneer attack. Damika Martinez poured in a game-high 37 points for Iona in the loss, while Joy Adams added 16 points and 12 rebounds.
For many trains, leaping bleachers in a single bound, not learning from mistakes, culinary disappointment, shiny screens, and lots of points, join your intrepid and strongly psyched blogger after the jump.
And here we are once more into the breach, or something like that, as your intrepid blogger finally gets to see a home game for one of her teams. Iona opens up at home against Sacred Heart.
I am a little disappointed in New Rochelle. I'd been jonesing for the last few days for blackout fries and a sandwich over at the Blackboard, only to discover that the Blackboard is under new ownership and is apparently now a pizza joint. Breaks my heart- that was some of the best pregame eats anywhere in my travels; the only ones who had them beat were LIU, and that's because if you go to an LIU game, you're a fool for not going to Junior's. We're going to investigate a couple of other places in that area, but I still want my blackout fries. :(
Speaking of boards, though, Iona has installed two huge, new, shiny boards, equipped with constant stats for all players on the roster. I approve this message so hard, you have no idea.
We're sitting with Damika's family, which promises to be loud and epic, since Damika is two points away from breaking the Iona scoring record, which is pretty much a certainty unless something unspeakably awful happens. Please don't let something unspeakably awful happen.
Someone on Sacred Heart's team, either an assistant or an injured player, is rocking a jacket straight out of the '80s Coaches' Collection. I think it's more Kim Mulkey, my husband thinks it's more Andy Landers. But it's a bilious green with a pattern that looks almost like camo. I do not approve in any way, shape, or form.
Sacred Heart, we need to have a talk about your roster and why at least three of your players are wearing jerseys that don't match the roster on your website. It's very confusing.
It's a day of milestones here at the Hynes Athletics Center, as Joy Adams joins the 1000 point club and Damika Martinez has made a club all of her own, taking over the Iona career scoring record. And given that she's at 1905 right now, the odds of her hitting 2000 are pretty good. But Iona's only up two at the half. Hannah Kimmel's been big for the Pioneers, and so have the four triples of Shelby Hickey.
Despite my love for the Syracuse zone as run by Jim Boeheim, I am really starting to develop a distaste for it, mostly because coaches that fall in love with it won't get out of it, no matter how badly they're getting sliced up. If you allow six threes in the first half because Sacred Heart is driving and dishing and getting open looks and hitting open looks, it might be time to reconsider your game plan. Instead, Iona stuck to the zone and gave up six more threes in the second half. Give up 12 triples in a game, and you're probably going to lose.
Lerae Ettienne makes quite the first impression- tall, broad-shouldered, copper-haired- and she did an excellent job of getting inside for the Pioneers. (I know that at least once in the game I yelled something along the lines of "How can you miss her?!" after she got the baseline and went up for a lay-up. Kelcey Castro brought offense off the bench, coming up with big threes in the second half. Tykera Carter and her giant pouf of hair got good looks from the outside, though she wasn't able to hit them, and I think she was also part of the roving defensive brigade on Damika Martinez. (Well, pretty much everyone defended Damika Martinez at one point or another. She's the Gaels' primary and secondary offensive options.) Katherine Haines was the first player in off the bench for Sacred Heart, but she didn't play much.
Katie Shepard is a nice little point guard- did more of her distributing in the first half, then started hitting shots in the second, when her team needed a little bit of an offensive boost. She was also pesky on defense. Hannah Kimmel did a little bit of everything- rebounding, inside lay-ups, outside jumpers, defense. I think the disconnect between her academic age and her calendar age- she's a redshirt sophomore who spent two seasons injured- is interesting, as she has a lot more experience and maturity than you would see from a regular sophomore, and that might be a big help to them in the next year or two. Shelby Hickey killed us in the first half beyond the arc, then she started taking the baseline too, just when everyone else was starting to set up outside. Adaysha Williams took a lot of shots. They were not all good shots. Alissa Tarsi seemed like a non-factor until the second half, when she was committing fouls- I think Ettienne got a lot of her minutes in the first half.
We got our first look at Ashley Murray in this one. I like her size, but like every freshman post before her, she has to learn to use her body without committing fouls. (Though she does apper to be of the school that if you're going to commit a foul, you might as well go for it with gusto- her second foul almost had her opponent in a half nelson.) Kristin Mahoney spelled Damika in the first half and seemed very nervous. There was no excuse other than nerves for that fumble. Karynda DuPree had a nice block in the first half, but was otherwise very passive, and she was parked on the bench for the second half. I like Philecia Gilmore's instincts, and I like her hustle, but she's got deplorable foot speed. I'm not going to harp on her conditioning in every set of game notes, because I am the last person who has any right to comment on that. I assume she's going to work on that at some point. Aaliyah Robinson found her shot again and was all over the boards. I love her heart and her hustle, and if Damika weren't a phenomenon, Aaliyah would be my favorite Gael.
But Damika Martinez is a phenomenon, a scoring force of nature the likes of which I have never had the chance to root for before, a near certainty to join the 2000-point club and making a good run at the MAAC career scoring record. She looked at the situation in the second half, where Iona wasn't scoring anything from anywhere, and basically took matters into her own hands, with 25 of her 37 in the second half. She wasn't asked to run point in this one, which she has occasionally been asked to do (this is not a good plan). I just wish she'd looked at the clock before taking the last shot after the buzzer. It didn't go in, but it's the point of the matter. Cassidee Ranger did a lot of running around to create screens and try to get looks, being more successful with the former than with the latter. Joy Adams missed makeable shots, but I love how she works on the boards. I'm just not sure what her position is. Marina Lizarazu moved the ball to the right people, but still seemed a little hesitant- we got luck on at least one play that should have been a five-second call. Aurellia Cammock had trouble holding on to rebounds- I'm pretty sure she would have had at least three more boards if she'd been able to maintain control. I love her hustle- she just needs to work on her hands. (And on getting people to spell her name correctly. She's been showing up as Auriella in some parts of the roster, and while Auriella is a beautiful name, it's not hers.)
Some bad calls in this game on both ends of the floor- I thought there was going to be an incident when Damika was called for her second foul on a bad, bad charge call, but in the second half, the scales were balanced with a bad fourth foul charge on Hannah Kimmel. I thought there was a key non-call late in the game when Joy went to the basket, but you can't put an entire game on that.
Defense matters. We can score all we want, but scoring 80 points doesn't matter if your opponent puts up 82. And looking at this team- maybe it's just early in the season, but no one on Iona seems really sure that they can trust each other. It's not reassuring.
Saturday, November 15, 2014
November 15th, 2014: St. John's at Yale
Just the Facts, Ma'am: After a shaky start, St. John's settled down to a season-opening 61-50win at Yale. Danaejah Grant led the way for the Red Storm with 30 points, whiel Aliyyah Handford had 18 points and Amber Thompson added 14 rebounds. Sarah Halejian led Yale with 15 points.
For big performances, bad calls, creepier than usual graveyards, gorgeous architecture, lots of trains, and satisfied exhaustion, join your intrepid and hungry blogger after the jump.
It took four trains and sixty-odd dollars, but here we are at Yale for the first game of the Red Storm's season, as St. John's visits Yale.
Payne Whitney Gymnasium is one of the most beautiful facilities I've ever had the privilege of visiting. It looks like a cathedral. We actually almost passed it because we thought it was the campus chapel, but no, it is just an exquisite piece of architecture... with automatic doors. In old-fashioned style, the aactual place where games occur is the John J. Lee Amphitheater within the building. It has high-back seats that demand proper posture, wooden seats that remind me of my elementary school auditorium. The windows are tall and narrow, like church windows. Most of the seats are elevated away from the court, so if something happens in front of the opposite bench, for example, I won't be able to see if from where I am behind the St. John's bench. This is the facility for basketball, volleyball, and gymnastics, and they have banners for each of those sports, one in each corner. It's been a while since women's basketball was even remotely relevant.
Yale has a pleasantly loud fan base- not necessarily large, but a solid mid-major fan base, and they care about their team. I'll give them that.
It was a slow start for St. John's, but when the game was tied at 17 we cam up with a 10-0 run to create a cushion. It's 31-21 at the half. Danaejah Grant leads the way with 16 points. Part of the challenge has been integrating the young players, and that's led to a fair amount of hesitation both for the frosh and the upperclassmen.
Kyra Dunn, I'm going to need you to pull your shorts down. Honestly. I shouldn't be aware that you have a tattoo that high up on your left leg, because that part of your leg should be covered by your shorts.
"The dead shall be raised"? What is wrong with you, New Haven? Why would you ever think that was an appropriate thing to put on the gate to a cemetery? Who raised the funds for that gate, Alester Crowley? (Yes, I know the real story behind it, because I'm a giant dork and I looked it up on Wikipedia, but these were the thoughts that passed through my head on the walk to the campus.)
So. Johnnies in reserve. They've still got a little adjusting to do. Most of them are freshmen, which is understandable. I like Kyra Dunn's shot-blocking, but if she's going to back off plays and not hold on to the ball and not rebound, we are not going to be friends. I think Coach agreed with my frustrations, since she didn't play at all in the second half. Tonoia Wade went in very briefly and did nothing of note, except that she was either wearing false eyelashes or has spectacular real ones, and I'd be concerned about a player who wore such long ones on the court if they're fake. Crystal Simmons was unremarkable, though I worry a little if her shooting motion today was what her shooting motion is actually like, as opposed to what happens when there's ridiculous amounts of contact being allowed and she pulls up lame. (The two aren't fully connected, and might not be at all. My brain is a little fuzzy.) She went off hobbling, but I think she's going to be okay. Tamesha Alexander was solid at the point, more defensive-minded than offensive-minded. The freshman who impressed me most out of our class was Imani Littleton. She committed some truly spectacular blunders (a pass smacking off her hands, having the ball plucked from her hands on a rebound), but she was great on the boards and looked aggressive offensively, which was a big deal given how tentative the offense was much of the time.
Aaliyah Lewis is growing on me. Now, if she could just grow a little bit, period, she would be fabulous. I don't think I ever noticed before how good her body control is- she was able to prevent herself from moving on catches that might have forced an extra step from other guards. She got bounced around like a pinball trying to run through Yale's screens. Give Tiny Aaliyah a break, would you, universe? Jade Walker already has a propensity to commit bad fouls. We know this; she still thinks defense is played with the hands and the body, not the feet. But she also has an unfortunate tendency to draw calls whenever there's a stoppage, whether she merits them or not. She threw up a lot of bad shots, including one where she had been dancing around in the backcourt as if she were Aliyyah Handford instead of Jade Walker, after which she was summoned to the bench for a teaching moment. She was a big part of the second-half answer to the Yale run, and we needed her to be big, and I think she can be a major player for us if she can stay on the court. Amber Thompson needs to go up strong instead of backing out, and she needs to hit her shots. These are all complaints I've made about her before, and I guess I shouldn't expect her to change from her freshman year in that regard, though I certain can hope she does. That being said, she was great on the boards and altered a lot of shots. Part of why I hope Jade and Imani develop is that it would free up Amber to be more of a defensive presence and we wouldn't have to rely on her for offense. Aliyyah Handford missed some makeable jumpers in the first half, and the Yale defense was all over her, but she seemed to find her stride in the second half. She played the passing lanes aggressively. And then there was Danaejah Grant, who was starting to look pretty tired by the end of the game, if only because she was carrying the team on her back. She went to the basket. She hit jumpers. She capped the scoring with a three, which was good, since I was almost out of room for two-point baskets. I wish she could get her free throws down, but that's the eternal complaint about this team that I love.
Yale rotated their bench pretty frequently, often bringing in two or three players at a time. Jen Berkowitz pulled down some good rebounds. Tamara Simpson drove to the basket nicely, though I thought she traveled on most of her drives. The other bench players were not memorable.
Sarah Halejian has a lot of heart and a nice jumper. She was the star of the show for Yale, both as a scorer and a leader. Meredith Boardman has a brilliant last name for a rebounder, and also showed a little range from the outside. Katie Werner seemed integral to Yale's second half surges, but I might just be crazy at this point. Meghan McIntyre popped a couple of threes in the first half.
The officiating in this game was extremely frustrating. If you're going to call a game in a certain way, that's fine. But call it on both ends. The same call, if it's a charge at one end, should be a charge on the other. If it's a shooting foul on one end, it should be a shooting foul on the other end. It seemed very unbalanced from where I was sitting, and I thought Joe was going to lose his cool at one point- except by the time he had reached that stage, it was too close for him to risk the technical free throws. It was very frustrating.
There's a lot of potential for St. John's, but I think it'll be a rougher year than we expected.
Friday, November 14, 2014
November 14th, 2014: Iona at Fordham
Just the Facts, Ma'am: The one-two punch of Damika Martinez and Joy Adams was too much for Fordham to handle, as Iona took control early and never looked back in a 72-51 win on the road. Martinez had 27 points, 20 in the first half, to lead all scorers, adding four steals; Adams had 23 points, 12 rebounds, and five steals. Emily Tapio was the only Ram in double figures, leading the team with 19 points.
For maroon, internal rants, brilliant passing, spin moves, getting the gang back together, optimism, pessimism, road conditions, and sardine cans, join your intrepid and urban blogger after the jump.
And we are cleared for takeoff. I repeat, we are cleared for takeoff. The NCAA women's basketball season is underway. Your intrepid blogger is, of course, overdoing it a little bit, because that's how we roll here at Swish Appeal and the Game Notes of Doom. We'll be coming to you in surround sound and Smell-O-Vision from three different facilities in two different states and three different conferences.
First up, and I mean this about as literally as I can mean it without properly checking an NCAA schedule, is Iona at Fordham, at the unspeakable hour of 11:30 on a Friday morning. Fordham will be raising their A-10 conference championship banner, and I will be feeling supremely uncomfortable if no one else shows up for Iona (since Fordham has now introduced itself into the complex mesh of loyalties that is my basketball life).
It's 10:12 and we're crawling through the tunnels somewhere south of Dyckman. I don't think I'm going to make it to Fordham at 10:23 like HopStop claimed I would. Why do you lie to me, Internet? (Because once the A train gets north of Harlem, it crawls instead of speeding. I do not approve!)
Made it to the game. I forgot how beautiful a campus Fordham has. I am clearly not the only one who agrees with this assessment, since someone was filming something there while I was walking by.
Note to self: if you're going to come watch the banner-raising, sit on the opposite side from the banners, rocket scientist. I suspect the effect will be somewhat less impressive from the back.
Iona looks so tiny next to Fordham. Tiny guards, slight guards. Fordham has a lot of bulk to them. I barely know any of these people. It's disconcerting.
This 11:30 start time is really not working for Fordham, unless they're queuing up the annoying little kids outside, to break upon the seats like a tidal wave. I'm not taking bets on that, though. That would be against NCAA policies, rules, and general ethics.
A capella anthem from a campus singing group. I approve.
There was no banner ceremony, and I am sad. (I am also sad that this game is at buttcrack o'clock of the morning because the men have the night session for a game against a D-III school. Really, y'all?)
So. This is the halftime score I expected, except that I thought Fordham would have the 42 points and Iona would have the 24 points. But Iona has Damika Martinez, and Damika Martinez has 20 points, and Iona holds the 42-24 lead. Joy Adams, despite missing chippies in ways that make my head explode, is also solid for the Gaels, with 13 points and five boards.
Okay, DOT, can we talk about the potholes on the Cross Bronx and the service road thereof? Because this thing is rattling like a '70s jalopy and it's very hard to type when one hand is holding the computer on my lap and the other is holding the screen in place.
There were moments in the second half when Fordham looked like the defending A-10 champions that they were, looked like they were going to get back in control, looked like they were going to make this a game, looked like they were going to take advantage of Iona's mistakes and come back. But for the most part, they weren't ready for the fight, and Iona took it right to them.
Please, please, Iona, keep the killer instinct. Maybe this will be the year that I thought was going to be last year.
Kristin Mahoney was the late sub for Damika Martinez, and I liked her willingness to hustle. Philecia Gilmore gave spot inutes in both halves, and while her conditioning needs work, I like her ball instincts. She seems pretty vocal for a freshman, too. Always a good sign. Aaliyah Robinson couldn't get her shot to fall, but made up for it with defense, assists, and rebounding- she was the team's best rebounder on the inside from the bench. This is a bad sign for the tall center who came off the bench, Karynda DuPree. I want to like her. She's got a phenomenal basketball body. But there is no quicker way to make me dislike a player than to have her be diffident, be careless, be soft, be passive, be scared- especially when she's a post, and especially when she's a tall post who can be a gamechanger for her team if she finds some cojones. I can't stand seeing players give up a step or two early on a play, or stand around on the outside like decorative statuary in a garden and jack up bad threes. I feel like I'm being harsh on her, but when your star guard is waving you to come around and set the pick, and you don't move, you're going to end up with me (and Damika) being harsh on you.
I didn't realize until I looked at the roster that Marina Lizarazu had transferred to Iona, and I didn't realize until lineups were announced that she was immediately eligible. She's going to go a long way towards filling the gap that Haley D'Angelo's gradation left in the backcourt. She's not the perfect point guard- she's a little too hesitant, she takes too long to trigger the ball inbounds (I think she got dinged for two five-second calls), and she is way too reliant on her left hand. But she's good at getting the ball to where it needs to be (translation: to Joy and Damika) and she doesn't make too many other mistakes. She came up with some nice buckets to change the pace up from the one-two punch of Damika and Joy. I suspect Cassidee Ranger's position in the starting lineup is not 100% settled yet- she was splitting time with Karynda and Aaliyah. She didn't get a lot of looks, but she took advantage when she did. I'm just not sure there's a spot for her in the rotation, unless someone can convince Karynda she's not the player who should be taking threes. Aurellia Cammock did not impress me this year, but she came on in this game with a lot of heart, a lot of hustle, a lot of offensive rebounding, and an ability to take advantage of opportunities she was handed. Some players can make a silk purse out of a sow's ear, and today she was one of those players. I'm not sure if she's a full-time starter, either, since she was splitting minutes with Karynda and Aaliyah. (In terms of position, I suppose technically Cassidee was splitting time with Aaliyah and Aurellia was splitting time with Karynda, but the rotation usually started with Aaliyah going in for Aurellia, so.) Joy Adams kills me sometimes when she misses shots that she should be hitting- she had one beautiful fast break that fell apart when she put up a shot more fitting to a hammer thrower), and I don't think I like her handling the ball on the perimeter as much as she does, but she's such a phenomenal athlete and she rebounds so well. And then there was Damika Martinez, who did the things she does so well. She was hitting both her jumpers and her lay-ups, and her gambling on the passing lanes worked well. She needs to be a little more careful with her hands- she got called for a lot of fouls in the second half.
Fordham put a lot of bench players into the game, and that makes me wonder if Stephanie Gaitley was taking it as seriously as she should have. Khadjiah Gibson gave good minutes in garbage time, though one must consider that it was, in fact, garbage time. But I liked how she got to the basket. Asnate Fomina can shoot a little bit, but I'm not fond of her defense- she was a little more physical than I would have liked in a guard. Taryn Durant played big minutes off the bench, running the offense and being very vocal. She actually started the second half for (I think) Tiffany Ruffin. I don't have clear recollections of Aaliyah Jones or either of the Danielles (Burns and Padovano).
I'm not quite sure how to pronounce G'mrice, but I get the feeling that I'm going to have to, because I'm going to be hearing it a lot, because G'mrice Davis is pretty damn good. She has that freshman propensity to commit stupid fouls, but she's got a good body, she's got good ball instincts both on offense and rebounding, and she's got some moves. I like her. Emily Tapio was the star of the game for Fordham, getting inside for baskets and poking away rebounds. She's tough. She's one of those players you love to ittybitty pieces when she's on your team, but that sort of makes you want to punch things when she's playing against your team. Sort of like Plenette Pierson, but to a lesser extent. Samantha Clark filled up space on the inside, and pulled down some decent rebounds, but Iona shut her down pretty well. She was much less of a factor than I was expecting. Alina Gjerkes has a nice shot from the side of the arc. Tiffany Ruffin was solid all around- she brought the kind of experience and leadership that you expect from a graduate student.
Fordham seemed determined to take threes, despite missing one of their best shooters from last season in Hannah Missry. It wasn't doing much for them.
The officiating was uneven, especially in the second half (the worst was the blatant trip that Tapio got away with that led to one of her baskets). To be fair, I think Iona was getting the benefit of many of the procedural calls.
It's okay to sit Damika if you're up 20 with less than ten minutes to go in the second half, Coach. You can bring her back in if you're panicking, but when she got the fourth foul, I would have pulled her for good. (She did sit in the end, but about five minutes after I would have pulled her.)
Play of the day, and one that I attempted to nominate for the Sportscenter Top 10 Joy Adams rifles a hard pass to Aaliyah Robinson, Aaliyah touches it back, Joy goes to the hoop, gets hammered, gets the shot to fall, and gets the foul call. It really got the Iona portion of the crowd going.
I don't know if this play is sustainable for either team. I expect better from Fordham, and I don't know if Iona can keep doing this to their opponents. I hope Iona keeps this up; I hope Fordham doesn't.
Saturday, November 8, 2014
November 8th, 2014: Philadelphia at Seton Hall
Just the Facts, Ma'am: Ka-Deidre Simmons and Bra'Shey Ali each dropped a double-double and Seton Hall never trailed in their 86-64 win over D-II Philadelphia. Simmons led all scorers with 20 points, adding 10 assists, eight rebounds, and four steals. Ali had 12 points to go with 14 rebounds. Najah Jacobs had 17 to lead Philadelphia.
For long walks, missed free throws, lopsided foul counts, acting jobs, plush Pirates, new haircuts, and trying to remember where the butt pad went, join your intrepid and exhausted blogger after the jump.
Hello, internet! Did you miss me? You missed me, didn't you? Actually, it's all right if you didn't. But your intrepid blogger, like her or not, is back in action with a preseason tilt at Walsh Gymnasium, as the Seton Hall Pirates host the Philadelphia Rams.
Why are there so many people on this train? It's not even 9:30 on a Saturday morning, and it's standing room only. Go back to sleep! I want to be back in bed, but it's a noon tip, so.
That awkward moment when you wait twenty minutes in the lobby for the nice folks with the ticket table to come out, then realize that there aren't actually tickets for this game since it's a preseason game.
Why would you drive onto the campus of Seton Hall with a Rutgers R stuck to your car? They're magnetic. Take it off when you're in South Orange.
Seton Hall's season ticket shirts are absolutely awesome, and our homies at South Orange Juice need to find a way to hook me up. "If you can't see, stand up!" is the creed I live by as a sports fan, because if I'm standing, there's probably a reason. (It does take on a bit of dark humor when the first guy you see wearing it is in a wheelchair, though.)
I feel like some sort of perverse ninja. No one here seems to know me without my husband around. (Well, except Coach Bozzella, but he pretty much knows everyone. He's that kind of guy, which is how we got into this mess in the first place.)
At halftime, Seton Hall is up 47-32, after allowing a small Philadelphia run to close the half. Monica Schacker leads the Rams with 13 points. Ka-Deidre Simmons leads the Pirates with 12 points.
Philadelphia's coach seems to be a statement kind of guy, between the technical foul and the "I chose Division II shirt" he's wearing.
Janee Johnson going down on a drive by Bria Young is an early contender for Best Performance by a Supporting Actress of the 2014-15 season. There were a couple of early submissions, though I don't know if preseason games count towards those awards.
I don't know if saying I liked what I saw from Seton Hall would be the right turn of phrase, but I like the potential that I saw there.
Philadelphia sent in a big chunk of their reserves late in the game, so they didn't have much of an opportunity to make an impression. Erin Rafter's shot release was noticeably awkward, though. (Sorry.) Mary Newell played the majority of the bench minutes and was pretty solid down low. She was called upon to do what I thought was a surprising amount of ballhandling for a post player, and she had an equally surprisingly delicate touch with the ball at midcourt, so perhaps the ballhandling shouldn't have been a surprise. She seemed to disconnect from the game in the second half, when the ball was going to her less and the Rams were down big- her facial expressions were those of a young woman who didn't want to be where she was and didn't care who noticed.
Tori Arnao had a nice knack for finding the ball at the basket, and for finding space for herself down low as well. Bria Young reminds me of a smaller-scale Sky Lindsay, as if someone had taken Sky and gently compressed her so that she was a little bit smaller and her face was a little bit less long. She looked like she was often in the right place at the right time to make the play. The box score does not bear out my perception of Monica Schacker's stroke, as she looked like she had an utterly pure stroke and couldn't miss, but there are a lot of misses in that box score. She got open a lot and made Seton Hall regret it. She cooled off a bit in the second half, but I wasn't able to determine if it was because the Pirates improved their defense, if she was tired, or if her teammates were less able to get her the shots she preferred. Najah Jacobs had some very nice baskets on the fast break, including one spin move where even the ardent Seton Hall fans next to me basically said, "all right, you can have that one, we ain't even mad". She's a nice, solid player. Alex Heck took a hit to the face that awakened the wrath of Philadelphia's coach, but I don't remember what else she did on the floor.
I was impressed with Philadelphia. For a D-II school they hung well with a D-I team that's on the rise. I don't think they were going to be able to satisfy their coach's expectations on defense in this one- he seemed pretty intense about it.
Seton Hall put in a lot of players, so this part is going to be pretty thick, just to let you know.
Lubirdia Gordon has a solid build and sets a good screen, but she seems to have small hands for her size, and that worries me. She's still trying to find her place in the defense- she needed a lot of direction. Jordan Molyneaux was impressive in her short minutes, positioning herself well on the defensive end. Jordan Mosley rebounded well for a guard- she found ways to be in the right place at the right time. She needs to work on her shooting touch, though, which is a recurring theme with this team. There are some horrendous shooting motions there. Claire Lundberg has a pretty stroke from the corner, and so far it's clear that her role is to be a three-point specialist. She has height, and they're using her a little bit in the middle, but she still needs a lot of coaching to be more of a three. She also needs to get used to the college line. I think she was still ranging. Tara Inman looks determined to prove herself- she hustled right through a chair and into the bleachers at one point. I like her intensity. Teresa Kucera appears to have misplaced her shot, and I hope she finds it again soon, as that's been her strength for this team. Chizoba Ekedigwe got in and proceeded to pretty much flee contact at the slightest excuse. She was more interested in going inside on offense than on defense, but still backed out when Newell was in the game. She's got to learn to not be afraid of contact, or someone is going to end up tearing their hair out. Kathleen Egan hustled but otherwise left no impression.
I got the sense that Coach was using the bench players not so much because the exigencies of the situation called for them, but to see who they were in game action, what they would do in a game, and how they would react as compared to practice situations. There were a lot of bench minutes.
I love what Janee Johnson brings to this team. She's tough on both ends of the floor and loves to go after the ball. I don't know if she still has the shooting range she thinks she does, but she does create space with that jumper a little bit. Tabatha Richardson-Smith took a lot of threes. I mean a lot of threes. She got on a little run in the second half, but otherwise, her shots were going all over the place. I liked her work on the press. If she's going to play three in this lineup, I'd like to see her get some more rebounds (granted, Bra'Shey and Janee don't leave a lot of them for other forwards, but still). Speaking of Bra'Shey Ali, I think I was sitting behind her family, and I'm glad I was, because she had an awesome game. She was all over the boards, holding on to a lot of the balls that she was tipping out last year, or at least tapping them to teammates instead of opponents, and she was able to finish on a lot of shots close the basket. I do like her rather a lot. Daisha Simmons was hobbled by foul trouble early on, to the point where I was starting to wonder if any of the officials were Alabama alumni. She looked good, and she had fantastic synergy with Ka-Deidre Simmons. I can already imagine the mattress jokes. Ka-Deidre Simmons ran her team well and took over at key intervals. She makes this team go, and I think she knows it. Possibly to their detriment, so do her teammates. Much like sometimes happens with the Liberty, if she's playing well and their shots aren't falling, they expect her to pick them up, and she expects herself to pick them up. If they're going to go far in this conferene, or in the NCAA in general, they need to get over that.
I was disappointed in the officiating in the second half. It's not that there were a lot of blatant no-calls and missed calls, but there were a couple of block/charges that seemed inconsistent, and Jordan Molyneaux got all ball on that second foul. But when the differential is at 10-1, it does tend to cause a fan to raise an eyebrow or two. The total fouls were even in the first half, so I suspect that the Philly coach's T might have played into the officiating in the second half.
Seton Hall has very odd rims. Lots and lots of shots rimming out for both teams.
I think they've switched from Pepsi to Coke. Point in their favor.
That hike to and from South Orange station is a doozy, especially alone.
I'm looking forward to seeing how Seton Hall develops this year. You should be too.