January 29th, 2018: Fairleigh Dickinson at LIU

Just the Facts, Ma'am: FDU used a strong third quarter to take control of a close game and win 61-49. Madelynn Comly led three Knights in double figures with 13, while Lauren Francillon had 11 rebounds. DeAngelique Waithe had 24 points and 10 rebounds in the losing cause for LIU.

For travel difficulties, awaiting the snow, overpassing, the discourager of hesitancy, cough drops, death glares, and not finding the open shooter, join your intrepid and blurry blogger after the jump.


Good evening, fellow travelers! It's game night in Brooklyn, as the Blackbirds take on the Knights of Fairleigh Dickinson.

I would have sworn FDU was wearing blue earlier in the season. Maybe that was the men. It would be interesting if they actually wore different colors, though perhaps not the greatest sign for intra-departmental solidarity. (See: UConn.)

Stephanie, you really need to work on your communication skills. There's a difference between all set for two games for two people and all set for one game for one person. I think by the end of the season I'm going to have to become an LIU booster to make up for this. And I don't wanna be a booster. NCAA regulations are a headache.

(We got the ticket thing worked out. Also, if Stephanie wants any of my cough drops she's welcome to them.)

At halftime, FDU is up 25-24, in a game that's been closely contested and defensive-minded. DeAngelique Waithe has 10 to lead the Blackbirds. Peniel M'Bikata and her flaming orange hair have seven points for the Knights.

Rousing anthem by the band, and I'm always here for their rendition of "Poison".

As you can imagine, attendance is sparse. Even Denisha's contingent is down to about half strength. But they bring enough noise, and we work together well, or at least I like to think so.

I think of everyone currently active on the roster, Destoni Willock would be my last choice to take the last shot of the half. Our Canadian needs to work on her ballhandling skills.

FDU came out of the locker room super late- they had one player run out of the corridor about thirty seconds before the buzzer, waving her teammates along after her; the Knights' coaching staff didn't actually emerge until after the buzzer, and I'm surprised they didn't get dinged for a delay of game. Whatever they said in there, whatever adjustments they made, whatever change of plans they had- boy howdy, did they ever work.

Once again, our PA guy was slacking on announcing opposing subs coming out of stoppages of play, so I'm not as clear as I'd like to be on rotations. I didn't even know Madison Stanley came into the game until I checked the box score. I'm going to guess that was at the very end of the game, for the final possession or two. Elise Graham gave the Knights an alternate ballhandling option in the open floor- she had a nice transition lay-up amd set up Kamrin Weimer for a three with a nice pass. Weimer didn't leave much of an impression, and most of what I dimly remember from her was more rebounding-related than offense-related.

Natalie Zamora tried to defend people who were bigger than she was. It usually didn't end well for her- she really racked up the fouls in the third quarter. Courtney Blankenship set screens (she had one particularly solid one that impressed me with both its solidity and its legality- you know how hard it is to find a legal screen in the lower echelons of D-I?!), got boards, hit free throws, and had trouble holding on to the ball.

Lauren Francillon gave up her body on the glass, and picked up steam as the game went on- balls she was losing in the first quarter, she was winning the fights for in the fourth quarter. Good interior toughness. Amina Markovic went on a scoring run in the third quarter, hitting from the outside and at the rim. I don't think she was on our original scouting report, because we sagged off her a lot. Then again, we had a lot of trouble hanging with shooters on the wing, so maybe that was the bigger issue. (Also, I think I may have annoyed her when I was questioning a foul call, but it was a bad call and the ref should have felt bad for making it, so there.)

How exactly were we losing track of Peniel M'Bikata? I mean, I don't know if they noticed, but her hair is flaming orange. It's not literally on fire, but it is pretty close to the color of an open flame, and does stand out rather spectacularly. She shook loose for three-point shots and drives in the lane. I like her style. Lucia Serrano-Ranz was a three-point specialist with moments of defensive prowess. Madelynn Comly got to take most of the free throws at the end of the game. Her passing game needs work.

FDU fought for possessions, and collectively boxed out really well- it seemed like there were always three burgundy jerseys going to the ball once it came off the rim, especially if it was LIU putting up the shot. Following your shot is a thing, people. I'm pulling my hair out over here.

I'm not sure who's a stronger indication of "welp, here goes nothing", Paris Jones or Destoni Willock. Paris tries, and she had a nice defensive stand that her teammates helped her finish, but I don't think she's gotten all the rust off yet. She doesn't seem to fit into the current schemes. Destoni tries hard, but if the ball is being passed to her on the inside, disaster is inevitable- either she's going to fumble or the ball's never going to get to her in the first place (probably because she's out of position or hasn't done enough to get into position). I'm really starting to wonder what Daisha Davis has done, or hasn't done, to be so far out of the rotation.

Ella Vaatanen gave not-terrible minutes off the bench in the post. She's still a little more tentative than I'd like, but she's learning, and she seems willing to learn. Tia Montagne carried the bulk of the load for the reserves. While I'm not sure how she's picking up the various code-named defensive schemes, she's got great instincts on the ball defensively, taking advantage of opponents' miscues. Her shot needs work, both when she takes it and when she doesn’t take it, but I like watching her play.

Follow your shot, Denisha. Follow your shot, Drew. This isn't a recording, but I'm starting to think it needs to be one, and broadcast everywhere they go like a somewhat more specific version of the Shame Nun. Denisha Petty-Evans shot three-for-eleventy billion and somehow still looked like she was avoiding shooting the ball. It looked like she was passing up too many good shots to end up taking desperation shots near the end of the shot clock. She had a nice steal, though, and another good attempt at one. Drew Winter does fancy ballhandling tricks, and then she slows down the offense. She looked scared to shoot today, and when she did finally put the ball in the general vicinity of the basket, "general vicinity" was a generous definition of where the ball ended up. It seems fitting that the one shot that went in was the twisting lay-up she practically shot over her own head. She racked up the assists, but I don't know how many of them were actually the best looks for the squad.

At least Seneca Richards had some awareness of time and score in the fourth quarter, putting up quick threes and draining a surprising number of them. I didn't realize she had that much legitimate range. She was looking a little like she had Katie Douglas eyes out there, so I hope she's okay and she hasn't been staying up too late. (Says the woman who's typing Game Notes of Doom at quarter past one in the morning. For reasons.) She's a shooter and not much else, but she tries and she's got height and our options are somewhat limited as long as Jeydah's out, so it is what it is. Stylz Sanders was consistently getting out-sized out there, but she made a lot of smart plays on the baseline and kept loose balls alive. She's making a strong run at trying to be my favorite, but it's too late for that. DeAngelique Waithe played like she was the only one on the floor trying to win the game for LIU. (I looked at my clipboard at one point and realized she was the only Blackbird to score in the third quarter. This is a problem.) She had her moments where she looked like she wasn't sure where to be on defense, and she's got to watch that first step when she gathers for the jumper at the top of the key. But she went hard at the basket, and she hunted down loose balls like there was a bounty of their heads. She was looking for opportunities and she took them. I unabashedly love to watch her work- she has such a nice combination of strength and flexibility that results in her showing up very quickly in very small spaces.

Way too much hesitation on offense. I get trying to find a teammate with a better shot, but sometimes the best shot is the one you have, instead of the one your teammate is forced to take because the shot clock's running down and she's got two defenders in her face. There was one sequence at least, possibly more, where pretty much the only people in the building who didn't realize Denisha Petty-Evans was open were the people who were supposed to be defending her... and Drew Winter with the ball. By the end of the game, we were joking that Drew was clearly a Jets fan, because she seemed to believe in the Herman Edwards school of clock management.

Officiating was the usual NEC trainwreck. No one wanted to call travels or major contact, but minor hand-checks were another story entirely. I think I did most of the gasket-blowing that Stephanie secretly wanted to do. (I consider that part of my responsibilities as a fan. There are things fans can get away with that coaches can't.)

We got pretty dinged up in this one. Stylz took a couple of hits, Tia was slow getting up after a collision, and I thought Angel was going to throw up during some FDU free throws. This might be part of why I'm a little annoyed at the officials.

There's something missing for this team, and I can't put my finger on it. It might be as simple as getting Jeydah and her offense back. It might go deeper. I don't know. But we've got good senior leaders, so there's that in our favor.