November 17th, 2018: LIU at Saint Peter's

Just the Facts, Ma'am: Saint Peter's started off strong and stayed well out in front of LIU in their 86-59 win. Zoe Pero had 19 points and 10 rebounds, leading five Peacocks in double digits. Kiara Bell had a team-high 16 points off the bench for LIU, with Brandy Thomas adding 13 points and 14 rebounds.

For freshmen, getting turned around, insistent terminology, epic fails, dodgeball, and a lack of experience, join your intrepid and perturbed blogger after the jump.

Road trip! It's not a very exotic road trip, but it's a road trip nevertheless, to the wilds, or at least the unfamiliars, of Jersey City, to cheer on LIU at Saint Peter's.

It's astonishing what better lighting and better bleacher placement can do to make a multi-use gym actually look like a place where basketball should be happening. Saint Peter's doesn't look like they have a terrible facility anymore. It looks bare-bones and minimalist, to be sure, but it doesn't look like unmitigated crap like St. Francis's gym does.

Just for the record, I still maintain that Saint Peter's should have kept Peahens for their women's teams, and I will continue to maintain this throughout any game notes that feature Saint Peter's. Also just for the record, the school seems to eschew the St. abbreviation for Saint, so I'll be doing my best to use their preferred style.

If this dude uses "ladies and gentlemen" to preface one more segment of the pregame announcements, I may blow a gasket.

There are a lot of people here in LIU gear. I know we have a few kids from Jersey, but on the other hand, almost everyone for Saint Peter's is from Jersey, so...?

I do like the pattern adidas is using for the background of the shooting shirts. Can't tell from here if it's tribal or feathers or camo or random, but it's cool. The shirts and the shorts don't quite match, though.

Tia Montagne is in a walking boot. I'm sad.

It should be taken for granted that I love the royal purple of Coach Del Preore's dress. Or maybe it shouldn't. I was about to say, "have you people met me?" but then I remembered most of you probably haven't, and given that my teams wear various shades of red, blue, maroon, black, and maize, you would have no idea that I gravitate towards purple like fouls gravitate towards post players.

Well. This is going about as well as I could have expected. It's 42-17 Saint Peter's at halftime, and frankly, it could even be worse. We are not good at basketball. Maybe this is a thing that will change at some point? It doesn't help that we have very, very little experience coming back, and a good part of it is already injured. I'm convinced Autumn Ashe is a figment of our collective imagination. Coach has already undone and redone her ponytail multiple times. For Saint Peter's, Briyanah Richardson has been a revelation, and she and D'Aviyon Magazine will be a heck of a one-two punch for the Peacocks for quite some time.

There are hairdos I have come to expect from cheerleaders, and lavender buzzcut is not one of them. I don't object, mind you. I'm a little amused that they just completely gave up on the giant white bow for her, though.

Free throws win ballgames. In the absence of an ability to win the ballgame, they do at least make you look like a D-I team, not a train wreck masquerading as one.

Well, that could have gone worse, I guess. I mean, I'm sure it could have gone better, but I can see ways where it could have gone worse. Saint Peter's has brought in a lot of talent, and while it might take some time for them all to mesh, they're not going to get beat up in the MAAC like last year. They have a lot of firepower. LIU's got a lot of freshmen, and they all look like they're scared of their own shadows, and anyone with experience is either injured, AWOL, or has regressed. It's going to be a long season in Fort Greene. Still my team, but doesn't mean I don't find them frustrating.

Kiara Bell was the one bright spot off the bench. She brings size that we sorely needed. She needs to work on her conditioning and extending her game ever so slightly, but she did an admirable job of finishing at the rim, especially with putbacks. I wish we'd been able to get more from Seneca Richards. And just to make it clear, by "more", I mean "anything other than an inexplicable refusal to either play her height or play the skill set she showed last year".

Ryan Weise got run later in each half and spent it either taking long threes or committing fouls. I don't think she's ready for prime time, but I think she was forced up in the rotation due to a lack of personnel. Shyla Sanford did a good job of getting in position to make defensive plays on the break, but I'm not sure about her on offense.

Ella Vaatanen shouldn't have to be taking the opening tip-off. She has a little bit of the height, but that's it. She's in over her head here, and I think it shows. Defensively, she had a world of trouble getting into position. Offensively, I don't know that she knew what she was supposed to be doing, posting up or launching jumpers. She got tasked with trying to guard Zoe Pero, who's a pure post, and it did not go well. At all. Brandy Thomas doesn't have the stamina she needs for the college game yet, but she's hard-nosed and gets the job done inside. I love her toughness. But she needs someone to complement her, and Ella is not that player.

Jeydah Johnson's shot was off. Way off. Side of the backboard off. Short of the rim off. She left the bench sometime in the second half with the trainer, holding her back, so maybe she's hurt- if I recall correctly, she's had back trouble before. But it's a problem when the person who's most willing to shoot- for much of the game, apparently the only person willing to shoot- is unable to hit the broad side of a barn. Camille Gray has quick hands on defense, when she's in position. But I'm honestly not sure who's more terrified on the floor, her or Tiya Misir. Tiya seemed paralyzed whenever she was running the offense, constantly looking back for the call. She's got to show some initiative at some point. I realize it's early. I'm sure she'll get better at this sort of thing, especially if Tia comes back to relieve some of the pressure. (Also, Tia and Tiya are homophones, so this could be a confusing few years.)

I honestly thought Jordyn Hawthorne got more time than she did. Maybe it was just time elapsed; she tended to finish quarters, and her minutes bridged the quarter break. Big body, but she didn't see a lot of use. Phylina Holmes got into the game late and made her biggest impression crashing out of bounds going for a loose ball. She's another big body Coach Mitchell needs to get refined, but she'll be good for them by the time Pero graduates.

Anna Maguire has a ridiculously quick shot. The word "snap" comes to mind. Instant offense, though I can see her going cold for stretches and shooting her team out of games just as easily as she shoots them in. Sammy Lochner also provided solid offense off the bench. Tyara McQueen had quick hands, which served her well when she got the steals, but not so well when she got called for the hand-check. She'll have to learn to restrain herself in that regard. But she's good.

I love Cinnamon Dockery's hustle. She made a lot of plays happen on the offensive glass and on defense. Her ball-hawking is on point. Briyanah Richardson puton a show, and I'm really excited about what she'll be able to do for the Peacocks in the next few years. She's already very well-rounded and poised for a freshman. She brings the driving game, and D'Aviyon Magazine brings the outside shooting. It's a deadly combination.

Zoe Pero killed us inside, and would have done a lot more if she'd been able to hold on to the ball consistently. She did a fantastic job of getting to the line and converting. Wil'lisha Jackson set screens and did the little things for the Peacocks.

I don't think we saw either coach at their best in this game- lots of sloppy mistakes from the plethora of freshmen for both teams. Officiating left something to be desired as well- at one point it looked like they were really going to go "no blood, no foul" rules- which is not going to work with two very passionate coaches.

(Speaking of which, Stephanie, you do know other people can hear you swearing, right?)

Long season up ahead. They're my team and I love them. It's just going to be a long year.