December 28th, 2017: UC Davis at Yale (Fordham Holiday Classic)

Just the Facts, Ma'am: The Aggies of UC Davis used their speed to their advantage in a 71-61 win over Yale at Fordham's holiday tournament. Rachel Nagel led the Aggies with 17 points, while Cierra Hall chipped in 15 points and a team high nine rebounds off the bench. Tamara Simpson had 18 points in a losing cause for Yale, with Jen Berkowitz notching a double-double of 13 points and 15 rebounds.

For seniors, coincidences of nomenclature, tempo changes, a lack of musical accompaniment, fancy fleeces, disconnects, and the power of speed, join your intrepid and groovy blogger after the jump.


On to the next one, as the saying goes, and the second half of our double-header features the Aggies of UC Davis and the Bulldogs of Yale. Since the first game ended rather earlier than I think the organizers were expecting, these two teams have extra time to warm up. (And in Yale's case, perhaps find the rest of the team, since I doubt they only brought six players with them to the Bronx.)

Look, I know I'm probably the only person in this section who cares about the second game, but y'all are either going to have to sit down or leave in the near future, because y'all are clogging the aisle and blocking the view. (It looks like they're choosing to leave. Hey, your loss. I'd think you'd want to scout the team y'all are playing tomorrow, but maybe that's just me.)

Meanwhile, the Rams are putting in overtime, signing posters in a cramped row behind the VIP seats across from the visitors' bench. (Normally they use the media table, but that's not practical in a double-header.) Dead serious, I think G'mrice Davis is actually sitting on the aisle stairs because there isn't quite enough room to make this whole thing work.

(Update: Yale has found all the players. But also, UC Davis has quite a lot of players.)

It's nice to get to see family for the holidays- it looks like Johanna Klug has folks in from Germany, and our North Carolina gals Halei and Ralene were talking to someone who looks like a slightly older Halei around the face.

Y'all. I know your butts probably hurt, but if you are standing in front of me in twenty-five minutes, we are going to fight. (Again, they left.)

The seats in front of me and around me have been filled with Tamara Simpson's family, both nuclear and extended. They're enthusiastic, but not obnoxious like the Hartford fans were, so it's cool. (Also, the Yale family gets some nifty swag- Patagonia fleece with logo and number? Swanky.)

At halftime, UC Davis is up 38-33. Rachel Nagel has 11 points and three boards to lead the Aggies, who have also gotten timely points from Cierra Hall. Tamara Simpson is putting on a show for her family and folks, with 15 points, three rebounds, and three steals.

Fordham scouted the first half, and bailed for a while, but they're wandering back now. I think they get to relax now.

Yale's coaching staff has some snappy dressers on it, whether it's the head coach's tailored suit or the young person in the black jacket and gray shirt with matching bowtie. And if that's Melissa D'Amico in the Irish green skirt- well done, I saw what you did there.

UC Davis did a better job of controlling the pace of the game and getting Yale to play at their faster tempo. That might be a problem for Fordham tomorrow, so it's a good thing I'll be in Brooklyn. The Aggies seemed to like longer passes and uptempo play.

(Huh. The work at 121st Street is done.)

Sophia Song has one of my favorite names in college hoops right now, and some instincts around the basket. Kaitlyn Hsu came in at the very end of the game, with just a few seconds left (almost to the point where you wonder what the point is, but I guess it makes sense if you're trying to keep someone higher in the rotation from getting hurt in garbage time). I think Karley Eaton was mostly in as an accurate free throw shooter, especially at the end of the game.

Cierra Hall reminds me a little of Cierra Burdick (not just because of the name, she looks a little like her around the face), but she more reminds me of Jackie Nared from St. Mary's. She rebounded ferociously and showed a knack for being in the right place in the right time. I love her moves, and I love her potential as a freshman. Marly Anderson is not terribly mobile, but she gets good position and I'm sure she'll get some of those shots to go down in other games. She laid a couple of monster blocks on the Yale guards. Nina Bessolo is quick, especially on defense.

Morgan Bertsch rebounded well close to the basket. She made herself available down low and finished at the rim. I thought the Aggies did a good job of managing her fouls. I'm still not sure how you pronounce Nafekh, but I think it might sound like three-pointer, because Dani Nafekh came up with two threes in the second half. She's an interesting match-up. Pele Gianotti is long and lanky, and I think she thinks she has an elbow jumper, but it's not a reliable shot.

Have yourself a day, Rachel Nagel! She sliced her way into the lane like nobody's business, going to the basket with authority and without fear. The play of hers I actually remember most is watching her leap after an offensive rebound on a missed three- I'm not sure she didn't move before the shot actually went off. I love that kind of rebounding focus. Kourtney Eaton had a great deflection in the third quarter that broke up a Yale possession and hit a couple of threes. She's a steady hand, good for them.

The pace of play seemed really important to the Aggies. When they were able to make it work, they took over the game; the times when Yale was able to bottle them up and either deflect passes or just stop them on defense were the times the Bulldogs were able to get back into the game. (Except for that mind-numbingly stupid over and back, there was no excuse for that, I don't know what that even was.)

I get the feeling Yale's coach might need ot learn to trust her bench a little more. I think part of why they started to fade in the second half was the virtual lack of substitutions. I know exactly what that can do to a team, having survived both the St. John's and Fordham experiences. I also get the sense there might be a torch-passing in progress, but it's definitely a work in progress, and the underclassfolk might not be as ready as the coach wants them to be.

The only reason I noticed that Alex Cade was in the game was that she committed a foul. Either I need to get the wax out of my ears or the PA guy needs to do a better job of announcing substitutions. People, if y'all don't have names on your jerseys, it's that much harder to tell y'all apart. Bronwyn Davies gave the Bulldogs a little relief in the first half, but I don't know if she knew where she was supposed to be on the floor. In her case, I can understand why Yale didn't go back to her in the second half.

I did like the energy that Alexandra Maund brought, both on and off the floor (when the ref had an issue with the players gathering behind the bench during timeouts, she proceeded to leap over the chairs to get in the official-approved spot). She wasn't necessarily able to get it corralled into a useful form, but I get the sense that this might not have been her best day. Mary Ann Santucci started the game on the bench, though she started the second half, and I can't help but wonder if that's part of that "my underclassfolk should be readier than this" sense I'm getting off Yale. She set up Jen Berkowitz with a nifty feed down low and came up with a couple of threes, but it looked like she was missing easy shots when they counted. That's a problem for a senior.

Tamara Simpson started the game on fire, and though she cooled down somewhat in the second on offense, she remained ruthless in the passing lanes, intercepting balls and returning them on fast breaks. I love the leadership she showed on the floor, and I'm a sucker for a steals specialist. The folks around me seemed extremely fond of Roxy Barahman, despairing when the looks she got at the basket in the first half didn't go down and exulting when she started to get the shots in the second half (especially the three-pointers, they were super hyped about those). (Also, I love when player families show vocal support for their kid's teammates and not just their own kid.) She made a great defensive play in the fourth that ended up leading to one of her threes. Hard worker, and that's always rewarded in the end.

Jen Berkowitz stepped up big time in the second half. She started getting better rebounding position and making more plays on the inside. She had a couple of monster blocks, one on Gianotti and one on Kourtney Eaton that was a very poor life choice on Eaton's part. I don't know if it was the Aggies' tight man defense or the original Yale game plan that made her less of a factor, but it seemed like they should have maybe gone more to her sooner. Megan Gorman got the start, but didn't play much in favor of Santucci, and left no real impression when she did. Ellen Margaret Andrews is carrying around a lot of name, and I can see the potential Yale sees in her (she had one nifty play on an offensive rebound and putback that was especially nice) but there's a lot of work to be done with her. Her shot is almost embarrassingly not sound.

There were stretches when Yale seemed very disorganized; there were stretches when they had their act together and were able to get a run going. But there's a disconnect they're going to need to get past if they're going to succeed in the Ivy- and given the phenomenal individual talents they'll be facing, even that might not be enough.

Officials were fantastically lax on travels, to the point where I got to break out the "counting is hard" line, which is always a fun one when you're sitting with folks from an academically inclined school.

There will be interesting clashes of styles tomorrow (or, technically today but I haven't slept yet because sleep is of the weak). I'd like Yale to shut up the Hartford fans.