December 2nd, 2018: Manhattan at Fordham

Just the Facts, Ma'am: Fordham came out on top of a hotly contested Battle of the Bronx, 65-61. Bre Cavanaugh was game MVP with 27 points and 11 rebounds. Lynette Taitt came off the bench to lead Manhattan with 15 points.

For overwork, rivalries, an inability to can or even, and a slow pace, join your intrepid blogger after the jump.

No thanks to the MTA, we have arrived at Fordham for the 50th Battle of the Bronx, as the Rams play host to the Jaspers of Manhattan College. (No, seriously, guys, sitting in Flushing for ten minutes is not my idea of a good time.)

Misspelling my last name on the pass list, I can understand. My handwriting is awful, and it can be misinterpreted. Misspelling Manhattan as "Manhatten" is either some kind of historical shoutout, a potshot at their in-borough rival, or a sign that someone in the ticket office really loves St. John's.

The band is elsewhere, whether previously engaged or on vacation, so there's a local high school (?) drum corps with associated steppers in their place. Curiously, they're performing on the other side of the basket from where the drum platform is set up, though I can easily imagine Coach Gaitley not wanting a wall of noise directly next to her bench during timeouts.

No band, so recorded anthem. I don't applaud recordings.

It's tied at halftime, 35-all. Fordham's interior defense has been a hot mess, with Manhattan taking full advantage of their forwards' height and Gabby Cajou's fearlessness. Bre Cavanaugh has briefly gone into "I have had it with this nonsense" mode, but it faded out.

That awkward moment when the dance group performing at halftime forget that they're doing two numbers.

I'd say we're a little shorthanded today, with Ralene Kwiatkowski in a walking boot, but she seems to have fallen down the rotation.

Don't get me wrong, I'm very glad we won. Winning rivalry games is important. And we showed some grit at the end. But Bre Cavanaugh can't do it alone, and she shouldn't have to, and she shouldn't try to, and she shouldn't expect to.

Coach Vulin used Pamela Miceus very situationally, to use her height. Her teammates seemed really hyped when she drove the lane for her bucket. Kania Pollack provided a little relief at the point to end the first quarter and start the second, while Lizahya Morgan got that assignment in the second half.

There are people I do not want to mess with in the course of a basketball game, and one of them is Lynette Taitt. It's not that I'm intimidated by her, it's that she has an indomitable will to win and can put the team on her back as necessary. She had both the driving game and the midrange game working. Sini Mäkelä came in for her offense and hit her jumpers. Julie Høier threw some screens, some of them a little more physical than I would have liked, and slipped back door for easy lay-ups. She had a height advantage and pressed it relentlessly. I can't be mad. Well, I can be, but it would be counterproductive.

D'yona Davis was not ready for this game, and she got pulled in the first half so quickly that I thought the previously announced starting lineup was incorrect. This happens sometimes with freshmen. Gabby Cajou brought good speed to the floor- she played a big part in neutralizing Lauren Holden. She did play out of control sometimes, and her footwork cost Manhattan at least one turnover.

Courtney Warley is a physical presence underneath, and I think Manhattan needs her do stick to that role for them to be successful. I know she has an outside shot, because I've seen it in effect, but she's not consistent enough with it for that to be a big part of her game. She's still got time to develop consistency in her stroke. Candela Abejón was strong and determined defensively. She positioned herself well on the inside. Tuuli Menna finished well inside and took advantage of mismatches.

Can we not with the elbows, please?

I like Halei Gillis's defense off the bench, but she's still suspect on offense. Kaitlyn Downey hit a three and I thought she had finally found her stride, but then her next shot missed badly and I remembered why she drives me nuts. Megan Jonasson seemed to find her groove as the game went on, and her putback late in the game was the deciding bucket. She still needs to work on getting into defensive position and staying there, but I have faith in that happening.

I really need Mary Goulding to finish more consistently at the rim. That would be great. I like what she gives us on defense, but because of our lack of size, she can't afford to get into foul trouble. She's got to be aware of that. Also, I cannot even with the Zara Jillings-at-the-four lineup. I can't even. I don't have the capacity for even. She's got great hustle and great defensive tenacity, but she doesn't have the height, she doesn't have the size, she doesn't have the reach, and she doesn't have the ups to handle taller players. She's a three at best. And in turn, Kendell Heremaia is a two at best. Both of them are being forced to play out of position, and it's hurting their game, and it's hurting Fordham's game.

I like how Lauren Holden is running the offense, for the most part, though I could do with fewer of the long threes. Still, I keep feeling like I should be seeing more from her, somehow. I understand that Coach Gaitley's system encourages a very slow pace of play, but I'm also inclined to believe that she's bought a little too much into it. She and Bre can be a high-octane offense if they're allowed to be, but I don't think they're currently being allowed to be, and for the most part, I don't think they're allowing themselves to take advantage of speed opportunities. And we're asking way too much of Bre Cavanaugh. She seems to be the only person on the team who's' able, or willing, to at least try to create offense for herself. It's wearing her down; in the fourth quarter, she was visibly exhausted, and I think she might have pulled her jersey once. We shouldn't have had to ask this much of Bre, or of Lauren, against Manhattan, rivalries be damned. If this is what a mediocre MAAC team does to us, what are we going to look like in A-10 season? I don' tthink I like the answer, and the only reason I might is because the A-10 has been a mess in the non-conference season.

This team can be very fun, but very frustrating. If we don't get our defense together in a hurry, it's going to be a lot more frustrating than fun.