Game Notes of Dooooooom

January 28th, 2012: Notre Dame at St. John's

2012-01-28T15:37:00.000-08:00

Just the Facts, Ma'am: Devereaux Peters had 18 points, 15 rebounds, and five blocks, and Notre Dame withstood several Red Storm runs to knock off St. John's, 71-56. Skylar Diggins led all scorers with 24. For St. John's, Shenneika Smith and Da'Shena Stevens each had ten points.

For the hand of Touchdown Jesus, shenanigans, classless behavior, and post-envy, join your intrepid and proud blogger after the jump.

Part of me cares what the scoreboard says; part of me will always care what the scoreboard says. Another part of me is full of righteous indignation and the urge to do unseemly things to Devereaux Peters's smirk at the refs. Most of me is fiercely proud of my team's heart, hustle, and effort.

I have no beef with most Notre Dame fans. (Though someone is going to have to point me to where I can get team logo earrings. Rutgers has them, Tennessee has them, Notre Dame has them, St. John's should have them.) I do have a beef with the one family who came into our section, ignored our warning that they were in a section full of Red Storm die-hards (and oh, yes, the Arico family), held up a sign and blocked people's view, kicked popcorn onto the court, stepped on people's feet, and generally acted like rude, entitled brats- both the children kicking popcorn, and the parents mildly chiding them but nothing more. You stay classy, you. I also have beef with the woman in the blue and gold shamrock shirt sitting behind the St. John's bench; she better be part of Megan Duffy's family tree to pull a stunt like that in front of the ROTC coordinator.

Fashion fail of the day: wearing gray pants, a white jacket, and a pink-and-white striped shirt is rummage-through-the-closet enough. But why in the world would you wear Seton Hall blue shoes with that ensemble?

Excellent anthem from the Metropolitones, a favorite of the Game Notes of Doom. Always good to start off on the right foot, even if the start wasn't great after that.

Ariel Braker played long enough to establish why she wasn't playing earlier in the game. That was a pretty dumb foul. Kaila Turner came in for a couple of rotations and was almost called for a foul while she was on the bench because someone couldn't count fingers. Natalie Achonwa made more of an impact in the first half; she was less of a necessity in the second half, but she still impresses me. (But do her stats only count 95% or so depending on the exchange rate?) Fraderica Miller got the bulk of the minutes off the bench and brought good on-ball defense.

Skylar Diggins is beautiful- not necessarily as a physical specimen, but with her grace and speed as a basketball player. I'd probably like watching her more if she weren't in my conference and if she didn't bitch the refs so much. (It's especially galling to watch her complain to the refs when Notre Dame hasn't been called for a foul yet in a game.) Devereaux Peters is the kind of post I wish all my teams had. She's physical, she's tough, and she's got an array of moves. This is not to say I don't appreciate Da'Shena, Amber, Mary, Zakiyyah, Jennifer, Plenette, Kia, Quanitra, Kara, or Ta'Shia. I'm just saying. Natalie Novosel knows an awful lot of football moves for a kid from a football dead zone. She also had the shot of the game, a three that bounced hiiiiiiiiiiiiigh off the rim and then dropped smoothly in. That was some Touchdown Jesus magic. Kayla McBride didn't seem to do anything, and then you look up and she's rebounding her butt off. Rebounding is one of the harder stats to track by eye; there are so many bodies going for the ball that it's hard to tell who comes out with it eventually unless someone does something remarkable. Brittany Mallory got hit with fouls pretty quickly in the second half, and she didn't have a chance to be much of a factor.

Mallory Jones tried so very hard in her twenty-three seconds, she really did, but you have to hold on to the ball. Briana Brown came in late in the game, as one of what I like to call a “throw spaghetti at the wall” move. Love her defensive hustle, but she needs to play a little smarter. I don't know what Amber Thompson is doing or not doing in practice, or saying or not saying to KBA, or what's wrong with her, but either she needs to get her head together or Kim needs to stop fighting with her, because going up against the size and strength of Notre Dame was not the day for Amber to only play eight minutes. She's the kind of player who needs to be on the floor if she's going to produce; she'll freeze up if she's on the bench too long. I think she could have been more of a factor if she had had the time. Keylantra Langley came in for defensive purposes, and she did her job.

Nadirah McKenith, whatever you may or may not have said to the refs at some point in your life, don't ever say it again. That's the only reason I can think of for two of her shots to be waved off and turned into offensive fouls. One of those was made, one didn't go in, but that's up to four points wiped off the board on reprehensibly bad calls. I can't say enough about her leadership, though. Every time they came out of the timeout, she was gathering the five on the floor together and talking to them. No matter how far down they were, she never let them get discouraged. She also showed up some ups that I hadn't expected from her on that bad knee; she was right up there with Diggins, who's taller and also has pretty damn good vertical. Shenneika Smith was all over the place today. I like when she has well-rounded games, when she's bringing both the defense and the offense, when she's scrapping for boards and going for loose balls. I think today was the first time I actually saw Mary Nwachukwu get a rebound in this calendar year. She played like someone had lit a fire under her, with some spectacular blocks and some good rebounds. I do wish she'd either step in on that long two or take the extra step back and shoot it as a three; long twos do no one a favor, especially when there's no one there to rebound. Da'Shena Stevens did her thing- got in underneath, sneaking around bigger posts and hitting her shots. I don't think it helped her that she went stretches without a break where it was obvious that she needed that break (again, those were the times Amber should have been in the game- if Day is missing short and bailing on plays, and especially if she's in foul trouble, get a sub up). I don't know where Eugeneia McPherson's head was in this one. I really don't. She just couldn't hold on to the ball. She was careless, she was sloppy, and she couldn't hit the broad side of a barn. If this had been a close game, she would have been the goat, but this wasn't a game that any one person could control.

These refs. I thought Kim Barnes Arico and Eric Brewton were going to drop the gloves. And she would have been well within her rights as a frustrated coach watching her team get hacked and shoved with no call. She let him have it two or three times. The second time was when, somehow, a second and a half was added to the end of the first half, which gave Notre Dame juuuuuuust enough time to get off a decent shot. Her inspiring speech to the refs seemed to work in the beginning of the second half... and then Notre Dame committed the seventh deadly sin and wasn't called for another foul for eight minutes. Were there calls in our favor? Of course. But it always seems like Notre Dame gets preferential treatment from the officials, and I'm sick of it. They're good enough, talented enough, skilled enough, that they don't need the officials to protect them.

There have been Red Storm teams in the past that, if they were down by 20 to the #2 team in the country, would have lost by 40. This is not one of those teams. The core of this team learned from the debacle at Stanford not to give up, not to surrender, not to let up. I'd take this team at gun-to-the-head time over half the teams in the poll.

January 17th, 2012: Rutgers at St. John's

2012-01-17T19:50:00.000-08:00

Just the Facts, Ma'am: The Red Storm overcame a six-point halftime deficit and the heroic efforts of Khadijah Rushdan to knock off Rutgers 62-57. Eugeneia McPherson had 17 points to lead all scorers, with Nadirah McKenith chipping in 15 and Shenneika Smith adding 14 points and eight rebounds. Khadijah Rushdan led the Scarlet Knights with 16, eight in the last two minutes.

For fouls, wet spots, questionable fashion choices, never giving up, highlight reel plays, and awkward realizations, join your intrepid and high-pitched blogger after the jump.

I have this urge to run around and hug people, but the only person around is my husband, and I can hug him any time.

My sympathies to the Cagers who came on the A-1 bus that scraped up against the gate a few times like he was trying to shake off a nagging defender. Apparently that wasn't the only issue he had. The Rutgers fans were paler than they should have been after the game.

Anthem singer, you are not Whitney Houston and you do not have to blow out the sound system, okay? You have a mic, you don't have to project quite that much.

Sparkly C. Vivian Stringer was sparkly. Loved the rhinestones on the pockets and collar. Didn't see the scarf that I used to lust after when I was still a Rutgers fan- red silk with the block R- which is a shame, because it would have gone.

I don't know if Rutgers knows what to do with the freshmen. There are so very many of them and they all seem vaguely interchangeable. I'm not sure if that's being unsure due to not having seen them very much, to Stringer's recruiting, or to Stringer not knowing how to use any of them in specific roles yet. Shakeena Richardson had a nice little shot- may she be a better player and a classier person than that other #22 from Rutgers. Betnijah Laney looked less like a freshman than most of her classmates, using her solid build to get opportunities. Christa Evans strikes me as a more traditional RU center- someone who's just there to clean up the mess from the guards and make room in the lane.

Monique Oliver is a load in the lane. If Rutgers hits her every time out next year, they're going to be dangerous. Congrats to April Sykes for hitting 1000 (at least so I assume, from the fans' reactions when she hit her first basket). I was surprised they didn't try to get to her more- she's a matchup nightmare for us with her size and outside touch. (The only player we have with that skill set is not the world's greatest defender.) My heart was in my throat every time that Erica Wheeler got open with the ball, but we got on her when we needed to and harassed her as necessary. Briyona Canty got the start, but to be frank, I'm not sure why. I guess someone had to. Khadijah Rushdan has the heart of a champion. She was bound and determined not to lose that game at the end, and she tried to take the entire team on her shoulders. I reluctantly like her.

Briana Brown, thank you for the hustle, but thank you for also putting Rutgers back in range with that dumb foul. Amber Thompson came off the bench for this game after her sketchy performance against Marquette, and while she still looks like she's making friends with the freshman wall, she's scrapping and hustling, and showing that she'll make those plays when she's a sophomore or a junior. I'll take that. Tesia Harris made a brief cameo, demonstrated that her shot had not decided to join her this evening, and ended up back on the bench. Keylantra Langley brought the defense, and some but not all of her shot clock heroics.

Da'Shena Stevens took a lot of contact down low, and she had a couple of questionable foul calls. The numbers aren't going to show the kind of presence she had for us in the post and the kind of leadership she provided on the floor. They're not going to reflect her increased ballhandling ability and her willingness to bring the ball up the floor. Shenneika Smith had a solid all-around game- some boneheaded plays that had us screaming at her, but some dagger shots that wounded Rutgers. I have lingered repeatedly over the lack of rebounding that Mary Nwachukwu brings at the four- I'm sorry, but two consecutive games with no rebounds from a post is unacceptable. If Tesia Harris can get her own rebound in two minutes, I think one is not too much to ask. Mary's defense was also suspect in the second half- if you're going to foul a shooter, don't just ruffle their hair, make sure they don't hit the shot as well. Still, she had the pretty midrange jumper. I'd just like to see a little more from her inside. Eugeneia McPherson got the calls tonight. Well, most of the calls. She still hit the deck more than I would have liked, but tonight she got the calls and hit the free throws. I love when she gets that aggressive and drives that hard. Nadirah McKenith was the point guard at both ends of the floor, leading both offense and defense. She made the plays to force turnovers, and she hit the clutch free throws. I love her poise and her court vision.

Originally, the play of the game was going to be the sequence where Da'Shena had the block, which was recovered by St. John's, then got to Shenneika, who passed it to Keylantra for the jumper. And then Nadirah spun and threw it up over her shoulder and got the roll on the no-look and got the foul, and that was sort of freaking amazing. Why that's not an ESPN Top Ten play, I will never know.

Bryan Enterline. Amy Bonner. What did we ever do to deserve this? Lots of inexplicable calls that are still inexplicable as I watch the replay. Lots of travels. The floor did seem slippery tonight, judging from the sequence that had both Nadirah and Laney on the floor.

Credit to the students for coming out for this game. We did our best to get the word out, and they answered.

There was a time in my life when I would have yearned for the matching Rutgers earrings and necklace set. This is not that time in my life.

I sympathized with the guy who wanted to storm the floor, but we've beaten Rutgers before. Notre Dame might be the only one we storm this year if we pull it off.

What a game, what a night, what a team. We did what we had to do. Now we need to keep doing it.

January 15th, 2012: Marquette at St. John's

2012-01-15T19:55:00.000-08:00

Just the Facts, Ma'am: Strong second half play from the Marquette Golden Eagles put away the St. John's Red Storm 63-55 at Madison Square Garden. Katherine Plouffe's 18 points and 11 rebounds led all players, while St. John's was led by the 13 points of Shenneika Smith.

For frustration, calling out, blue hair, comfy chairs, and a random Tamika Whitmore reference, join your intrepid and nail-biting blogger after the jump.

Ah, space, better seats, less beer, a chance to tease Mike Thibault about Tamika Bleeping Whitmore, and my team finally out on the floor. It's 32-28 St. John's at the half, and it could be a lot worse for the Red Storm, and it could be a lot better for them.

Security graciously let people move down after the swathes of Georgetown fans left from the first game. We're in some very plum seats near center court- 19, I believe, but don't hold me to it. I don't know how to read the new Garden numbers.

Nadirah McKenith seems to have decided that if her teammates aren't going to get the job done, she'll do it herself. Marquette took a lead shortly before the half, and then she scored three straight buckets to give St. John's back the lead. It's a shame that her teammates didn't follow her lead, and I want to take my clipboard and hit most of them upside the head with it.

Katie Young is either a Vinnie Johnson, doesn't usually come off the bench, or is streakier than a badly washed window, because otherwise there is no excuse for a shooter as good as she proved herself to be to come off the bench. She came in when Simmons went out with some eye irritation, or blood or something, and she erased our lead in two shots. She was clutch. Chelsie Butler brought the pain off the bench when Marquette needed a rest for their posts. The Golden Eagles played mostly a seven-woman rotation, with a smattering of players playing spot minutes.

Katherine Plouffe abused us inside. She did a great job on the boards and establishing position inside. Arlesia Morse got Marquette going early with her shot, which kept them in the game early, and I think that was important for them, to keep their heads in the game. Sarina Simmons wasn't the factor I was expecting her to be, but she was enough of a threat that St. John's had to keep an eye on her. Gabi Minix ran the offense well, and I have to be impressed with her stamina- she turns interesting colors, but she didn't sit down at all. Apiew Ojulu didn't make much of an impression on me.

Marquette brought few fans, but those fans were loud and vocal. Sir, I appreciate your team-colored glittering hair, but please don't disconcert our free throw shooters. Really. You're on the road. You should know better. We wouldn't do the same in Milwaukee.

I have no idea why Briana Brown was in this game. Don't get me wrong, she didn't play badly, but the way she went into the game was Kim Barnes Arico in full “throw spaghetti at the wall” mode. She was all right defensively. Tesia Harris made a cameo appearance and didn't impress. Keylantra Langley was streakier than usual, making big offensive plays but slacking a little defensively. Mary Nwachukwu, on the other hand, needs to be sat down for a very long lecture from her coaches regarding the responsibilities of a 6-2 post player, which start with REBOUNDING THE DAMN BALL. I'm sorry, but there is no excuse for a 6-2 forward who played stretches of the game as the only post on the floor, who was in for 21 minutes, to not pull down a single rebound. Mary, you don't have Stefanie Murphy and Carolyn Swords to hide behind anymore. You are the big girl. Get it.

If there was a game in which Da'Shena Stevens wanted to prove that she could be a leader as a senior, this was it. She stepped up late in the game to try and get it back, sacrificing her body to take charge after charge. The numbers don't necessarily show it, but she came to play today. Amber Thompson had some rough luck with the rolls, and the two quick fouls at the start of the second half pretty much wiped her out for the rest of the game, paving the way for Mary's sketchy play and Coach Barnes Arico's dodgy coaching. Eugeneia McPherson... one moment she'd make a great defensive play, and the next she'd throw up a wild shot in the lane and complain about the lack of a call. Stay with the play, Gina. Hit the shot and don't worry about the officials. (Worrying about the officials and giving them an idea of what they should be calling is our job. We got your back.) Shenneika Smith had some strong plays, but got burned on defense more than I'd like to see out of her. She's our tallest guard, so when Coach decides to go to some of her more esoteric lineups, she's often the three or the four. We need her to be tougher if she's going to be put in that position. Nadirah McKenith was very frustrated with her team at some points- I've never seen her get that “WTF?” with her teammates before. She wanted this game- she knew that her team needed this game, and she did everything she could to get them it.

Kim Barnes Arico, I would like to know where you got your stash, because those have to be some pretty potent substances you were ingesting to think that a four-guard set with Mary Nwachukwu as the only post would be a good counter to Marquette's big lineups. Shenneika at the four against Plouffe or Butler is a bad plan and you should feel bad for coming up with it. One thing I've noticed with her is that when she panics, her control freak comes out and she starts tinkering. Bad things happen when she starts tinkering, almost to the point of a DirecTV ad. (“When you start tinkering, you lose your team a halftime lead. Don't lose your team a halftime lead.”)

These officials... it's a bad sign when both teams' fans are screaming at you to call a foul, whether it's a block or a charge, on a brutal collision near the end of the game, and all you can do is call the out of bounds. I don't care if you had called the block on Nadirah. I'd rather see the foul called on someone than run the risk of frustration fouls getting rougher and rougher and having someone get hurt. All game, they were letting scrums go on and calling held balls, or making procedural calls instead of foul calls. We were upset. The Marquette fans were upset. Kim Barnes Arico was upset. Terri Mitchell was upset. Everyone was upset, and everyone had reason to be.

Marquette answered the bell. I'll give them all the credit in the world for that. Now St. John's has to answer the bell against Rutgers on Tuesday if they want any shot of anything worth mentioning. This is the Big East. There's no margin for error. Compete and beat the teams you're supposed to beat, or go home.

January 15th, 2012: Georgetown at St. John's

2012-01-15T19:39:00.000-08:00

For kvetching, potential, a lack of senior leadership, and jackassery, join your intrepid blogger after the jump.
I will be brutally honest. I am not interested in men's basketball- at least, not to the extent that I'm interested in women's basketball. The Madison Square Garden doubleheader is my least favorite game on the women's schedule. I'm paying more money for worse seats, the stink of beer wafts over the whole scene, I'm crammed in with way too many people, and inevitably, the largest and most vocal fan base in the building belongs to the men's opponents, with whom I have nothing in common.

Today, it really doesn't help that I'm in the wedge behind the Georgetown bench, which means that the Hoyas have two rows of students behind us, so the call and response of “HOYA!” “SAXA!” has already rung out behind me once. It also doesn't help that the Georgetown fans have had a lot more to cheer about. I have to grit my teeth and wait through the Hoyas' cheers and all these people everywhere for the game that I paid a ridiculous amount of money to see.

It's hard to imagine what benefit St. John's thinks the Garden has for them these days. What kind of draw can it be to go into your “home” arena and have the opponents' cheers roaring out? Does playing at the Garden mean that much to a player that it doesn't matter that the crowd's not behind them? Honest curiosity.

Show up on time and sit down. Don't hang out on the concourse during play, and don't get irked that people are asking you to sit down during play. This is not rocket science.

Georgetown killed the Red Storm with depth. Not that they're insanely deep like the Stanford women are, where there are legitimately three separate lines like a hockey team, but eight players put up double-digit minutes, which is more players than St. John's put on the floor. I'm working under the assumption that Otto Porter either had the game of his life, that he doesn't usually come off the bench, or that he's their strike-fear-into-the-hearts-of-men reserve that I've always coveted for any of my teams. He's a baller. I was very impressed with him. Since I didn't buy the scorecard, I don't know what year he is, so I don't know if this is the culmination of four years of polishing or if he's a top-notch underclassman. They also got some quality minutes out of Greg Whittington.

It's very wrong to be going to a game at the Garden and seeing a Starks on the floor who, 1) is not wearing #3, 2) is not someone I'm supposed to be cheering for. Henry Sims had surprisingly nice touch for a center. Hollis Thompson killed the Red Storm from beyond the arc- any time they tried to mount a defense of their dignity, he hit one, and the Georgetown fans roared, and the St. John's fans went silent. (Honestly, people. I'm not even all that much a fan of the men and I was louder than half of you. Shame, shame, shame, shame on you.) Since I didn't buy the scorecard, and since I was trying to drown out the Georgetown fans behind us, I don't have much better detail than that, other than the fact that their rebounding was damn good. They stayed hard on the boards, especially as the game wore on and St. John's got tired.

Amir Garrett has potential, but it's pretty clear that he's still shaking off the rust, and that he's got a lot of rust to shake off. Given time to be fully incorporated into the team's plays and to gain familiarity with his teammates, he'll be a valuable part of the team (if he doesn't leave for one reason or another; sorry, guys, but at this point this is almost a required disclaimer). Malik Stith was not making good decisions with the ball, which is never a good sign from a senior. He should know this by now, whatever 'this' is.

D'Angelo Harrison should not be a top option for this team. He's streaky, he doesn't make smart plays, he takes shots he shouldn't take- for a team that had a full range of personnel, he'd be a situational shooter, but he's in a position where either he has to gun or he's allowed to gun, and neither of those is good for St. John's. Phil Greene, do not be scared of the ball. It isn't going to bite you. I've never seen a guard pass up an open lane. A shot from an open lane, yes, but backing away from an open lane until you're at the arc, and then passing off, in a shot clock situation? Seriously? God'sgift Achiuwa looked like a guy who can play, but one who was outmatched by the Georgetown front line (I hear the Hoyas are known for centers). He wasn't awful, which is more than I can say about a couple of his teammates. Sir'Dominic Pointer impressed me on the defensive end of the floor, and hey, at least he got to the line and hit his free throws. Definitely a keeper, and hey, we know he'll probably stick around. Last, but most definitely not least, wow, Moe Harkless. He's only a freshman? Seriously? Can we get the birthers on this? Guy's got to be at least a junior, the way he plays. Granted, he commits stupid freshman fouls, like his fifth (which hurts even more because he backed off the play the first time so he wouldn't get it, then went back in on the offensive rebound by G'town). If he stays, and if St. John's can get him a good solid second option so he doesn't have to do everything around here, and if his teammates can be allowed to play the complementary roles they're more suited for... this team can be for real.

I do wish Dunlap had given the walk-ons and the guys who are there just to make muster a little time at the end of the game, when it was 20 points. It's MSG. It might not be the only Garden game they get, but don't run your guys into the ground in a game that's already dead and buried. Is margin really that important?

To whatever idiot set off a firecracker in the men's room: may you step on Legos in the dark every night for the rest of your life, and may you be afflicted with explosive diarrhea in a traffic jam.

Can't say much about the officials in this one- it's hard to see the finer points of play from the 300s. That's one of the things I miss when I'm in the higher seats. Seems like St. John's wasn't getting the calls, but the Red Storm didn't do as much to draw the fouls as the Hoyas did.

If I got into men's basketball, I could get into this team next year.

January 8th, 2012: Louisville at St. John's

2012-01-08T17:44:00.000-08:00

Just the Facts, Ma'am: Strong second-half play from the Red Storm gave St. John's the 72-64 win over the Cardinals of Louisville. Eugeneia McPherson led St. John's with 16 points, while Louisville's Becky Burke led all scorers with 19 points, including five-of-eight three-point shooting.

For rowdy road fans, snazzy duds, the critical importance of early conference games, and inexplicable decisions, join your intrepid and psyched up blogger after the jump.
Sometimes you need a game for the entire season. Sometimes that game is in March, conference tournament time, everything on the line, win or go home. Sometimes that game is in February, the frenzy rising, the sharks scenting blood, big conference games mixed in with the biggest out of conference games.

Sometimes that game is in January, the second game of a new year, a game on national television against a team in the top fifteen of the polls that's down two key players and needs to make a statement just as much as your team does. Sometimes the bell rings early and the springboard is longer than you realize.

Louisville brought a large fan contingent- or more precisely, Bria Smith brought a large fan contingent. Am I the only one who thinks it's really tacky to start chanting “DE-FENSE!” at a true road game? Neutral site is one thing, but to go into someone else's house and get the defense chants going, or disconcerting the shooter... that's uncouth. They shut up pretty quickly after Smith fouled out, though.

Even if you didn't have a roster, and even if Louisville didn't have names on their jerseys, you'd be able to tell that Jude Schimmel is Shoni Schimmel's little sister. They look a fair bit alike, but also move very similarly on the floor. I hesitate to say that they play similarly, because Jude doesn't look to be quite as good, but they look like they had all the same influences. (Which, yes, I know, but it's one thing to know and another to see.) Cierra Warren brought size off the bench and a nice bit of touch in the second half. She also brought some of the most hilarious offended indignation I've ever seen. Clearly she transferred to Louisville for the drama classes, because North Carolina didn't offer sufficient acting courses. Shelby Harper saw time late, in what I like to refer to as “throw spaghetti at the wall” time, when Louisville was getting ready to start firing threes. She tried to bother our offense. It was cute, in a way. Antonita Slaughter seemed to think she was a three-point shooter. Either her shot was really off today or she's really, really not. (Is she any relation to Gwen Slaughter?) For some reason I expected more from Sara Hammond, but she's young and she only played briefly. Shawnta' Dyer got a lot of minutes off the bench, but she made very little impression on me. I think she was one of those players who got all up in Da'Shena Stevens's face and edged around foul trouble.

Bria Smith fears nothing. I think the strong support from friends, family, and miscellaneous people with signs behind the bench bolstered her. She was red hot in the early going, and I feared the worst case scenario (for this fantasy player, it was Louisville winning with someone other than Schimmel the elder being the big gamer). In the second half, she ran into foul trouble- literally, being called for charges when she drove the lane. She's damn good for a freshman- damn good for anybody, but the idea that she's just a freshman is mind-boggling. Becky Burke's stroke is still amazing. She's got such a quick release. I'm not sure what she was thinking driving in the last minute or two, though. If they're not guarding you on the outside, and you're that good a shooter, and you're down that much, and the officiating hasn't been helping you, why would you drive instead of taking the three? Sheronne Vails started, but wasn't impressive; from what I've read from Louisville fans, it sounds like they were playing musical starters again. Asia Taylor was also a non-factor, with the bonus of not being able to hit a shot. Again, this might be a matter of musical starters. Shoni Schimmel has all the tools to be the best point guard in the country- by her senior year. Right now she's still raw, still wild, and still not as good in her judgment as she should be. But she's only a sophomore, and she has good court vision, and she's amazing when she cuts into the lane. She's slick, and she's fun to watch. When she matures, she's going to be very special... and by then Bria Smith will be a junior. That's a scary thought as a Big East fan.

This was not Tesia Harris's day. She looked like she was in well over her head. She was exploited defensively and inept offensively. Keylantra Langley hit one of her 'oh, hey, shot clock's running out, better hit a basket' shots, and her defense was solid, if not perfect. Mary Nwachukwu played well off the bench- she had someone to do the dirty work inside, freeing her up to look at the basket and put up the shots she's more comfortable with. She also boxed out well and did work on the offensive boards. This is what we're going to need from her going into the Big East season- a strong, reliable presence in the post to keep the pressure.

Amber Thompson looked like a freshman today- great hustle, good work going inside, but let a lot of stuff go through her hands and fumbled a lot of things that she's normally much better on. But it's sort of inevitable with freshmen. Shenneika Smith was solid, and her defense was on point. (All due respect to her, but c'mon, ESPN, she wasn't even close to being the star of the game. Why did you decide to interview her? Did you already have the story written?) Nadirah McKenith ran an excellent offense- every time Louisville made a run, St. John's had an answer, and she was part of why. She found the right person at the right time. Sometimes that person was herself. She helped shut down Schimmel, too. Eugeneia McPherson looked good, going to the lane and also hitting threes. If she can get a consistent outside shot going... we're going to be lethal. It's so good to see Da'Shena Stevens on the floor, and she's been battling so much that it hurts to see how much she's probably hurting. She got into a lot of grappling with the Louisville posts.

There were two calls that had Kim Barnes Arico about ready to go off on a ref, one where the refs missed a shot hitting the rim and refused to reset the clock, another where Da'Shena got hit in the face with no call. After she gave them several pieces of her mind, the officiating started to lean more towards St. John's. Overall, it wasn't bad- they let 'em play in the first half, less so in the second. When both teams are in the bonus with nine minutes left in the game, you might have a tightly called physical game.

I was disappointed in the turnout by St. John's. Look, guys, we're getting nationally ranked teams in here, we're on national television, would it be so much to ask that we make the place look a little less like a high school gym?

Dear dance team: can I have your jacket in an XL? Because it is awesome with the airbrushing and the sparkly logo.

We stuck around for the post-game autograph session, both because we both needed something for our cubicles and because we wanted to wish the team well. A lot of kids stuck around for that. Gee. I wonder why.

This was the crucial game for us. If we hadn't gotten this, I'm not sure any of the other games would have mattered for a chance at the tournament. But this was a big game, and a big win, and now I'm not sure what Louisville's going to do. I'm not sure if Louisville's sure what Louisville's going to do.

January 8th, 2012: Bridgeport at Queens

2012-01-07T21:30:00.000-08:00

Just the Facts, Ma'am: The Purple Knights of Bridgeport led for most of the way in their 59-50 victory over the Knights of Queens College. Four Bridgeport players put up double figures, led by Tanisha Carter's 18 points and 10 rebounds. Nicole Caggiano led Queens with 19 points, 15 of which came in the first half.

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Ranked teams on CBS, wild card football on NBC, laundry piled up and needing to be done- of course this was a perfect day to walk down Kissena Boulevard and check out a game at Queens College like we've been saying we would do all season. There's a St. John's connection, you see- alumna Sky Lindsay is the new assistant there, and we promised we'd go out and support her.

I don't know if we're going to do it again. Security was obstructively helpful and ended up leading us through the back door. I'd really rather not be shepherded, if it's all the same to you. I don't mean any harm, and it's not like I was carrying a large bag that could be used to blow something up, and the guy sent us up the wrong way anyway.

Queens's gym is on the second floor of FitzGerald Gym, and you'll find yourself transported to another time when you go there. It's not necessarily a good thing. I'm pretty sure that's literally the same floor that Donna Geils and Gail Marquis played on and the same bleachers that people watched them from. The scorer's table is pretty nifty, with a clear arrow and what looked like a lot of nice gadgets. Everything else smacked of improvisation, though.

I have no idea what was up with the dance team's lime green leotards and black tops in the first half. They were pretty ugly, and in no way related to team colors. At least in the second half they put on Queens College shirts and looked slightly less like they were earning their tuition on Eighth Avenue. I do not appreciate signs blocking my view of the game, people. Just because it's bad basketball, that doesn't mean we don't want to see what we came to see.

I've never heard anyone with as thick a New York accent as the PA announcer at Queens. Mind you, I'm born and raised in Queens, and I do have a slight accent. But this guy sounded like an extra on any New York-based show you can name. I was almost embarrassed, but then, many stereotypes about my city embarrass me. (That goddamn Nanny...)

Bridgeport's uniforms are very purple, and I'm not sure what was up with the stuffed animal on the bench, only that they held it up like a trophy after the game. It's hard to tell, since not all of the substitutions were announced, but it looked like Bridgeport wasn't going very deep into their bench. The box score confirms this assessment, though the bench player I did notice, Casey Bray, wasn't the one who logged most of the minutes. This is why announcing substitutions consistently is important.

I like the way Edna Marant got to the basket- she was about the only player who was consistently drawing foul calls. Aziza Patterson scored a bit in the first half, but wasn't as effective in the second. Julia Colley demonstrated her English background with several dives worthy of EPL. Sometimes they worked, sometimes they didn't. She mostly looked for outside jumpers of questionable accuracy. Elinor Avny showed off her three-point shot in the first half, but didn't get going again until late in the second. I was most impressed with forward Tanisha Carter, though she's going to have to learn to handle double teams if she's going to be the first option for this team. She was hot for the first ten minutes, then faded as Queens's defense keyed on her in the second quarter (for lack of a better description), then came roaring back in the second half to hit her average. She's got nice presence in the paint, and could conceivably be a good fourth option for a D-I team.

Megan White came in long enough for me to notice her as she committed a foul and got good position in the lane. Cadie Chu played a lot of point guard in the second half, mostly because she was bigger than the starter, but I wasn't impressed with her vision. (Because she wears #1, and because she has a high-arcing shot with little spin, I'm assuming she's going to be Sky's pet project this year.) Caitlin Hopkins came in for a bit to give them some minutes in the post, but they mostly went with the starters, rotating Chu in as necessary.

If Marissa Resnick were about five inches taller and had a better handle, she'd be a D-I point guard. I like the way she saw the floor, though she and her teammates couldn't make the plays, especially on the break, that they were trying to make. Nicole Caggiano was the focus of most of the offense, which wasn't necessarily a good thing but wasn't necessarily a bad thing either. She got them going early. Samantha Gillman got them going late; if you could average her and Megan Lonergan out, you'd have two pretty good basketball players, because Gillman is way too aggressive and Lonergan backs away from too many balls. I like Gillman's physicality, though. If she had better hands... but that's part of being a D-II player, isn't it? Setting aside the “I chose Division II” slogan, most D-II players are going to have flaws; otherwise I'm pretty sure they would have chosen the free ride and the increased notoriety. Alexandra Marshall committed stupid fouls, but otherwise made no impression on me.

I understand why Queens brought in a former point guard as an assistant- the entire team is in dire need of lessons in ballhandling and catching passes. Bridgeport was able to start running clock with four minutes left in a six-point game because Queens could not get their offense going with anything that remotely approached speed. Whether it was on rebounds, on passes, or even inbounding the ball, they couldn't maintain possession long enough to get anything going. It was exceedingly frustrating as a basketball fan to watch this.

Officiating was a good bit more consistent than I've seen in a while, though Alexandra Marshall might disagree with me.

It was an interesting experience, but one I'm not sure I want to repeat. I know I'll end up doing so sometime in the near future. Maybe the next time, the heat won't be cranked up to max and the team will have figured out a little more about this whole basketball thing.

January 4th, 2012: Providence at St. John's

2012-01-04T21:19:00.000-08:00

Just the Facts, Ma'am: A late run salted away the Red Storm's first conference win, as St. John's defeated the visiting Providence Friars 57-41. Shenneika Smith had 14 of her 18 points in the second half, including the 1000th of her career, to lead all scorers, while Eugeneia McPherson added 12. Rachel Barnes put up 15 for Providence, which shot 28.6% from the field but out-rebounded the Red Storm.

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There are some days when you'll just take the win and run before you realize just how badly you played. This was definitely one of those days.

Moment of silence before the game in honor of the Big East's founder. Seems kind of late for a guy who died in September, but it was our first Big East home game, so I guess that's why.

Anthem was a bit off tonight. Trumpets, you have enjoyed winter break too much. Flautist, that better have been your sheet music you were checking on your touch-screen phone during the anthem.

Phil Seymore likes to take an odd position on the sideline, near the baseline. It makes sense if he's a coach who thinks his team is getting screwed by the refs underneath, but I imagine he doesn't see as much at the top of the zone, though I suppose that's what you have assistants for. Because they have a few kids from the area, they had a lot of loud people behind their bench, and I do think it's a bit classless to disconcert a free throw shooter on the road. I know that's how the “BRICK!” tradition started with Seattle, but it's a weapon that in college is better used at home. This was okay, though. It just gets us going, and I did two and a half years of improv. I can project like nobody's business.

Lauren Okafor, first, I refuse to refer to you as Lady. Second, wash your jersey. The pink marker in your numbers looks childish at best and is a uniform violation at worst. Her play bordered on dirty, and I'm fairly certain Da'Shena Stevens was going to kill her by the end of the night. Didn't Lola Wells use to be somebody of significance? She kind of turned into a non-factor, except for a second-half three that trimmed the lead. I was more impressed with Rachel Barnes's shooting- when she got going in the second half, I thought she was going to save the day for the Friars (the Nuns?) It's kind of silly to leave someone open from a spot when they've already hit a couple from that spot. Just saying. I have no idea why Alicia Cropper is starting for a Big East team. Maybe she just had an exceptionally awful game for some reason, but she couldn't hit the broad side of a barn, and she was taking both good and really bad shots. Teya Wright continues to throw me off, because Teya is pronounced like Tia, and we did a good job of shutting her down, though the foul trouble didn't help her either.

They got a few good minutes from Symone Roberts, but I was more impressed with the rebounding position of Brianna Edwards. I would write more about the Providence bench, but in general, it was an ugly game, and it's hard to write in more detail about an ugly game than “wow, you guys played stupid tonight”.

St. John's decided to open things up by giving everyone a heart attack before the game had even started. They ran out in their two lines for the lay-up drill- and then Nadirah's ducking out of the way of a pass and then I blink and someone goes sliding and Zakiyyah and Amber are in a heap in the lane and HOLY TOLEDO ROCKETS WHAT IS GOING ON HERE? I don't actually know what was going on, but there was water all over the floor during warmups. There were more mops going at once than I've ever seen in my life. At least no one was seriously hurt, though I did worry about Mary accidentally ROFLing herself into an injury of some kind.

Nice to see Zakiyyah Shahid-Martin out of the doghouse- she was a DND last game, though I don't know why (I can guess, but they're unsubstantiated guesses). She played briefly in the first half when Da'Shena went out after having her head sat on, and had one good defensive series and one bad one. Brief cameos by Briana Brown, Jennifer Blanding, and Mallory Jones; it was nice to see the whole gang get on the floor at some point or another, though Briana's appearance was more of an “I'm throwing spaghetti at the wall and seeing what sticks” shot in the first half. Tesia Harris also played briefly, but one dumb play pretty much got her benched for the rest of the game. Mary Nwachukwu didn't quite build on the momentum from her big game against Boston University, but she boxed out well. Keylantra Langley looked good on the boards, but her passing, both giving and receiving, was so far off that it was painful to watch. Don't fumble the ball out of bounds, okay, Key?

Eugeneia McPherson brought the drama with two three-pointers as the shot clock expired. She looked pretty good, and was about the only Red Storm player I didn't really start swearing at at any point, so there's a plus, I suppose. Da'Shena Stevens put up some pretty shots, but was slipping badly on defense. I think her teammates wanted to know what was going on more than once. Amber Thompson played like a freshman, with blatant frustration fouls and missed assignments- all the hustle, none of the discipline. Nadirah McKenith still looked a step off, but I wonder if that was partially because she was still coming back from the knee injury and was a bit more ginger after the issues with the floor. But we're better with her at point than any of our other options.

If you had told me at halftime that the second half, and especially the fourth quarter, would belong to Shenneika Smith, I would have kindly reminded you that Carnesecca Arena is a non-smoking facility, so put the pipe down. She had looked pretty awful for most of the first half, taking iffy shots and missing them badly, as well as being out of position on both ends of the floor and being careless with the ball. Her rebounding was solid, but that was it. And then something happened and she started hitting shots and going to the line. She needed 15 to get to 1000 for her career, and she got 18. (1003. Should I hope for 1500 by the end?)

Epic facepalm moment of the day in a day full of epic facepalm moments. Shenneika Smith on the fast break, hellbent on the basket, blissfully unaware of two Providence defenders all up in her business. So unaware, in fact, that Teya Wright picks her pocket like an extra from a Dickens novel. So unaware, in fact, that she attempts to complete the fast break and only then notices that the ball is no longer in her possession. It is customary to possess the ball before attempting to shoot it...

I expect a bit better officiating from Denise Brooks and Dennis DeMayo. (Other guy, I do not know you quite as well.) A lot of stuff went uncalled that could have easily festered into a fight. On both sides, to be sure.

Announcer guy, please keep the foul count straight on the floor, identify players correctly, get the lineup in the right order (by class unless otherwise informed), and do learn the difference between Da'Shena Stevens and Amber Thompson. And if you do make mistakes, correct them.

I don't know if Sky Lindsay's mom was joking about being pressed into service as a concessionaire at Queens College. And I'm not sure if she told me to get a better job or said she was going to tell Sky to get a better job when we explained the whole '5PM games are hard to get to with a 9-5:30 job' thing. But ladies and gentlemen, this is the Mama Lindsay experience and one of the biggest reasons why I miss Sky Lindsay. (I swear! We're going to Queens this season! Honor as a former Girl Scout!)

Neither of these teams looked like a Big East team tonight. Too many mind-numbing defensive lapses, too many people out of position on the boards, too many balls bouncing off hands and legs and arms, too many off-target shots... these were both two good defensive teams, but not as good as the score and the stats indicate.

I am hard on this team because I love them and I see the potential that's there. I hope someone, somewhere, gets that.

December 31st, 2011: Boston University at St. John's

2011-12-31T15:59:00.000-08:00

Just the Facts, Ma'am: St. John's put four players in double figures and led wire to wire in their 75-38 win over Boston University. Eugeneia McPherson and Shenneika Smith each had 15 to lead the Red Storm, with McPherson adding six steals. Chantell Alford had 12 for the Terriers, while Rashidat Agboola had eight points and eleven rebounds.

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The last Game Notes of Doom of 2011! Hard to believe, isn't it? The year's gone by so quickly...

I have to give BU fans credit- they took advantage of the three-day layover in New York and came in force. There were a lot of them. I also like their player-family gear. Johnny Thunderbird was almost too friendly to them- he darn near ran out of hats by the time he got to our section. (Yes, we got New Year's hats. Mine was red. /preens)

Our band has a gnome. Your argument is invalid.

BU looked exhausted. They were a step slow for most of the game; we're a good defensive team, but I've never seen us stay with a team through as many moves as we did. They would fake one or two or three times, and we'd be with them every time.

We saw a lot of their bench in the second half, because, y'know, thirty-point game, even a Terrier knows when to lay off. The spelling of Troi Melton's name makes me wonder if her family were Trekkies (but that's just because I'm a Trekkie myself). She gave them some good minutes. Whitney Turner was the first one off the bench in both halves, bringing them some size and physicality. Kristen Sims played a lot, but wasn't able to accomplish much. Greenberg started mixing in her deeper bench early in the game, so we saw a lot of players for short spurts.

Chantell Alford played well. She has a nicely balanced game, which I like in a player. Caroline Stewart didn't have a boxscore kind of game, but I like the way she took up space and the defense she brought. Rashidat Agboola did not demonstrate the world's greatest ball control, especially in the first half, when she had two bad turnovers in a row. Alex Young tried to make something happen, but it didn't happen. Mo Moran, who I dimly recall from her freshman year being someone to keep an eye out for, wasn't much of a factor.

Maybe someone gave Kelly Greenberg downers, maybe she's gotten one too many technicals, maybe she was wiped after three days in New York, but she was a lot calmer than I remember her being. I'm not sure if this is a good thing for her team or not.

Jennifer Blanding! The most popular woman in the room and the namesake of our Christmas tree, she got in late and made an impact. Big girl takes up a lot of space in the middle, and I wish Kim Barnes Arico would use her in those situations more. Briana Brown can't shoot straight, but she hit a three in an attempt to light the tree (alas, Mallory Jones went scoreless, meaning that Jennifer Tannenbaum is the only St. John's tree lit up today). Tesia Harris played surprisingly well, coming up with more loose balls than I think even she was expecting. Keylantra Langley was solid but unremarkable except for the one three that beat the shot clock. (Her flair for the dramatic usually annoys me, except when it has to do with the shot clock.) I think someone clued Mary Nwachukwu in to the fact that she needs to get her act together if she's going to get minutes, with Da'Shena's return and Amber's improvement. Either that, or she's still BC enough to get up for a game against BU, and she'll go back to soft mediocrity against Providence. But it was nice to see her hitting shots and going for loose balls.

Oh, hey, Nadirah McKenith! Nice to have you back. She's still a couple of steps slow, and the knee's bothering her, but she's going to be back, and I'm quite glad of it. She and Amber Thompson hooked up for a couple of beautiful plays. Amber was more assertive on offense than I've seen her in a while, and kept up her hustling for rebounds, even if she wasn't always able to get her hands on them. Shenneika Smith was quiet and a bit fumble-prone early in the game, but as time went on, that dagger-like shot showed up for the party. Eugeneia McPherson went for the shot instead of the foul, and her game was better for it. This is the Gina I enjoy watching- the one who goes to the rack without fear, who gives up her body without hesitation, and who strips the ball from her opponents like a pickpocket working Times Square. Da'Shena Stevens was bothered by injury- she was noticeably slow getting up and down the floor, and her shots were way off to the right.

The offense was a little loosey-goosey, and I think the coach got a little frustrated with the way they weren't taking care of the ball. But I liked the defense. Defense is good.

The officiating was the usual combination of confusing and solid. I'd really like to see more of an emphasis on tripping in the women's game, though. Too many knee injuries for us not to be careful with that.

It was hard to really get into this game after the big run in the first half. After it was 7-6, things got rapidly out of hand, which was refreshing and much needed. Now the hard part begins...

December 18th, 2011: Memphis at St. John's (Chartwell's Holiday Classic)

2011-12-18T18:23:00.000-08:00

Just the Facts, Ma'am: It was tight at the end, but St. John's came out as champions of their holiday tournament with a 64-60 win over Memphis. Shenneika Smith had 18 points for the Red Storm, while Brittany Carter had 23 for the Tigers.

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Finally, after entirely too long, it was time for the second game, and nothing says “pressed for time” like the team going straight from the stands to the court. I think the long delay due to both the foul issues and the, y'know, triple freakin' overtime left both teams a little out of sorts.

Big games mean tight rotations. Ann Jones was the reserve post, coming mostly to shift the forwards and set screens. Danay Collier was the reserve guard, mostly there to give the guards a break. She was a little bit of a threat from the outside, but not much else.

I love the way Bilqis Abdul-Qaadir runs the offense. She's going to keep Memphis fun to watch for a couple of years; if she's this fast a year off a torn ACL, I wish I could have seen her at full speed. Jasmine Lee was shut down- she was able to get position often, but she wasn't able to get the ball and move on the smaller posts. Unfortunately for us, that meant letting Brittany Carter get loose and shoot, and shoot, and shoot some more. She's got a pretty stroke. I like her hustle and her work in the lanes. Nicole Dickson also had a good game. Fouls got her in the second half. Ramses Lonlack is very much a loose cannon, and there are times when I like a player like that, but this wasn't one of those days. Well, as a St. John's fan, it was, but as a basketball fan, it wasn't.

Memphis stays on you. You can't show them weakness. I look forward to their matchups with UAB. They're similar enough in attitude that those games are doing to be interesting, to say the least.

Da'Shena Stevens is back. Be afraid, Big East. Be very, very afraid. By the time she gets to you, her shot is going to be all the way back, and her defense is already on point. She's still getting used to her teammates again, but when she's got Nadirah spearheading the break... this is going to be good. Tesia Harris's on-ball defense could use some work, but she had a good stretch in the middle of the game where she was contesting shots and pulling down rebounds like nobody's business. She's going to be one of those players we don't necessarily expect a lot from, but expect a steady stream of something from.

If I had a wee bit more of an ego, I'd think Shenneika Smith read the GNoD this morning and decided that she didn't like being called out for being less active than usual in the last couple of games. She was much more assertive today, coming up with the big shots in the first half. She had a couple of boneheaded passing plays that she knew were bad, but you live with those with her. Keylantra Langley got entirely too cute with her ballhandling, which is not the greatest of plans when facing an opponent with very quick hands (nine turnovers, Jesus Christ, you know Kim Barnes Arico tore her a new one for that). She's a good substitute, but she's not a point guard. Amber Thompson had a rough start shooting, but was able to get herself in better position in the second half and hit some shots inside. I love how she works, I really do. Eugeneia McPherson put up some wild and ridiculous shots that had no business going up. At leats she got free throws for some of them in the first half, but I'm going to lay off my usual soapboxing vis a vis the focus on drawing the foul first instead of attempting to hit the shot. I'm tired and you've heard it all before. Which is also why I'm going to lay off Mary Nwachukwu; she didn't do anything she hasn't been doing all season, and by 2012 she's going to be coming off the bench anyway, so I'm going to do a little work for my blood pressure and let go of my frustrations about her inability and/or unwillingness to use her size.

I was waiting for Kim to kill someone. There was a point in the game where (I think) Keylantra was pinned against the sideline by a Memphis trap and about to be forced out of bounds or into a five-seconds-stationary call. Kim was screaming for a timeout loudly enough for those of us in the tenth row to hear... somehow, Bonita Spence and the crew managed to miss it. Kim was... incensed. To put it mildly. The same situation happened a couple of possessions later, and Kim called the timeout with such an exaggerated gesture that we nearly died of laughter. And then they missed it again. Combine that with some sketchy block/charge calls, and I was pretty sure that one of those stiletto heels was going to be turned into a weapon.

Memphis brought a very loud contingent for both games, including one lost lady who persisted in sitting in our section for the first half. Ma'am, if you have been informed that you're sitting directly behind the opposing coach's family, you might want to move, as if sitting next to the band and behind the cheerleaders wasn't enough of a hint.

Football is stupid.

I can't say I'm overjoyed with this result, but a win is a win.

All-tournament team: Jasmine Bendolph of Louisiana Tech, Brittany Carter and Jasmine Lee of Memphis, and Shenneika Smith and Da'Shena Stevens of St. John's, with Eugeneia McPherson as MVP.

My picks: Carter, Smith, Shantale Bramble-Donaldson of Louisiana Tech, Kiara Etienne of Prairie View, and Nicole Dickson of Memphis (or Kiara Young of Louisiana Tech), with McPherson as MVP. Etienne got screwed.

December 18th, 2011: Louisiana Tech at Prairie View (Chartwell's Holiday Classic)

2011-12-18T17:38:00.000-08:00

Just the Facts, Ma'am: Down by 14 with 6:26 to go in regulation, the Lady Techsters fired off a 21-5 run to force overtime and (eventually) pull out a triple-OT 89-83 win over Prairie View. Kiara Young and Jelena Vucinic each had 21 points for Louisiana Tech, while Kiara Etienne led Prairie View with 24.

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So is the game over yet? With all due respect to Prairie View and Louisiana Tech, by the middle of the second overtime, I was approaching the game the way I usually approach baseball games- “please, for the love of God, let the team that's in the lead win so the game will end!” I'm pretty sure everyone around us thought we were insane, but we just wanted it to be over. Honestly, I found myself wishing that Cynthia Cooper was still at Prairie View so she and Spoon could settle it in a one-on-one duel after the second overtime.

With all due respect to the National Anthem, I'm not going to applaud a recording, especially not one that drags on forever. Pick one that doesn't go on forever.

I don't think I like Louisiana Tech's alternate road jerseys. They don't go with the rest of the color scheme. I understand that these alternate jerseys match the men's scheme, but come on. Spoon worked the all-black everything pretty well, though.

Change in the starting lineup from yesterday, which shuffled the bench around a bit. Kanedria Andrews became the first player off the bench, and she was not nearly as effective as she was yesterday. Courtney Hayes, she of the not-actually-existing on the roster, put in a first half bucket and was never seen again. Tavasha Anderson started to make her presence felt late in the game, once the rosters had thinned and she was needed. She threw her weight around, especially in the third overtime (which, I'm sorry, is a ridiculous phrase to end up typing).

I'm not sure whether Kiara Young was consistent, per se, but she was always in on plays, and her score line on my card is quite beautifully multi-colored. Jelena Vucinic, I humbly apologize for forgetting about you and your crazy spins yesterday. I'm sorry. I won't forget your outside shooting again. Please forgive me. Shantale Bramble-Donaldson played well in the second half, and when she fouled out in the first overtime, I thought Louisiana Tech was done for. Whitney Frazier got her shot going, and had a really nifty block in the first half. Jasmine Bendolph hit the shot to send the game into the first overtime, so I'm not thrilled with her.

I felt like I should have been rooting for Louisiana Tech, but somehow I wasn't. Strange, that.

Fouls, fouls, everywhere fouls for Prairie View. LaReahn Washington managed to foul out off the bench; her temper got a little bit the better of her. Asha Hampton-Finch played a lot off the bench, and her length was useful in getting to the basket. She had to do a better job of holding on to the ball, though.

Kiara Etienne didn't put on quite as much of a show as she did yesterday, but she didn't need to. She came up big in the overtime, but that was as much a function of three people fouling out as anything else. The coaching staff really worked on Jeanette Jackson all game; I thought that was an interesting point of emphasis. I like her willingness to penetrate, and her judgment will improve with time. Larissa Scott continued to set the screens that so intrigued me about her, plus was able to get into the paint and hit some lay-ups. I like her offensive rebounding, too. She's raw, but she's a freshman; it happens. Michaela Burton and Latia Williams shared the same problem- an inability, or an unwillingness, to handle the ball. At one point, Coach Wilson yelled, “Just keep dribbling, Michaela, you're a guard!” This is a very young, very raw, team- no seniors and only two juniors of consequence, so they're going to be more dangerous next year than this.

The officiating was administratively messed up. With nine seconds left, the officials had to take several minutes to settle up the foul count. Turns out they'd mis-allocated a Prairie View foul to Louisiana Tech. Because both books were wrong, no free throws for Louisiana Tech. The foul was eventually retconned out of existence (for the record, it was Larissa Scott over the back- I had it on my chart, which is why I chart fouls and use different colors for each period, which becomes a lot harder at the third overtime, darnit).

By the second overtime, I was sure that Kim Barnes Arico was going to ninja someone with one of her stiletto heels if they tied the game again. It was hysterical. We may have been loopy by then.

Prairie View's contingent got a lot louder today than they were yesterday.

Classy move by Spoon not to have Louisiana Tech huddle up directly at center court.

It might be a long season in Ruston. They looked more like a Teresa Weatherspoon team today, feeding on their opponent's weaknesses and flashing better ball movement, but Fresno State would eat this team alive.

December 17th, 2011: Memphis at Louisiana Tech (Chartwell's Holiday Classic)

2011-12-17T19:00:00.000-08:00

Just the Facts, Ma'am: The Memphis Tigers put the pedal to the metal and never looked back in an 86-67 win over the Lady Techsters of Louisiana Tech. Brittany Carter led all scorers with 24 points, while Jasmine Lee put in 23 for Memphis. Louisiana Tech got 16 points and 10 rebounds from Shantale Bramble-Donaldson.

For emptiness, awkwardness, team colors, and a ball of confusion, join your intrepid and sleepless blogger after the jump.

So then everyone left. The end.

I'm mostly kidding, but there's something painful about the neutral game in a hosted tournament. At least with the home team playing, you get the atmosphere of a game. But when the band packs up to go home and the cheerleaders put on real clothes and the bulk of the crowd leaves, things get quiet, and a little depressing. You can hear the referees communicating, the voices from the bench, everything.

Liberty fans, I am disappointed. You were enticed with the promise of Teresa Weatherspoon, and where were you? Shopping? You could shop tomorrow. Lucky you, the awkward choice doesn't have to be made.

We could have ended up with an awkward situation if both the family of Memphis guard Bilqis Abdul-Qaddir and the family of one of the Louisiana Tech assistants had stayed in our section. But the Memphis folks moved along behind the road bench, and we scared off the Louisiana Tech family. I'm okay with that. I like my space to yell at the refs.

There's something very 21st-century about hijab accompanied by a Memphis supporters' scarf.

I was more impressed with Memphis than I was expecting, but then, I've been skeptical of Memphis since around the time Tamika Whitmore gave up on being a consistent player. So sue me. I hold grudges sometimes. They play a lot taller than they are, and they're fast.

Lauren McGraw had a tendency to play a bit out of control- lots of fun flash, but a lot of moving faster than she was ready for. Danay Collier got a fair bit of playing time in her homecoming, but I can't recall much of what she did- I was surprised to find she had played that much, to be honest. Ann Jones came off the bench as sixth woman in the first half and showed a little touch, though the illegal screen she drew as one of her first moves was not exactly a promising portent. McFerrin only threw in most of her bench near the end of the game, so they weren't in a position to do anything exciting or interesting.

Jasmine Lee impressed me, though I can see the flaws in her game. Her stamina and conditioning could stand some improvement, but I like her instincts. She worked hard in the paint. Bilqis Abdul-Qaadir ran a nice offense- she's small, but she's effective, and fast. Brittany Carter's athleticism impressed me- she had a resounding block that we could hear on the other side of the court. Nicole Dickson displayed a little range, but also athleticism. I was most intrigued by senior guard Ramses Lonlack- she plays a lot taller than she is, and she has the footwork of a soccer player. Control wasn't great, but Memphis seems to like to play fast and frenetic.

Spoon, give Sophia back her 1999/2000 hair. Some things just aren't right.

Louisiana Tech went deep into their bench- everyone played at least five minutes, but I don't think Savanna Langston's five minutes were terribly impactful. Tavasha Anderson moves well for a big girl. Kanedria Andrews got into a lot of plays late in the game, but I think they were expecting her to do a lot more earlier in the game. Kiara Young brought speed, and offense, but not much else.

It's probably for the best that Courtney Hayes didn't do anything of note, because somehow she didn't make it onto the roster that St. John's printed up. So now I'm confused and don't know anything about her. Jasmine Bendolph showed a nice stroke, but I think she might be having back problems- she looked a little pained, and I thought I saw a heating pad come off her during one timeout when she was about to check in. Shantale Bramble-Donaldson did a good job establishing position down low, but Memphis was able to make her less of a factor in the second half. Whitney Jones can play- nothing spectacular, but a nice all around game from her.

Ah, the peril of double-headers when I can't bring the computer to the game. Things get vague, especially when people keep distracting me.

My husband/viewing partner/distraction pointed out that Louisiana Tech threw a lot of high passes, and wondered whether there's just that little height in the WAC. They were fast, and had great ball movement, but I'm not sure whether they are really her team yet. They made a lot of stupid mistakes and couldn't hit a lot of easy shots. I expected a lot better out of them, and maybe they were just off their game today. We'll see more tomorrow. Or today. Time travel tense trouble here.

The officiating bothered me- not necessarily because of the quality of the calls, but because it looked like they weren't sure who was the crew chief. Spence and Aliberti got into a debate early in the game.

Crowning Moment of Funny: Shantale Bramble-Donaldson grabs a rebound. Bilqis Abdul-Qaadir rips it out of her hands cleanly and promptly falls over on the endline. The whistle blows. Teresa Weatherspoon explodes, charging off the sideline to protest the call. The funny part? It was a travel on Memphis for Abdul-Qaadir rolling with the ball. Nothing says WTF like screaming bloody blue murder at a ref who's making a call in your favor... even as your team inbounds the ball.

Hello, Chris, you poor unfortunate bastard! Did you miss us? Because we miss you. I have no idea whether anything did go on at Taffner Field House; we had a long walk home to look forward to.

Tomorrow's matchups will be fun, and Lordie, do I wish Cynthia Cooper was still at Prairie View right about now.

December 17th, 2011: Prairie View at St. John's (Chartwell's Holiday Classic)

2011-12-17T18:45:00.000-08:00

Just the Facts, Ma'am: St. John's held the Lady Panthers of Prairie View scoreless for stretches of five and seven minutes in the second half to claim a 66-50 comeback win. Eugeneia McPherson led the Red Storm with 20 points, also notching five steals. Kiara Etienne led all scorers with 27 in a losing effort for Prairie View.

For debuts, excitement, lots of purple, eyebrows being raised, and really good-looking wings, join your intrepid and chilly blogger after the jump.

There's something discomfiting about being down by a hefty margin to Prairie View in the early going. We were sloppy, and we missed having a steadying hand at the point to keep us from doing too much stupid stuff.

Attendance disappointed me greatly. Promotion needs work. Even luring Liberty fans with the tantalizing promise of Teresa Weatherspoon doesn't appear to have worked.

Prairie View looked like they were going with a short roster, and banking on the success of SWAC bowling in the design of their warmups. (Which is not to disrespect SWAC bowling; I had an acquaintance who bowled at a SWAC school, and it's SRS BZNS there. But bowling and basketball have different design sensibilities.)

A fair whack of the band was at the Holiday Festival at the Garden for the men's game, so they filled in with alumni and other substitutes. They didn't do a bad job, which is good. Our band has been hit or miss, to put it delicately. They did the anthem, and it wasn't bad.

Our PA announcer wasn't quite sure how to pronounce LaReahn Washington's first name when she first entered the game; as near as I can tell, it's a variation of Lorraine. She demonstrated a fondness for diving that would have made Mery Andrade proud. We didn't like her very much; she was rather fond of plays that were just this side of dirty. Kathryn Jackson played briefly near the end, and she moves pretty well for a big girl. Asha Hampton-Finch was in a lot, and I remember her being tall, but I can't think of anything else she did in the game.

Larissa Scott was rendered a non-factor because of the fouls. She positioned herself pretty well as a screener, opening up shooters, but not much else. Kiara Etienne stole the show, especially in the first few minutes, when she had 13 of Prairie View's 15 points. She impressed me with her shooting, especially from outside, but doesn't seem to know when to stop. Reaching with six seconds left in a game you've lost by 16, and then complaining about the call, is perhaps not the brightest move in the world. I seem to recall Latia Williams having a decent defensive game, but too much time has passed and I'm easily distracted. Michaela Burton looked pretty good for the Lady Panthers as well.

I have no idea how Tesia Harris's shot goes in. She puts it up like a shotput, and for a fair amount of time, it doesn't go in. But I don't understand how it ever does. She and Briana Brown both got additional time because of the injury to Nadirah McKenith, and I think Tesia made better use of it than Briana; Briana looked too much like a player who was rusty and uncomfortable with actual playing time, which is one of those cycles that has to be worked through, because yanking her makes the problem worse. Jennifer Blanding, folk hero of the masses (or at least the pep band) got to make a cameo, and it always impresses me how well she calls for the ball- the way she establishes position is almost textbook. Zakiyyah Shahid-Martin put in a little time, and tried to do some good stuff. But most importantly of all, St. John's got Da'Shena Stevens back. I won't deny that it did my heart good to see her back in uniform. She's still rusty, but her defense is on point. We've missed her quick hands. Haven't missed her sketchy free throw shooting, though. Come mid-January, we'll be fine.

Especially if Keylantra Langley keeps maturing. I've given her a lot of flack over the last season and change, but she's coming into her own. She's much more suited to a 2/3 role than the point guard role she'll be playing while Nadirah's out, but she's stepping up to the plate there. I also like what I'm seeing out of Eugeneia McPherson. She's choosing her spots and she's stepping up. She played the passing lanes hard today. Shenneika Smith's always a threat, and she'll come up with the big shot, but she seems to be receding lately. Maybe it's just that there hasn't been as much opportunity for her to get to the rack, which is her strength. Mary Nwachukwu, I am starting to give up. Stop staring at rebounds. Grab them. I like the little midrange shot, but we're going to need more than that, even with Da'Shena Stevens back. Amber Thompson couldn't hit the broad side of a barn in the first half, though she was getting good shots. She got better in the second half.

I don't know what was said in the Red Storm's locker room, but they need to bottle it and keep it for the BEast season.

I squeed a lot at our new assistant, but I have kvelled at length in the past about Joy McCorvey, so I will save you from my fangirling of the player whose jersey I wear.

I'm not sure what to think of Prairie View, beyond being duly impressed with Kiara Etienne. I suppose we'll know more tomorrow.

December 11th, 2011: DePaul at Tennessee (Maggie Dixon Classic)

2011-12-11T18:53:00.000-08:00

Just the Facts, Ma'am: The Lady Vols of Tennessee induced 24 turnovers and 47 missed shots on their way to an 84-61 win over the Blue Demons of DePaul. Glory Johnson led Tennessee with 16 points, while Cierra Burdick and Alicia Manning both added double digits off the bench. Jasmine Penny led DePaul with 16 in reserve.

For exhaustion, wandering eyes, blurs of color, and a lot of orange, join your intrepid and sore blogger after the jump.

Tennessee is home for this game, so we're behind their bench with a lot of people in orange. I especially like the Tennessee-colored lei over in section 106. Tennessee is up 12 at the half, and it doesn't feel like it should be that much. DePaul's shooting well, though they'd be a lot better off if they could hit some of their bunnies. Tennessee's been rebounding well, and their defense is on point.

I love how John Whisenant talks about how there are WNBA prospects in all four games. Yes, maybe if you include the class of 2013, but I don't think a single senior played a significant role in the Baylor-St. John's game. I also don't think it's a good idea to talk draft strategy when the Seattle coaching staff is in attendance scouting (oh, and the Connecticut staff, too, though Thibault is a wee bit biased).

Kara Lawson is across from the Tennessee bench. There was a lady who looked a little bit like Loree Moore, but much girlier, so I don't think it was her.

Full disclosure: between looking for my team, gossiping with Ray, working on the Baylor-St. John's notes, and chatting with the people next to us, I found myself not paying as much attention to the game as I should, so these notes are not up to par, and I'm sorry.

Tennessee fans have some of the niftiest gear. They traveled in large groups, but the biggest group in orange... well, we spotted them during the first half, wearing the “We Back Pat” shirts. My husband went to talk to them at the half to see where we could get the shirt. Turns out the group in the “We Back Pat” shirts wasn't from Tennessee and weren't Tennessee fans. They were UConn fans who'd come for the doubleheader, basically to prove that UConn fans shouldn't be judged by the worst of their fanbase. We saw a couple of stray UConn fans, a lost UNC fan, a very lost South Carolina fan, and far too many Penn State fans.

Live by the three, die by the three, DePaul. Tennessee wasn't that much bigger than you are. Maureen Mulchrone (just a wild guess, what with the pale skin and the red hair and the name, she's of Irish descent) came in as a shooter off the bench. Jasmine Penny came in and played big minutes for the Blue Demons with Keisha Hampton and Katherine Harry both dealing with big foul trouble. I was impressed, though I wasn't thrilled with the way she knocked out Glory Johnson at one point. I don't remember much of anything else from the DePaul bench. My apologies.

Anna Martin looked like she was looking for shots she could get against the minor D-I teams of Chicagoland, but that she wasn't going to get against a team like Baylor. Brittany Hrynko couldn't hit the broad side of a barn, but she always seemed to be in a good place on the other side of the ball. Keisha Hampton never seemed comfortable, though that might have been because of the foul trouble. I didn't even see most of the calls; I blinked and she was out of the game. Katherine Harry showed off a pretty hook shot, but I don't remember much else she did. And I don't even know who Kelsey Reynolds is. I'm sorry, Kelsey Reynolds.

Alicia Manning put on a show. She was in a lot of places, and I think she had the move of the game with her pretty spin move. Briana Bass is adorably tiny, but not much else. Cierra Burdick went on a run in the second half that helped bury DePaul for good. Not much time for Isabelle Harrison.

Vicki Baugh's knee, or shoulder, or whatever, must have been acting up, because Burdick and Manning shouldered the load for her. Glory Johnson was everywhere on the court. Taber Spani looked a little out of sorts, like she wasn't quite with the program. I'll admit that when watching Tennessee on television, I tend to mix up Shekinna Stricklen and Glory Johnson, and when not looking at a roster, it's possible to mix players up. You have to understand that my perception of the game was less detailed than usual, and fading hours later; I have impressions of fast-moving orange and blue missing shots.

DePaul fell apart in the second half, and that's uncharacteristic of a Doug Bruno team. I guess that says as much about Pat Summitt as it does about Doug Bruno, though.

December 11th, 2011: Baylor at St. John's (Maggie Dixon Classic)

2011-12-11T17:27:00.000-08:00

Just the Facts, Ma'am: 23 points from Eugeneia McPherson and a halftime lead weren't enough for the St. John's Red Storm to overcome the Lady Bears of Baylor. Brooklyn Pope led Baylor with 19 points in the 73-59 win.

For dizzying heights, depressing lows, hustle, pride, and supporters' scarves, join your intrepid and drained blogger after the jump.

Good morning, everyone! (Words that should never open a game report from a sporting event. It is too early for this.) But we're tipping off early due to a Ranger game at 7PM, making this the only time I've ever hated my Blueshirts.

I'm not sure I like the new Garden yet. It's very slick and very professional, but I miss the whimsy of the old Garden. The navy seats with their mahogany-colored armrests are very dignified, but depressingly dark. I'm sure it'll develop a soul over time, but right now it's... sort of generic.

A fair number of Baylor fans are here, though I'm not sure how much of that is connected to last night's Heisman presentation. Fortuitously, the Liberty section is right over the home tunnel. Hiiiiiii, St. John's band! Hiiiii, St. John's! You thought you'd escape us, didn't you? You thought you'd get a little peace and quiet, didn't you? Fuhgeddaboutit. I've seen a lot of orange, not enough red, and not a lot of blue. Maybe the flight from Chicago is late.

Baylor is tall. Not just that Griner kid, either. And there's a lot of them!

Very nice anthem by Maggie Dixon's cousin.

WE ARE LEADING THE NUMBER ONE TEAM IN THE COUNTRY AT HALFTIME. This isn't the best moment of my life, but that's only because I was at the Bethany Donaphin game and I was there when we beat Notre Dame. And we may get slapped around like a red-headed stepchild in the second half for our audacity, but we'll always have a two-point margin on the scoreboard at the half. St. John's is playing fearless and tenacious. Nadirah McKenith and Eugeneia McPherson and Shenneika Smith and all of them- my team, I love them. I love them so much.

This game breaks your heart. That's what it does. That's what it's meant to do. I'm sitting here near tears not because we lost, because I can take losing with dignity, I can take showing effort and pride, because we gave Baylor much more of a fight than we rightfully should have. No, I'm about to cry because I can't get the image of Nadirah crumpled on the court, holding her knee, being carried off, out of my head. It's not fair. It's not right. It's not fair. And it breaks your heart. I've seen ACLs. I was there for Rebecca Lobo and Meg Bulger and Becky Hammon and Stephanie White, and I know what it means if a player stops in a stretch and crumples to the ground holding her knee, what it means if they're testing the knee for flexibility and she has to be carried off the floor with no weight on her leg. I know what it means. And it hurts. (I mean, it hurts more for Nadirah, since it's her knee.)

So I don't know how to put the thoughts into words. I don't know how to talk about X's and O's and lay-ups and WHY ARE YOU SO TENTATIVE MARY and players I've never seen when I'm looking around the stands to see if Nadirah's back, if she's okay, if she's moving all right. It also doesn't help that the Maggie Dixon program had no scorecard, so I wasn't able to keep track of stats by half the way I usually do, with color-coded pens for each half and squiggly arrows connecting steals to assists to field goals, with running foul counts for both halves and starters marked. I had to make do with the back of a spare piece of paper and my trusty four-color pen. So if I'm a bit vague about who did what, it's because I couldn't balance both the makeshift scorecard and the program on my lap. And then there's the whole distraction of a point guard holding her knee, and I've seen that on the Garden floor before, I've heard that silence and wanted to pop someone for laughing during it.

Sorry. I'm dwelling, and if you're in Waco, you probably want to hear about your team. I was surprised that Kim Mulkey didn't take the opportunity to go deeper into her bench; I suppose she was expecting to do so in the second half, forgetting that past performance is not an indicator of future results. Sune Agbuke came in briefly for a lay-up, maybe for a little size. Apparently Destiny Williams went out a wee bit too late last night and got suspended for the first half, but I'm inclined to think she was showing the effects in the second half. She did a good job matching up athletically with Shenneika Smith, but Shenneika matched up equally well with her. I'm going to give Makenzie Robertson the benefit of the doubt and assume she's a better player than she showed today, because otherwise, I'm going to scream “NEPOTISM!” at the top of my lungs. Scrappy hustle players who play a little defense and not much else should not be your primary bench players.

I was surprised Brooklyn Pope got so much support from the crowd as she did. Given the way she left Rutgers, I would have thought the crossover fans (the confused folks in section 105 with the Rutgers gear on) would have told her to stick it where the sun don't shine, but she got bigger cheers than anyone except Griner. She played well in the first, but faded back a little in the second as Williams and Griner stepped up. Brittney Griner is an amazing player- I hesitate to use the term 'freak of nature' because someone's going to think I'm alleging something along the lines of what got Jordan Barncastle popped in the face, which I most certainly am not and would not. But that combination of speed and height is amazing. She did a great job on the boards simply by being able to reach up and pluck rebounds out of the air or tip them away from opponents. That being said, she won't make your jaw drop if someone plays her without fear. There's something about Kimetria Hayden that I like that I can't quite put my finger on. Well, other than the flop. I don't like that. But she was in the right place at most of the right times and took most of the right shots. Jordan Madden has an appropriate name for sports, and she just kept shooting. I'm not sure if Odyssey Sims is Baylor's point guard or not, or if they really have one, or if they really need one, but even the Baylor fans behind me were wondering why she was in the game at some points.

Zakiyyah Shahid-Martin came in, got a couple of offensive rebounds, and proved that she couldn't shoot over someone that much bigger than she is. Tesia Harris came in for a couple of stretches when we were a bit short on guards, but did nothing of note. Keylantra Langley played the bulk of the minutes off the bench, and Lord, I hope she's ready if Nadirah's injured. She played the passing lanes well, but I do wish she'd work on her shooting form if she's going to shoot at that kind of pace.

You know what I like most about Amber Thompson? She's not afraid of anyone. She's only a freshman and she's going toe-to-toe with Brittney Griner. She's going into the paint and taking opportunities when she can find them. And I repeat: she's only a freshman. I'm so looking forward to watching her mature and develop. She might be something special. Eugeneia McPherson stepped up, and I'm starting to think she might be turning into one of those people who steps up in big games. (Which is good. We need someone like that.) Shenneika Smith had a flashy defensive game and hit a couple of big shots, but she's more of a slasher, and there was a 6'8” presence in the paint who might have gotten in the way of her usual route. Nadirah McKenith was up and down at points, sometimes a step slow and a thought behind the defense, but she was starting to heat up when there was a confusion of bodies and a black and green blur and Nadirah on the floor holding her knee. She got a little fancy sometimes, but she was fearless. They were all fearless, except for Mary Nwachukwu, who needs to be less tentative. Don't tell me you're scared of Brittney Griner when you used to scrimmage against Shields and Swords, okay? Not getting the rolls didn't help, either.

It would not be reasonable to blame the referees for a 14-point loss. Baylor has more talent and more height than we do. I can accept that. To be honest, I can even accept bad officiating. I'm used to it. But I cannot abide uneven officiating. I cannot abide undercutting, hammer blows, and tripping not called on one end and ticky-tack calls made on the other. I cannot abide 20-4 free throw differentials and 16-7 foul differentials. You're going to tell me it's okay for people to get slammed with no call? And Dee Kantner let this go on, that's what shocks me the most. That, and I'll say the same thing I said after one of these debacles last year. Baylor is a very good team, currently the best in the country according to the polls. They don't need the officials' help to score. They can do it all by themselves. Don't let the way things “should” be dictate what you do.

All in all, we did exactly what I wanted us to do: we impressed a bunch of potential, neutral fans. We proved that, yes, there's a team out there worth watching that's a lot closer to most Liberty fans than Rutgers is. We showed heart and fire and passion and grit and talent. We made it a much closer game than it should have been according to all the stats, brought it under the spread, even led them at halftime. People know we exist now. People are interested. I should be happy.

But I just keep seeing Nadirah on the Garden floor...

December 4th, 2011: Hartford at St. John's

2011-12-04T16:17:00.000-08:00

Just the Facts, Ma'am: Amber Thompson's 19 points and 13 rebounds powered St. John's in a 70-45 win over the visiting Hartford Hawks. Daphne Elliott led Hartford with 12 points.

For imaginary Girl Scouts (and no damn cookies), validation, adventures with Sharpies, swag, and short-term jersey loans, join your intrepid and most squeeful blogger after the jump.

Hartford is not the Hartford they once were. Maybe somebody didn't pan out, maybe Rizzotti didn't get someone she was expecting to get, maybe the pipeline shut down, but this bunch of Hawks didn't impress me. Something seems not right about it, though. But I'll take a 25- point win anywhere I can get it.

The anthem singer definitely knew how the anthem should be done. I don't know if she had the voice for it, but she had definitely gotten some training. I think after last time, they weren't going to stand for a bad anthem, especially when ROTC was presenting colors. (The ROTC instructor doesn't tend to appreciate that kind of disrespect, and he's the only person at Carnesecca Arena louder than we are.)

There was supposedly a Girl Scout event going on that day, but I didn't see many Girl Scouts. /Girl Scout salute from Junior Troop 4839/ Apparently my high school's team put in an appearance too. Nostalgia day much?

Hartford got some rough play off their bench. Alyssa Englert has one of the fastest free throw releases I've ever seen, and she uses her elbow brace like a weapon. I'm minded of how Barry Bonds used his pads and protectors to draw HBPs. She took Nadirah down pretty badly with no call, and got a little bit of her own medicine right back when Eugeneia ran into her and drew a block on her. Milana Gilbert was not making friends with her elbows and physical play down low. Cherelle Moore came on as an offensive spark, but didn't spark very much. I seem to recall Taylor Clark being small, fast, and annoying, but not much else.

Daphne Elliott fired off three quick baskets in the first half, the second off a gorgeous Ruthanne Doherty screen, but we clamped down on her in the second. Doherty has the strangest pronunciation of her surname I've ever heard. She went in on us in the second. Amber Bepko sounds familiar from somewhere, which is really odd, because she's a freshman and I haven't seen Hartford this year. I'm wondering if she has an older sister or something. She's got a nice little shot. Nikkia Smith has the most potential out of those starters, in my opinion. I'd like her to lay off the elbows when she makes that strong spin move to the basket, but as a basketball fan, I like strong spin moves to the basket. Alex Hall didn't do anything that I recall. I assume that Jennifer Rizzotti looks for distributing point guards.

I like Hartford's drills with the weak hand, and if their three-point shooting gets hot, they could be a dangerous opponent, but while this is a team that can compete against any non-BCS team you care to name, they look like they'll have trouble with teams that either have more size or more talent.

It was nice to see all the kids get into the game. Given how physically Hartford was playing, I might have put Mallory Jones in earlier- she's a big guard, and she's not afraid to use her body, so the Hawks might have thought twice about some of their shenanigans. Briana Brown didn't score, but pulled down a couple of nice defensive rebounds. Keylantra Langley brought clutch shooting, including a buzzer-beating three to end the first half, and strong defense. I think this is the kind of game I'd like to see from her on the regular- I don't necessarily need her to beat the clock every time, but I'd rather she take fewer shots and have them count, then focus more on her defense, than go crazy shooting. Jennifer Blanding and Zakiyyah Shahid-Martin worked together on one offensive rebound that chewed up a lot of time and resulted in a lay-up for Jennifer. Tesia Harris was back to looking lost, simultaneously not assertive enough and too aggressive.

I'm starting to think that Eugeneia McPherson is getting a reputation for diving and throwing up junk to draw a foul, because she was getting fewer calls than usual in the first half. She's starting to step up her offense, and if she can stabilize her shots, she might get more respect on them from officials. It was nice to see Mary Nwachukwu back in town, and I hope things are better for her. She looked a little tentative, which makes sense given how long she's been away from the team, but she seemed to adapt to that and focused more on boxing out and doing the little things to help her team win. Shenneika Smith's rebounding has been great, but her shot's been off. I think she's trying too hard to make herself an outside shooter, and that's not her strength. She's a slasher- she needs to slash to the basket and use her height and long arms to get things in there. Good things happen when she goes to the hole. Nadirah McKenith had one of her “how many columns can I fill in the stat sheet?” games, even if she wasn't getting the shots to fall. It didn't help that she was playing long stretches without a break- I think that wore her down faster than getting regular rests, but I'm not Kim Barnes Arico. It was kinda obvious when her reaction time slowed.

But this game belonged to Amber Thompson. This was her coming out party. (Not like that.) Da'Shena Stevens had UConn; Amber had this game. She was more assertive than I'd seen her in the first seven games; if she hadn't had some odd rolls and missed free throws, she could have gone for 25. As a freshman, she's producing as well as the senior we lost to graduation, Coco Hart. If she can develop, she could become a Crystal Langhorne kind of player. I'm psyched about her. It's been a while since I've been this psyched over a freshman, and even longer since I've been excited about a post.

This was the post-game autograph session game, so we lined up with the Girl Scouts and the random passers-by and waited our turn with poster in hand. Eugeneia ribbed us a little bit- “how many of these do you have?” (The answer, by the way, is five including this year's, or six if you include the signed scorecard from the big Georgetown game {which is in my cubicle}, or seven if you include the roster and the signed ball, or twelve if you count all the signed college posters, or thirteen if you also include the Mystics poster.) Da'Shena's thinking Chartwell's for her return, which is about right. I do not think it would be a good idea to bring her back against Baylor. Keylantra came in late, so we had to double back to get to her. Then my loving husband figured that we might as well get some of the coaching staff while they were glad-handing, so he grabbed my spare Sharpie and the poster and worked with them.

Meanwhile, I got official approval from the former owner of my jersey to keep it. Hey, I kept saying that if Joy McCorvey wanted her jersey back, she could have it. I got a chance to ask her today, and it was settled. And I was happy. (We all have our favorite exceedingly obscure player. We all stan for someone. Leave me alone.)

These officials... I think there's a Twitter slang for where they can go, but I don't remember which direction the arrow goes in. But honestly, how much undercutting do you allow before enough is enough? It got to the point where Kim Barnes Arico gave the three of them several large and PG-rated pieces of her mind before going into the locker room. I think they had the fear of Kim in them at the end; the calls were much more plentiful against Hartford in the second half. I expected better from that crew; Lynch, Lonergan, and Aliberti are experienced refs, and they're usually pretty solid.

If this wasn't an anomaly for Amber, and if we can work on our free throw shooting, and if we can find someone to be the outside shooter so our slashers can slash, and if Nadirah doesn't fall over from being run into the ground, we're going to be good.

November 30th, 2011: Howard at St. John's

2011-11-30T23:07:00.001-08:00

Just the Facts, Ma'am: 16 points from Eugeneia McPherson and a 42-point second half gave the St. John's Red Storm a 63-48 victory over the visiting Howard Bison. Tamoria Holmes led Howard with 16 points.

For tenacity, exhaustion, threats of violence, and middle-school children, join your intrepid and sleep deprived blogger after the jump.

I swear, one of these days this team is going to kill me. I can't count how many times I've used those words to open a set of Game Notes of Doom, but it's true again. I don't care who we're missing, there's no excuse for a team like St. John's to go down nine to a team like Howard at any point in the game. We remembered who we were in the second half, and that's a plus, but I don't like how this team fell apart when presented with a challenge.

My sympathies to Mary Nwachukwu- hoping all is as well as can be. She left the team while they were in the Bahamas, and she wasn't with them tonight. There was a little bit of gossip as to the reason, but nothing has been confirmed to my satisfaction, and since she clearly doesn't want her business bruited about, I won't do it for her.

To whoever that was singing the anthem: first of all, take off your hat and sunglasses when singing the national anthem. Second, whoever gave you a recording contract should be taken out back and shot.

I find something very discomfiting about a female coach with two male assistants. The power dynamics just strike me the wrong way. Geckeler was definitely the one in charge, but... gah, I hate that I have to consider gender politics in my sports, I just want to cheer for my team.

Many of our usual suspects weren't in place today, which meant that we were invaded by middle school students who found us amusing and occasionally worth mocking. If I'd been sure, I would have gone to their chaperone. Then I would have thrown one into the upper deck. No one messes with my husband.

I was very impressed with Howard's rebounding, especially on the offensive boards. They gauged their leaps very well. They contested most shots and just about every rebound. They don't have the height, but they have the ability to sneak into spaces and wrap things up.

Zykia Brown's three-pointers had me worried for a while, but she missed when they needed her to come up big. Cheyenne Brown was the only other Bison player to log heavy minutes off the bench. She had one pretty shot in the lane, but that's all I remember about her.

Cheyenne Curley-Payne (yes, this team has two Cheyennes, welcome to the twenty-first century) demonstrated a neat facility for fitting into small spaces, and damn, is she ever fast. Tamoria Holmes brought the offense in the first half with jumpers from the perimeter- she's another fast, short, guard. Saadia Doyle reminds me a lot of Crystal Robinson in her build and her free throw wind-up. She's more of an inside player, though. Kara Smith always seemed to come up with the right shot at the right time. Likewise, Nicole Deterville seemed to come up with the right rebound at the right time. (Or maybe it was her sister. I don't know if they're identical or not, but Portia Deterville is also a 6-1 forward/center; maybe they pulled a Parent Trap.)

At least Briana Brown had the offensive rebound. Tesia Harris's shot was... I don't even know how to describe it. When two consecutive shots on the same possession are a three that goes long and a mid-range jumper that falls short, I throw my hands up in despair and scream to the heavens. Keylantra Langley had a solid game off the bench on both ends of the floor. I'd like to see her shoot less, but I can't fault the defense and the rebounding. Mallory Jones got more time than we were used to, but I'm not sure this freshman is ready yet. Zakiyyah Shahid-Martin was called upon more than usual since we were short-handed in the post, and she did admirably in the time she played- nothing big, nothing statistical, but enough to keep us from falling apart.

Shenneika Smith came up big in the second half, making the little plays, especially on the offensive boards, that got the team back in the game and extended the lead. Nadirah McKenith was off her game today, whether it was due to illness (we thought we saw her throwing up in a bucket during a timeout) or injury (she came out for shootaround holding the left side of her neck, and early in the game, she wasn't able to look in that direction). She cleaned up at the line, though. Eugeneia McPherson, I swear on my honor as a former Girl Scout, I am going to end up breaking a clipboard over your head if you keep going towards the lane, throwing something in the general direction of the glass, collapsing to the floor, and then kvetching to the ref when you don't get the call. It's nice when she slashes through the lane, taking contact like a pinball as she drives to the basket. But she always seems to prioritize getting to the line over putting up a viable shot. Amber Thompson was victimized by foul trouble, but I continue to love her hustle after rebounds. I still want her to be more aggressive under the basket on offense, but that will come with time. Jennifer Blanding wasn't completely awful- she filled space, made some defensive plays, hit her only shot. She did what we needed her to do in Mary's absence.

These refs. I don't even know what. Late whistles, pushes called in the wrong direction, jump ball situations not called, fouls on all-ball wrap-ups... I don't know what game these refs were watching, but I'm not certain it was ours.

Impressive halftime play from Our Lady of Victory. #50 in orange looked like a half-pint Katie Douglas.

I keep telling myself that we'll be fine when Da'Shena comes back, but I'm honestly not sure. I do hope that things are well enough with Mary that she can rejoin the team for the Hartford game, because Hartford is probably better than Howard, and we had enough trouble with Howard.

November 25th, 2011: La Salle at Florida

2011-11-26T09:55:00.000-08:00

Just the Facts, Ma'am: Florida withstood several La Salle runs to win 85-74 at Long Island's holiday tournament. The Gators' Jordan Jones had 28 points to lead all scorers, while Jennifer George had 18 points and 15 rebounds. Jada Payne had 17 for the Explorers, while Jordan Mosley and Alexis Scott each had 16 off the bench.

For ugly clothes, hard hands, a strange feeling of deja vu, and bored Blackbirds, join your intrepid and woefully belated blogger after the jump.

On to the second game. Florida is intimidatingly large. They may not necessarily be good, but they're big. La Salle is La Salle. I've probably written more words about La Salle women's basketball than anyone not affiliated with the university.

Charlotte has drifted back a bit. Cara Consuegra came past us looking like a thundercloud a little while ago, and LIU appears to have acquired pizza. Florida's shoes are very, very blue. So are their socks.

La Salle seems to have decided to play for a change. It's only 41-38 in Florida's favor at the half. Jordan Jones has been otherworldly for the Gators, but the Explorers are getting great shooting from Jada Payne and Alexis Scott. I rather enjoy this game experience without the band and dance team, with the iPod going.

La Salle doesn't have the talent, and they don't have the court awareness. They're low level players for a middling program in a mid-major conference. But they played today with more heart than I've ever seen from them, and I've seen far more of them than I'd have preferred. Maybe there's hope yet.

The Explorers got amazing offense from Alexis Scott off the bench. She came up big for them when they rallied to tie it and again when they rallied to try and get it under double digits. Jordan Moseley also had a nice game for La Salle. I was surprised not to see Jess Koci in the game; I'm going to assume that she was hurt, because a rebounder might have been useful against the gigantic post players for Florida.

Ruvanna Campbell is definitely a freshman. She had some nice defensive plays, but she made some dumb mistakes that didn't help La Salle's case. Brittany Wilson came up with big shots when her team needed them, and did so with acrobatic athleticism. Jada Payne had a big first half, though she was quieter in the second. Nadia Duncan got into the middle of a lot of plays. The guards set each other up well in general.

The clock management in the last four minutes could have used a little work. Okay, a lot of work. They spent way too much time trying to get their shots.

I think Amanda Butler thinks Lily Svete can be the next Steffi Sorenson. Blonde who thinks she can shoot a little? But I wasn't impressed. Florida in general didn't get a lot off their bench, which could be trouble for them against a frenetic and relentless Charlotte team. Deana Allen shot a lot, but she didn't necessarily take good shots. I think Butler saw an opportunity to use her bench in the first half, when it was a big lead, and put in some players who I would guess don't play a lot.

If there is one thing I cannot stand in basketball, it's post players who play tentatively, softly, and stupidly. I devoutly hope, for Florida's sake, for Great Britain's sake, and for her sake, that Azania Stewart isn't always this soft, doesn't always drop these passes, doesn't always have rebounds bounce off her hands, and isn't generally one of the least effective 6'4” players I've ever seen. Jennifer George needs to not bring the ball back down to where small people can reach it. She's a big strong player; she should be able to put that back up without hesitation. When she realized that in the second half, Florida took off and put the game out of reach. If she can be more assertive for a whole game, she's going to be amazing. Jordan Jones's outside shooting was unworldly in the first half. She cooled down in the second, but I like the classic look of her shot and her release. You'd think the 33 she wears would be a pretty good hint of what she does well, but hey, I'm not the one who let her hit six three-pointers. Jaterra Bonds looked good, except for the turnovers. Lanita Bartley read long rebounds well.

I've been rough on Florida the last couple of years. I'm not impressed with Amanda Butler's coaching since the Achilles (nor am I impressed with her fashion sense; that yellow blouse should be taken out and burned), but it looks like she's putting it together to make a run in the SEC this year. It might not be much of a run, but I think they'll be a little better than they were the last couple of years. On the other hand, the lack of killer instinct that kept La Salle in the game until the equivalent of the fourth quarter might come back and bite them, given the viciousness of the SEC.

Officiating was inconsistent. Again. And for a long time I wondered if the officials were trying to protect the BCS when La Salle was keeping it close and being called for fouls almost every time that they breathed on a Florida player. La Salle does tend to commit a lot of stupid fouls, but this was a little hard to believe. I think La Salle's coach agreed with my assessment (but he's obviously going to be a wee bit biased); he pointed at the foul count on the scoreboard to back up his complaints a couple of times.

It was a much better game than I had expected it to be, and a much closer game than the final score indicates. Maybe there's hope for La Salle yet. But please, please, dear sweet deities of sport, don't let me have to write about them again.

November 25th, 2011: Charlotte at Long Island

2011-11-25T20:07:00.000-08:00

Just the Facts, Ma'am: A strong second half gave the Long Island Blackbirds an 81-72 win over the visiting Charlotte 49ers. Kiara Evans led all scorers with 23 points, one of four Long Island players in double figures. Epiphany Woodson led Charlotte with 21.

For squeaky brasses, the frustration of coaches, pizza, and a lot of free throws, join your intrepid and half-everything blogger after the jump.

Good afternoon, everyone! We're coming to you on the Internet version of tape delay from the Wellness, Recreation, and Athletic Center on the campus of Long Island University in beautiful and somewhat congested Downtown Brooklyn, bringing you the LIU Turkey Classic.

I've mentioned this before, but LIU may have my favorite small arena in the New York area, with Hofstra's as my favorite medium and Carnesecca as my medium-large favorite. They keep it up well, though they still haven't taken off the old three-point line. It's a bargain for the price, it really is. (This doesn't mean increase the price, LIU.) It has enough amenities to be comfortable and enough smaller touches to still be intimate. They've upgraded the sound system from the last time I was here; now they use an iPod touch to provide the music. They're still working on the band, though.

I like LIU's new warmup jackets. The uniforms are sharp.

There are a few Charlotte fans behind their bench, and a few Florida people arrived early. I haven't seen anyone in La Salle gear yet, but that doesn't prove anything. I've seen more of La Salle than I ever wanted to, and I haven't been impressed much yet.

At halftime, Charlotte leads LIU 31-28. I have so far been impressed with Epiphany Woodson's stepback jumper, Ny Hammonds's on-ball defense, and Ashley Palmer's willingness to go towards the hole. I have so far not been impressed with the LIU band, Kiara Evans's court vision, and the referees' tendency to call everything short of assault and battery a travel or a no-call.

Make the band stop. Please. Make them stop. It's especially bad when you recognize a tune that St. John's usually butchers... and they're doing worse things to it.

Charlotte is a big, tenacious team. That'll serve them well in the Atlantic 10. They'll need that. Ny Hammonds seems to have only one gear- go go go go go. She's one of the fiercest on-ball defenders I've seen in my life, and she never quits. Sometimes she doesn't quit even when she should. I was surprised she didn't foul out of the game, but that's because my Sharpie went a little crazy with the fouls. Paige McCallum brought a lot of hustle and offense off the bench. I think Katie Meador fancied herself a shooter, and it didn't work out so well.

I think I might be a little in love with Epiphany Woodson's step-back jumper. Gods, that thing is gorgeous. Textbook. That's someone I want to keep an eye on when Charlotte goes into the A-10 season. I also want to see if Jennifer Hailey is just a second-half player, or if that second half was the aberration, or if the first half was the aberration. I like her size and her touch around the basket. They need to go to her more. I'd also want Amanda Dowe to be more aggressive. At 6-4, she should have been having her way with LIU. Ayanna Holmes had one wicked block, but was otherwise not a factor that I can remember. Jai Forney came on late. There's something I like about her, but I can't put my finger on it.

If Cara Consuegra spends less time kvetching to the refs and more time working on close-to-the-basket shooting, this team might get somewhere. They had a lot of chances, especially when they cut the lead late in the game.

Krystal Wells may have saved the game for LIU. Her threes off the bench came at opportune times, and she made a diving save near the end of the game to maintain possession and keep Charlotte from having a shot to make it a two-possession game. She's tenacious, and she hustles. I like her. They got more than I was expecting from their tank in the middle, Tamika Guz. She's lost a little weight since the last time I saw LIU play, but she's still a load in the middle. I'd like to see her be more aggressive, but that might involve more speed, higher vertical, and better footwork than she's capable of. We got brief appearances by Cleandra Roberts and Letava Whippy, as Gail Striegler worked her freshmen into the rotation.

I really like Ebony Davis's ability to rebound. I don't like her hands of stone and her walking tendencies, though. I'd like to see her fine-tune her shot. She'tiarra Pledger did not impress me, though she made a lot of big plays at the end of the game. Marika Sprow, despite starting, was mostly used to allow Kiara Evans and Krystal Wells to switch between the guard spots. Ashley Palmer looks like she's put on a little weight and gotten this crazy idea that she can shoot from the outside again. But somehow, she just kept getting the job done, getting to the basket and scoring with that high-arcing shot that always looks like it's going to fall short. Evans started off slow, and her overall shooting wasn't great, but in the second half she got a better idea of the defenses that were being played against her and was able to get off better passes instead of throwing it directly to opposing players and causing her coach to scream “do something different!” on the next possession.

That second half was something else. Both teams kept making big plays to stay in the game, with steals and rebounds galore. I wouldn't say it was like a tournament game, but it was the next best thing. LIU knew this would be a resume win for this year, while Charlotte couldn't afford a bad loss with a down A-10 this year.

I really don't know what to say about the officiating. I'm fairly certain piggyback rides are not a permissible part of the game. They got whistle-happy with travels in the first half, then a bit tighter with fouls, then they swallowed just about everything. I understand human imperfection. I understand that refs aren't perfect. All I ask for is something that vaguely resembles consistency so I know what to expect and so no one gets hurt.

After the game, LIU did what is my favorite tradition of theirs: they went up into the stands and greeted whoever happened to be there. For the most part, it was family and friends, but they'll acknowledge whoever speaks to them. I remember being thanked for coming out there once. To me, that's part of the essence of the game, and one of the most striking differences between the women's game and the men's game.

November 22nd, 2011: Wagner at St. John's

2011-11-22T20:20:00.000-08:00

Just The Facts, Ma'am: Tough defense by the Red Storm gave St. John's a 54-34 win over the Wagner Seahawks. Shenneika Smith led all scorers with 16 points and added seven boards and four steals, while Nadirah McKenith put in 15 points to go with seven rebounds and five steals. Marie-Laurence Archambault led Wagner with nine points on three 3-pointers.

For rain, kvetching, nifty passes, and the scenic tour of central Queens, join your intrepid and financially imprudent blogger after the jump.

Dear St. John's: enough with the double-headers. Please. Especially when the brilliant plan involves pairing a lousy opponent for the women with a lousy opponent for the men (Wagner and St. Francis NY respectively). You can't predict the rain, but that didn't help things, either; walk-up sales had to have been pretty low, because something that was set up looking like separate ticketing ended up being a one-ticket, “sure, sit wherever until someone with the ticket shows up” affair.

We opted not to stay, because I am a somewhat responsible blogger, it's raining, and I needed to try to find a cookbook. (By the way, if you happen to own My First Baking Book by Rena Coyle, hit me up.) That, and to be honest, I don't particularly care about men's basketball. Apologies to the folks over at Rumble in the Garden.

I'm still not quite over missing the very start of the game because, hello, I work until 5:30 and it normally takes me an hour and a half to get to St. John's, and no, I couldn't leave early because I left early to go to the Hofstra game. I ended up paying $30 for a cab to get there just after tip, but I shouldn't have to do that to see the damn game on time!

To be honest, I don't remember much about the Wagner bench. Kanifa Hicks got the bulk of the minutes, and I think I remember yelling at her for some rough play. They've got a freshman center who came in late, Ugo Nwaigwe, who's tall but didn't impress. Shawn-Marie Heiliger played a lot off the bench too. I think she was their point guard.

Marie-Laurence Archambault not only has a long name, but a long shot. Her threes were the most reliable offense the Seahawks were able to find all night. Kelly Clark did a nice job of at least trying to get in on the boards... she just wasn't all that successful in grabbing the boards. Jacqui Thompson has gorgeous eyes, and doesn't run a bad offense, but her team just can't shoot straight. Chanez Robinson got a little physical, but didn't really make an impression otherwise.

Wagner, I'm very sorry that I couldn't come up with more to say about you. When you stop being easily disconcerted and start hitting shots, perhaps I will say more about you.

Hi, Mallory Jones! Welcome to Division I basketball! Please enjoy your stay! Work on that three, because all gods know we need a three-point shooter with some consistency, and tone up that stocky build, but I love the willingness to take contact. Zakiyyah Shahid-Martin brought her usual combination of hustle and boneheaded plays. The poor kid wanted to score so badly it was almost sad how her teammates ignored her when she was calling for the ball. Briana Brown at least played decent on-ball defense, but I'm starting to wonder about her range. It seems fairly narrow. Jennifer Blanding played well off the bench, which was a relief. She bodied up well and hit the floor for loose balls. Tesia Harris couldn't hit the broad side of a barn, but strangely enough, I didn't mind. Keylantra Langley's still putting too much spin on her shots, but I love her defense. Just don't commit stupid fouls, okay, Key?

Nadirah McKenith has turned it up. She knows that we need her to score with Da'Shena Stevens out, and she has answered. She's still finding her teammates, and I think she's about two assists per game under what she would be if her teammates could hit the easy shots she gives them. The through-the-opponent's-legs pass to a three on the wing that was missed comes to mind. Mary Nwachukwu needs to toughen up and go after rebounds and loose balls. My patience with her softness grows short. I continue to love Amber Thompson's rebounding ability; I think the offense will develop in time, but you can't teach those instincts. Eugeneia McPherson needs to stop talking to the refs. It's not going to get her calls, and it's not going to help. She's trying too hard to get the contact, and I think it's messing with her head. Shot of the game goes to Shenneika Smith and that nifty right hook she threw into the basket. She had a very nice game. Not feeling the hair, though.

My heart melted with squee and love for my team when I spotted a few of our former players tending to the young Aricos during the game. (Sky Lindsay is the reason we're finally getting off our tushes and going to Queens College games, and I spent the better part of four years going on about Joy McCorvey, whose #25 I wear with pride.) Stupid hormones. Stupid Our Girls Syndrome.

Um, not for nothing, but I'm fairly certain that if a player is tiptoeing along the line and is jostled out of bounds, it's a push-out, not an out-of-bounds turnover. I'd also like to see refs be a little more careful about lower body fouls. There are enough studies out there that remind us all about the increased susceptibility women's knees have to torn ACLs and other not fun things.

Many thanks to the concession folks who let us take home the bottle caps. Coke Rewards make me a happy Scribbler. (Now, if they'd just restock the good stuff...)

This is going to sound shallow, and it's the kind of thing I notice because my dad works with fabric a lot, but the ribbons for Oklahoma State are beautiful- I don't know if they're two-sided, or two-tone, or what, but they're very well done.

I don't know how much we learned about this team from playing Wagner. I do know that I'm probably not going to haul out to Staten Island and see Wagner in their home arena the way I've been saying I will for the last couple of years. They're the only New York City team I haven't visited, and I keep meaning to, but it's such a haul out to Staten Island, and Wagner has just been so awful...

November 20th, 2011: Michigan at Seton Hall

2011-11-21T10:36:00.000-08:00

Just the Facts, Ma'am: A 28-11 free throw differential helped the Michigan Wolverines survive 26.5% shooting from the field to take one on the road from the Pirates of Seton Hall, 51-47. Rachel Sheffer led all scorers with 18 points, while Courtney Boylan was one rebound short of a double-double with 11 points and nine boards. Alexandra Maseko was the only Pirate in double figures, putting up 12 points to go with seven rebounds and three blocks.

For an awful lot of walking, stupid fouls, travels about New Jersey, and pathetic attempts at a halfcourt shot, join your intrepid and gainfully employed blogger after the jump.
Good. Grief. This is definitely Michigan basketball. It is as definitely Seton Hall basketball. Anne Donovan doesn't seem to have trained her team out of the habit Mangina established in them to chuck and pray. The bench priest can't do that much, guys.

I forgot just how acutely I dislike going to Seton Hall. It's a long hike or an infrequent bus from the NJ Transit station, and on weekends, every gate but the main one is closed, so you end up looping around. Your choices for seating once you get there are uncomfortable bleachers or uncomfortable chairback seats in the upper deck that obscure your view. The sound system is way the hell too loud. The crowd is depressing.

And that's not even including the basketball. Because Christ on a pogo stick, was this a bad first half of basketball.

I do like the Allen and Ginter cards the Hall has of Anne Donovan. Allen and Ginter's pretty ace, and I knew they were doing women's cards (I had the Leslie mini-card before trading it to someone who would appreciate it more), but that's still cool.

Band uniforms are lazy, but I like their variety in music. It takes a lot to do the Doors on marching band. Clean up the brasses, though.

Kevin Borseth's a year away, I think. Something isn't clicking with this team. The only thing that worries me is that it might be the screaming and the towel-throwing. We'll see if the chemistry improves with him recruiting players that are more comfortable with this style, or if it's going to explode in his face. I think players who play that style of swarming man and tight zone are going to be okay with being screamed at, though.

Nya Jordan, I don't care that your last name is Jordan, you don't get to stand there and admire your shots. Strangely enough, she followed everyone else's shots- I have no idea how she ended up with eight rebounds. Kate Thompson may be the tallest woman I've ever seen listed as a guard. She's 6-4- there's no reason she should be taking that many threes, especially when she proved she could finish inside. Kendra Seto provided a nice spark for them in the first half, cooling off with some stupid fouls in the second. Sam Arnold played briefly and showed me nothing.

What in the world is up with Carmen Reynolds? She didn't hit a shot and looked pretty wretched out there. Same with Jennie Ryan, though she at least seemed to be more involved in the flow of play. I was expecting more out of them. Courtney Boylan came up big in the second half, but I'm not sold on her as a point guard. She's a Minnesota kid, and I think she thinks she's Lindsay Whalen, but she's... more Jennifer Derevjanik. I liked her pass fakes during practice, but she was mostly not all that great during games. She tried to make too many plays and complained too much about calls she wasn't getting. Nicole Elmblad got the start, but barely played, which makes me wonder if she's a regular starter, or if Thompson or Jordan had received a disciplinary benching. Rachel Sheffer's ability to take contact and get to the line impressed me. She got popped in the mouth late in the game- didn't look like she lost any teeth or anything, but she still kept her composure and her mind on the game surprisingly well for having a hand over her mouth.

Chizoba Ekedigwe looks like a freshman, and looks like an Anne Donovan post. She has promising physicality, but she makes stupid freshman mistakes. It happens. Terry Green's shot has gotten streakier, and she committed a lot of stupid fouls from behind- and then tried to act innocent each time. I abhor that kind of acting and whining. Elaine Swaby was credited with three steals, which I call shenanigans on- she had one nice one, but that's the only decent play I can remember her making. Things seemed to go horribly wrong whenever she went into the game. Every team has one of those players, it seems. Breanna Jones played briefly, looking like a very big Tari Phillips fan with the ankles, knees, and elbows wrapped, and with the headband; if all her accessories were black, the resemblance would have been a lot stronger. That was all I remember about her.

I was hard on Alexandra Maseko last year- she didn't usually have her head in the game, which led to a lot of stupid mistakes, but she showed out today. Nothing spectacular, but nothing too awful, either. Tajay Ashmeade does not impress me as a starting center- not a great shooter and doesn't know how not to foul, which meant that she fouled out on a play that a more sensible post would have known not to make (a blatant bump and hack; she knew it was a foul as soon as Aliberti blew the whistle). I can't put my finger on what I liked about Nicosia Henry, but she always seemed to be making the right play at the right time. Every team has one of those players too, it would seem. I was exceedingly disappointed in Jasmine Crew. I was told to expect her to be a one-woman show, and I think she agreed with that assessment- the only problem was that Michigan hassled her into throwing up some of the dumbest shots that I've ever seen thrown up- and please bear in mind I'm a Liberty fan who saw Sherill Baker for the better part of two seasons. I think she hit the underside of the backboard twice. They're going to need her to show much better judgment if they want this to work. Brittany Morris did a good job of looking like she kept her composure, even if the stat line wouldn't indicate it. Against less swarming defenses, I think she'll be fine.

I wouldn't have gone for the intentional foul quite as quickly as Donovan did; then again, Donovan knows her players better than I do and probably knew that Crew was going to waste too much time at the other end of the court with fancy dribbling.

Seton Hall probably did a lot of bitching about the refs after the game, but most of those calls were merited, and there were a couple that they missed. I'm sure Michigan got away with stuff too, but the foul differential accurately reflected the style of play. I'm not thrilled about having a team in my conference that likes to bump from behind. There were also some strange non-calls that had me scratching my head. It was a crew I expected better from, too: DeMayo, Aliberti, and Rachelle Jones.

Part of me likes that the Hall has... less traditional... body types on their dance team. The shallow part of me thinks that they shouldn't wear such tight uniforms if that's the route they're going to go.

I don't want to say the male cheerleaders for Seton Hall have slippery pants, but the flag runner almost lost his during the running of the flag; fortunately, he took the opportunity to pull them up when the giant huge flag collapsed on him after two of his buddies relieved him of it.

Too much fluff in the SHUbars, too much pepper on the SHUpuds.

I would have let loose a little more on the refs in the first half, but sitting next to the bench priest does put the kibosh on that. The most I got away with “THE THINGS I WOULD SCREAM AT YOU IF THE PRIEST WASN'T RIGHT THERE!” He moved across the way to sit with the cheerleaders for the second half. Judging from the strange bounces, he's slacking. (Strange bounces off the rim. Of the ball.)

There was a post-game autograph session, and our Seton Hall poster signed by half the team fell off its perch above the linen closet, so it seemed prudent to get a new one signed by the entire team. Friendly enough bunch to people they knew, and a couple were friendlier towards strangers, Maseko especially.

The crowd was loud and into the game, which is an unusual experience at Seton Hall, and I like that. They're going to need that kind of support if they want to get anywhere; this team isn't talented enough to win without wringing every last ounce of homecourt advantage out of South Orange.

November 18th, 2011: St. John's at Hofstra

2011-11-19T09:19:00.000-08:00

Just the Facts, Ma'am: A late second-half run by the Hofstra Pride staved off the visiting St. John's Red Storm, 93-82. Katelyn Loper led all scorers with 29 points, while Shante Evans notched 27 points and 14 rebounds. Eugeneia McPherson led St. John's with 22 points.

For wrestling moves, shouting matches, geometry, and Jamaica Avenue at 11:30 on a Friday night, join your intrepid and still queasy blogger after the jump.

Halftime in Hempstead, and St. John's is on an upswing, down one to Hofstra. The lead was as much as eleven, and we were mighty cranky. The defense really picked up in the second quarter, and the St. John's cavalry appears to have arrived.

Yes, I decided to go to this game after all. It took an hour and a half out of work early, a bus, two subway trains, an LIRR ride, and another bus, but here I am. I couldn't resist. Besides, I have Shante Evans on my fantasy team, and she's putting in work. If we pull this out in the second half, it'll be the best of both worlds.

I'm starting to think duct tape might be a necessary part of the kit. Eugeneia McPherson is not doing herself any favors running her mouth after she hurled Nicole Capurso to the ground after the whistle had blown during a loose ball tussle. The Hofstra fans were understandably irked that Capurso got the foul and nothing was called on Gina. Gina continued to periodically kvetch to the refs and the bench for a long time afterward. Gina, it doesn't help.

All due credit to the loud and boisterous student section at Hofstra. Although when they started booing Gina every time she touched the ball after the throw... it was on like Donkey Kong, and the late-arriving RedZone got in on the action. Who needs eardrums, anyway?

I really like Hofstra's arena. I've said this before, but it's one of the nicer facilities in the New York metro area The layout's a little quirky, but you get used to it. They get good community support and local sponsorship, too. The Pride have a strong base to build on, and I think they've started to realize just how good it is.

I haven't seen Mallory Jones on the court yet, but anyone who sings along with “I Love Rock & Roll” is all right in my book.

So it's not the best of both worlds, just a world. I guess I can live in it. Be warned: the one thing I don't like about Hofstra is that they don't give out proper scorecards, so I have to bootleg it with a legal pad and scribbling. I wasn't thrilled with Andreana Thomas's grabby hands. I was amused by Deven Green's... huge tracts of land, and her brief scoring run. Marie Malone looks to have been bumped to the bench, but she's still a Mike Carey post at heart- you're going to ache afterwards. The Pride also got some good minutes from Anma Onyeuku, but I don't remember Krista Kilburn Steveskey going much deeper into her bench.

Katelyn Loper must have aced geometry in high school, because she showed an amazing knack for getting the right angle on her shots. I have no idea why we didn't get on her after the third, or fourth, or fifth three-pointer she hit on us. She's going to be something special for Hofstra, and the Colonial should be afraid of two years of her and Shante Evans together. Bond, Candace Bond (which was how she was announced during starting lineups and when she hit shots), had a good defensive game, with a nice block in the first half and strong rebounding play. Candice Bellocchio went well into the paint and set up Loper on one of her threes with a nifty shovel pass. Nicole Capurso mixed it up for loose balls and got loose for outside shots. But that game belonged to Shante Evans. There was a sign in the stands reading “#30 Is A Beast”, and that was dead-on accurate. I know that mold of player is going out of style in the WNBA, and she has no outside shot to speak of, but if she wants it, I think she'll have a very good career in Europe.

I have to give a lot of credit to Hofstra's coach for playing the mis-matches very well. When Kim Barnes Arico tried to use Jennifer Blanding as muscle, she came with Marie Malone, who's physical, but more outside-aligned; when KBA tried to bring in Amber Thompson for a better match-up, Hofstra brought Shante Evans right back in. And Kilburn-Steveskey also took advantage of the five-guard set that St. John's was inexplicably running at the end of the game.

The student section also brought it. RedZone could learn a lot from them, though the removal of shirts to disconcert the shooter can stay in Hempstead, thanks. We gave them their props after the game. We weren't thrilled with them booing Eugeneia McPherson every time she touched the ball, so it got loud.

Jennifer Blanding put in some decent minutes against the Hofstra posts, but she's got to be more aggressive under the basket. When you've got people singing “watch out for the big girl” every time you come in, maybe you should do something to make that worth it. I liked Keylantra Langley's hustle tonight, though she needs to work on her shot a little bit. She had way too many shots do funny things on the rim, and maybe that's a matter of luck, but maybe that's a matter of too much English. Tesia Harris is starting to look a little more comfortable in her role off the bench. I'd like to see her have more confidence in her shot, but that might come with time. Zakiyyah Shahid-Martin is going to get squeezed out when Da'Shena Stevens comes back- she fights, but she makes dumb mistakes.

Speaking of fighting and dumb mistakes, Eugeneia McPherson, you shouldn't take inspiration from Hofstra's fine wrestling tradition. Slams and leg whips have no place in basketball. And if you do anything that stupid, pleading your case to the refs at random moments well after the original play will not only not help you all that much, but will prejudice an official like Dennis DeMayo against the team in red for future calls. I think she fed off the vitriol being thrown at her by the Hofstra fans, or maybe she liked that RedZone had her back, but she went without fear. I like the offense, but not the mouth. Mary Nwachukwu played with a little more intensity tonight, but still needed the coaches screaming at her. GO TOWARDS THE HOLE, MARY. Amber Thompson's youth got the better of her; she committed a lot of stupid fouls that came back to bite her in the end. But I don't want that to stop her from going hard to the basket and scooping up the offensive rebounds. I am not necessarily thrilled with Nadirah McKenith shooting this much. I know, I know, the LaSalle game, but that was a situation where she needed to be shooting because no one else was hitting. She wasn't quite as successful this time, partly due to better defense and partly due to different calls. Then again, if our posts are going to take four shots total, someone's gotta pick up the slack. Shenneika Smith was working hard at both ends, almost to a fault- in the last six or seven minutes, she was suffering from cramps that made her contort her face and body in the most interesting ways. Since Shenneika's tall and skinny enough that I keep thinking someone can fold her into a suitcase, this was a lot more interesting in person than words can achieve. She's like a giant, expressive rubber band sometimes.

Just for the record, it is an absolute bear to get back from Hofstra on a weekday if you're not taking LIRR. Or even if you are. To be fair, we probably shouldn't have taken the extra fifteen minutes to cross Hempstead Turnpike, go to a lousy McDonalds (flat, warm Diet Coke, ugh), and cross Hempstead Turnpike again. But between the infrequency of Long Island Bus service, the social experiments of the N6, and some unfortunate biological reactions from the mayo in the sandwich I had for dinner, it took three hours to get back. So if you're wondering why these notes are late, it's because I didn't have time to work on them properly that night. Sleep deprivation makes me funnier, but not necessarily in good ways.

On to the next one. I'm looking forward to getting Da'Shena back, simply because having a proven post presence will solve a lot of our problems, especially with the rotation. Now, if we just had a consistent outside shooter...

November 17th, 2011: La Salle at St. John's

2011-11-16T21:17:00.000-08:00

Just the Facts, Ma'am: 26 points, seven steals, and seven rebounds from Nadirah McKenith carried the St. John's Red Storm to a 66-45 win over the La Salle Explorers. Alexis Scott had 17 off the bench for La Salle.

For unhinged jaws, squeaky brass, floor burns, and pressure, join your intrepid and amazed blogger after the jump.
The problem with a performance as incandescent as Nadirah McKenith's is that it makes the rest of the Game Notes of Doom even harder to write. How am I supposed to remember the acts of minor bench players when I've got a pass in my head that would make Ticha Penicheiro weep for its beauty?

Jeff Williams worked in a lot of his players, especially late in the game after the Red Storm extended the lead. We had brief cameos from a couple of seniors, Nikki Ortiz and Michele McCaughern. Nadia Duncan was first off the bench, but she became a non-factor. Indigo Dickens brought size, and a couple of nice picks, but not much else. Ruvanna Campbell is a prototypical mid-major post- tall, fast, and a good shot-blocker, but can't hold on to the ball and can't shoot. She's just a freshman, though. There might be potential there. Alexis Scott did a nice job of getting to the line, and she was really the only offense La Salle could find, especially in the second half. Advice in advance, A-10 fans- she's very easily disconcerted at the line. We nailed her twice.

Jess Koci rebounded well in the first half, and started establishing herself in the paint in the second, but by then there was no force on this earth that could save the Explorers. Brittany Wilson committed stupid fouls from behind. No, Miss Wilson, you cannot have a piggyback ride from our players. Omaah Tayong brought a decent defensive presence, and I like her hustle. I really can't remember a damn thing Jordan Mosley did, and Jada Payne, who came in as La Salle's leading scorer, didn't impress me either.

Jennifer Blanding was demoted to the bench, and after the debacle that was her last game, I can't say I'm surprised. She was better on the defensive end, and the one shot she took was a nice hit, but if you're the tallest player on the team, you should be getting at least one rebound, not being the one player on the team who played without getting a rebound. SHAME, Jennifer. SHAME. Shenneika Smith also didn't start, though that appeared to be disciplinary- she didn't look injured, and she did play. She got hot in the second half when she was able to get into the lane, and demonstrated a little hook shot that I hope she doesn't think she can use against real competition yet. Zakiyyah Shahid-Martin showed hustle going for loose balls, and she and her classmates have good chemistry. Briana Brown, you cannot shoot three-pointers. If you're going to keep trying, do it in practice, not in games. It's embarrassing when they fall shorter than the shooting contest's latest sucker. Keylantra Langley led the team in floor burns, going after loose balls and rebounds. She looks like she's growing into her role and finding herself. I like.

Mary Nwachukwu, get it together. She had a better game on the boards than I realized, but she still needs to be going hard on defense. I don't mind so much if she wants to shoot the midrange jumper at this point- we need someone who can extend the defense slightly, and if we need to have that someone be a four, fine. On the other hand, Kim Barnes Arico is not Don Nelson and Mary is not a point forward- why, in the nine classical circles of Dante's Inferno, is she bringing the ball up with a guard next to her? Tesia Harris looked more inclined to shoot than she was the last game, but she still looks a little rusty. There's enough there that I think she'll be fine if she gets more used to the system. Eugeneia McPherson, if I have said this once, I have said this sixteen times: you are not Angel McCoughtry, you are not Lindsay Whalen, you are not getting those calls when you drive wildly into the lane and throw the ball in the general direction of the backboard. Go for the shot, not the foul, and stop bitching about not getting the foul. She couldn't hit the broad side of a barn in the first half, and wasn't much better in the second- at least she hit some shots eventually. I'd like to see her get back on defense the way she was as a freshman, with less focus on throwing up prayers. I know we need her to step up her offensive game with the graduation of two starters and Da'Shena's injury, but that's not necessarily her strength. Amber Thompson continues to impress me more in early going than any Red Storm player has in her freshman year since my very favorite, Joy McCorvey. I love her nose for the ball, I love her rebounding, I love the way she learns, I love the way she gets into seams in the paint, I love that she can finish underneath.

And then there was Nadirah McKenith- or, in message board parlance, Nadirah Effing McKenith. I think my jaw is still unhinged from the show she put on. Through a fair stretch of the game, she was single-handedly outscoring La Salle- and this coming from a distributing point! She got into a zone where everything she touched turned to gold, whether it was lay-ups, jumpers, passes, crossovers, rebounds, or steals. She got the crowd, such as it was, going, and she didn't stop. If her teammates had hit the easy shots she gave them, she would have threatened a quadruple-double- not gotten it, but made it look close.

I'm not sure which one was the play of the game. It might have been the Ticha-esque no-look pass to Jennifer Blanding for the lay-up. Or it might have been the reverse with the and-1. And that's just Nadirah. Briana's imitations of Darrelle Revis were also pretty cool. (She's from Norwalk, and I think Norwalk is west of New Haven, so I think it's okay to make a Jets comparison there, not a New England one.)

How many times will you ever see double-dribble called twice in a game? This crew decided to go for it. I'd like to see fewer procedural calls and more contact calls.

The brass section in the band needs work. They're off their game.

The guy in the shooting contest needed to back off sooner. When he got right up on the line, he was missing long. When he moved back, bam, free burritos.

I think I saw the previous owner of my jersey in the stands. If that was her, she can have it back at any time.

We still miss Da'Shena, I think. But the newcomers made progress, and progress is good. The Hofstra game will be interesting, and I may even have notes from it!

November 12th, 2011: St. Bonaventure at St. John's

2011-11-12T15:38:00.001-08:00

Just the Facts, Ma'am: The Bonnies of St. Bonaventure spoiled opening day for the Red Storm of St. John's with a strong second half that overcame a five-point St. John's halftime lead, posting a 64-58 win. Megan Van Tatenhove's 16 points and seven rebounds led all players, with the Bonnies getting 14 each from three-point shooter Jessica Jenkins and slashing guard Armelia Horton. Eugeneia McPherson led the Red Storm with 15 points.

For camo, the flailing rage of a fantasy player, raging at authority, Starbursts, and all that could have been, join your intrepid and frustrated blogger after the jump.

Hello season! It's nice to see you again! It would have been nicer to see you again with a win, or at least with a consistent three-point shooter in the corner, but I'll take what I can get.

I guess they chose today for Military Appreciation Day because it was the day after Veterans' Day. A lot of ROTC were in attendance and were acceptably loud. Someone needed to tell the DJ that “Born in the USA” was an inappropriate choice of song on so many levels- not just is it about how being a veteran kinda blows, but when your group is approximately a quarter East Asian, perhaps a song involving “to go and kill the yellow man” is not the best choice. But the nice thing about having ROTC in attendance is that you're guaranteed to get an excellent color guard, even if the anthem is a little pitchy and out of whack.

The cheerleaders were off their game. There were a lot of fumbles, a lot of missed moves, and a general lack of cohesion. But the season is young. I'm going to need them to get off the spelling chants if they want crowd participation, though. You put in too many parts, and people aren't going to be able to keep up. Keep it simple and listen to the crowd noise.

Kim Barnes Arico was honored pregame for entering her tenth season as head coach at St. John's. After a truly amateur Powerpoint that I found myself forced to heckle, the student section (all three of them) were redubbed “KBA's Krazies” and given a banner. They proceeded to vamoose at halftime. Your intrepid blogger and her sore throat were not amused.

Jordan McGee's only contribution to the game appears to have been fouls. CeCe Dixon, I like your hustle, or I would if you weren't playing my team, and your shot's kinda cute. But if you're actually 5-7, I'm actually Ta'Shia Phillips. I have statistical evidence that Jennie Ashton and Chelsea Bowker played, but I can't remember anything they did. Apologies to our readers in Olean.

Would someone please guard Jessica Jenkins from beyond the arc? Oh, what a pretty stroke, and she's not afraid to take it deep, either. We really needed to find a way to shut her down, and part of what irks me about this game is that I think we had it and then we let it slip away. I'd be more impressed with Megan Van Tatenhove's array of moves if they didn't all seem to involve at least three steps. I like her nose for the ball on the boards, though. Armelia Horton's willingness to go into the paint would please me if I were a St. Bonaventure fan; she forced a lot of contact and drew fouls. Doris Ortega brought a loud contingent who sat in the next section over from us and made us sad. If she hooked Nadirah McKenith's arm one more time, though, there was going to be bloodshed, since I don't think Nadirah is into square dancing. Alaina Walker had a solid game for the Bonnies, with a pretty spin move that had me begrudging her a bit of respect.

St. Bonaventure played physical, played tough, and cranked up the defense more and more as the game went on. I can't necessarily say they kept their composure, but they kept it better than the Red Storm did. Packing the paint and forcing St. John's to slow down their offense was critical in the second half.

Zakiyyah Shahid-Martin, when your team is attempting to make a run, it is perhaps not the most brilliant use of your arm to hook it around your defender's waist and shove her to the ground, thereby committing an offensive foul. I like her hustle, and she's more willing to go to the floor than the average player, but generally, it's not a good idea to send other players to the floor. Briana Brown played just long enough to establish that she'll be spending a lot of time on the bench this season. Tesia Harris has a pretty shot, and once she's more settled into the offense and the defense, I think we'll see more of her in the rotation. Keylantra Langley had one of the better games I've seen from her in a while, and she looked like one of the only players comfortable in her role- more of a 2/3, and more of a defensive player, which makes sense, since she's one of the more strongly built guards on the team. She's broken my heart by showing this kind of promise before, then regressing, so I'm not going to hope yet. I was very impressed with freshman post Amber Thompson, though. She's as rough as sandpaper and raw around the edges, but I like her instincts and I like her hustle. She needs to become more familiar with her teammates, and more familiar with the way things are called in the college game, but that'll take time, and I refuse to tear her to pieces in her first collegiate game.

Jennifer Blanding. You need to get your act together yesterday. Part of my hopes for the season was that Jennifer, the biggest player we have on the team, was going to recognize the injury to Da'Shena Stevens as an opportunity and make the most of it. Instead, it's Amber and Z stepping up to the challenge, while Jennifer gets benched for anyone and everyone. As demonstrated, this team has no time for anyone to play like a D-III scrub. That margin of error went out the window with Da'Shena's knee injury. That goes double for posts, and both Jennifer and Mary Nwachukwu dropped the ball on that. Mary, at least, has more room for improvement. I think she's smart enough to realize that she no longer has behemoths like Stefanie Murphy and Carolyn Swords roaming the paint; for this team, she is the behemoth. She shoots well from midrange, but we don't need another player taking midrange shots, we need someone going inside and banging. And if Jennifer can't bang inside, then Mary's going to have to do it. If someone starts going in and being physical, then, yes, Mary can play like the post-championships Tina Thompson instead of the dynastic Tina Thompson. Eugeneia McPherson went on a hot streak in the first half, but that was pretty much the last we heard from her on offense for the rest of the game. I like her and Shenneika Smith on the backcourt trap, but you can't run her on the trap and have her covering assignments for players who are injured and unable to rotate properly. Can't have it both ways, Kim. Nadirah ran a good offense, but had to call her own number more than I think she was comfortable with. She also took a couple of hard hits near the end of the game, and that screwed things up for her- she was breaking her own ankles by the end, and that didn't look good. At one point, it looked like she was signaling to get out of the game, but Kim didn't take her out. Shenneika also took a hit near the end of the first half, but she seemed to shake it off. She had to rely on her outside shot for her offense, which is not a recipe for success.

I abhor incompetence. That's what got me about this game. We were so close. We made stupid mistakes. Our starting center gave us nothing. Our coach refused to admit weakness, and the clock management at the end of the game was abysmal- does anyone here know how to foul?

I wasn't thrilled with the officiating, either, since it got dangerous out there with the tripping and the shoving, but not much you can do about that.

Six points. Two three-pointers. Or three baskets in the paint. That's all it came down to. Two three-pointers, or three two-pointers, depending on how you look at it.

September 17th, 2011: Indiana at New York

2011-09-17T18:58:00.000-07:00

Just the Facts, Ma'am: The New York Liberty used balanced scoring and strong defense to beat the Indiana Fever 87-72 in Game 2 of their Eastern Conference semifinal series and even the series at one win apiece. Indiana's Katie Douglas led all scorers with 20 points, but she and Shavonte Zellous, with 13 off the bench, were the only two Fever players in double figures. Nicole Powell's 19 points led five double-digit scorers for New York.

For three-point goals, stylized anthems, unexpected lacks of scoring, and entirely too many free tickets, join your intrepid and sated blogger after the jump.

I love marching bands. I love traveling fans. I love the postseason atmosphere. Boomdeyada! Boomdeyada!

Sorry. Some openings you can't resist, especially when there's a band on the court for halftime. And I don't really love traveling fans when they bring flags. Or when some flaming genius sits a girl in a Katie Douglas Fever jersey right behind the Liberty bench. That's just the height of bad etiquette.

The plan of giving season subscribers freebies has backfired spectacularly. Most of us have no one to give them to because all our friends are already there! And then we get irked when we realize that there are so many tickets being given away to paper the place that they might as well have a small floral print on them. And then you end up with huge swathes of empty seats in prime position. Bad planning. Very bad planning.

Nice anthem, by an actual professional singer and everything. Very impressive.

The Torch Patrol has pulled out all the stops to get the noise going in here. Very clear that we're defending our house. I think that was the right tack to take with Newark; there's a lot of pride in the city by its residents.

Kym Hampton is working the lower echelons of the room. She's also hosting a get-together at Brick City after the game. I may go to that. Obviously, by the time you read these notes, you'll already know if I'm there.

It's 50-41 Liberty at the half, and I'm not sure I'm comfortable. I mean, okay, I'm never comfortable with a Liberty lead, but too much of it is built on threes. Live by the three, die by the three; she's a fickle mistress, and she has a long history with Katie Douglas. Katie Douglas irks me because she keeps hitting shots, and I'd greatly appreciate it if she'd stop doing that at some point in the near future.

I'd also appreciate if these refs would call St. Tamika on some of her crap. If Nicole Powell picked her up and slammed her into the stanchion, she wouldn't be completely unjustified. (I do not recommend this course of action, Nicole. You have enough back problems as it is.) That non-call right before the half was crap. Or, to be topical, craaaaaaaaaaaaaaap.

Hello, Shyra Ely! It feels like a long time since we've seen you. Nice passing there! Nice shooting by Jeanette Pohlen, whose hair whip seems to have tragically shrunk. I'm looking forward to seeing how her hair's Twitter explains that one. I do wish someone would guard her when she lines up in the corner. You'd think Nicole Powell would have warned someone about Cardinal alumnae's propensity to shoot that corner three; she does have some experience at that. Shavonte Zellous is easily rattled. It was fun watching her miss free throws. But I sort of already knew her shot from there was not as automatic as one would assume from her offensive prowess- I've played Pop-a-Shot against her. She reverted to the Zellous from Pitt, who was all offense and the rest of the team can go hang. Jessica Davenport did well in the later part of the game. Would someone please remember that she's left-handed and therefore has her strong side where most people have their weak side? But I'm biased towards Jessica Davenport when she's not playing New York. I accept that and welcome it. Just not in this series. Shannon Bobbitt got low for some great defense, and made even our section ooh and aah with some fancy dribbling near the end of the game, but she couldn't hit those shots that she killed us with on the 9th.

Tamika Catchings put all her energy into defense. She just didn't have it on offense. When she's missing free throws, she's just not with it. I was not amused at the foul she should have been called for against Nicole Powell at the end of the first half- it looked like a trip, and the official sitting in front of me (hi, Ray!) said it was a reach-in. (See, that's the useful thing about having a referee in front of you- you can ask him for technical advice and confirmation of your impressions!) But I can't recall a game I've ever seen where Catchings was held scoreless for so long. Katie Douglas burned us in the first half. We couldn't stop her. We couldn't get in her face, we couldn't get a hand up, we couldn't do anything. We managed to contain her a little better in the second half, which was key to getting the win. Erin Phillips took a lot of hits, to the point where I do genuinely wonder whether she likes it or not, and was pesky on defense, but called her number a little more than I think she should have. Nice little floater, though. Have I mentioned lately that Tammy Sutton-Brown gets me angry? Because she does. Not in any meaningful sense of the word, but she's a constant irritant. She did a better job than I'm used to on the boards, though. Tangela Smith seems to think she's Tina Thompson with the jumpers. Go towards the hole, Tangela. Just not against us.

Hey! It's an Alex Montgomery sighting! Nice of Whiz to remember his future defensive ace. Offense is not her strong suit, but she made up for it by covering three-point shooters. Kara Braxton's line is deceptively low- she was a presence in the middle, and one of those missed shots spun in and out- she did nothing wrong on it. If she's one of those players who feeds off the crowd and gets better as the arena gets louder, we better find a way to hang onto her until we get back to New York, because she'll blossom there. Essence Carson turned on the offense at the start of the fourth quarter, just in case Indiana tried to force the door open. She did a nice job snagging bad passes, but threw a few of her own. Quanitra Hollingsworth continues to be a rebounder and a defensive player who really needs help on offense. Actually, so do most of our bench players. I think I detect a trend here. Sydney Colson made a cameo near the end of the game and did nothing worht mentioning. She did, however, give the opening speech to get the crowd pumped up. We're 3-0 when she has the mic; I've already heard suggestions that she steal the mic in Indiana to get us the Game 3 win.

I was worried about Nicole Powell before the game. She looked like she might have had a sleepless night, which made me think her back or her knee was bothering her, which meant that we wouldn't have been able to count on her, and since Nicole is the wild card that pretty much decides whether we win or lose, I figured we were toast. This is why I don't have a doctor in front of my name. Nicole did hers and then some. She was red hot in the first quarter, and she kept up the rebounding and got her hands in the passing lane. For once, I will forgive her inability to get out to the corner. For once. Leilani Mitchell's threes got the crowd fired up, and when she stuffed Katie Douglas (yes, the box says Plenette, don't believe it, that was Leilani's play) the place went off. Tiny but fierce! Cappie Pondexter actually played more of a point for long stretches of the game- judging from how horribly off a lot of her early shots were, I think her ankle may have been acting up again. And hey, even if it wasn't, she's going to say it was. I think she saw the crew and thought she was going to get superstar calls, and she doesn't realize that she doesn't have that cachet when she's on the fourth seeded team. Go for the shot, not the foul. I like the give and go two-man game she's got going on with Nicole, though. Kia Vaughn didn't get a lot of touches, but she made them count when she did. We're going to need her to be big at Indiana, though. Smith and Sutton-Brown had too many easy shots and chances for putbacks. Plenette Pierson was steady. I really wasn't sure if she could hold up playing starter's minutes, but she's proving me wrong, and I'm okay with that.

As much as I have screamed about Whiz being dogmatic and set in stone about his rotations, I have to give him credit for being a lot more flexible today. He went to his bench early with Quanitra and Essence, he got Kara a fair number of minutes, he remembered the existence of Alex Montgomery, he played with match-ups- he looked like a coach who could win a title. It was refreshing to see him trying different things.

Lin Dunn, burn that jacket when you return to Indiana; maybe then the afterimage of it will fade from the backs of my eyelids. You shouldn't be coordinating with Cappie's ill-planned fashion ventures!

And then there was the officiating. No one I've spoken to or read anything from knows how or why Cappie got the technical; when we saw Michael Price signal T for #23, we started cheering because we thought it was on Douglas for chasing the ref! When they announced that it was on Cappie, the place turned ugly. There were a lot of late whistles, and the calls tightened up considerably in the second quarter and thereafter. (And again, I had this assessment confirmed with a referee. Thanks, Ray!) I was starting to wonder if Byron Jarrett had something against Nicole Powell, the calls she wasn't getting. But we forced Indiana to be stupid. That's useful.

It was a late-arriving crowd. A distressingly late-arriving crowd. As in, there were people still trying to find their seats with gameplay going on in the fourth quarter. Frankly, I was freaked out at how many free tickets were being given out, and I actually approached my rep after the game and said, “Why did I bother paying for playoff tickets when everyone's getting them for free?” (This is one of the reasons I tend to refer to him as “Chris, the poor unfortunate bastard who has to deal with us”- we're high-maintenance subscribers.) I'd say a good half of the crowd didn't show up at tip-off, and even factoring in the many and myriad reasons to be late- PATH issues, NJ Transit issues, traffic, trouble on 21- a good quarter of the seats weren't filled until the third or fourth quarter. It seemed pretty damn sketchy that that many people were coming in late. Combine that with the wads of tickets that were being handed out by both Liberty staff and the city of Newark (this latter assessment coming via a fellow season subscriber), and the fact that a fair number of these people took their sweet time finding their seats once they did show up, and we were a bit affronted. We missed several sequences because people wouldn't sit down, or were arguing with people who were in their seats, or in one case, because security was in front of us trying to get people out of seats that weren't theirs. And then they got mad at us when we asked them to sit down so we could see the game! I suspect that the Liberty actually deflated the attendance number; there were more than 8508 tickets scanned and more than 8508 people in the general vicinity of seats, but I'm willing to bet that 8508 matches up with the tickets sold and the ones given away to season subscribers.

Maddie needs to do the trick with the ladder and the flag again. That was nervy. And the “This is our house. We will not lose” banner was made of win.

I think we have a chance in this series. Do I think Tamika Catchings will go 1-7 from the field with 6 turnovers again? No. Do I think Nicole Powell will go off again? No. But I think we have a legitimate shot to make Game 3 competitive, and if we can do that... well, that's why they play the games, isn't it?

Cory Booker, Newark is not the New York Liberty's home. I realize that you're required to say that as part of your job, but this is not your team and this is not our home. This is an exchange program. This is an extended-stay hotel. This is the place we're staying while home is being renovated. We'll defend it, but you can't claim it as yours. Back off.

September 11th, 2011: New York at Connecticut

2011-09-11T17:35:00.000-07:00

Just the Facts, Ma'am: Tina Charles's 23rd double-double gave the Connecticut Sun homecourt advantage in the first round of the playoffs, as the Sun pulled out a 69-63 win over the New York Liberty. Charles's 18 points and 11 rebounds were game highs, the latter tied with Asjha Jones. Nicole Powell led New York with 14 points.

For epic road trips, sore vocal chords, flames on the side of my face, presence of mind, shiny objects, and how Kara Braxton got her groove back, join your intrepid and traffic-bound blogger and 50 of her closest friends after the jump.
Good evening, everyone ,and welcome to beautiful not-Uncasville, Connecticut! Our first trip to Foxwoods is going swimmingly. We're ensconced in the MGM Grand, with a phenomenal view of... well, woods. We haven't seen any foxes yet, though.

The bus ride up was fun. I wish we could have gotten something other than the Tulsa game, though. I'd have liked a more interesting game, or at least not one from this season. I see what people mean about Petrolino and Hampton as announcers. Petrolino sounds like a promoted sideline reporter. Hampton sounds like she's chilling on the couch with a couple of friends, passing around the popcorn and flipping at commercials. The hot mic moments were good, and Kym was rather hilarious at the end. “Dang. My trains are 6:08, 6:15, and 6:54.” Story of all our lives, Kym.

A lot of the Usual Suspects made the trip, and our numbers will swell in the morning. We met up with some reinforcements who drove up and got discounted rates at the hotel.

I'm intrigued by the casinos of Foxwoods, and I don't think they're exaggerating the looseness of the slots. The dining variety isn't great- you either get top-shelf restaurants that cost $40 a plate, or you get glorified fast food. We found one of the few medium-level restaurants, Golden Dragon, which does good Chinese.

The brunch was great. The home fries were delicious, and I loved the white chocolate “stirrers” in the fruit salad “martinis”. We got a lot of speeches (with that many Taras, I was starting to miss Tari) and some classic footage: Ashley Battle's “U Can't Touch This”, Sue Wicks's cameo in Maddie Gaga, Kym Hampton and Teresa Weatherspoon's guest spot on “The Cosby Show”, and the legend that is Liberty Thriller. (I still say Shameka should have gotten a Best Supporting Actress nod as the ingenue.)

Our bus had the good fortune of having Sue Wicks and Ashley Battle on it. Sue's quiet, but occasionally snarky. Ashley is working the room. More on the way back to New York than on the way up.

Your intrepid blogger and her equally intrepid husband were almost tourist attractions. If you took a picture of the couple dressed out in throwbacks and leis, shoot me a line. There are few enough pictures of us that we like to show them off.

I got as close to an NCAA championship ring as I'll ever get when Ashley had hers on display. Shiiiiiiiny. (St. John's, if you're reading this: THAT IS A CHALLENGE. BRING IT. I want shiny!)

We were not amused at the Sun's front office allocating us tickets in the upper deck. And though they mostly kept us together, there were Sun fans scattered through our sections, who probably wished for death for someone. Security was a hassle, but that was to be expected and it meant that we could skip most of the 9/11 memorial.

Many thanks to Amanda at the Sun box office and Amir (whose name I have probably butchered) from security for helping me get my camera back when I realized after leaving the arena that I had left it there. I called out enough Sun employees after l'affaire d'laptop that I feel like I should give credit where credit is due.

For the record: I would like to apologize for the people who booed the senior dance team. That's much of a muchness. We kept it rocking, but we tried to keep it within the bounds of the game.

Kara Braxton earned her Liberty stripes today. She was the one who noticed us up in the upper deck, she was the one who waved most ferociously, and she was the one who led us in the opening chant that Maddie usually leads from the Liberty logo at home. She didn't have a Liberty logo to jump on for the letters, but we knew what she was doing and chanted as loud and as hard as we could. I'd say there were a few hundred of us in the building, and over a hundred in our bus troop. (And if you thought I was hard on Cappie, you should hear some of the people in front of me. I'd say a fair number of people hate her guts.)

I was surprised that Alex Montgomery didn't see any time. It's not like our perimeter defense was any great shakes; perhaps someone who doesn't leave the corner wide open would have been a good move. Essence Carson started off red hot, then disappeared. I don't know if she was trying to use her energy on defense or if she got defensively frustrated, but she was done. Quanitra Hollingsworth put forth a lot of effort on the boards and on defense, but she was overmatched. Off the bench, really, it was Kara Braxton who showed out. I think she fed off our energy, because she came ready to play, and why Whiz stuck with his strict rotation in the fourth quarter is something I'll never understand. He's so dogmatic that there are times I think he should work at the Vatican. I mean, she committed her usual stupid mistakes as well, but Whiz, if Kara bleeping Braxton is 5-5 from the field, you press your luck and put her in the damn game, it's not complicated.

The words I have used elsewhere to describe Cappie Pondexter's performance, and my opinion thereof, are not suitable for this forum. I will say that she pursued loose balls well, but that was it. She couldn't hit water falling out of a boat (and there are a few people on this bus who wouldn't mind testing that theory in the real world), she was awful form the line, and her defense was deplorable. We pay her to win games. It's her job. She's the superstar. She lost us this one. You want the mantle, Cappie? Here it is. Feels awfully leaden, doesn't it?

I thought were going to blow a hole in the roof when Leilani Mitchell hit that three to end the first half. She showed out in the first. I don't think the size mismatch helped us there at all. Nicole Powell's back was acting up- we saw her with the radiator at one point, looking utterly miserable. But she was playing great on-ball defense- she had a lot of deflections, a lot of tapped balls. Hit a couple of timely shots, too. Plenette Pierson gets no respect from the refs. I understand that she has a reputation. I understand that she played for Detroit. I understand that she has a tendency to flop. But at some point you have to realize she's taking the contact and make the call. She was doing work on defense, though. Boom, boom, shake, shake the room on those blocks, Plenette! Kia Vaughn let the matchup with her old rival Charles get into her head, for good and for ill. Great work on the boards, and that one putback was ace.

Kelsey Griffin made a cameo, missed a shot, and played a nice little bit of defense. Allison Hightower played surprisingly extended minutes as a defensive presence, and she got her hand on the ball a lot. I wasn't impressed with Jessica Moore, but I've rarely been impressed with Jessica Moore. Kara Lawson seemed to be a little off her game today. I remember her being in, but I don't remember her doing anything. Tan White had a nice defensive game and some killer threes from the corners, because someone who will remain nameless can't guard a chair if she doesn't feel like it.

Tina Charles, I bow down to you. She beat the shot clock, she hit shots that had no business bouncing in, she was fierce, she was intense, she wanted it more than anything. Can't fight that, can't guard it, can't argue it, can't stop it. You go, Queens girl. You go. Asjha Jones had herself a very good game as well. She's quite flexible when she wants to be. We saw her busting her butt down in the paint. Danielle McCray hit a big three, but was otherwise mostly benched for White and Lawson. That's an interesting way to solve that dilemma, Mike. Kalana Greene had a stretch of dumb plays where we were heckling her (“you're playing great for us, Kalana!”) and then she hit a three and ramped up the defense and we left her alone. Renee Montgomery- again, she was there, and she didn't play badly, but she didn't play memorably, except for one long three that everyone in the arena except her defender knew she was going to freakin' take. I suppose that's a good thing for a point guard sometimes.

I'm really not sure how these refs reckon jump balls sometimes. Insane and stupid come to mind as words to describe those calls. There were two odd shot clock violation issues that I thought were mis-called that I can't remember now- one was a shot clock violation even though it hit the rim, and one wasn't called when it seemed to have missed everything. Again, I really don't think consistency is too much to ask for when it comes to officiating. Call it both ways and have done with it!

Sue, I love you. I really do. You kept me loyal to Rutgers for many years. But you have lousy taste in movies. Adam Sandler? Really?

We rocked the place. I don't think the Sun fans got as involved as us until the last minute. We went wire to wire, and we represented. Our heads are high, even if our mouths are foul.

Go New York, go New York, go! Go New York, go New York, go! We need to bring it on Saturday, no matter who we're playing!

September 9th, 2011: Indiana at New York

2011-09-10T06:52:00.000-07:00

Just The Facts, Ma'am: Essence Carson's 18 points led a balanced Liberty attack, and New York held the lead virtually wire to wire in an 83-75 win over the Indiana Fever. Katie Douglas had 17 for Indiana, while Shannon Bobbit's 16 made her the only other Fever player in double figures.

For free t-shirts, Michael Jackson routines, permutations, calculations, friends who need new friends, and why a real green dress is cruel, join your intrepid and overheated blogger after the jump.

Vengeance will be mine upon the Metropolitan Transportation Authority of New York. Vengeance, I say! You made me late for a game, and up with this I will not put!

Mom, if you're reading this, happy birthday. Again.

We're up 12 at the half, and the Rutgers girls must have known that Stringer was coming to this game, because they all look inspired- even Tammy Sutton-Brown.

I'm told I missed a 9/11 tribute. I can't honestly say I feel like I missed anything by it. But my thoughts on the atmosphere surrounding this weekend are not appropriate to these Game Notes of Doom, and will be consigned to my head.

I am very tempted to cause violence to the woman in the next row who's randomly cheering for Indiana for no reason I can determine. Even her friends are looking at her like she's a crazy woman. Worse, they were friends with one of the security guys, so no matter how obnoxious she got, we weren't going to get anything done about her. After the game, one of the friends, who were all passionate Liberty fans, joked, “We're going to jump her outside.”

Our brief Shyra Ely sighting was unimpressive and unremarkable. Shavonte Zellous showed the scoring instinct that I remember so well from Pittsburgh- but that's all she can bring to the table at this point. Jessica Davenport wasn't really a factor, and more of one defensively than offensively. She had one excellent sequence where she stole Quanitra Hollingsworth's lunch money. Jeanette Pohlen had quite an intimidating ponywhip (which appears to have quite an interesting personality {@JFP32sPonyWhip}), and we left her open far too often for my liking, but at least she didn't take too much advantage of it. I was surprised she didn't push her size advantage, but Indiana wasn't pushing as hard as they could.

When did Shannon Bobbitt acquire that corner three? Because she was kicking New York's butts from that corner all night. Her low center of gravity also helped her go after our lackadaisical ball-handling. She's not the answer as the only point guard for Indiana, but she's made herself a viable option as a reserve for them, and that's more than I might have said about her a couple of years ago. Tangela Smith showed flashes of the offense I remember from her glory days in Sacramento and Phoenix. Tammy Sutton-Brown looked like she was trying to impress a couple of her former coaches in the first half. She slacked off a bit in the second half, though I can't tell if that's because Lin Dunn reminded her that the only team this game mattered to was New York, or because she's Tammy Sutton-Brown and she regressed back to the mean. We left Katie Douglas open entirely too many times for my comfort, even if she missed most of them. She got a lot of sympathy from the refs after catching a hand to the face during a Tangela Smith foul in a sandwich situation. She was definitely dialing it back on defense, which is a scary thought. Tamika Catchings... one of the least Catch-like games I've seen from her in a very long time. I thought she didn't assert herself, and I understand why- but at the same time, if you're not going to assert yourself, don't complain when you don't get the calls you think you should get, and don't start flopping like a beached dolphin to try and get the calls. You're better than that, Tamika.

Whiz actually played a matchup in the first half! I nearly died of surprise. And then he realized that Sydney Colson was not the answer and put her right back on the bench again. Quanitra Hollingsworth was game on the defensive boards, but couldn't hit water falling out of a boat, and was otherwise ineffective and a liability. Don't just stand there and stare when the ball goes out of bounds. That is a bad plan and you should feel bad for considering it. Kara Braxton wasn't completely horrible tonight, though I think Plenette may have wanted to kill her later causing a shot clock violation by fumbling and then passing off what was supposed to be her shot. No, you didn't see Plenette's face. Classic WTF. Essence Carson- man, she's turned into a real gamer. When it's crunch time, the chips are down, and the cliches are really starting to fly, she's the one who takes her game to the next level. She's closing this season like Mariano Rivera. She hits the big shots, she gets the big stops- she's becoming the player she was at Rutgers, but on another level. Alex Montgomery's three minutes were so unmemorable I almost forgot to note them. I will say that I don't like plans that involve Alex dribbling.

Cappie Pondexter's ankle gave out in the fourth quarter, giving us all a scare. That's why she sat for such a long stretch when she probably needed to be in the game. But it was clear that it was bothering her. She had some pretty moves, but she wasn't moving at full speed. Leilani Mitchell had the big three, and held her own, but I thought she should have worked more on Bobbitt and gotten more involved in the offense. Nice to see signs of life from Nicole Powell, and more importantly a midrange and inside game. Since she can't hit that damn corner shot that she keeps letting other people get, well have to have her use her height more. Plenette Pierson brought the defense, and the rebounding, and the grit. Kia Vaughn was great. She and Essence make a great pair- Kia starts off the show and Essence finishes it.

Whether it's that the Fever's offense isn't that good or we were bringing the defense, I don't know, but I don't think I've ever seen a game with so many shot clock violations or near violations. Not that we were any great shakes in that regard, especially in the fourth quarter when we were very badly trying to run out the clock.

Lin Dunn and Stephanie White wore coordinating outfits. Do they do this often? Please tell me they don't do this often. That brings in several levels of OMGCREEPY.

Lots of giveaways, though none terribly interesting except for the ball exchange at the end (and apparently the intros, which my mom's neighbors got to participate in, but mom missed because she was late, DAMN YOU MTA!). Ball exchange is awesome. Ball exchange with team-autographed balls is even better.

I think the last game of the year was the first formal confirmation we had that the regular Torch Patrol is no longer a dance team, but a work the stands team. They announced the Lil' Torches and the Timeless Torches as the Liberty's two dance teams. They did a combined routine that was awesome- and I usually avert my eyes when the Timeless Torches come on. (If I want to see people my mother's age dance, I'll give my mother Pepsi and watch her go.)

There was a guy in the stands, presumably a party clown, throwing out t-shirts. He was an interesting gimmick, but I'm hoping he isn't a frequent one.

There was a mixer after the game at Brick City, but we wanted to get home. After all, I had these notes to write, and we have a road trip to go on. ROAD TRIP! /is totally psyched

September 4th, 2011: Minnesota at New York

2011-09-04T20:39:00.000-07:00

Just the Facts, Ma'am: Maya Moore's 19 points led the Minnesota Lynx in an 86-68 win over the New York Liberty. Minnesota put five players in double figures and showed stifling defense in the second half. Plenette Pierson's 17 points and eight rebounds led the Liberty.

For raging against the heavens, communication breakdowns, game strategy, ridiculous thoughts, castigation, and a ride on a motorized wheelchair, join your intrepid and regretfully teetotal blogger after the jump.

Dear Prudential Center: communication skills with the Liberty, you need them. No, really, we're not trying to BS you about season subscribers being allowed in an hour and a half before tip time. We just talked to the season subscription people. We just showed you the e-mail that states that we get early entry through either the Box Office entrance or the entrance from the parking garage. And you're still telling us it's not true? Reading comprehension, you lack it. By the time they stopped arguing with the Liberty representative who came over to explain things to them with small words, and managed to unearth a scanner, it was damn near three o'clock anyway.

My goodness, Miss Maya is popular right now, isn't she? I thought I was going to go deaf from the people screaming her name. Of course, because she and most of the other Lynx stars came off late, there were precious few signatures and pictures to get. (Very late. You could hear Charde Houston yelling “Miss Maya, nine seconds!” as the clock ticked down.)

I am so envious of Candice Wiggins's personality. She has so much of it! There are precious few people who can work a room the way she does- it's not the way Spoon works a room, which is a little more serious, or the way Catch works a room, which is very business-like, like she's aware of her role, but pure joyous bubbly personality. It's closest to the way Tully works the room.

Why can't Nicole Powell run that fast when she's on the floor?

The good news is that I'm seeing some #7s come out of mothballs, because we still heart Taj, no matter where her hair has disappeared to. The bad news is there are way too many #23 shirts here, and not just in Liberty blue. God help any of those Maaaaaaaaaaaayaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa fans who come into our section, and I'm not even talking about me.

We're down 11 at the half, and it could be a lot worse. I'd like to know why Cheryl Reeve didn't get a technical for charging out to the midline after the jump ball violation on Whalen. Seriously, the way she's been jawing at the refs even as her players shoot free throws on BS fouls, while it brings back fond memories of Bill Laimbeer, kind of makes me want to go down there and smack her. I'd also appreciate if they'd start calling Maya Moore for her blatant push-offs instead of letting her get away with them and then calling Jessica Adair or Amber Harris for a phantom foul. Otherwise, it's going to get very RU-UConn up in here. We've already had a double foul on Plenette and Brunson for a tangle, and I don't know who I'd take in that fight.

I'd also appreciate if we could guard the far corner, damnit.

I cannot guarantee I will be coherent. I cannot guarantee I will be rational. I cannot even guarantee I will not be profane.

Amber Harris brought a nice little midrange jumper along with her on this road trip. She wasn't so lucky on the boards and getting in the lane. Balls seemed to go off her hands and out of bounds a lot, to the point where I wonder how comfortable she is with her height sometimes. Charde Houston got a cameo in the fourth quarter, and was unsuccessful in getting into the scoring column. I thought she was going to mix it up with one of the RU girls at one point. She looks strange bald, but that's just the shock of the semi-expected, not a judgment on her choices or beliefs. Jessica Adair suffered for Maya Moore's sins, picking up the phantom or borderline fouls right after Miss Maya pulled shenanigans. Alexis Hornbuckle got her time in the fourth quarter, and it seemed odd that she was playing point guard while Wiggins and Wright were both on the floor- except that Reeve is off Laimbeer's tree, which means offense out of the point guard is a pleasant surprise, whereas defense out of the point guard is a necessity (Elaine Powell, I am looking at you, but not too long or you'll hurt me) so it makes sense to use Hornbuckle as point to set up more shots for the actual scorers on the floor. It looks damn weird, though. Monica Wright didn't leave much of an impression on me, except for the fact that she was one of the few Lynx players willing to drive the lane, a nice counterpoint to the strong outside shooting presence of her teammates. I can understand why fans of other teams would find Candice Wiggins's on-court effervescence annoying and see it as a taunt. She didn't really do much that made me go OMG GET OFF MY FLOOR NOW, but she didn't have much of an opportunity.

Have I mentioned lately that I would have greatly appreciated if the Liberty would have drafted Rebekkah Brunson when they had the chance? Either chance? Don't get me wrong, Shameka Christon worked out okay for us, but aaaaargh. Sigh. RAEG. She crashed the boards like her life depended on the Lynx getting her rebounds. She brings an edge and a ferocity to Minnesota that they need- almost too much of one sometimes. But she is very much Baby Yo, and the only one with a better claim to that title is Alicia DeVaughn. When she went out of the game with the fifth foul early in the third quarter, I thought that was our chance to strike. Instead, Minnesota seized the reins. Sigh. Rage. Taj McWilliams-Franklin showed off an array of post moves that showed that Mama Taj still has it. She put on a show in the first quarter, and that spurt put the Liberty on their heels in a way that I don't know if they could recover from. Lindsay Whalen ran the show with aplomb and without much pizzazz, and early on I thought Leilani Mitchell's defense was bothering her. Obviously that stopped working after a while. Maya Moore is smooth, and pretty, and FOR THE LOVE OF GOD NICOLE KRISTEN POWELL STOP LEAVING HER OPEN IN THE CORNER. But for all that, I still think she has a ways to go to be the level of player in the WNBA that she was in the NCAA. She has a much more powerful build than is apparent from the way she plays, and she could be a lot more dangerous is if she's more willing to go further in and use those shoulders- it's nice that she can shoot from the outside, but she needs to be more physical in a productive manner. Please note that a productive manner is not shoving Essence Carson to the ground. Seimone Augustus's jumper is back. I'm scared. It's so pretty!

Fortunately, tonight Kara Braxton was not where lay-ups went to die. It was just where bad passes went to be further bobbled. She wasn't completely horrible, which is damning with faint praise but is one of the nicer things I may yet say about the Liberty in this game. Alex Montgomery, I do not know where your head was, but it was not in this game, and I'm not taking bets as to whether it was in the city of Newark. Fumbles, lousy positioning- her defense was better than her teammates', but that's not saying very much. Essence Carson couldn't find the basket- bad luck, for the most part, but at least she was trying. She always seems to show up late, which is a good thing in close games but a pointless one in blowouts. Quanitra Hollingsworth seemed like she wanted to continue her Roaring Rampage of Revenge, but mostly succeeded in picking up fouls and fumbling the ball. Her one field goal came on a very pretty reverse.

All credit and praise to Plenette Pierson. She showed up and showed out tonight. She was crashing the glass, she was driving the lane, she was putting up the shots, she was playing defense (for the most part). She demonstrated effort, which is the bare minimum I expect from my team. Kia Vaughn let the matchups get into her head a little bit- they were doubling and tripling her at times, and I don't think she was ready for the pressure. Sadly, the entire damn league knows she's not ready for the pressure, which is why they do it. Court awareness, Kia, get you some. I do hope her foot/ankle injury- whatever it was that caused her to go to the floor and then gently collapse into the cockroach-hit-by-Raid position- isn't serious and she feels better soon. Leilani Mitchell left her three-point shot in Minnesota, and the Lynx gladly adopted it and cherished it and called it George. The sad part is that she wasn't the biggest liability out there for the Liberty, despite being mostly a non-factor. That honor almost went to Nicole Powell, except that Nicole at least hit a couple of shots, even if she missed a couple of other easy ones and might as well have been on the moon defensively by leaving players open from the corner repeatedly. Honestly, Nicole, you went to Stanford. Remind me again what the definition of insanity is? Cappie Pondexter better have been playing hurt. Her ankle better be bothering her. Otherwise there is no excuse for that putrid performance she put up. No field goals? Yes, the assists are nice, but she repeatedly passed off good shots to give the ball to teammates who were out of position or double-teamed. It was clear that she did not want to shoot, and when she did start taking shots in the fourth quarter, that she couldn't shoot properly. It was painful to watch, and it can't have been fun to play on.

But the biggest liability in this game for New York was John Whisenant. Why keep running Powell out there when she can't keep up defensively? Why leave Pondexter in the game when she is obviously hurt? Why have either of them out there when it's a 20-point game and Charde Houston is coming in? Why DNP-CD Sydney Colson and Ta'Shia Phillips at that point? Why run injured players into the ground in a game that's long since been lost? Part of being a successful coach means adapting, and Whiz steadfastly refused to through this game. I don't think that's what lost us the game, but that's what gave us the margin. If one of your players has made a point of writing an article for the team web site about playing hurt and the perils of it, perhaps you should be more cognizant of what you're doing to your team, especially when your last two games are against conference opponents, and your most likely opponents in the playoffs. Deplorable game management and reprehensible player management.

Roy Gulbeyan and Maj Forsberg are names that make me go :-/ when I hear them, but the officiating wasn't as awful as I was expecting. The calls they missed were doozies- the repeatedly mentioned pushoff by Moore, Whalen grabbing Plenette's... uh, hips... and all but using her as a vaulting horse, that sort of thing. It was within the realm of error.

To the gentleman who persists in yelling “DEFENSE!” when the Liberty have the ball, and who does it at every game, please be aware that should you come visit section 9, you will not come to a good end. You are like unto a Summer's Eve.

Excellent shooting by the gentlemen playing Tic-Tac-Toe- that was one of the most compelling parts of the day. Nice racing strategy by the guy in the Carson jersey during the go-cart race- the guy in the Pondexter jersey thought he was being slick by going narrow on the turns, and the guy in the Carson jersey realized that he was going to stick and went around him like a slingshot. Of course someone in a Carson jersey is going to have a better grasp on strategy than someone in a Pondexter jersey!

The cluster didn't even end with the game! We tried to catch the Chicago-Indiana game at Brick City, across the street... but the bar across the street from the Pru doesn't have, or doesn't know about, NBA-TV. Fail. So it was a fair piece of fail all the way around.

August 30th, 2011: Chicago at New York

2011-08-30T20:42:00.000-07:00

Just the Facts, Ma'am: A pair of scintillating performances by Rutgers alumnae bookended the New York Liberty's 71-67 victory over the Chicago Sky. Kia Vaughn had 11 of her 15 points in the first quarter, while Essence Carson had 12 of her 14 in the fourth to fuel a fourteen-point comeback. Cappie Pondexter led the team with 19 points. For Chicago, Sylvia Fowles had 22 points and eight rebounds, but Epiphanny Prince was the only other Sky player to break double figures, with 15 off the bench.

For Monty Python references, shiny outfits, some unexpected swearing, and the banks of the old Raritan, join your intrepid and relieved blogger after the jump.

This team is going to kill me one of these days. And if they don't, these damn youth teams will. Look, would it be so hard to get your seats together and not near season ticket holders so you're not standing in our way and having conversations across us? You might not care about the game, but we do.

Our defense is keeping us in this game. That's the only explanation. We can't hit water falling out of a boat, which says something in New Jersey these days.

Kym is shiny tonight. “They said I'd have 45 seconds. /looks up at clock Yeah. Right.” /highlights play “Damn, I was slim back then!” (Yes. Yes, you were. And you were a brick house in more ways than one, bow-chicka-bow-bow.) She has a lot of thank-yous. I can't believe she got away with saying that the team doesn't make money. I think she managed to thank anyone who was any degree of separation from the team.

Seriously, though, if Tari Phillips doesn't get in, there are going to be torches and pitchforks, because I will be holding them.

I have no idea what part of their ass they pulled this out of, and I neither care or regret my use of such language. I think “pulled it out of our ass” is the most accurate possible assessment of this game, and in the interest of journalistic integrity, I have to use the most accurate assessment.

Oh. Coach Donovan was over here. She just passed through the Ice Lounge.

Lindsay Wisdom-Hylton appears to have fallen off the face of the earth. I'm surprised, because she's been an excellent hustle player for them. But maybe that's because Cathrine Kraayeveld is doing the thing where she gets the rebounds and sets the screens, even if they are not the Screens of Death I remember so fondly from when she wore a different shade of blue. She was really looking to get into it with Plenette Pierson at one point, which is an interesting experiment that would probably fail but would be fun to watch from a safe distance. Carolyn Swords was very big, and hey, she played Kara Braxton to a draw. For what that's worth. Has anyone explained the meaning of the phrase 'shot selection' to Epiphanny Prince? Because she appears to be under the impression that it means 'select every shot', and I don't know how far Chicago can get in future years with her throwing up everything that passes through her head. At best, they can be Atlanta, and she and Angel McCoughtry can take turns driving their fans insane. She really should not be taking more shots than Sylvia Fowles in fewer minutes. She took a lot of risks defensively, and sometimes they paid off and sometimes they didn't. Courtney Vandersloot showed some of her court vision and ball awareness, which was nice, and she looked like an average veteran out there, which is a good sign for a rookie. But I don't know if she's the kind of point guard who benefits from watching the flow of the game before getting into it, or if she's the kind of point guard who needs to be in the game to feel the flow of it.

Michelle Snow was a non-factor, except for bouts of defensive holding interspersed with kvetching. It's a shame, because I like when she does heinous things, because then I can drag out her full name from the depths of the WNBA Guide and Register for great mockery. Erin Thorn did her best to try and kill us again, but her teammates didn't get her the ball when she was open. Given that she was the biggest reason they won on Sunday, I'm really surprised by both the lack of adjustment by New York and the lack of awareness by the Sky. Tamera Young, I like your enthusiasm, but projectile should not be the word that comes to mind when I watch you on defense. At least she's gotten some of that horrible hitch out of her shot. It used to make me shudder. I don't know when Dominique Canty took up either masochism or drama lessons, but whichever it is, she needs to not demonstrate it on the floor. She had a couple of spectacular falls that I'm not sure were dives or not. But she's starting to look like a player who's been in the league since 1999. Which, more power to her, and there's something to be said for long runners, but she might need to hang it up soon. Oh, yes, and then there was Sylvia Fowles, Big Syl doing her thing in the middle. I think the thing that amazes me most about her is her vertical. It's really not fair. She's already six-six. What does she need with a vertical like that? She only really needs to get that much higher if she's facing Alison Bales or Liz Cambage! Feed the beast, Chicago. It's not rocket science.

I have no idea why Kara Braxton played so much. I didn't think Whiz was the kind of guy to get distracted by her huge... tracts of land. She hit one of her chippies, and we all reacted like she'd reenacted Spoon's Shot. Okay, maybe that's a bit of an exaggeration, but it was after she'd blown a couple of easy shots, done a ballerina impression (which is sure to raise the hackles of some old-school Liberty fans to whom the name Bethany is an expletive), and idly watched a ball trickle out of bounds. Kara, there are a thousand undersized post players out there who would happily perform some sort of macabre surgery to use that six-six body that you can't be bothered to keep in shape or use to its fullest potential; do you really want one of them figuring out how to take it? Quanitra Hollingsworth was shaky defensively- sometimes well-positioned, sometimes woefully out of place- and her shooting could use some work, but her rebounding was on point. Alex Montgomery had a better game than the box score would indicate; I thought she played good defense, and except for the one pass that was meant for Calvin Johnson instead of Plenette Pierson... and the shot clock violation she caused by passing off to Kia Vaughn with 2 on the clock... she didn't look horribly lost on offense- at least, no more than the rest of the team did. Every superhero needs her theme music, and Essence Carson's should be “Right on Time”. She was deathly quiet until the fourth quarter, and then it was like she looked at the scoreboard and the out-of-town scoreboard and said, “F*** this, we're not getting any help, we need to win this game.” So she started hitting shots and coming up with loose balls, steals, and rebounds. I think all her stats came in the fourth quarter, or if not all of them, most of them.

I think Nicole Powell's hurt, and I'm not just talking about that shot to the eye that gave her a passing resemblance to a younger Katie Douglas. She wasn't moving well during the game, and it seemed like every time she was coming out, she was having a compress put on her back. (Well, either that, or she was trying to combine cosplay with her uniform; bustles don't mix with sweatpants, Nicole.) Leilani Mitchell couldn't hit a shot, and she had a couple of good looks, but her hands were active on defense. I love a point guard with quick hands. Kia Vaughn started the game on fire- she had 11 of the Liberty's 20 first-quarter points- but after Whiz sat her down, she wasn't the same. She still played well. I don't know if it's a sign of good defense or bad defense, but you could see how hard she was working against Big Syl. It was almost stylized defense. Plenette Pierson was steady when she was in, except for one sequence when it looked like she was going to lose her temper in the third quarter. Whiz pulled her out, and I was worried that he'd left her out too long- maybe he'd misjudged, maybe he wasn't happy with her for some other reason- but things ended up working out for the best. Cappie Pondexter is going to get a lot of credit for this win, and she definitely did her part in the run- but putrid decision-making in the first half helped put the team in the hole in the first place. She was taking bad shots and forcing passes. It wasn't pretty.

Whiz, whatever you say to them in the locker room at halftime, don't say it. Just skip to whatever you say at the quarter break. And stop playing someone who's getting treatment after every appearance. Nicole wasn't doing anything out there, and playing her hurt couldn't possibly help.

It just goes to show that sometimes referees' reputations get ahead of them. When they announced the crew, I freaked out. Of course, part of that was because I misheard Tim Greene as Jim Breeding and nearly had a heart attack because that was the guy Lin Dunn almost hauled off and slugged one game. But Michael Price is a name that strikes fear into the heart of any well-read WNBA fan, and Felicia Grinter has a habit of following the other refs' lead. But the game was fairly well-called as these things go. Chicago had a strangely high number of continuations, but that's as much on the Liberty's stupidity in fouling jump shooters as it is the refs' loose definition of continuation. They let a lot of procedural stuff go, which I mostly didn't mind.

Can I just say that I hate when kids will scream and dance and shout for the camera's attention or for a t-shirt, but they look at you like you've got three heads when you're actually into the game?

Also, Pru Center: bigger signage to delineate section 8 versus section 9, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE. I am so tired of being an auxiliary usher, explaining to people that they are in fact in section 9, no, really trust me on this one, I have season tickets, even if you don't believe me THERE IS A SIGN ON THE SEAT NEXT TO YOU.

Shoutout to the free throw contest winner and her two hundred dollars. I love a clutch shooter who can hit the money ball.

I'm going to exhale very slowly, and then I'm going to devoutly hope that when I blink, the score still has the Liberty on top.

August 21st, 2011: Atlanta at Connecticut

2011-08-21T20:21:00.000-07:00

Just the Facts, Ma'am: The Atlanta Dream started off strong, but the Connecticut Sun surged back from a twelve-point deficit and fended Atlanta off all the way to earn a 96-87 win. Connecticut had five players in double figures, led by Renee Montgomery's 21 points and eight assists, and Asjha Jones's 18 points and 10 boards. Angel McCoughtry led all scorers with 22 points and added nine rebounds.

For ridiculous checking, style points, clashes of not titans, histrionics, high-strung people everywhere, and a much better game than these noodle implements would suggest, join your intrepid and unusually punctual blogger after the jump.
Good afternoon, everyone, and coming to you quasi-live from Geno's Fast Break, it's the Game Notes of Doom!

We just ran into the Atlanta Dream coming from the hotel. Looked up from cashing out what was left of our stake, and there were a whole bunch of tall people in powder blue coming towards us. Not the first time I've seen it- it was much more unexpected at MSG all those years ago- but I find that to be one of Atlanta's more interesting quirks.

I do love Mohegan Sun's wi-fi. This is a good idea, Prudential Center, and you should follow it. I shouldn't have to ask for the press password.

I'm trying an experiment today- not wearing any Lib gear. I want to see if I'm treated less antagonistically if I'm neutral. So I'm currently wearing an extremely nerdy t-shirt from the Museum of Science and Industry, and if people treat me like crap I will assume that they're Trekkies.

Well, there was some slight antagonism from the bag check guy (no, sir, I do not think I am going to check my clipboard, given that half the reason I brought it was so that I could put small things into it), but I was also less willing to fight their stupid rule about no laptops unless you're media. So I'll call it a wash.

Great anthem, though I think the singer could have used a little less Loreena McKennitt in her library.

I think the women in front of us didn't like our commentary. They moved after halftime. Hey, ladies, we were cheering for your team. Of course, we were doing so because it was in the best interest of our team, but does that really matter? We were calling out McCoughtry's shenanigans and the refs' inability to count how long deSouza spent in the lane.

I'm starting to wonder about Coco Miller. She seems to enjoy hitting and being hit. Which, hey, whatever floats one's boat. That's really all I remember her for. Alison Bales brought a pretty little jump shot and her 6-7 frame along for the ride. Courtney Paris... um, she's really nice, and doesn't bat an eyelash at strange behavior, but she's as slow as molasses, and the only use she has is to fill space. Iziane Castro Marques is either hurt or has greatly angered the Meadors, because she only played at the end of the game, odd for someone who was starting early on. Sandora Irvin... is Sandora Irvin. Her only contribution to the box was a foul.

Angel, shut up. Sorry, reflex. McCoughtry spent most of the game diving, simulating, whining, taking shots, taking cheap shots, and arguing with anyone within audio range- including Marynell Meadors at one point... while Atlanta was on offense. She took the entire play off to have it out with her coach. Something tells me this relationship isn't much longer for the world. Érika deSouza spent a lot of time in the lane- no, seriously, a lot of time, and she was overpowering on the offensive boards. I love her awareness of her teammates' inability to hit jump shots and free throws. I'm a fan of Sancho Lyttle finding her offense, but inside the paint, not beyond the arc. She's aware that those shots were pretty much luck, right? That she's at her best when she's out-pacing slower forwards and cutting to the hoop? Or hitting the midrange J? Not the long-range one? Lindsey Harding didn't seem to be as much of a factor in this game as the box score suggests- well, in the first half, she was, but they seemed to have gone away from having her run the show in the second half. Of course, by then, they had given up the pretense of an organized anything. I love what Armintie Price brings to the floor: springs-in-her-heels, jump through the roof athleticism, a willingness to try and make big places, acrobatic ability that's like something out of an NBA highlight reel, tough defense. I hate what Armintie Price brings to the floor: the inability to hit a simple lay-up, the gambling on defense that leaves a man open.

Marynell. I say this as a fan of the game, a fan of the old school, and a dressmaker's daughter. Whoever is telling you that those jackets look good on you is lying to you. The cut makes you look like a chicken. Please have Carol Ross take you shopping unless she's the one telling you about the jackets.

Jessica Breland sighting! She totally should have gotten free throws! People need to make it less of a deal that Kara Lawson's not starting, because she's playing the minutes when they count, except when she's getting punched in the stomach. She hit the big shots and kept a steady hand on the offense when they needed to slow things up. Jessica Moore gave solid minutes, giving Jones and Charles rest when the biiiiig posts came in for Atlanta. She had her share of stupid mistakes, but that's why she's on her fourth team. (Well, that, and one of them sort of doesn't exist anymore. Damn you, Robert Johnson! Damn you to hell! You blew it all up!) Tan White's shot is back! And so is her sense of timing! I was very surprised there wasn't at least one “Tan White!” thread over on Rebkell's, for some of her acrobatic plays. Allison Hightower, no matter how good she is defensively, is a wee bit out of her league when it comes to guarding Angel McCoughtry one on one. Just saying. Kelsey Griffin has fallen off the face of the earth. Shouldn't she have hit the rookie wall last year?

Renee Montgomery looked like a woman who wanted to prove herself to her coach. She hit the big shots, she played the defense, she found the open players. Kalana Greene had a bit more luck guarding McCoughtry than Hightower did, but I suppose she has more experience at it. She really needs to pick up a bit of shot selection, though. Asjha Jones more than made up for her 9-24 game against New York. Lyttle and deSouza were more worried about Charles, and she found her spots. Tina Charles did her work, and a lot of her damage, on the offensive glass. It's nice to see a young player with that kind of nose for the offensive glass. That's something that usually needs more time to develop. She's going to be unbelievable when she really hits her prime. I have nothing to say about Danielle McCray, because she did nothing worth talking about.

Mike Thibault spent a lot of time hot under the collar. At one point, after Lawson got hit and was clutching her stomach with no call, we think he might have directly called out Meadors.

The officials let things get out of hand in the second quarter, but they were able to more or less get it all back under control in the third before things got chippy again in the fourth. For some reason, I get the idea that these two teams don't like each other. McCoughtry was flirting with a technical- Lamont Simpson warned her a couple of times, it looked like. There was a lot of dramatic begging for calls from refs from both sides. Build a bridge and get over it, kids, the officials in this league are kind of legendary. At least Penny Davis's only problem is that she blows late whistles, but she makes the right call.

The game for the autograph section was a large round of musical chairs. I think they might want to invest in sturdier chairs- the person who won did so by stealing the chair out from under the other player! Fun concept, though.

Your noms tip of the day: do not order pizza with a topping at Geno's, because they charge full pie price for two slices. The pepperoni ain't that good. Stick to the Kara Wolters or the two slices plain.

Shoutout to the six bucks I went up on Little Green Men before playing it back down to a buck-fifty in profit. Also, in case we don't have the opportunity to go up for playoff games, shoutout to Golden Global, the official Connecticut travel provider of the Game Notes of Doom- prompt service, fair treatment, reasonable prices, and dinner! What's not to like?

I sort of hope this is the last time Connecticut wins while I'm there, because, well, the next time I come up isn't going to be on a Chinatown bus, and it's going to be via Foxwoods.

August 18th, 2011: Connecticut at New York

2011-08-18T20:58:00.000-07:00

Just the Facts, Ma'am: The New York Liberty stormed back from a 19-point deficit to take a three-point lead in the last minute and held on in overtime, 84-81, to beat the Connecticut Sun. Cappie Pondexter had 27 points for the Liberty, while Essence Carson had 19 and Kia Vaughn had 17 points and 11 rebounds. Connecticut's Tina Charles led all players with 29 points and 14 rebounds.

For a studied lack of swearing, bobble-goggles, the Usual Suspects, and illegal drugs, join your intrepid and maybe amusing blogger after the jump.

Stupid bus. Stupid dress code. Stupid evil HR woman. The only reason I saw intros was because I was sitting with my mother for part of the first quarter, before realizing that I missed my regulars in section 9 and heading back across the way.

It's 40-39 Connecticut here at halftime, and our court has been taken over by a large group of dancers who are not completely awful. We've gotten lucky on leaving McCray and Montgomery open for threes that they've missed, but it's also burned us. We're not hustling after loose balls and we're not rebounding, and for some reason Nicole Powell is sitting out. (I toldyou she was hurt last game, Whiz. I know what I'm talking about sometimes.)

The crowd is sparse and dead. I'm getting really tired of people turning around to stare at me when I start chanting DE-FENSE.

This “Remember When” is making me miss Loree and Ashley.

Third quarter interlude: whatever John Whisenant is saying in the locker room at halftime, he needs to stop saying. I've fled to the Ice Lounge to recharge my laptop and keep from swearing at everyone and anyone in sight. Scott Twadorski is acting like Essence Carson personally told him he couldn't have one of her bobble-heads- she's taken three hits to the floor and gotten no calls in her favor- gotten called for the foul on one of them, even.

And apparently whatever was said at the quarter break needs to be said a lot more often. What a comeback! What a defensive stand! What an amazing cluster of officiating incompetency in the last few seconds of overtime!

Tan White showed a distressing tendency to go for a player's injured body parts in the fourth quarter- I'm pretty sure she got in a cheap shot on Plenette Pierson that caused Plenette to hit the deck for the second time. I like her fire, but sometimes it's much of a muchness. There were brief Alison Hightower sightings. I don't remember whether they were relevant to the flow of the game or not. Kelsey Griffin was brought in mostly for defensive purposes, which seemed uncharacteristic. I think the bulk of her minutes were while I was hiding in the lounge, recharging my computer and swearing at our inability to get a rebound. Kara Lawson brought the big offense off the bench.

Tina Charles is a beast, and I have the sudden urge to go strangle Carol Blazejowski. I've missed that feeling. It's been months since I've had it, but watching Charles disassemble our front line reminded me that we could have had her if we didn't trade our first-round draft pick for a player who Los Angeles probably would have had to cut anyway. But I'm bitter, and digressing. Asjha Jones went quietly about her business, scoring with occasional bouts of violence. She's a great complement to Charles, though I wouldn't necessarily call it a Batman-and-Robin relationship. Maybe more Iron Man and Rhodey. Renee Montgomery took a lot of shots, some of which she had no business taking and some of which she had no business hitting. I didn't appreciate some of her theatrics, though. That went double for Kalana Greene, whose blatant dive could have given the Sun the game if they had been able to convert on the possession. She showed an old knack for being in the right place much of the time. Danielle McCray was a threat early, and showed some nice play-making abilities, but didn't seem to be in as much down the stretch.

Someone is going to end up hitting Kara Braxton upside the head by the end of the season. Yes, yes, I know, I know, this is nothing new and nothing to be surprised at, and anyone who's ever seen her play and knows anything about the league knows how inconsistent and lazy she can be. However, she's never done it in New York, and even in New Jersey, we're not exactly gentle. She keeps blowing lay-ups and committing stupid fouls, she's going to hear it from the fans. That all being said, I liked her as a defensive presence tonight. She's good at filling space, even if she's not always sure where that space is supposed to be. She's not afraid to play big, which is rather useful for a post. Sydney Colson had a brief cameo and did not do anything that I recall. Ta'Shia Phillips is not as quick as her teammates think she is. Alex Montgomery saw a lot of time because of our short bench (Nicole Powell was out with what texting and Twittering informed me was a bruised knee) and while she's a nice piece to have, I don't know if she's ready to play high rotation minutes yet. She looked like she was in over her head.

I don't like Cappie Pondexter. Never really have, probably never really will. We all know this and have incorporated the existence of this bias into our readings of my blog, right? However, if she continues to make the laws of physics go away so she can hit big shots, and if she continues to win us games by dint of sheer effort... that's what we brought her in for, and I can respect her talent and appreciate her work. No, seriously, the three that gave the Liberty the lead near the end of the fourth quarter was something out of the Matrix. Whoa. Leilani Mitchell's three-point shot is starting to wander back to her, a message of which I heartily approve. However, her teammates appear to be taking sadistic pleasure in throwing passes that she has to leap to catch in the corner. Guys, there's a reason we call her the fluffy little bunny. Plenette Pierson took a beating late in the game, but she put in work- she was at least following shots, unlike some people I could name. She needs to realize that not all chicks dig the long ball, though. Go towards the hole. Kia Vaughn put in work on the offensive boards. I don't know why she spent so much time sitting in the fourth quarter, unless Whiz was that certain that we were going to need her in overtime... of course, possibly putting her in a little earlier might have meant that we didn't need to take it to overtime, but I'm willing to grant that he's a championship-winning coach and I'm an amateur raconteur in section 9. Essence Carson stepped up bigtime for Nicole- she hit the big shots, she made the spectacular interceptions, she took the hits, she got the final steal.

So much offense from Rutgers players. Somewhere, C. Vivian Stringer is clutching her pearls and wondering where she went wrong.

FOLLOW YOUR SHOTS. If there is one thing I would be screaming at them right now, that would be it. I can't count the number of times that Kara, or Kia, or Cappie, stood and watched a shot that had no chance of going in. FOLLOW YOUR SHOTS. Follow ALL the shots. And chase the loose balls. You can't give a Thibault team extra possessions. You can't give Kara Lawson extra possessions.

These refs. My goodness. My section was overreacting to every call by the end of the game (yes, Plenette, if you stick your foot out and someone stumbles over it, that's a trip; yes, Kia, if you bang your hip into someone it is a foul), but there were some horrible, reprehensible calls. Essence got banged around repeatedly with no call. Plenette took shot after shot with no call. I wasn't the only one questioning the officiating, either; one gentleman on the train remarked that he thought #8 was high; the frightening part was that I thought Humphrey was the best of the lot.

The reviews at the end of the game were enough to drive a woman batty. About the first call, it looked like it went off Tan White, but I'm not completely certain. I don't think there was enough evidence to overrule, but I won't argue too much. And I certainly agree on the second review that Plenette Pierson was clearly out of bounds with the ball. I do, however, think it is germane to the matter that the cause of Plenette being out of bounds was Asjha Jones's arms around her waist, pulling her down in a fair impression of Michael Strahan dealing with an opposing quarterback not named Brett Favre. And by the third review, there was much swearing about the land; sure, Essence can't get a call all night and they finally decide to call a foul for her as the horn sounds and we're all thinking, “Great, we can go home!” Which would be less hair-tearing-out-of if this hadn't been exactly how the Washington game ended TWO BLEEPING DAYS AGO, with the same margin and the same result.

There is what I hope is an unfounded rumor going around about a season subscriber renewal gift being a Pondexter throwback jersey. I don't think I have to tell you why I would start seeing blood at the sight of a black #23 jersey with a name other than Wicks on it. If it weren't for the commute, I'd have been tempted to renew just to set the thing on fire.

I have mentioned I don't like Cappie, right? And that Sue is one of my all-time favorites?

Protip, Port Authority and folks at Newark-Penn Station: do not start pulling a PATH train out of the station, stop it, and hold it for five minutes after a game that went into overtime and was rife with reviews. You will be snarked.

I'm very tired, but I'm glad to be home with the win. Now it's time for ADVENTURE! Go Liberty! Get well soon, Quanitra and Nicole!

August 16th, 2011: Washington at New York

2011-08-16T21:13:00.000-07:00

Just the Facts, Ma'am: Cappie Pondexter's 26 points, including the lay-up that gave her team the lead, led the New York Liberty to a 69-66 victory over the Washington Mystics. New York led by as much as 16 in the game. For Washington, Crystal Langhorne had 25 points and six rebounds.

For tackling, pushing, shoving, glassware, point guards, shenanigans, and things we'd like to never see again, join your intrepid and absent-minded blogger after... oooh, shiny object!

There are words I can use to describe this game accurately and succinctly. Unfortunately, none of them are suitable for the family audience that Swish Appeal is looking for, so I have to find paragraphs and not be succinct. But what else have you come to expect from your intrepid blogger? Surely not brevity!

You're not going to get any cool pregame shenanigans, other than my joy at discovering that with all connections coming through loud and clear, I can make it to my seats at about ten to seven. Of course, that's with minimal delays on a bus and three different trains run by two different transit authorities- and with me cheating out of work three minutes early to catch the early bus. These results are about as normal as Nakia Sanford hitting a three.

I like that the Liberty have upped the number of giveaways available to season subscribers. I like seeing loyalty rewarded. I also love Liberty glassware- it goes with the rest of the house. (And thanks to Melissa for letting me pick up my mom's, too. I'm giving it to her at Thursday's game. She was under the weather. {Well, so am I, but priorities. If I can go to work, I can make the game.})

Lacey really tightened up her rotation. Not that it had much room to be tightened, but Dunlap didn't play and Kerri Gardin only had a couple of sequences. Gardin was mostly matched up with Kara Braxton in Braxton's original role as first post off the bench; Lacey abandoned that matchup when the situation changed. Jasmine Thomas saw a lot of time down the stretch, and while her three-point shot was falling, she wasn't an asset to the rest of the offense, or primarily to the defense. I'm really not sure whether Lacey's doing this to temper her for the future or simply because she's an idiot. On the one hand, if you're playing for the future, and you don't care if you're winning games now, it's a good idea to get your rookie some crunch-time reps. On the other hand, since losing games now gains you nothing except the undying gratitude of the Minnesota Lynx, you might as well try to win now. On the other hand, you'd have to run the table to reach .500, so what does winning games get you other than pride? On the other hand, where did all those hands come from? As for DeMya Walker, she looked slightly less washed up than she did against Connecticut, but she was up to her old tricks: the Sacramento step-through, the traveling, the flopping, and the theatrics. She's pretty much been the same for 11 years. If you're reading this blog, you know DeMya Walker's game.

Nicky Anosike doesn't seem to like us for some reason. I can't possibly imagine why. It's not like she has any past history with any of our players or anything. In any case, she kept making with the grabby hands, and occasionally she even got called for it. Matee Ajavon was her usual ballhogging self. I really only wanted to strangle her once, when she hit the three to give Washington the lead. Well, no, I wanted to strangle her on the flop on the Mystics' first possession, too. Kelly Miller was fairly steady- wasn't awful, wasn't great, and was certainly better than Jasmine Thomas. Marissa Coleman played decent defense, was at least a threat (even if an empty one) from the perimeter, and did a nice job boxing out. But honestly, Crystal Langhorne needs to slap them all upside the head and ask them when she's going to get some help, because she can't do it alone. What amazes me about the way she does it is that she's as glamorous as an R train doing it; she doesn't go on runs and make you whistle in awe. She just keeps going and suddenly she has 25 points.

No, seriously, this exchange occurred with one of my neighbors.

“Who's #1 for Washington?”

“Crystal Langhorne.”

“She has 21 points,” said in a tone of stunned awe.

Kara Braxton, we need to have a long talk. No, not about those, though I'm fairly certain they should be be credited with a block (and if they're not, Thomas should be). I'm talking about your inability to hit a lay-up, despite being the tallest person on the floor. I'm talking about your inability to look over a defense, despite being the tallest person on the floor. I'm talking about your inability to hold on to the damn ball. Honestly, she'd be close to a double-double if she could just get it together. And we needed her to step up- at least she did on defense in the crunch, when we needed her to be a big presence in the middle so the Mystics couldn't steal the game. Now, if she could just hit a damn basket... ahem, moving right along. Ta'Shia Phillips saw one extended run, did not do anything of note, and disappeared off the face of the earth thereafter. Alex Montgomery played excellent defense and lousy offense. Team ACC really brings out Alexandria's Georgia Tech tendencies, doesn't it? Essence Carson played decently, though you'd think she'd know Ajavon's tendencies by now. I mean, it's not like they're from the same draft class, or played four years at the same school, or anything like that.

Cappie Pondexter stole this game for us with shots that flat-out defied the laws of physics, but I still can't get past her forgetting which basket we were at to start the game, which led to us committing an over-and-back violation on the first possession of the game. Why, yes, I did yell “Partial qualifier!” at that play. Some things you just have to heckle, no matter whether they're your team or not. Kia Vaughn must be kicking puppies in her spare time (has anyone heard from @KV15NYCsToes, anyway?) to have earned the foul calls she got. The sixth foul was a legit call. The three before it, I'm not so sure about. She started off well, and then got derailed. Plenette Pierson was on fire in the first quarter, then let it get to her head. And then she got hot again, so it was okay. She brought a little bit of a nasty edge that we needed, given the nastiness that Walker and Anosike were dishing out. A hip check from Anosike did something to Nicole Powell's leg- she was moving gingerly after she took the hit, and sat out a long stretch of the second half- but she wasn't exactly making herself useful before that, either. I don't know how she wangled all the assists. Leilani Mitchell played better than the box would suggest, but I can't put my finger on it. Maybe she's healed up a bit and that's what I'm seeing.

You would have gotten halftime notes, but your intrepid blogger needs to eat, so your halftime notes are as follows: the chicken tenders at the Prudential Center are excellent, but the fries they come with are beyond awful. The ratio is unfortunately tilted towards fries, as well. These have been your halftime notes.

The child in the Essence Carson gear during the dress and dribble should have taken her shooting tips from Essence, not Plenette. That baby hook doesn't work for Plenette, it's not going to work for an itty-bitty.

Dear Prudential Center, please please please clarify the signage for your sections. I'm really tired of telling people, “No, this is section 9, section 8 is on the other side of the aisle, now please get out of my seats, yes, really, I know where I sit, I have season tickets, SECTION 8 IS OVER THERE.”

If Sue Wicks's hair gets any darker, I'm going to have to stop differentiating the Sues by hair color and start calling Bird the short one. (These are the perils of being friends with UConn fans; we mean different people when we squee about Sue.)

These refs. My goodness. I'll grant to the Mystics fans that the three calls at the end of the game favored the Liberty (though I think we would all have preferred if they'd waved off the last foul on Coleman). However, there was a fair amount of contact by the Mystics that wasn't called (I'm looking at you, DeMya- nice job flat out shoving Kia to the ground there) and some ticky-tack stuff that was called on the Libs that seemed to be missed at Washington's end (travel upon travel). We were fairly apoplectic by the middle of the third quarter. I'm also curious to know how holding a ball between one's legs counts as a kicked ball (while it might be a violation, I don't think Roy Gulbeyan asked the ball to point on the dolly where the bad woman touched it). Between the hair and the questionable calls, I was starting to wonder if Angelica Suffren was related to Trudi Lacey.

Screw up this badly at Carnesecca Arena. I dare you. Because you will hear me, and you will have no grounds to have me ejected, because I can let you know what you messed up without resorting to profanity or coarse language.

There was a quite a contingent from St. John's around- our point guard and what appeared to be her whole family. (I think I scared her. She changed sections at the half. Damn it, Nadirah, you knew about us before this.)

If you were in section 9, and you know who the very tall young woman was who swung by to say hi to someone at the start of the fourth quarter, please let me know, because I felt like I should have recognized a well-built 6'3” or so young woman.

There were autographs of some kind after the game, and someone who was there can tell me who was signing, because I was too busy tracking down my umbrella and trying to get home, because it's a long haul from Newark to Queens.

After you read these notes, forget this game ever happened. You'll be saner for it.

August 13th, 2011: Washington at Connecticut

2011-08-14T00:25:00.000-07:00

Just the Facts, Ma'am: The Connecticut Sun pulled away late in a tight game to beat the Washington Mystics 82-75. Tina Charles and Renee Montgomery each had 16 points to lead the Sun, while Washington's Crystal Langhorne had 17.

For vendettas, incompetence, and a lot of people who have some explaining to do, join your intrepid and congested blogger after the jump.
Okay, Mohegan Sun. The gauntlet is down. The gloves are off. And you are really going to thank your lucky stars I didn't get the names of the security people working the Sky Entrance at this game.

If you are going to have a policy that states that laptop computers are not allowed at games, you damn well better put it in writing. And when someone presents you with a list of your own policies, including prohibited items, your response should not be, “Where did you get this?” in a tone that suggests that you think the answer is “Microsoft FrontPage” or “my imagination”. I did my best to be polite, and I was treated as if I had attempted to smuggle in knives and nuclear fuel. After showing them the list of their own policies, security decided to be obnoxiously perfectionist, up to and including searching a purse approximately the size of an iPod Classic. And really, I didn't need the escort to bag check.

Oh, and thanks to the carelessness of their bag check people, my new headphones are missing. Not that I'm accusing them of anything but incompetence...

Okay, you want actual game notes, right? Not me kvetching about people who (judging from this runny nose) are going to be suffering bronchial karma in about four days?

The anthem was amazing, other than the vocalizes at the very beginning.

It looks like Connecticut is getting rid of their stash of Orender-signed balls by giving them away in the ball exchange. Quite clever of them.

Victoria Dunlap doesn't look ready for prime time yet. We'll see if that comes with time, or if she's just a talented tweener who doesn't have a position in the league. Of course, we might also see if young players escaping Washington have a chance to make something of themselves the way young players escaping Charlotte once did. Jasmine Thomas is a better defensive player than offensive player right now, but that's damning with faint praise. She hasn't learned how not to telegraph everything she's doing- and I mean everything. She's faster than greased lightning, but that doesn't help much when the savvy veteran in front of her knows what she's going to do before she starts doing it. And she needs to understand that that finger roll isn't going to go in all the time. The glass is rarely so kind. Kerri Gardin played defense and not much else. DeMya Walker played heavy minutes, and when she was able to get a shot up, it was a good shot- but she was painfully, ploddingly slow coming up the floor, and she dropped a couple of easy to catch passes.

Kelly Miller looked about ready to strangle her teammates for most of the game, and that's the kind of emotion I don't expect to see from her. Tears of frustration, yes. Homicidal urges, not so much. (Tackles worthy of the Washington Redskins, not so much but I'm getting used to seeing those from her.) Nicky Anosike was not really a factor- her defense was irrelevant and she wasn't able to look for her offense. Crystal Langhorne went about her business, but some oddities with the foul count had her out for a key portion of the second half. She does have a way of getting things done that's quite impressive, though. Matee Ajavon... she's never seen a shot she doesn't like and she likes to get fancy with her dribbling, and I don't think that's changed since she wore #22 red for Rutgers. Marissa Coleman's shooting early kept the Mystics in the game, and she hit the boards hard, but she went cold in the second half.

Washington flat-out fell apart in the last few minutes of the fourth quarter. It was like they realized they had a chance to win the game and that was simply unacceptable. Their shot selection went out the window, they missed open plays, they tried to commit stupid fouls, they did commit stupid fouls, Lacey's rotations were jacked up... no one knew what they were doing out there, and it made me sad.

Allison Hightower sighting! Jessica Moore sighting! Not that they were all that crucial to the game, but they did get into the game. I rather thought putting Hightower on Gardin was a waste of a defender, but I'm not Mike Thibault. I have far too much hair for that. Tan White did a nice job on loose balls and long rebounds, though I had no idea just how ubiquitous she was until I looked at the box score. Kara Lawson brought the offense at crunch time. Kelsey Griffin was not memorable, except for the duct tape on her elbow sleeve. Seriously, what gives with the tape?

Danielle McCray set the tone in the first quarter, hitting almost everything she looked at and forcing Washington to respect the perimeter- which meant that there was room for Asjha Jones and Tina Charles to operate. They took some contested shots, and the percentages weren't great- but they had lots and lots of opportunities. There was a lot of volleyballing going on with rebounds. Renee Montgomery tried to throw a lot of crap at the basket to see if she could get a call, and it didn't really work.

Connecticut did a nice job capitalizing on Washington's mistakes and errors in judgment. Getting to the line a lot certainly helped, too.

The foul differential is nuts, but it's pretty well warranted. Washington does a lot of dumb things. So do the Mystics. *rimshot* There was the usual amount of no-calls and things that make you go hmmm, but it seemed fairly even-handed. So Connecticut fans really needed to stop booing the calls.

I just get the feeling that Washington is being hamstrung by their coaching. Someone's not paying attention on the bench. Maybe it's the players, maybe it's the coach, but simple and basic things are being missed.

August 9th, 2011: Seattle at New York

2011-08-10T10:49:00.003-07:00

Just the Facts, Ma'am: Cappie Pondexter's 19 points led all scorers in the New York Liberty's 58-56 win over the Seattle Storm. Sue Bird led Seattle with 17 points, 12 in the first half.

For pink, lost signs, training, more pink, temporal anomalies, missed connections, and protestations of innocence, join your intrepid and easily distracted blogger after the jump.
I'm a little worried about this three-point halftime lead. We've given Seattle too many chances and developed too much of a habit of leaving Sue Bird open. You cannot leave Sue Bird open. I didn't think it was rocket science, but apparently it is. Seriously, guys, rebound the ball. Just because your jerseys are pretty doesn't mean you should stand around and be decorative.

Also, Tanisha Wright? Kia Vaughn will probably splatter you across the court the next time you go knee-to-knee on anyone, especially Cappie Pondexter.

Rebecca Lobo didn't speak a lot, though she did say that now her kids have proof that she played in the WNBA. I have to say, she looks damn good, all things considered. (She appreciated my jersey for some reason. I can't imagine why. ;) I didn't have the heart to tell her that VJ and Sue were my favorites, or that I voted for Tari.)

Seattle has their players well-trained. You don't even have to ask for an autograph; if they see you, they'll come over. I'm not sure if it's because they're such a veteran team, or because they have such a veteran coaching staff with experience in the earliest days of both the WNBA (Darsch with the Liberty, Boucek with the Rockers) and the ABL (Agler with the Quest). Though Allie Quigley also mentioned that she got yelled at for missing someone once, so maybe they also have especially intense training.

I thought we saw a lot of the deep Seattle bench in the first half and never again, but I hallucinated Belinda Snell. Ewelina Kobryn had a little bit of physical presence, but looked lost on the floor. This is what happens when you don't give your reserves real playing time, Coach Agler. Le'Coe Willingham got the bulk of the minutes off the bench for Seattle, and used her lower body effectively inside. She's got a deceptively quick first step for a woman of her size. Katie Smith got the bulk of the rest of the minutes, and I don't care how old she is, you don't leave Katherine May Smith open for a jump shot. She's been hitting those since the Paleozoic Era, you might want to guard her. She also got into it a little bit with Plenette Pierson; between one thing and another, and one player and another, it got awfully Detroit Shock out there at times.

(Please note: Paleozoic Era is a slight exaggeration.)

Foul trouble kept Camille Little and her tush from being a major factor. She got around us a couple of times, but I think our height bothered her. And while the topic of guarding people who are good at hitting jump shots is in the general vicinity of discussion, who in their right mind leaves Sue Bird open? Don't you know what her nickname is? Don't you know what she does to Dick Fain's pants? (Oh, God, that did not come out right, but if you heard his call of Seattle and Connecticut...) This goes double for point guards who grew up in Washington State during Bird's career, Leilani Mitchell. And for Big East players who might have heard of this UConn chick, Essence Carson and Cappie Pondexter. I was surprised she was looking for her offense as much as she was, but I guess that had to do with taking what the defense gives her. It also didn't help that Tanisha Wright had it in her head to go after Pondexter instead of the basket. Seriously, I have no idea when their paths crossed, or whether Cappie has made a practice of kicking Nittany Lion cubs in her spare time, or what happened there, but Wright spent a lot of time throwing shoulders at Pondexter. When she went knee-to-knee with her in the first half, I thought someone was going to splatter her across the stanchion, because that's dirty. It's not a good idea to do crossovers in front of her, though. Swin Cash hit a couple of big shots and got in on the boards, but also spent a lot of time whining about calls. It's not an attractive look for you, Swin. Ashley Robinson's height was a defensive factor, but it didn't feel like she was using it as effectively as she could have. I'm not feeling the hair, either. Sorry, Ashley.

Someone please get Kara Braxton a decent sports bra. Please. I cannot take a month of her running up and down the floor with those things flying loose. Part of Breast Health Awareness should be awareness of how to keep them from bruising oneself or other people. Save the ta-tas, my fellow fans. Save the ta-tas.

Okay, I'm sorry, substantive game analysis will now resume. I should have known better than to believe Whiz when he said Kara wouldn't play tonight. She played, and she played extensively, though there might have been other factors at play. She looked as lost as one would expect of a player who had only shown up the other day. (Plans that will not end well: over-the-top, high passes to Leilani Mitchell. Leilani hops pretty good, but Liz Cambage might have had a spot of trouble corralling that thing.) She needs to be more aggressive on defense, more assertive on offense, and more aware of what's going on. Many things are possible, and I'm hoping one of them is Kara settling in. Quanitra Hollingsworth was shackled by some of the physical play in the post, but she came up with a couple of big plays. Essence Carson's offense was AWOL, but all things considered (all things translating to “that stuff of Sue Bird to save the game”) I think I can live with that. Alex Montgomery hit a couple of shots ,but was otherwise a non-factor.

This was one of those games where Cappie Pondexter did what she gets paid to do- she did just enough to help us win the game. It wasn't spectacular, and it wasn't pretty, and it wasn't a great VGM line, and the free throw shooting was embarrassing, but she did what she had to do, and it was enough. Leilani Mitchell had a small flurry of offense, and kept a steady hand on the distribution, but she was getting eaten alive on defense and wasn't able to rotate properly. Plenette Pierson was getting clobbered out there, and she couldn't get a call for anything short of being strangled. I consider it a minor miracle she was able to come close to a double-double. That might have been why she was backing off a little bit on defense, too. No, seriously, Willingham all but used her as a vaulting horse on one play with no call. Kia Vaughn must have gotten hurt or something, because while she wasn't all that effective (ahem, Kia, you are not Nicky Anosike, do not cheat out on Sue Bird on the perimeter), I'd rather have her in the game down the stretch than Kara when Kara doesn't know the plays and has a tendency to throw really dumb passes. The fact that Kara was in the game late, when we needed a big body, makes me think something happened to Kia. Nicole Powell wasn't much of a factor, and if she was, it wasn't in a good way. She looked frustrated for most of the night.

Hit your free throws, New York. This game would have been a lot easier to win if you weren't going 1-2 all of the time.

It was a very physical game- it got pretty Detroit out there, and not just because of all the Shock players. It felt like Seattle was given every chance to win the game in the last seconds, with some dicey out-of-bounds calls and oddities with the clock, plus it took Plenette all but getting strangled for her to get a call in her favor. Horse-collar tackles are not legal in basketball, Felicia Grinter. Other than those two trends, the officials weren't too bad.

Storm fans showed out, and only a couple of them in Bird gear. I appreciate that aspect of Storm fandom, which is why one lucky fan got the Wheaties box I'd brought with me. (The box was either going to get given to a Seattle fan or signed and used as a gift box. I have others at home, so I wasn't keeping it.) However, someone woefully misinformed the fans with the large Tanisha Wright sign regarding the location of the visiting bench; it's sort of tacky to wave large signs cheering the road team in front of the home bench.

We had pretty good music, what with the operatic anthem and the kid violinists who performed at one of the quarter breaks. I approve this message.

Some crazy woman bid up the “honorary coach for a day” package to $2000. This after they couldn't budge the Chicago road trip package past the opening bid of $800.

(A moment here to give the Mystics their due: they have traditionally done the best BHA auctions, as chronicled by the DC Basketcases, with a lot of action and the players getting very involved to ratchet up the bidding. I always enjoy reading those accounts.)

Ring of Honor nights bring out the best jerseys. Do you know how rare a 2006 Sherill Baker jersey is? Or the 2000/2001/2002 home whites? (Of course, you have to imagine me telling everyone, “This is not my fault! I voted for Tari!” when I get looks at my Lobo jersey.) Sigh. I miss the black-era jerseys.

My throat still hurts a little, but not as much as you might think. I spent two and a half years in improv theater, where I learned breathing exercises and how to project. I don't know if that's what Mr. Solkoff had in mind. “Take a deep breath, in through your nose... now let it out on a DE-FENSE! sound.” Despite the fact that it was an out-of-conference game, this was one of the more important games of the season for us so far, and the fact that we pulled it out says a lot about us.

July 31st, 2011: Atlanta at Connecticut

2011-08-01T05:57:00.000-07:00

Just the Facts, Ma'am: 36 points from Angel McCoughtry wasn't enough for the Atlanta Dream, as the Connecticut Sun put up 33 points in the fourth quarter for a 99-92 comeback win. Renee Montgomery led four Connecticut players in double figures with 19 points.

For delicious and not so delicious food, rules lawyering, incense and peppermints, and Renee Montgomery doing amazing things, join your intrepid and sneaky blogger after the jump.
Good evening, everyone, from beautiful, lilac and urine-scented southbound I-395! If you're wondering why your welcome isn't coming from Mohegan Sun, well, their security is awfully inconsistent. Three games in June, I brought this bag and this computer and went through security without a problem. I even used it in the stands during the Tulsa game, because I remember Tweeting in rage when Cambage went down. Today, they decided that it was prohibited. I just went on the site, and nothing is said about laptops. Ruthie? Jay? Please feel free to contact me and explain the rationale behind making me check my belongings. Thank you.

Anyway, moving on from personal vendettas and crankiness. For a little positivity, major props to the pickup game going on by the bus pickup in Flushing. It might not have been West 4th level, but it was pretty damn good. When you've got guys canning NBA threes and running plays in a pickup game, you might have something good.

This was autism awareness day, so it was a very nice touch that one of the security guards was wearing a puzzle-piece tie. I've said this before and I'll say it again: Atlanta is one of the most approachable teams in this league. Everyone stops, everyone signs, they'll chat if you approach them with chatting in mind. I do think that harks back to Meadors being an inaugural coach.

Who in their right mind thought it would be a good idea to dress a teenage dance troupe in tied-up white blouses and schoolgirl skirts for the halftime show? Is it even legal to watch this sort of thing?

I don't think Angel McCoughtry approves of this bench concept and wishes to inform Marynell Meadors that this must not happen again. She'll shoot you into a game and back out of it with equal alacrity, but this was one of her good days. Sancho Lyttle looks a bit like she's coming back from the injury, but I don't like her emphasis on playing more with her lower body. With knees and ankles being more of a concern in the women's game than the men's, that goes from being physical to being reckless, dangerous, and dirty. I love her offensive game, but her defensive game terrifies me as a fan of women's basketball. Courtney Paris had one series (maybe two?) and looked... out of shape and like she and Danielle Adams did their jersey shopping together. (Adidas, perhaps you need to look into bigger sizes.) Shalee Lehning looked good until her right knee went into the stanchion. We feared the worst when she couldn't put weight on it and went right back to the locker room, but when she came back out onto the bench, we felt a little better for her. Still. Get well soon, Shalee! Sandora Irvin committed some dumb fouls, but now I know what the Dream fans are talking about when they talk about her hair. It's cute. Reminds me a little of Charde Houston about four styles ago. When did Coco Miller become a star? Seriously, she was coming up so ridiculously clutch in the second half that it wasn't funny. She also appears to have taken courses at the Mery Andrade School of Drama, because some of those flops were inspired.

Iziane Castro Marques was actually on today. She looks like she's lost a little of her speed, which could be a problem, since that's an important part of her game. Alison Bales was good at being tall, and showed off her outside jumper a bit, but was otherwise not an effective complement to the other Atlanta posts. Érika deSouza was a force inside, and she's getting a little better about planting herself in the lane. Lindsey Harding still looks like she's not sure what she's doing with these people. Be careful what you wish for? It's pretty clear that she wants to run, and heaven knows McCoughtry and Castro Marques want to run, but Bales and deSouza aren't running posts. There were plays when Atlanta was shooting and Bales hadn't even crossed halfcourt. Armintie Price took a couple of hard hits, including one to the tailbone, and was all over the place in both good and bad ways.

Allison Hightower! Long time no see! Nice little offensive explosion there! She could have used a little more practice in the defensive scheme, but it was nice to see her play and play well. Jessica Moore decided to demonstrate blatant fouling after a sketchy call went against Connecticut, and that was the extent of her contributions to the game. Kelsey Griffin put in work on the offensive boards and on the pass coverage. Kara Lawson's shooting chose opportune times to reappear, and she flirted with a Penicheiro double-double. Tan White had the opportunity to be more of a factor in the game than she was, given the pain Price was playing through, but she didn't have to be in the end.

Danielle McCray saves all her good performances for when I show up. I really appreciate it, Danielle. She was shooting lights out. Tina Charles seemed a little intimidated by deSouza's size, because she was taking a lot of bad shots, but she still got her double-double, which is pretty impressive. Kalana Greene brought her usual defense and hustle. Asjha Jones was steady and consistent, but we did worry about her for a while after that elbow from deSouza; she went down hard, stayed there a while, didn't look all that coherent while she was down, and looked like she needed some kind of medical attention- but since she was allowed to go back into the game, I guess there was no permanent damage. And then there was Renee Montgomery and her excellent sense of timing. She hit the floor a lot. We're talking Debbie Black levels of floor burn here. Of course, it doesn't hurt my impression of her game that the end of the third quarter was her time, plain and simple; her lay-up, followed by, oh, a halfcourt three that was nothing but net, turned the tide for Connecticut. It's not a coincidence that Connecticut took the fourth quarter by ten points.

I loved watching these two coaches work against each other. You could see the moves and the countermoves being put into place. I think where Meadors fumbled was in the third, when she had Price hobbled by the tailbone, Bales shaking off a minor hand injury, and Castro Marques pulling on her shorts, and didn't bring the subs for a good three minutes after I thought she should have. Connecticut didn't press the issue as much as they could have, but they pressed it enough that the way was paved for Montgomery's shots.

I loved the way that all the Connecticut players were diving for the ball. Montgomery was first and foremost on the list, but everyone got some floor. (Well, except for Jessica Breland, who didn't play, but does that count?) And the crowd appreciated it too. The place was rocking and the fans were loud. Sun crowds can be hit or miss, but this was definitely a hit.

The officiating in this game was... interesting. On one hand, the refs let the physicality get out of control early in the game; on the other hand, the calls were fairly evenhanded, and the refs recognized when to allow a no-call as retaliation for a previous no-call; on the disembodied hand, that gave people the idea that it was okay to retaliate in the first place, and that's not the lesson we're trying to teach here, right?

Things I highly recommend: Sol Toro. Yes, they're expensive, but they're so worth it- and remember, if you picked match play coming off the bus, you have $20 to play with there. We had a full dinner for two, including a beer, and paid $60 out of pocket with tip. The flautas are excellent, and the quesadilla picante is tiny but fierce.

Things I do not recommend: the Johnny Rocket's in the Hall of Lost Tribes. Lousy fries and the chicken tenders were too salty. Shake was tolerable, though.

We ended up waiting an hour and a half for standby seats (thanks, line-cutter!), which ended up being the last row on a bus with dicey air conditioning and a backed up toilet. Which, once the tour guide sprayed it with perfume, the door was wedged closed, and the emergency hatch was opened periodically for ventilation, was mildly tolerable, though unpleasant... until, on the freakin' Whitestone Bridge, someone decided he needed to use the bathroom. Just as a reference point, the Whitestone Bridge is about fifteen minutes from the end of the route. And there's a 24-hour Burger King one block over from the stop. Seriously, man, you couldn't have held it? Especially since the door kept opening while you were in there? If I had an ear for languages, I think I would have learned how to say “You idiot!” in Chinese.

So, around the bits and pieces of people screwing with me, it was a great day. But come August 13th, I'm bringing the printout of the list of prohibited items.

July 30th, 2011: Phoenix at New York

2011-07-30T22:52:00.000-07:00

Just the Facts, Ma'am: Penny Taylor had 29 points to lead the Phoenix Mercury over the New York Liberty 91-84. New York was led by Nicole Powell's 16 points and six steals.

For narrowly averted swearing, crankiness, defensive lapses, and Hall of Famer Nancy Lieberman, join your intrepid and sweat-drenched blogger after the jump.
So there was a "Liberty Day" thing going on before the game, which seemed to consist of the Knicks van, face-painting, and balloons. It didn't exactly draw a lot of people.

Shoutout to the girl in the Penny Taylor tank top. Miss, you have excellent taste in jerseys. I also shout out the woman in the orange Sophia Witherspoon shirt and the woman in the white Rebecca Lobo jersey- both of those are old and rare items.

Olayinka Sanni is drop-dead gorgeous up close. Just breathtaking. And I'm impressed with Nakia Sanford's ability to find eyeshadow in Mercury purple.

We're sort of lucky to be only down six at the half, but at the same time, it should be less than that. We lost focus at the end of the the quarter, and I think we let the game get to us. It's been much more physical out there than it usually is with the Liberty and the Mercury, and not just because the Mercury aren't usually a physical team. Maybe the mood was set when Diana Taurasi decided to impede Maddie's progress across the logo during pre-tip rituals, and Kia Vaughn responded with a screen to Taurasi's face on the Liberty's first possession.

I am less thrilled with the officiating than usual, but that's to be expected when your crew consists of Clarke Stevens, Amy Bonner, and Sue Blauch, and Blauch is the crew chief. To be fair, it's equally inconsistent, and if anything we've gotten the benefit of more of the no-calls. (On the other hand, nice job waiting for Essence Carson to damn near get her windpipe crushed and Penny Taylor to get a finger on the ball so you can call a jump ball. Amy Bonner, I am disappointed.)

The previous paragraph was horrifyingly prophetic. The kindest thing I can say is that it felt like the Liberty were playing five on eight for much of the fourth quarter. Further suppositions would not be couched in language appropr for this space, though I have several theories as to how Penny Taylor got away with five steps at a time and Diana Taurasi drew two late whistles on questionable calls.

I'm going to take a moment to bask in the amazingness of the posters the Liberty gave out today. Such a panoply of Liberty history! And only one of the numbers was repeated, and you really couldn't leave off either Sue Wicks or Cappie Pondexter without fans from either the black era or the Foxwoods era fans erupting like Vesuvius. But they covered a lot of ground. Elena Baranova! Ashley Battle! Mama Taj! Sophia Witherspoon! Bethany Donaphin! (We felt they missed a few numbers: it would have been nice to see #12 (either Loree Moore or Ann Wauters), #30 (DeTrina White), or #54 (Barbara Farris).

Ketia Swanier should be starting for this team. She has a better sense of where her teammates are and what they should be doing when they get the ball. She should be starting and Johnson should be on the block if she isn't already. Olayinka Sanni was in for one series and did nothing memorable except wear that cutesy little bow in her hair. Nakia Sanford brought physicality and semi-legal screens, and it felt like she couldn't hit the broad side of a barn, no matter what the box score says. Marie Ferdinand-Harris fell short of our shot-a-minute expectations, and she does seem to have learned to pass. She also had one nice defensive play that had us yelling at the Liberty some friendly reminders about LSU's defensive reputation. DeWanna Bonner slipped in for some good rebounds, and she's got a pretty shot that she spent a lot of time working on before the game. (When the Mercury were warming up way before tip, she was practicing, and we blinked and she was gone. I assumed she folded herself into the second dimension, the skinny thing that she is.)

Penny. Bleeping. Taylor. The woman is insidious. She's sneaky fast. She's smooth. She has range. She also gets away with enough steps to get her back to Phoenix and possibly (given Christ-like and/or Iceman-like abilities) back to Melbourne. Phoenix goes nowhere without her. Taurasi, Dupree, Bonner- irrelevant. No Penny, no nada. Temeka Johnson was a waste of time and space. I would not be surprised if Phoenix dealt her before the deadline or flat-out cut her after the season. Kara Braxton didn't really play a lot- maybe she was uncomfortable with her shorts, which looked to be skintight. Diana Taurasi didn't have the kind of game I have become used to- she got called for a lot of fouls, and that one flurry at the end makes her look a lot better than she was. Candice Dupree did her thing, and she was decent, but I'm surprised they didn't look for her more.

Hi, Ta'Shia Phillips! Welcome to New... something! Thank you for rebounding and hitting a free throw! You appear promising and aggressive. Quanitra Hollingsworth was the victim of some dicey calls, but I love how she works on the glass. Relentless. (Really, though, a math major should never commit a three-second violation. Fairly certain graduating early with a degree in math means you can count to three.) Essence Carson's handle was off today- maybe she got caught up in trying to do some of the fancier stuff and forgot to stick to the basics. She may have been in an awkward situation visually, too; I think she's getting to the point where she doesn't think she still needs the goggles, but the goggles still do something, so she wears them during regular game play, but pushes them up when she shoots free throws. Alex Montgomery brought some great defense and a nice dose of needed energy off the bench.

Leilani Mitchell! We missed your steady hand and your ability to hit the open three! I hope this means you're past whatever injuries you had before, because we're going to need you as a point guard so Cappie doesn't have to play the point so she can score. Cappie Pondexter was supposedly fighting off a sore Achilles, and her shot did look a bit off, but she looked about as aggressive as she had been in several games prior, so just how long has this Achilles been bothering her? Kia Vaughn, while I appreciate your willingness to stretch your game out, I'd like it not to come at the expense of hitting lay-ups. Those are critical, crucial, and important. There is no excuse for a center to shoot 5-13 from the field. Plenette Pierson played well, but I think that when she started to rack up the fouls it started to get into her head a little bit, and it affected her play. Nicole Powell brought the on-ball defense, but her inability to rotate to that corner is not getting better. She just isn't fast enough for this system. Don't get me wrong, I love the steals and I love her tips on the boards, but she's exposed in anything other than a man-to-man. And man-to-man isn't much better.

Netball looks like one of those games that would only be good if played by very skilled players. These players were not skilled and it looked like something out of the 1940s.

I'm sure there are a lot more coherent things that could be said about this game, but unfortunately, I'm not the person to say them.

July 28th, 2011: Washington at New York

2011-07-28T21:35:00.000-07:00

Just the Facts, Ma'am: Despite being outrebounded and outshot, the New York Liberty pulled out a 75-71 win over the Washington Mystics. Cappie Pondexter led all scorers with 19 points, with Kia Vaughn chipping in 14 and Plenette Pierson 13. For Washington, Crystal Langhorne was one rebound shy of a double-double, finishing with 18 points and nine boards to pace the Mystics.

For trials, travails, popularity, vengeance, and Rutgers legends who wore #23, join your intrepid and deceptive blogger after the jump.
Weekday night game- you know what this means, no introductory fun times. At the half, the Liberty are down by four, and given that it's been five on eight most of the first half, that's a miracle. The Mystics have only been called for one team foul in the first half... and that was a foul to give with five seconds left in the half. We'll ignore the numerous travels by Crystal Langhorne or Matee Ajavon mauling poor Leilani Mitchell.

Fortunately, Sue Wicks's Ring of Honor induction will make me happy. (Look, MSG flack, it's a good sign that you should stop talking if two mic's stop working when you touch them. Shut up and let Sue be awesome.)

I think my fellow fans have more faith in Victoria Dunlap than Trudi Lacey does, or at least than she did in this game. I didn't even realize she played until I looked at the box score. Kerri Gardin had one brief spurt where she looked like the dangerous weapon she was when she first signed with Washington, but was otherwise a place where we could stash our weakest defender and take advantage of mismatches. Jasmine Thomas's line looks a lot better than she really was- two of those three shots went in by sheer luck, and she looked like she was in over her head for several stretches. Her speed will be a boon to her one of these days, if she learns to corral it, and she seems like she might be able to properly learn the position. I just don't know if she's going to do that in Washington. DeMya Walker's hair looks awful, and we didn't get to see any of her trademark flops. I think that's completely unfair. If we're going to see DeMya Walker miss easy shots once she gets in position, and otherwise play like a shell of an All-Star, we should at least get to see one of her Oscar-winning performances.

I think Kia Vaughn may have gotten into Nicky Anosike's head after a quick start in the first half, because she was pretty much a non-factor for the rest of the game, and she spent a lot of time on the bench. While part of me is disappointed, because I like Anosike, the rest of me does the dance of joyous self-satisfaction. Crystal Langhorne put in a lot of extra effort and scrapped hard on the boards. I'll give her that. However, I can also be exceedingly annoyed at the four-step lay-ups and the off-the-ball holding. I know everyone does it, but she needs to learn to be subtle about it if she's going to do it. Marissa Coleman also did a nice job on the boards, but I felt like she didn't take advantage of her opportunities- Nicole Powell's inability to close out on the corner three left her open an awful lot. I laughed when she ran into a screen by Leilani. No, that is not backwards. Yes, Leilani stonewalled her with a screen. Kelly Miller was brilliant in the first half, keeping Washington in it with her shooting and running things with a steady hand. She wasn't as much of a factor in the second half, though that may have had to do with Lacey's inexplicable desire to keep Thomas in the game when she was fumbling. Ladies and gentlemen, the Washington Mystics!

Whoever punched Essence Carson in the stomach, please be aware that Kia Vaughn will find you one of these days. Kia does not approve of people messing with her teammates.

Alex Montgomery was a hot mess. I'm pretty sure she thought she was supposed to be on Team ACC, and that was why she kept passing and all but handing the ball to Washington. Her defense picked up in the second half, though. Since I'm pretty sure that's what we brought her in for, that says a lot. Quanitra Hollingsworth seems to be shying away from contact more and more as the season progresses; I don't know if she finds the physical play somewhat offensive, or if she can't take the rigors of a full season, or if something else is going on, but come on, Q. You're 6'4. Use it. Go in, grab the board, and put it back up. Don't let it go down to other players' level. Not the greatest game for Essence Carson, but she had one nifty assist to Cappie Pondexter on a loose ball that she bounced sharply to Cappie for the lay-up. It was sweet. Sydney Colson looked pretty good and more in control of herself than usual. The three-pointers helped, too. She's still not ready for the level of play in this league, but she at least looked like she could be ready.

The bad news: Leilani Mitchell is still not much of an offensive option. The good news: at least she's playing tenacious on-ball defense and putting in effort when she gets caught on a mismatch. If we can at least get that out of her, that says a lot. Nicole Powell didn't score a lot, but she showed her rebounding ability and her ability to find her teammates. Her hands were good, though I'm not thrilled about this whole thing where she's bringing the ball up while we've got a point guard on the floor; I was under the impression that that was the point guard's job, and Nicole's not such a great ballhandler that I'd rather have her dribbling than Leilani or the Whiz Kid. Plenette Pierson had a maddening game, best summed up by two offensive possessions: on the first, she left an open, fast-break lay-up short off the rim and gave up the resulting defensive rebound; on the second, she hit a contested sweeping hook thing and drew a foul on the play. There were times when she looked brilliant, and then there were times when we were screaming “PLENETTE! What are you DOING out there, my God!” Because this infatuation with the three-pointer has to stop. I mean it. Cappie Pondexter had hot spurts right when we needed them, and that's all I've ever asked of her. Win the game and get out of the way. She looked disconcerted by the Washington defense, which I guess makes sense, given who was on her, but you'd think experience would win out. This might very well have been Kia Vaughn's game, despite other people's lines. She was going inside, she was getting her shots, and I do think she took Anosike out of her game.

I do love team chemistry: after Essence took that hit to the gut that left her doubled up in pain on the logo at center court, and after she had made her way back to the bench during the resulting timeout, Plenette came over to talk to her, with body language that clearly indicated that she was going to find who did it and make them pay as much as she could. I've seen more of this kind of thing this year from this team: they're willing to stand up for each other, and they're not willing to take crap from other teams, which is a bit of a change from recent years.

These officials. I try not to comment on the officiating without having evidence or at least specific complaints. But the level of traveling that was accepted in this game was abominable. I shouldn't be able to count four or five steps. I shouldn't see a player crossing midcourt with 15 left on a fresh shot clock without losing possession. I shouldn't see a player hit in the gut with no call. I shouldn't see blatant defensive holding without a call. Twardoski, Simpson, and Holtkamp let this game out of hand, and considering the criss-crossing rivalries and points of pride in this game, we're lucky there were no serious injuries. Did we benefit from the lax calls? In the second half, yes. But in the first half, it was absolutely ridiculous what Washington was getting away with. I have said this before and I'll say it again. I don't expect perfection from officials, but I do expect consistency. Don't ignore a player being pulled off the ball at one end of the floor and then call an accidental touch foul on the other.

I'm really starting to get sick of the Rutgers boosters. Look, I understand that you're passionate about your alumnae, but the cheers shouldn't be louder for opposing players than they are for home team players. This goes double when you're cheering more loudly for opposing players than you are for your players that come from the same school. (This is why I loathe the increasing regionalization of teams. Our Girls Syndrome is mean to professionals from strange, faraway lands like Arizona and Texas.)

Finally got to meet my Swish Appeal colleague Ray! Hi, Ray!

Have I mentioned lately that I miss Sue Wicks? Because I really miss Suuuuuuuue. Yes, Sue, you don't like to speak in public, that's why you rambled for three minutes and only stopped because all of the Mystics were standing there staring at you and waiting to warm up. That's why you name-checked all of our greats and Kisha Ford. (Who I loved, and who has made quite a post-basketball life for herself, but who is not exactly VJ or Becky Hammon.)

I liked the feeling of having conquered something that came out of winning this game. We looked rusty, which will happen with a nine-day break. But we found it in ourselves to win this one. Phoenix will be a wee bit more of a challenge, though...

July 17th, 2011: Tulsa at New York

2011-07-17T20:41:00.000-07:00

Just the Facts, Ma'am: The New York Liberty struck early and often, leading by as many as 34 points in a 88-57 win over the Tulsa Shock. Cappie Pondexter led all scorers with 18 points in 21 minutes. New York had four players in double figures, and put everyone on the floor for at least four minutes. Tulsa was led by the 17 points and 11 rebounds of Tiffany Jackson.

For the shame of a proud franchise, the awesome that is Teresa Weatherspoon, team chemistry, burgers, and at least one hot guy, join your intrepid and well-fed blogger after the jump.

I realize that it's a nice Sunday and people don't want to be indoors. I realize that it's still three minutes before tip-off. I realize that the Women's World Cup final is going on right now. BUT WHERE IS EVERYONE? I devoutly hope everyone's in the bars and lounges, because otherwise, this is NOT how we honor Teresa Weatherspoon, this is how we spit in her face and in the face of what she did for this team.

Just for the record, guys? Just because I'm wearing a Rebecca Lobo jersey, that doesn't mean I'm voting for her. I'm voting for Tari! Leave me alone!

Trumpet anthem. I approve of this message, though I'm not sure whether Pondexter did (that was an... interesting look on her face that was either of great pain or great... um, enjoyment).

After hearing several different announcers do different things to Liz Cambage's last name, your intrepid blogger took the direct approach and asked her. I'm wondering if some of the cross-up is because of the different accents.

And Spoon just walked in the building and we gave a cheer and the kid in front of me gave me a dirty look and if he keeps doing that I'm going to kick his chair and if he keeps doing it I'm going to kick HIM.

Halftime, and we're up in a lot of categories. We need to be more careful with the ball, though. A disappointing crowd, but maybe some of them will filter back to their seats now that World Cup is almost over.

What I'm loving about this team is their willingness to go to the wall for each other. Jones drew a charge on Essence that was sort of dicey, and got in a shot on Quanitra while she was on the ground. Nicole, of all people, was the one to throw the shoulder block as they came back up. You didn't see a lot of that last year. Now you've got players stepping up to defend and protect their teammates.

One of the luckiest women in the world is holding the flowers for Spoon, and Spoon retains her ability to work a room. I don't know if she was genuinely stunned at the level of applause she received, or if she just did a good impression of it, but... here we are, T-Spoon, and we're giving you back the passion you gave us for so many years. I almost cried- I don't know how I didn't.

Om nom nom, thirty-point win. Om nom nom, burger. Here's an example of the real communication network in MSG and its properties: in the lounge behind our section, we ran into one of my mom's friends, who asked whether we were going to the barbeque. “Barbeque?” we asked with identical stunned expressions. “Yeah, the barbeque. Go over to section 19 and sign up.” So we did. So I'm full of burger and chips and typing up Game Notes of Doom in beautiful, sunny, muggy Newark.

I didn't like Marion Jones before this because of her previous scandals and shenanigans. I don't like her now because she was flat-out gooning out there, going low on players. She contributed one nice flying block, but other than that, I wouldn't mind seeing her out of the league. Betty Lennox, unsurprisingly, looked rusty. Sheryl Swoopes still has the shot, but her famed defense is not what it was. She committed a lot of holding that the refs either didn't see or refused to believe that Swoopes could be committing, and it ticked me off. Liz Cambage really needs a post coach to show her how to use her size, because she's not using it well as often as she could. She needs to get it together and lay off the dirty play, because I know she's a nice and exceedingly dorky kid. Doneeka Lewis appeared to have found her shot in this game, and she's a lot faster than I remembered, but then she lost the shot, and I'm really okay with that.

Jennifer Lacy does not contribute all that much on the floor. She must be out there for the intangibles. (Or her accessories.) Amber Holt really looks like she was hurried back too soon, and I think that's part and parcel of the problem they're having with the training staff (two staph infections? Really, guys?) She should probably still be rehabbing, or just coming back now. Kayla Pedersen contributed nice defense and got going a little later, but didn't seem ready for this level. She'll be good, but not right now. Tiffany Jackson was allowed to travel, so she was an offensive threat, and what Cambage lacks in rebounding ability, she makes up for in boxing out ability to let her teammates get the boards, which allowed Jackson to have room. Andrea Riley has no sense out there. I've met her, and she's a very nice kid, but she doesn't have the basketball sense God gave a gnat. She's fast, and she's okay defensively, but... she should not be a starter in this league, which only goes to show what's going on with this franchise.

I'm going to say it here and I'm going to say it on every platform I have: Quanitra Hollingsworth got screwed by the refs. She fouled out of the game, and maybe three of them were fair calls. Tulsa got a lot of pity calls, and Q got the worst of it. She did good work on the boards, and I approve of her offense. Felicia Chester needs to bend her knees on her free throws, but I like her rebounding on the offensive glass. Alex Montgomery showed off her offense, and unlike the last game I was at, that didn't impact her defense. She looked like a first-round pick out there. Okay, so it was Tulsa, but still. Our reserves spent a fair amount of time playing against their starters. Sydney Colson had a nice low block on Cambage that got everyone going, because, hello, tiny cute Whiz Kid and big giant Cambage. She got her points from the line, because she kept her hands busy with the ball and thus was often in position to be fouled. The reserves spent a fair amount of time trying to feed Sidney Spencer, and the Tulsa defense spent a fair amount of time guarding her like she was Diana Taurasi, so it seemed appropriate that the last shot was hers. Her footwork is nothing to write home about, but I like her hustle after loose balls. Essence Carson was an offensive spark off the bench in the second half, though it looked like she needed her glasses checked in the first.

I really am worried about Leilani Mitchell. I know tiny guard is tiny and therefore often a liability, but she hasn't looked right- I think her back is bothering her again, and the only saving grace is that Alex and the Whiz Kid have stepped up their games. Nicole Powell didn't really contribute, but fortunately we didn't need her to contribute. Kia Vaughn had a big first half and didn't need to have a second half, though I certainly appreciated her presence after Quanitra fouled out as a deterrent to Tulsa pulling any more shenanigans. Cappie Pondexter did what she had to do, and not much else- but again, we didn't need her to do much else. Plenette Pierson started off hot and spent her time out of the game on the bike, cycling off to nowhere in particular.

Our bench outdid their starters. Our starters look bad in comparison, but it's hard to say a lot about them when they didn't play most of the game. So the brevity of comments on the Liberty starters has more to do with the epic fail of Tulsa and the win of the postgame barbeque.

Tulsa's lack of discipline terrifies me. I'm not even talking about anything that might resemble an offensive scheme or a defensive formation. I'm talking about the plethora of fouls they committed and the fouls they weren't called for. I can't remember the last time I've seen a team go over the limit with time to spare in every quarter, and there were times it seemed like the refs were trying not to call things they would normally have or would have earlier in the quarter because it would put the Shock over the limit. If strong officials don't make a point of curbing the nonsense early, someone is going to get hurt in a Tulsa game soon. The holding by Swoopes and Pedersen, the chop-blocks by Jones... it has to be toned down.

With all due respect to the Tulsa fans and the folks who write about them, the way this franchise has been pile-driven into the ground sickens me. I was never a Detroit fan- but the one thing Detroit did right was run the show. As bad as the Bad Girls were, there was never this sense that complete loss of control was only a couple of wrong steps away.

Ivory Latta looked very cute in her street clothes. According to my usual sort of reliable sources, she's out until at least after All-Star. (For reliable sources, read: one of the nine thousand Liberty fans named Mary was standing next to me and asked her.)

Teresa Edwards looked lonely on that bench, but at least she also looked stylish doing it. I want that blouse, if it comes in XXL.

So, postgame barbeque. No assigned seats, which translates to everyone seeking a table and occasionally sitting with strangers, which I'm okay with; if you're a Liberty season subscriber, we have something in common, and that's cool. Seasoning the burgers was a definite plus. The players were friendly and approachable, though some had longer receiving lines than others. I don't think I've ever seen Nicole smile so much. Leilani and Sydney blend into the crowd. Felicia's fiance is hot- nice work there! Kia showed off her dance moves and model poses. Essence and Cappie were fashionably late. We happily skipped around, schmoozed with our fellow fans, got autographs galore, and left happy. And promptly missed the train, but you can't fight fate, or something like that.

We needed a game like this after that disappointment against Connecticut- and we also needed a game where the team could show their bonding.

July 15th, 2011: Connecticut at New York

2011-07-15T23:46:00.000-07:00

Just the Facts, Ma'am: Second-half shooting woes nipped a comeback in the bud as the New York Liberty lost 68-59 to the Connecticut Sun in Newark. Kia Vaughn led New York with 15 points and nine rebounds. Tina Charles had 15 points for the Sun.

For late arrivals, non-arrivals, and far too much time spent on TV Tropes, join your intrepid and uninspired blogger after the jump.

I'm not feeling an auspicious start for this team. It's past six and I'm still in Brooklyn. With all apologies to the Langhorne family, words cannot sufficiently express how much I hate the MTA. I'm going to miss tip-off, and my season ticket rep is going to hear it again about our renewal being predicated on the ability to make it to the game on time.

Tina Charles is beasting in this first half. She looks unstoppable. I have a feeling of impending doom about this, although we're only down one.

It got kinda church up in here at halftime. I'm really not sure what to think of a church group dancing to gospel music on the floor here. I don't bring my basketball to your church, do you have to bring your church to my basketball?

I... do not think it is a brilliant plan to encourage people to wear youth basketball gear on the day Spoon is being added to the Ring of Honor. Encouraging people not to wear Liberty gear? So they can get a free shirt which is also not Liberty-branded? This... is not exactly what I would call a great marketing strategy, kids. You want your logo plastered on everything, and you certainly don't want people to be afraid to cover up something that isn't team-branded with something that is.

I missed the start of the game thanks to the sterling service of the Metropolitan Transit Authority, so I can't tell you anything about the anthem, or why Danielle McCray started, or any of that other good stuff.

Allison Hightower saw time to stop the hot hand. Five billion is quite an impressive number to put in the box score, but probably not the kind she was looking for. Kara Lawson came off the bench, and people, you cannot leave her open behind the arc. She brought some physical defense, too. Kelsey Griffin did her work on the boards with some nice positioning. Jessica Moore has been taking acting lessons from DeMya Walker. Tan White was relentless and a bit annoying.

Tina Charles could have done a lot worse to us tonight, so I'd like to thank her for going easy on Quanitra Hollingsworth and Kia Vaughn. We did a better job than I expected of keeping her off the boards, though. Danielle McCray started, presumably to take advantage of our lack of size, and she played solidly. Renee Montgomery is fast. I feel like I keep saying that, but she is. I also think she's been spending a little too much time with her friend the football player, because I'm pretty sure that you can't throw low blocks in basketball. Asjha Jones got her work done in her usual style. Same for Kalana Greene, with a dose of hard-nosed defense- I think she played a large part in Cappie Pondexter's inability to put on her cape and save the day.

Felicia Chester scored! And okay, she put in decent effort, and she's got that famed “pro body”. But she needs to get overseas this winter and hone her game. I assume some of the problems about not knowing the plays and where she needs to be on the floor will be resolved with time. However, her footwork and her ballhandling need a lot of help. Sydney Colson had eighteen seconds to look kinda pretty on the floor. Sidney Spencer was, um, out there. Somewhere, at some point. Unfortunately, she did nothing relevant. Essence Carson was back to her inability to see; looks like someone needs new glasses to adjust to the lighting. At least Alex Montgomery discovered this strange new thing called offense that is so rarely seen at Georgia Tech. Her defense suffered for it, but we must all suffer for new and exciting experiences.

Paging Nicole Powell's shot. Would you please come home? We miss you very much. If you miss the robot jokes, I can totally bring them back if it means Powell finds her shot again! Because I'm sorry, no professional basketball player should miss a breakaway layup and follow that up with missing an open three. Her rebounding was all right, but she was slow on defense too. Argh. Grr. Kia Vaughn had some nice moves in the post, and did a nice job on the boards, but her passing and ballhandling were sloppy. I must assume that something's wrong with Leilani Mitchell, and that's why she wasn't diving for loose balls or exerting much of anything that could be considered proper effort. Her shot was off, her defense was lousy... we really need a bigger point guard. All apologies to Leilani and her fans, but I'm running out of patience. Quanitra Hollingsworth got the start in place of Plenette Pierson, and she did a nice job on defense, but offensively... Q, it's okay, you don't have to solve Fermat's Last Theorem in your head, you can settle for calculating the parabolic arc of your free throws. And Cappie Pondexter... I suppose I should be grateful that she wasn't trying to take over the game, but at the same time, that's what she's paid to do. Connecticut's defense did a nice job on her, but she had her moments where she could have taken over and didn't.

Our defense was pretty damn good. Our offense, however, would put the Keystone Kops to shame. Sloppy passing, sloppy ballhandling, tipped rebounds off teammates, tipped rebounds to opponents... it was a hot mess.

The officiating didn't help, either. It got a little chippy out there; perhaps playing in New Jersey brought back UConn-Rutgers memories for the five Huskies and three Scarlet Knights. There were some sketchy out of bounds calls.

Donna Orender was at the game, and was duly honored (though I do hope that they consulted with Kia before giving the Prima Donna a #15 jersey, I'm just saying). She worked her way up and through the crowd, schmoozing the night away.

We were also graced with the presence of Tweety Nolan. I am intrigued by this development.

I'm too tired to give really substantive analysis at this point, but I do think we need to pull it together on offense. We had our chances in the fourth quarter and blew them because we couldn't hit water if we fell out of a boat.

July 10th, 2011: Chicago at New York

2011-07-10T19:47:00.000-07:00

Just the Facts, Ma'am: A furious second-half surge, powered by Essence Carson and Cappie Pondexter, erased an 11-point halftime lead and gave the New York Liberty an 80-73 victory over the Chicago Sky. Carson and Pondexter each had 18 to lead the six double-digit Liberty scorers. Courtney Vandersloot and Sylvia Fowles each had 14 points to lead the Sky, with Fowles adding eight rebounds.

For ratcheting up the intensity, organizational skills, a visit from the Blue Fairy, and the avoidance of caprine qualities, join your intrepid and PUMPED UP blogger after the jump.

Okay, guys, we've gotten the autograph pen sorted out, and I appreciate that. Now, can we sort out who's going out which entrance and when they're doing it?

Also, seriously, people next to me, there are maybe thirty people in our entire section to this point. You can move down a seat, it's okay. Get off my hip.

There's a lot of red in here. Cagers seem to like these weekend games, though I'm reserving judgment because the games I recall with a big Cager presence have been Chicago and Washington, which have the other recent Rutgers players who aren't with the Liberty.

At half, it's 49-38 Chicago, and it could be a lot worse than it is. There are some truly odd air currents in here, especially at this end of the floor, so I'm expecting Chicago to have more trouble with their perimeter offense. Essence Carson is back, with goggles that look more like sunglasses, and her effectiveness has been somewhat limited. Kia Vaughn is not happy with Chicago, and her temper is starting to slip a little bit, but it's all Michelle Snow's fault for kicking Quanitra Hollingsworth while she was down.

We changed seats because there was no room next to us, there were lots of kids in front of us, and the people behind us were rooting obnoxiously for Chicago. Silver lining- t-shirt! And it even says XL!

The only reason this wasn't the best comeback of the day is because of Abby Wambach and Hope Solo, but it was certainly pretty damn awesome. The Cagers who came ot this game because of Epiphanny Prince came away well satisfied with Essence Carson and Cappie Pondexter.

Dominique Canty wasn't with the team, so Erin Thorn was seeing more minutes than even her usual. She, of course, unleashed a Roaring Rampage of Revenge on the team that drafted her, hitting shots late in the clock and being surprisingly pesky on defense. Tamera Young showed her... quantum singularity... tendencies, taking shots she had no business taking. She also got grabby on defense. That's not going to end well. Lindsay Wisdom-Hylton did a great job on the boards- there was a point in the game where she was the leading rebounder. If that's what she's there to do, she's brilliant at it- just as long as you're not asking her to do anything else. Carolyn Swords saw a few scattered minutes and took a hit from her own teammate. She was there to be a reserve post, and that was what she did. Remind me again why they kept Bjorklund? Really, I don't know.

Epiphanny Prince is not a point guard. I'm not sure what Chicago is doing with this offense, but one play sticks out in my mind: second half, on a mismatch, she has Quanitra Hollingsworth in front of her, while Essence Carson valiantly attempts to front Michelle Snow. Snow calls for the ball. Prince takes an off balance jumper. Snow is... not amused. She was also sloppy with the ball. I mean, personally, I really don't care about Michelle Snow's discomfiture, though, because as far as I'm concerned she can take a long walk off a short pier and keep going. One possession, she was so busy looking for opportunities to get in a cheap shot that she kept Chicago from getting a shot off. She also seemed a little more impressed with her outside jumper than she had any reason to be. Sylvia Fowles gets away with an awful lot of tap-dancing on the baseline. There were two or three plays where we were sure that she was out of bounds, but she was allowed to save the ball in to her teammates. She looked dominating in flashes- but for whatever reason, whether it be the rotation of our defense or Pokey Chatman having unexpected brain freezes or Courtney Vandersloot and Epiphanny Prince not being sure what to do with someone that tall- flashes were all she showed. Cathrine Kraayeveld got loose for a corner three, much to our protesting in the seats, but was quiet for much of the game, and it only seems meet that she clanked the shots that could have given Chicago a chance.

If we had managed to lose that game after tying it at 60, Quanitra Hollingsworth would have been the goat, for giving up turnovers and fouls to allow the Sky to answer with a mini-run. Fortunately for Q, we won the game, so I can talk about her burst of offense and play on the glass. I think we had a brief Sydney Colson sighting, but as she didn't do anything memorable, I can't be completely certain of it. Essence Carson got her glasses fixed at halftime and came out firing. When the place was rocking with the “LET'S GO LIBERTY!” chant (that started without cues, by the way, it was awesome), everyone in the building knew that she was hitting the jumper to give New York the lead. The first half had overtones of Stevie Wonder, with her shots being off and her peripheral vision non-existent; I suppose that would make the second half sheer wonder. Sidney Spencer once again stopped a fast break, and once again it wasn't even ours! Her most important contribution might have been calling the out of bounds on one of Sylvia Fowles's rebounds- she got the call right, and she influenced the ref. (Just for the record, influencing the ref is a bad thing, but it's nice to know Spencer has some use.) Alex Montgomery had a few undistinguished minutes. Felicia Chester's wearing #41, which is just disconcerting. That's a number that brings back... memories.

I hope Kia Vaughn's okay. She sat out much of the fourth quarter for reasons we couldn't understand, and then when she went in, it all made sense, because she was wincing and holding her knee. She played solidly in the first half, and made it clear to Snow that cheap shots would not be accepted. It's a pretty bad sign when you're slue-footing your old college buddies. Do not taunt happy fun Kia? Plenette Pierson started the game as the only Liberty player who wanted to score, though in the second half she had to put out a lot more energy defending Fowles and throwing down with Snow- seriously, I thought there was going to be a fight at one point, the way they were in each other's faces, and I don't think I would have minded. Cappie Pondexter joined us in the second half and came up clutch- which is all we need of her. Personally, I consider her a mercenary, a sellsword, a gallowglass, whatever medieval term you prefer; we hire her to hit shots, win games, and eventually get us a title. She has no ties, no connections, no deep roots. When her job is done, it's on to the next one. I was shocked at how passive she was in the first half. Leilani Mitchell was... let's be charitable and say highly ineffective. She was getting tape around her thigh before the game, so that might have impeded her speed, and her shots were not helped by the Winds of Destiny Change thing the arena had going on. Nicole Powell found her shot, played iffy defense, and tracked down rebounds with exquisite vision. She's often hit or miss with those, but today she was on point and on target. Her rebounding kept us in it.

We will have to say farewell to one of the GnoD's favorite running gags. I'm afraid I have to admit that Nicole Powell is not, in fact, an amazingly lifelike android. Evidence to the contrary showed up in the fourth quarter, when the Torch Patrol brought out the cards for the rallying rendition of “Gotta Get Up”. As Whiz discussed things at the start of the timeout with his assistants, the team gathered together. Moving down meant I was able to read lips. Powell's were definitely going “L! I! B-E-R-T-Y!” before Whiz called the players to the huddle. That shows spontaneity and spirit I don't think a robot could manage. Congratulations, Nicole! You're a real girl now!

The crowd really got into it in the fourth quarter. There were several occasions when the only sound came from the fans, getting the “DE-FENSE!” or “LET'S GO LIBERTY!” chants going without cues from the PA. Old school. Amazing. It sounded like more people than there were. That's the kind of Liberty crowd I remember.

Some questionable officiating in this game. But at least we're not USA-Brazil.

I'm amazed at how we pulled it together. At least for the next three days, I LOVE THIS TEAM SO MUCH.

July 1st, 2011: San Antonio at New York

2011-07-02T06:31:00.000-07:00

Just the Facts, Ma'am: 11 first-half points from Nicole Powell and 15 second-half points from Cappie Pondexter bookended a 81-75 win for the New York Liberty. Pondexter led the team with 19 points, adding five assists. Danielle Adams led San Antonio with 19 points off the bench, while Becky Hammon and Sophia Young each added 16.

For offensive and offending rebounding, warm welcomes home, empty seats, shockingly patient point guards, and dicey shot selection, join your intrepid and candidly photographed blogger after the jump.

Greetings once again from warm and welcoming Newark, New Jersey! If I see too much more San Antonio gear in here, I may end up projectile vomiting on someone, so I apologize in advance if your Game Notes of Doom have an odd smell to them.

Essence Carson looks slightly under the weather, so if she has a lousy performance, that's why. No matter what she says. Danielle Adams is adorably personable, and not sure how to deal with people who want body parts autographed. It's like her job on the team is to run interference. Becky Hammon and Vickie Johnson lingered too long chatting with Kym Hampton, so those of us at the other end of the arena didn't get autographs. We were sad.

What in the nine circles of Dante's Inferno- NO. You do not mess with “Strike It Up”. You do not loop it. You do not segue it into anything else. It's the one thing we've managed to keep steady through the yearly game of F- Over A Veteran, through black uniforms and blue uniforms and Foxwoods uniforms, through Darsch and Adubato and Coyle and Donovan and Whisenant. WHAT IS THIS I DON'T EVEN.

At the half, it's 39-34, and I think we've mildly traumatized our starting point guard. No, not Leilani Mitchell, our other sort of short point guard who wears #5. We're three rows behind Nadirah McKenith from St. John's and her family. Nana, if you're reading this, please don't let us get kicked out of Carnesecca Arena. :D?

The ceremony for VJ was short and sweet- one of the MSG people said some words, the luckiest season ticket holder in the world got to present her with flowers, and she made a short speech. There was also a video presentation. So many pictures of young VJ and her unfortunate hair! I miss VJ so much. This whole San Antonio thing... Carol Blazejowski did many reprehensible things as Liberty GM, and made more mistakes than you could put on a “Fire Blaze” sign, but the mishandling of VJ's free agency was one of the worst. The visiting bench shouldn't have been the one VJ was working from.

I love that VJ's jersey in the Ring of Honor is the original jersey, black with the seafoam green panels and the orange piping. History, we has it right.

That was a relief. I didn't think we were going to pull this one out. And even in the loss, I saw a lot of good things out of San Antonio. Their movement without the ball and their offensive rebounding was remarkable. (Of course, some of the offensive rebounding might have had to do with our pathetic rebounding, but I digress.)

The black is slimming on Danielle Adams, but that's not saying much. Please, for the love of all that is sweet and holy, someone find that woman a jersey that fits her comfortably. She reminded me uncomfortably of Tamika Whitmore with her mysterious insistence on shooting three-pointers when she had a bulk advantage on most of her defenders. The flopping was hilarious. Danielle Robinson looked more comfortable out there than I would expect from a rookie, but other than the drives to the basket, she didn't do much that was memorable. I'm not very happy with Jayne Appel right now. I don't like how she's setting her screens. They should not move. You went to Stanford, Jayne, you should know better. Porsha Phillips wasn't bad, but not memorable. Jia Perkins had a lot of shots go in and out, and a lot of good looks. We got lucky. I'm really not sure why she's not starting unless Hughes is being a stickler for positions. Scholanda Robinson was mostly used on defensive possessions, which surprises me, as I'm used to thinking of her as a shooter. This is what happens when players go to Tulsa- people forget their proper skill sets. She was in so infrequently I didn't even realize she started.

Sophia Young is stealthy and smooth, and I like her despite myself. I'm sitting there thinking “oh, she's not having that great of a game” and then I look up and see that she's got 10 and 5. She was a painful mismatch for Nicole Powell. Ruth Riley wasn't much of a factor, except for the times when it looked like she and Plenette Pierson wanted to get their Detroit Bad Girls on. Tully Bevilaqua, as much as I love her, has lost most of the edges she had over the years. All she has on her side now is old age and treachery, and those weren't enough. Becky Hammon started getting hot later in the game, canning her ridiculous threes and being given more steps than a recovering alcoholic. Seriously. In Soviet Russia, extra steps take you.

Essence Carson didn't play. So I was wrong about her having a lousy performance. (The box score says “injured right eye”. Ouch. Sure, you're fine, Essence.) The S*dneys stepped up nicely in her absence. Sydney Colson was the first woman off the bench, providing spurts of offense and moments where she didn't seem to realize she wasn't in the Big XII... X... whatever... anymore. Sidney Spencer, meanwhile, hit her threes, attempted mightily to play defense, and was brutalized by the officials. I mean, don't get me wrong, she rubs me the wrong way, but two of the fouls on her were ridiculous. Quanitra Hollingsworth spent much of the first half with the distracted air of a math major attempting to solve a quadratic equation in her head, and much of the second half with the intent purpose of a math major who successfully solved a quadratic equation in her head and can now focus on basketball. Her foul problems bother me. Jessica Breland was somewhat less than irrelevant. I thought she'd be a better match for Adams, but I was wrong. Alex Montgomery provided pretty solid defense and a little bit of offense, but seemed kind of lost on offense. I guess it is a foreign concept to a Georgia Tech alumna.

Nicole Powell, so nice of you to join us this season! You are, I presume, aware that the season started a month ago, but your sins are forgiven for the early threes and the late foul you drew on Danielle Adams. Well, most of your sins. I'm not so forgiving of the lapses on defense. A Stanford player should be smart enough not to make the same mistake twice. Leilani Mitchell looked like she was in over her head again; neither of the starting guards for San Antonio was a good match-up for her. Hammon's too good and Bevilaqua's too savvy. Cappie Pondexter filled the stat sheet and hit the big shots, but her defensive lapses were glaring. It's easy to notice these things when her feet are bright orange. Kia Vaughn was up and down- solid, but could have played better. Plenette Pierson put together a very nice game without me initially noticing. She kept the stupid mistakes to a minimum, which was refreshing.

I seriously have no idea how we won this game. We let them walk all over us on the boards, we kept passing the ball to places it didn't belong, we missed a lot of easy shots... but when the chips were down, we managed to make things happen. Nicole Powell drew the big offensive foul on Danielle Adams, Leilani had the steal- it all came together, in a truly Liberty way.

Angelica Suffren looked like she had some kind of issue with Spencer. How in the world can a player who's knocked to the floor by the swipe of a buttock be the player who commits the foul? There were a lot of inexplicable calls in the first half, but it evened out a bit in the second. Still, this crew let a lot of travels go unremarked and missed more than one foot out of bounds.

And then we ended up taking the same PATH train back to New York as Sue Wicks, so I spent the entire ride studiously ignoring her so I didn't do something embarrassing or collapse in a pile of fangirl squee. That was a nice finish to the night.

June 26th, 2011: Los Angeles at New York

2011-06-26T17:43:00.000-07:00

Just the Facts, Ma'am: Cappie Pondexter had 22 points, 20 of them in the last twenty-one minutes of the game, to lead the Liberty over the Los Angeles Sparks 77-67. Essence Carson had 18 points off the bench for New York. Candace Parker led Los Angeles with 16 points and 11 rebounds before leaving the game due to injury.

For bleeding eardrums, that hated color, hired guns, and Jantel Lavender's penmanship, join your intrepid and air-conditioned blogger after the jump.

Hello and greetings from beautiful, scenic, downtown Newark! Oh, gods, I can't keep that up for fourteen more games. It still doesn't change the fact that it's an hour and forty minutes from my house with a lot of luck.

If you're willing to spend, Brick City Bar and Grill's a nice place for a pregame meal. The prices are a little high ($14 for a burger, up to $30 for an entree), but the servings are big, and the fries are divine. At least one free refill if you're not in the bar, too!

It has just been brought to my attention- as in, we interrupt these pregame notes to bring you breaking news- that we now have a banner up to represent our three Eastern Conference Championships. This wasn't up before, and it makes me feel a little like we're in the sports equivalent of a hotel.

I think the Prudential Center is going to be fairly popular among the older fans for weekend games. Championship Plaza is a nice place to gather and talk to friends. Not so much for night games, though.

They've rearranged the autograph gathering area a bit, so it's less convenient, but it looks like they also have both teams going through the same entrance. And there was a secondary gathering on the other side to mob Candace Parker. Holy hypothetical baby Jesus, I don't envy that woman. She was swallowed up in a crush, and that's before the kid ran into the tunnel to get her autograph. It was insane, and I don't blame her one bit for not stopping at our end. It looks like Tina Thompson has chosen to identify more with the Sparks than the Comets; the LA and Houston logos are next to each other on the shirt we're working on, and she moved it over to sign solely on the Sparks logo.

I'd recommend one more revamp: designate the bottom of section 6 as the gathering place for the people with the Sharpies and the pictures and the shirts. It's close to the tunnel, it's wide enough to fit enough people, and it has the top of the boards for when it's Devil country to use as a ledge. It's not too much of a detour for the players, and it's convenient to the fans, and it's near enough to where security hangs out that they can intervene quickly. If you split it home/road, do the same thing with section 10.

Attendance looks better than it did last game. Unfortunately, a lot of those people are wearing Parker jerseys. Shoutout to the two ladies in autographed DeLisha Milton jerseys. (No, not Milton-Jones jerseys. Yeah, that's old school.) Surprisingly few people with rainbows. I guess they'll be late to this party after that party.

I'm the only person in the arena wearing a Portland Fire jersey, but I'm okay with that. Pride weekend is a good time to bring out the Michele VanGorp jersey, don't you agree? I also have a rainbow bracelet. (I also have a husband. Mixed messages, I send them.)

Halftime, we have an eight-point lead, and I have no idea how, other than forcing turnovers from the Sparks. We can't shoot, we can't pass, and we can't rebound. However, Cappie Pondexter showed up in the last two minutes of the half in true Cappie fashion. If she does this, we're golden. That's all we've ever asked of her.

In retrospect, doing Dads and Daughters Day on the same day as New York Pride may not have been the brightest idea in the world. And it was exceptionally myopic of them to have Sidney Spencer be the player to get the fans up today. Seriously.

Spoon got the crowd going at one timeout, but if that's all they're going to do, that's a waste of having Spoon here. She's a legend and a firebrand. Honor her and have her get the place rocking.

If we lose this game by five points or less, it's Amy Bonner's fault. It's a bad sign when you're already up to “What are you smoking? This is a non-smoking arena!” in the first half. She's fond of ignoring tackles.

So despite everybody's best efforts, the Liberty pulled this one out. I honestly have no idea how they did it, beyond Cappie Pondexter doing what she was brought to the Liberty to do. I just. Honestly. I really don't know.

Latoya Pringle has unfortunate hair. Words cannot express how little Miller-twin bangs work on skinny black posts. I would have pithy commentary on her play, but she didn't play all that much, and didn't do much when she was in. Natasha Lacy has nice hands on defense, and sliced through the lane on offense, but she is where organized offense goes to die. Jenna O'Hea got loose for some threes, because apparently Liberty fans are the only people affiliated with the team who watch game tape and know that you can't leave her open in the corner, and dinged Cappie Pondexter on a hip check. Jenna, this is not Aussie Rules. Kristi Toliver brought the firepower with the four-point play (though we will have words about that later) but was occasionally not aware that this was basketball, not football, and tackling is not permitted. Jantel Lavender didn't look bad. She looked like she belonged in this league, which is more credit than I was willing to give her when she started. Ebony Hoffman has regressed badly. It's painful to watch. She needs to either lose the weight so she can go back to the 3, or develop some power moves and go to the 4.

At this point, there is no excuse for anyone not to know that Tina Thompson has range. Not at all. She's been in this league since the current batch of players were kids. (This goes double for you, Essence Carson, given how proud you are to have been a Liberty fan before being a Liberty player.) You can't leave her open for a jumper. It just doesn't make sense. She doesn't have the power she did in her younger days, but she's still a dangerous player. Candace Parker had a phenomenal first half, but went out in the third quarter with a knee injury. It looked like an ACL at first, with the way she was clutching at her knee, then at O'Hea, but she put enough weight on it that I suspect it was something else, maybe a hyperextension or something with her meniscus. But I am not a medical professional, though I was once mistaken for one on a message board because I used the word “exacerbated” correctly. DeLisha Milton-Jones got the elbows going and the little shoves in the back going, and at one point I thought she and Essence Carson were going to drop the gloves, but they were both smiling at the end. Ticha Penicheiro looked like the master conductor of offense that she is, but her unwillingness/inability to shoot is more of an Achilles' heel than ever. I think half the reason she was able to get as much done as she did was because she was facing an itty-bitty defender. Noelle Quinn was solid, albeit unremarkable. I don't remember much that she did.

And here Whiz was doing so well with putting Spencer in at the right times. The beginning of the second quarter is not the right time to put her in. Not when she has no foot speed and we're forcing defenders to make long runs to the corner to seal off the open three. Quanitra Hollingsworth put in some very nice work today off the bench, pulling down boards and sneaking in for baskets. She looked good defensively, too, which was her strength at VCU. She still needs to work on teammate recognition, but give her time on that. Alex Montgomery actually had offense! I am confused by this! She did her work defensively, but also got into the lane for shots and dishes. And then Essence Carson continued her streak of completely demolishing the reputation of Rutgers by going nuts on offense and slacking off on defense. Slacking off might be a little strong, and it didn't help that she was caught in a lot of mismatches with Milton-Jones or other big players, but she wasn't as strong defensively as she usually is.

Someone needs to fine-tune Nicole Powell's programming. I think she's been infected with a software virus that's affecting her shooting ability. (Yes, I'm going to keep making robot/android jokes about Nicole Powell until she demonstrates emotion, or at least a consistent shot.) She was useless. She was almost beyond useless, except for the steal and the one bucket. We could have had Rebekkah Brunson. We could have kept Shameka Christon. *trails off in incoherent rage*

Incoherent rage complete. Kia Vaughn was, obviously, not nearly as dominant as she was against Tiffany Jackson and Jennifer Lacy, and it didn't help that she was missing a lot of the easy shots that she needs to hit. Plenette Pierson abused the backdoor, and then started hitting outside shots. She needs to lay off the twisting hooks and finger rolls- there are no style points in basketball. Leilani Mitchell tries so hard out there, but it's hard out there for a 5-5 guard going against big guards like Los Angeles has. Toliver was more of a fair match for her, but Toliver plays mean. Cappie Pondexter slept through the first quarter and change, then woke up suddenly in the last minute of the second quarter and gave us the win. That's what we brought her in to do. That's what she's paid to do. That's all I ask of her. Kick butt, take names on the court, and try not to spew stupid comments off it.

The officiating seemed more unbalanced in its failure than usual. There were a lot of ticky-tack calls against the Liberty, while the Sparks got away with two tackles. Amy Bonner was egregiously bad in the first half, but Greene was worse in the second. We also had clock problems, but that's nothing new in this league.

We will not speak of the anthem, or of the unnecessary rendition of “God Bless America”. I'm going to have to pretreat my laundry to get out the bloodstains from where my eardrums popped and bled. And both of them screwed up the words, too. Unacceptable.

We've gotten used to Anne Donovan and her staff, and Chelsea Newton representing Rutgers, but it was a pleasant surprise to see Val Ackerman there. Huzzah for our first president!

We really tried our best to give it away in the fourth quarter, but Cappie was enough. This might well be the story of our season. That, and Nicole Powell's sorry excuse for basketball.

June 19th, 2011: Chicago at Connecticut

2011-06-19T20:44:00.000-07:00

Just the Facts, Ma'am: Tina Charles's 31 points and 12 rebounds powered the Connecticut Sun to a 83-68 win over the Chicago Sky. Sylvia Fowles led Chicago with 23 points and 10 rebounds.

For things people ought to know, somewhat random jerseys, buzzkills, and a lingering lack of Girl Scout cookies, join your intrepid and employed blogger after the jump.

If one more person asks me if I work here, I will not be held responsible for my actions. I have a tiny handbag and a Detroit Shock jersey, WHY DO YOU THINK I WORK AT MOHEGAN SUN? And if I do answer your questions out of the kindness of my heart, do not ask me if I said something completely different from what I said, and then get all huffy that I'm treating you like you just got off the short bus.

(Yes, a Detroit Shock jersey. Cindy Brown. After last week's territorial pissing match with one of the Sun fans, I decided to blow her tiny little mind. Besides, Dominique Canty might appreciate it.)

Lots of Father's Day stuff going on here. On one hand, good for them, on the other hand, my dad's mildly annoyed at him that I blew off Father's Day for a game.

I'm not sure if I like Chicago's approach under Chatman. All of them come out fairly late, all of them come off together, and Erin Thorn runs interference so everyone can get off without being bothered. Carolyn Swords, I think the kid with the sign in one hand and the Sharpie in the other might have been looking for more than a tap on the back of the hand.

We had trouble with one of the stanchions for much of the pregame. The clock was off, and they ended up having to lower it and manually do something. But we have two clocks now, and that's good.

Chicago, I'm sorry, but you cannot work that yellow with this many blondes on your team. It is heinous. It is almost as bad as Erin attempting to dance. Yes, Erin, we see you. Dominique Canty you are not.

Connecticut's up 15 at the half, and I'm really surprised at Chicago. You would think Pokey Chatman would have a better notion of how to use Fowles in the paint, but she keeps bringing her out high. I don't get it. Vandersloot also looks like she might be in over her head. She's relying a lot on speed, and that's not going to do her any good.

And if this woman in the row in front of me turns around and gives me any more dirty looks because I have my computer out, there are a few places I'd like to tell her where to go in language more colorful than a rainbow flag and saltier than an arena pretzel. But we'll probably be going into more detail about that later. Lots more detail. David and Holly are not going to be happy with me.

Well, the posts woke up in the second half, at least offensively, but the Sky's rebounding went absolutely dead. I don't understand it.

So, anthem notes: beautifully done by a middle school choir. I approve this message, but not the people who came in late during it.

I suppose it's a natural reaction for someone who gets into a league, this sudden realization that the players you remembered as young, wide-eyed rookies are now the seasoned veterans at the end of their careers. That's the double-take I always do with Tangela Smith, Ticha Penicheiro- and Dominique Canty. It's odd to see the end of a career when you remember its beginning. She played sparingly, at the ends of quarters and halves, as a veteran presence. Same deal with Erin Thorn, who was in as a spot shooter. There was a hilarious moment in which Cathrine Kraayeveld blew a play and Erin was exceedingly not amused. I think she might have even said “darn!”. Carolyn Swords is awfully grabby. I think I remember her being that way at BC, so I'm not surprised, but she's going to have to control that instinct if she wants to continue being a reserve in this league. Lindsay Wisdom-Hylton was their sixth woman, and brought a lot of hustle off their bench. Not always the greatest judgment, but she seemed to be in the right place at the right time a lot of the time.

Cathrine Kraayeveld needs to stop admiring her shot. It's a nice shot, but it's not drop-your-jaw-and-stare gorgeous. Stop admiring and start following your shot, or I'm going to hunt you down and slap you upside the head, and then run very quickly away because you're the 6'4” daughter of a football player. Courtney Vandersloot struck me as a player who will eventually be a point guard of epic win, but for now she's a young point guard who doesn't completely know her roster and the speed of the game, and might be in over her head a little bit. She's fast and she's smart, and she needs seasoning. Michelle Snow, please, enough with the feigned innocence. If you horse-collar tackle a player to the ground, it is a foul. Stop acting like it isn't. I really thought she and Asjha Jones were going to throw down in some good old fashioned UConn-Tennessee hatred. They were going back and forth with the forearms and the pushes. People in Connecticut really need to realize that Epiphanny Prince can hit the three. You'd think they'd have remembered this for some reason. It's like she played at a school that played against Connecticut a lot. I have no earthly idea why she was bringing the ball up at any time that Vandersloot was in the game. I think her decision-making suffered in the second half when she got tired- she played almost the entire game. Sylvia Fowles spent far too much time in the high post and outside the paint in the first half. She was much more assertive in the second half, and more willing to go inside. She was big on deflecting offensive rebounds out to the three-point line- it worked two out of the three times that she did it.

Danielle McCray's shooting touch has cooled since I've seen her last, but I like how aggressive she's being. She's making her presence felt out there, in bruises if not in field goals. Jessica Moore finally got into the game; I'm not sure if this is the first time this season, or just the first time in Connecticut. She, uh, was tall out there. Let's go with that. Kara Lawson got kicked to the bench. I'm not sure if Thibault is disappointed in her, or if he wanted to play matchups out there and have Griffin to match up against Kraayeveld. The 13 points off the bench make me think she didn't like it, though. Someone might want to remind her that she's not playing football anymore and she's a really lousy quarterback. DeMya Walker's... derriere... continues to be a weapon of mass destruction, and she definitely has her uses on the defensive end. There was one play that had us laughing- she drew a charge on a pretty blatant flop, and was then pulled from the game; we joked that she had to go receive her Oscar. Tan White had a really nice defensive play on... I want to say it was Vandersloot or Prince (yes, I know, it's easy to tell the difference, but memory only tells me it was a fast Chicago guard) but wasn't much of a factor offensively.

The scary part is that Tina Charles could have played better. And that's with the 31 points and the 12 rebounds. I'm talking about the easy shots she missed in the first half, and her lackadaisical defense on Fowles. Yes, that means that 31 and 12 isn't the pinnacle of her abilities. That says volumes about her. Renee Montgomery must have been told to stop taking threes; she responded by going on pell-mell drives that Becky Hammon would have thought were ill-advised. I really don't know what to make of Montgomery sometimes. She must be one of the most frustrating players to have on one's team. Kelsey Griffin did some work on the offensive glass. She was mostly out there to toy with matchups and get rebounds, so she must have done her job, but that's not a lineup I'd go with on a regular basis. Kalana Greene had a couple of nice shots, but she wasn't a big factor in this one. Asjha Jones showed up late to the party, being pretty much useless in the first half and surprisingly useful in the second half. (She makes a lousy lasagna these days, though. Too much sauce.)

We sort of realized that this was going to be a questionably officiated game when the name Gulbeyan was uttered. And I'm really disappointed in Felicia Grinter. She's backslid. Running around in bad company, I suppose. There was a really horrible call that was given to Walker as a three-second violation when Snow was wrapped around her like a spider. (Or, if you want to be nerdy, like Gollum trying to get the One Ring from Frodo.) We protested that call quite loudly. Some of the later calls were ridiculous as well, and there was booing. Also, Chatman and Kraayeveld kept up the pretense of making it a game too long.

Special consideration must be given to the sour old bat in section 119, row A, seat 7. When we're cheering for Connecticut, stop telling us to be quiet. No, seriously, who comes to a basketball game at an arena to be quiet? Especially since her actions during the game made it clear that she was a UConn fan, and one of only recent vintage, given how much she applauded Montgomery and Charles, but not Jones. So if you were the cranky old hag telling people to be quiet at a basketball game, here's to you. I hope that if you're ever at MSG, the Prudential Center, or Carnesecca Arena, we have the opportunity to extend to you the same respect for your fandom that you did to ours. Bring earplugs.

(As an aside, this is the second run-in we've had with a local fan in two games, after long periods of peace. Not a good sign. Not a good sign at all. I may no longer be a Scarlet woman, but I still don't like the cult-like followers of the Huskies, and if that's the fan base the Sun want to attract, they're going to scare off a lot of casual fans.)

After the game, we went to our usual stomping grounds and chatted with some friendly Sun fans while working on this year's shirt. The Chicago players were friendly enough, though I think it helped that there weren't that many people there. It amuses me that Cathrine Kraayeveld appears to be another of the “hair dryers are not for me!” persuasion, or at least that's why I assume she came by with her hair wet. (Don't worry, Kraay. You're not the only one. I only use hair dryers for special occasions like proms and weddings.) We also saw a few of the Sun players; either per diem is better than I thought, three people together are stronger than one alone, Sun players get employee discounts, or Jessica Moore doesn't know the local restaurants yet, since she suggested Tuscany to her friends.

I'm surprised at Chicago. I'm surprised at Connecticut. I'm surprised at a lot of things. Mostly I'm very tired, but hey, won on the slots. Life's pretty good when that happens.

June 14th, 2011: Atlanta at New York

2011-06-14T21:35:00.000-07:00

Just the Facts, Ma'am: Despite 21 points from Essence Carson, the Liberty trailed by as much as 23 in their loss to Atlanta, 79-58. The Dream were led by Angel McCoughtry's 18 points.

For frustration, trains, aggravation, buses, irritation, and automobiles, join your intrepid and achy blogger after the jump.

Fail. Epic fail. That is about the best description I can come up with right now, since “Can you pass me that rum? No, the whole bottle, please” might be a tad bit inappropriate.

You get no pregame fun times report because it takes me an hour and a half to get from my job to the Prudential Center, so when I leave at 5:30, I get to my seat right when the ref throws the ball in the air. So no anthem report, no pregame shootaround notes, no opinions on players' personalities, just frothing and seething at having to take a bus, a subway, and two PATH trains to a hike across a shopping area with a homeless guy smoking a cigarette and end up watching a lousy first half and a pathetic excuse of a second half from the Liberty. I can't do this hike next year. I don't even know if I want to do it next month.

Kelly Mazzante can still shoot, but that might be all she can do; of course, one might argue that that's all she could ever do. I... wouldn't have thought Plenette Pierson was her type, but I can't argue with that rather blatant grab around Plenette's... chest. Sandora Irvin seemed to be the only Atlanta player that the referees wanted to call fouls on. She slithered her way into the paint for a couple of nice offensive rebounds. Shalee Lehning scraps and hustles, but I didn't think she ran the team with the kind of authority she did last year. Of course, that might just be because she doesn't have the authority she did last year. Armintie Price still only has one speed and has reverted to her earlier lack of coordination. She's there for defense, and she's good at that, but she needs to lay off the shooting. Alison Bales was mostly used to set picks and scare the daylights out of Kia Vaughn; she wasn't really looking for her shot, but she didn't have to be. Coco Miller seemed to have taken her inspiration from the NBA Finals, what with the extra steps and the acrobatic shots, and dear gods, Colleen Mary Miller, you were not meant for acrobatic twisting layups.

Iziane Castro Marques has such a pretty shot- it's too pretty for her own good, given how much time she spends standing there and admiring it. If I were an Atlanta fan, I'd be infuriated that she didn't follow her shot. I have no idea why we kept leaving her open. She can shoot, y'know, Libs. Lindsey Harding didn't really make her presence felt. It's hard to believe a team can have such good offense without a point guard imposing her will on them, but who needs point guards when you have bruising posts and opponents who can't get out of their own way? Angel McCoughtry really just needs to keep her mouth shut and play. When she plays, she's beautiful to watch, a storm in control. When she starts running her mouth, she comes off as a petulant little brat. And I'd much rather watch her be a marvel of ability on both ends of the floor than want to hit her with a thunderstick. Sancho Lyttle seems to be fancying herself an outside shooter ever since that bizarre incident with the three-point shot pass, and I'm grateful for that, because if she had decided to go inside, we probably would have lost by thirty-five. If this is part of the Dream's strategy, I can see why they've struggled in the early going. Good thing for them that they have Érika deSouza. She was a beast inside. Of course, if the officials decide to call three seconds, she's a non-factor, but having faith in the referees to count is a silly, silly thing.

Guys! You guys! We had a Sydney Colson sighting! Hi... what are we going to call you? Your name is a homophone of Sidney Spencer's, so the variants on that aren't going to work. And you might be the Whiz Kid, but our coach is Whiz. What are we going to do? Other than watch you make stylish lay-ups and carry lots of hair onto the court? So hi, Sydney Colson! The other S*dney played too, and I think Whiz is bound and determined to make us like Spencer by not playing her at moments when it would seem appropriate. After he started off using the hand he was dealt well, his average has gone down to about .250. She's hopeless, but at least she can shoot. Alex Montgomery had some nice defensive plays, but dear God can she not shoot on the professional level. Sort of like a lower-to-middle-class man's Armintie Price. Quanitra Hollingsworth... not her night. Just. Not her night. On so many levels. Between the boxing out of teammates, the flubbed passes, the botched defensive assignments, and all of the other assorted errors, I think she might want to forget this day ever happened. (Suits me.) Jessica Breland was awful on offense, but had a monster block that got the sparse handfuls on their feet. Leilani Mitchell played a little bit, but her shots were off, though she got down for a couple of loose balls. I suspect her back was acting up, though.

Paging Cappie Pondexter. Cappie Pondexter to the courtesy phone. Has anyone seen Cappie Pondexter? She wasn't even relevant enough to the game to be bad. She was simply irrelevant. Nicole Powell was such a non-factor that I kept shouting “NICOLE DID SOMETHING!” when she got a rebound or hit a shot. I think I did it three times- a rebound, a shot, and a steal. Plenette Pierson started off well enough, but descended quickly into a lot of standing around and blowing assignments. I was honestly surprised that she had five fouls because I didn't think she'd been in position enough times to get in foul trouble. Kia Vaughn had a nice offensive game, but I think she gave up as many points as she scored, and let's not go into the rebounding. At least Essence Carson showed up for the first half, looking like she wanted to have a highlight reel all her own. Unfortunately, the Dream found an answer for her in the second half.

I wish I could say I've never seen this team so discombobulated, so unaware of who they should be passing to, so eager to box each other out for rebounds, so clueless about their height or lack thereof. But, well, I survived the Season of Fail in 2006. You can't scare me anymore. I don't know why a bunch of professional basketball players didn't look like they knew how to play basketball, but I'm used to it. I don't even know where to start, whether the players couldn't play or the coach couldn't coach. I just... throw my hands in the air.

There was the usual array of buffoonery from the officials, which disappoints me, because I expect better from Denise Brooks- but I think she was saddled with Scott Twadarski, which is never going to end well. DeSouza set up shop in the lane, everyone got away with traveling, Leilani caught a stray elbow, no one seemed to know how to handle out of bounds...

But really, one of the most egregious problems with this game was the attendance. I refuse to call it a crowd. Standing room only on the E train that took me home was crowded. Ten thousand at the Garden is crowded. If there were four thousand people at the Prudential Center, that's a lot. There were a lot of late arrivals, too. 7PM on weeknights is untenable. Three seasons of this will kill the team.

I have to give a shoutout to the obsession of Atlanta fans who made the trip to New York. (For those of you who have not met me: I use 'obsession' as the collective noun for a group of fans, especially in the context of travel. Referees come in confusions, coaches in schemes.) They brought lots of gear and thundersticks. It was almost depressing when I first arrived, because I came in with them, and I was the only person in sight wearing Liberty gear who didn't work for the team. But I love traveling fans.

After the game was the Q & A with Laurel Richie, and that was written up in a separate file, so it might not flow smoothly. Sorry. You just have to imagine me hunched over my laptop, steam still coming out of my ears at the defensive lapses, orange threads from the lei I wore on Saturday drifting down my black jersey.

The question and answer session started with opening remarks from Kristen Bernart, who made some noises about the arena and lauded Laurel Richie. I was very good and didn't heckle her about the “not such a great night” thing, since the section of Atlanta fans was still lurking.

Then Richie took the microphone, opening with her background. So far she sounds a little more genuine and less “pull my string and hear me talk” than Orender did. She grew up a Cavs fan (the poor woman) and had some familiar experiences about being a girl trying to get to the game- she and her sisters wondered why dad kept taking their brother to games and not them. She went into her advertising background- “I know about every natural function below the waist.” (Yay? Then I guess she knows what this game was.) I think at this point we're allowed to make cookie jokes, given that she talked up her experience with the Girl Scout cookie program. So far, if she's as good as she seems, we have a lot to thank Force 10 for- they got her into this league. “You're really cool. Let's stay in touch.”

The first thing she wants to do is “celebrate the women who play this game”. I wonder who the third lawyer is (Washington and Henning come to mind). “If nothing else, I want all their arms.” She thinks that getting to know the players is a critical piece to getting people to come to the games. “Do I market the WNBA as something that is socially good?” She appears to have forgotten the existence of WPS, which I can't necessarily blame her for, but the WNBA is not the only professional women's league in this country. “Gosh- God forbid, if they miss one of these passes, there goes my face-” on sitting courtside in Seattle, and seeing how hard and physical the game is. She wants to balance the social good with the basketball of the league. She also wants to play up the partnership with the NBA, “but sometimes I feel we're the little sister”. I see what she's getting at- I think she's obliquely touching upon the Neanderthal argument that the WNBA is being shoved down their throats.

“I am not above shaming potential sponsors into supporting us.” Ahahaha.

I like that she's willing to admit when she doesn't know things. Whether that comes from not having a sports background or simply being new to this job, I don't know, but I like that she hasn't formed her plan yet. She's only in her second month, after all.

The press asks her what's the most surprisng, and she said that she was interviewed so thoroughly that nothing surprises her, but she's impressed with the fans' passion and relationship with the league. And another “I don't know” about bringing more people in, but she wants to put it on the fans. Oh boy. Red flag. She draws a parallel between the Storm's kid train and the relationship of fans to the league.

First question: “instead of shaming sponsors, how can we shame the media into covering the league?” The league's “had some really good discussions” about telling stories about the players. They're working all the angles- women's stuff, business stuff, black stuff, what have you. It will be person by person, outlet by outlet, vehicle by vehicle. I'm not sure I like her emphasis on stories, especially “missing intestine” stories.

Second question: someone else who's pissed off about the blackout on cable! Really pissed off. Lady, let the president get a word in edgewise. She can only nod and mmm. She'll “lobby very hard”, and is giving the usual talk about ratings.

Third question, from a Liberty original: scheduling, used to have lots of weekend games, not so much now. She's also complaining about the food. Lady, the president doesn't control that. So how do you get the attendance up? (This is going to be an I don't know... and it is. Go me.) “It's on my radar.” What do you think are the benefits we get from the NBA? The league hasn't had the financial success they would like- she thinks it'll get there, or she wouldn't have taken this job. Because the larger league continues to support the league, realizing it's going to take the W time to get its feet under it, that's a benefit. She thinks the larger organization appreciates the importance of the league, and I think she's dead wrong on that- it's more appreciated on the micro level, by NBA players who come to games and support the team. Oh, she does know about WPS. But. Um. Paradox.

Fourth question: another angry Liberty fan being Liberty-centric, but also wants to know about the business aspect. Different fan experiences. Would the league have the leverage to force the Dolans to sell? WTF, woman in front of me. NO. Or Orender would have. Keep up. Richie's playing the inexperience card again. “Focused less on ownership and more on viability”, though the two are interconnected.

Yours truly asked about regionalization. The most important thing is to have twelve strong, viable teams. She doesn't believe the composition of teams is based on where players came from. (Jessica Moore might want a word with you.) Owners, staff, etc. are focused on the viability and health of their team. And that was a remarkable non-answer.

Another original: “it's always been a family league”. (Yeah, dude. “Family.” And family.) Yes! Someone else who wants more of a focus on the history of the league!And more inclusivity! Okay, dude, you can live. Bernert took on the history question. Sue has a relationship with the team now. And the Sparks game will have a Spoon celebration. And they're going to celebrate Hammon. (Uh. She's not retired yet.) There's going to be a WATN? section now. Niiiiice. And they want to teach new fans the traditions. YES.

Another question, from a comedian (“how's your brother Lionel?”). How about an oldtimers' game? Bernert says we're trying. Our comedian also brought up commercial travel. For Richie, it's not just the travel, it's the whole piece of it (hey, I'm quoting here, blame her). She looks to women's tennis for inspiration- oh, boy, red flag. “The game is different, but it is no less valuable.”

Last question: the officiating. One of the pieces of her orientation was to meet with the folks in charge of officiating. There's a human factor to all of that. And the guy who trains the officials sounds kind of scary. And more waffling.

I think I like her as a person, but I'm not sure about her as a league president. Her inexperience is raising too many red flags for me. She might be a marketing person, but she sounds like she's not sure what she's marketing.

June 12th, 2011: Tulsa at Connecticut

2011-06-12T21:44:00.000-07:00

Just the Facts, Ma'am: The Connecticut Sun put four players in double figures and kept the Tulsa Shock at arm's length most of the afternoon, winning 90-79. Tulsa's Ivory Latta led all scorers with 26 points. Tina Charles led the Sun with 19 points and eight rebounds.

For danger to life and limb, a distressing lack of cookies, trading cards, and yak herding, join your intrepid and indignant blogger after the jump.

Damn nice crowd for a mid-afternoon game against Tulsa. See, Libs, this is why afternoon weekend games work, not plopping people down at Penn Station at ten at night.

I think it's a bad sign that we've got Sue Blauch tonight. We're already prepared for fail.

Shoutout to Mohegan's free Wi-Fi. Hint, MSG; hint, Prudential Center. I like getting started before the game.

Please, for the love of all that is sweet and holy, please don't let Girl Scouts sing the anthem in registers they don't have. Please. My eardrums despair.

At halftime, something very scary has happened. It looks like Swoopes and Latta have figured out how to use Cambage. The rest of their team might not be familiar with the concept of the entry pass to the post, but if their backcourt players are... they might be on to something. Also, Connecticut appears to have taken up with Three-Point Shot, and we all know how fickle she is. Kelsey Griffin really needs to stop shooting and Danielle McCray needs to start.

I'm surrounded by Girl Scouts. They have no cookies. WASTE.

There were never any cookies. I am not amused. What's the point of having Girl Scouts at an event if you don't have them selling cookies? Honestly, it's not going to take that much away from your concessions, and you'll rack up goodwill with the new league president.

So, the Tulsa bench. The Tulsa bench was actually a bit less organized than usual today, because Nolan Richardson randomly decided to insert Chastity Reed in place of Tiffany Jackson in the starting lineup right at the tip, when Jackson had already been announced. Tiffany Jackson, I still have some lingering fondness for you from your Liberty days, but please do not hit your teammates in the face. This is a bad plan and you should feel bad for following it. Also, watch your footwork. Andrea Riley is a nice kid, but if she ever belonged in the WNBA, she doesn't now. No judgment, no sense, lousy on-floor attitude, and she's still carrying the baby weight (you can tell around her face). She's going to have to have an epiphany soon if she wants to play in the W. And there was a brief Jennifer Lacy sighting.

Chastity Reed reminds me weirdly of Shay Doron around the face. I don't get it. I think she's trying to learn how to play defense, but as this is a new and novel experience for her, she's having a bit of trouble adjusting. I think the only shot she'll have of having time to learn is the fact that she's on rookie scale and can shoot a little. She's barely a possible W player and she sure shouldn't be playing 34 minutes. Unfortunately, Sheryl Swoopes has reached the point where she's barely a W player as well. The instincts are still there, and so is the gorgeous shot when she has time for it. But the flesh is far too weak. It's rough to see a legend play out the string. I was impressed with Kayla Pedersen's hustle and stroke. Assuming Nolan Richardson doesn't make her want to take up yak herding or living in trees, she will be a crucial piece for the future of this team. Liz Cambage definitely looks like she's still nineteen and getting into the groove of the league. Her temper gets the best of her a bit, and she's not always in the right place at the right time, but in the second quarter and until she left the game, she established herself well in the paint and was getting her shots. But she needs to get on the boards. She's six-eight. She needs to do better than two rebounds. Hold onto the ball, Liz!

Kelsey Griffin, stop shooting. I mean, we'll see how things go next game, but if you're even thinking about shooting right now, stop. Her rebounding was on point, and she worked hard on defense, so that was nice. Tan White seemed to have become the shooter of choice at the end of the shot clock, and I do not know if that's the role she was born to play. Danielle McCray looked good- like a player who had been lightly seasoned in overseas basketball but was still new to the WNBA. The numbers do not do justice to DeMya Walker's presence. She bodied up on Cambage and made her uncomfortable.

Tina Charles started off on fire, and then she backed off. I don't get it. She's seen tall. She's seen big. She's seen skilled. She started acting like she was afraid of Cambage, like something was going to come flying out of Cambage's hair or out of her shorts. Go towards the hole, Tina, it's okay. Asjha Jones was hot early, faded a bit, then got hot later in the game, after Cambage was out. I'd like to have seen her be a wee bit more assertive on the boards. Renee Montgomery, you do know you don't have to take everything from beyond the arc? It got ridiculous. Kara Lawson found her stroke late in the game, and was pretty solid throughout. Kalana Greene had a couple of boneheaded moments, but had one stretch in the second half where she made several good plays in a row on both ends of the floor. I still don't think she should be starting for a team that has any pretensions of glory, but it is what it is.

There were some strange lineups out there. At one point, Richardson had Riley and Latta out there together, and Thibault answered that with a three-guard set. I'm not sure this was the right time and place for small ball.

I spent a fair portion of the fourth quarter with elevated blood pressure and seething fury coursing through my veins. Here's the sequence: Tulsa has the ball. On the rebound, Liz Cambage crumples to the floor, first curling into the “oh God my knee” position, then rolling over to show our side of the arena that she's holding her face. Meanwhile, the Sun have the ball at their end. Asjha Jones misses a jump shot at the Sun's end of the floor and everyone comes back up towards the Shock's end of the floor. Play is still going on. Cambage is still writhing. Someone damn near tramples her. Play is still going on. Finally, Tan White is called for a blocking foul and play stops. Finally, someone comes over and tries to get her up. The first attempt does not succeed as her legs fold under her and she sits down heavily. The Shock trainer makes his way over. They work on getting her upright. Teresa Edwards comes over. She works her way upright. Nolan Richardson ambles over when she's almost completely up. She never leaves the bench area, even while they're checking her for concussion (which, by the way, she has). Richardson acts surprised that he needs to get a sub into the game. Your center has a concussion, you idiot, YOU NEED A SUB. He also seemed surprised that he needed to get a sub when Chastity Reed fouled out. I swear, that man has lost his marbles. There are no marbles left.

But I'm more furious at the refs. I understand letting play continue at the other end of the floor. But it's a hazard to everyone involved if you're letting play continue when a player is lying on the floor. Especially if, judging from how quickly they mopped up and the tissue up her nose, there was blood on the floor. Let's rewind and review. There is a very good chance that Sue Blauch, Felicia Grinter, and Byron Jarrett allowed play to go on with blood on the floor. Let's forget any other calls they may or may not have made that day; if this is the case, they are so far up the creek without a paddle that they will not be able to find the paddle without the help of a native guide. I mean, I know there were a couple of calls that had me raising my eyebrows, but that sequence took the cake. That's a reckless disregard for players' health and safety right there.

After the game, we headed up to the usual spot to work on this year's t-shirt, but after half an hour of trying to find Tulsa players, some Sun fan decided to give me flak about my team, so I snarled a couple of curse words in her general direction and stomped off in high dudgeon, thinking unkind thoughts about UConn fans who don't have anything better to do than scream for Jessica Moore. For the most part, I like Connecticut fans and I like Sun fans, but the UConn fans who are there solely for UConn alumnae can be ridiculously obnoxious. (And trust me, I'm a New Yorker. I know from obnoxious.)

Tulsa has more promise than I thought. But Nolan Richardson has to go for any of it to be realized.

June 12th, 2011: Indiana at New York

2011-06-11T21:11:00.000-07:00

Just the Facts, Ma'am: A 24-10 fourth quarter allowed the Indiana Fever to overcome the New York Liberty, 86-80. Essence Carson led all scorers with 23 points, while Tamika Catchings led Indiana with 19. Rookie Jeanette Pohlen had 14 off the bench for the Fever.

For face painting, far too much standing around, tropes being describes, shrieks of rage, and sheepish confessions, join your intrepid and hurried blogger after the jump.

Different city. Different arena. Surprisingly different team. Same old FFO, though I think much of this may have to do with lack of communication between the FFO and the fans, and the FFO and the Prudential Center. Something tells me this will be a recurring theme for games that have pre-game events.

It did not help the FFO's standing with many season ticket holders that they canceled the Fan Fest the morning of, due to rain. Some of us were already en route, because some of had errands to run and lunch/dinner to eat before hiking two hours out to Newark, and thus some of us were a bit annoyed at an additional hour of standing around and shooting off our mouths.

The season subscriber Q and A turned out to be more of a tour, which was a bit annoying because I've been to the Prudential Center before, thank you, I know where the bathroom is. They gave us some useful information about the perks of being a season ticket holder, though, and once they got organized, it was great. But they had to get organized first, and I think that was more on the Prudential Center people than that was on the Liberty staff.

We hit up the tag sale afterwards, scoring some very cool autographed stuff for him and a poster for me. I almost bought my mom one of the balls signed by Ashley Battle, but I've already bought her a jersey and given her a card, so maybe I need a new theme. Maybe when we play San Antonio...

I have talked a lot of trash about Sidney Spencer in the past. I will probably talk a lot of trash about Sidney Spencer in the future. But I'll give her her due as a shooter: if you can hit shots- even if they're practice shots- in the dark, or with disco lights flashing in your face, you're a baller for real.

You can't really call it a “guest DJ” series if you only ever have one or two people there, y'know.

Amy Bonner almost tripped Shannon Bobbitt as the Fever ran onto the floor. Nice job breaking it, officials.

And after the game, my happy, excited mood of “oh, how good it is to be home, how nice it is to see all of the Usual Suspects, and Essence Carson finally figured out where the three-point arc is!” has dissipated in a haze of “GODDAMNIT PLENETTE GODDAMNIT KIA WHAT IS WITH YOUR SHOT SELECTION?” and seething frustration at Whiz's sub patterns.

Unrelated to actual gameplay, we saw a few luminaries there. Kym Hampton and Sue Wicks were in their usual seats on the endline, and I think I may have temporarily died of squee at the sight of Sue in facepaint. We were about four rows back from April Sykes of Rutgers (and possibly other Rutgers players, but sadly, Sykes is the only player on that team I recognize anymore). There were two tall, striking women in front of us, and I kept thinking that they looked familiar. They disappeared at halftime, and the next time I saw them, they were sitting with Chelsea Newton, so I think they may have been Rutgers alumnae.

I can't tell you much about the halftime show, except that it involved entirely too much Justin Bieber, because we spent it showing off wedding pictures to our neighbors. Really, though, I think the fact that it included Justin Bieber should be enough for you not to want to know more.

Jeanette Pohlen might be the best point guard on Indiana's roster right now, and I'm not sure if that's a good thing or not. Things seemed to go more smoothly when she was in. Of course, it didn't help that we weren't guarding her, because apparently no one on our team watched college basketball last season! Jessica Davenport is still too fond of using the glass, but I like that she's using her size more. Of course, I recognize my own bias, because I like her and want her to do well despite her alma mater. She was very effective as a reserve for Indiana. Erin Phillips is still a little crazy. I was surprised she wasn't looking for her offense, but I guess that's not what she's in for. She sacrificed her body a couple of times. Dunn didn't go into her bench that much- a bit of a surprise in the back end of a back-to-back.

Would someone please keep Katie Douglas from going left or going behind the screen and getting open behind the arc? Please? Somebody? Anybody? Just so she'll shut up and stop whining to the refs, and so she'll stop scoring on my team? Briann January is developing into a nice little shooting guard. This is a bit of a problem when you're supposed to be a shooting guard, though. Her passing savvy is not where I imagine a coach with any pretensions of glory would want it to be. Tammy Sutton-Brown is possibly the least popular Rutgers player ever, which actually takes a fair amount of effort with these fans. She did some nice work on the offensive boards, though. I'm impressed with Tangela Smith's grace regarding her number; given that she has seniority over everyone in this league short of Swoopes, Thompson, and Penicheiro, she could have asked for 50 back from Davenport and gotten it, but she changed her number instead. I honestly don't remember much of what she did out there. Some screens, some questionable shots. She looked like a player who was in her fourteenth season.

Jessica Breland, go to the damn basket unless you tell me to my face that Whiz is telling you to shoot from the outside. Because I'm sorry, right now you're one of the biggest people we have and your outside shot is comparable to mine. Maybe it was a bad night, but she didn't impress me. Alex Montgomery lived up to her number in her one stint, stopping Douglas when no one else had managed to... and then she was buried on the bench, never to be seen again, not even when Douglas warmed back up, Catchings remembered she could occasionally shoot, and Pohlen and January were getting in on the offense. I don't understand why a defensive coach who needed a defensive stop wouldn't put in a defensive stopper. Quanitra Hollingsworth looked like someone who still needed to get used to who her teammates were- the raw material is there, but she hasn't yet developed, and she needs to do so in a hurry before she comes off rookie scale and disappears off the face of the earth. Once she stops fighting her teammates for rebounds and does a better job gauging her shots, she'll be fine. Leilani Mitchell played in spurts, but I don't think she's Whiz's style of point guard. She looked like she was having a little trouble with the Indiana defense, but not as much as I think Whiz thought she was having. Her back may be flaring up again, though; we saw her with the radiator at one point. Sidney Spencer was not completely awful, but didn't do much. Watching her on defense is painful, but I have to give her points for at least trying. It's sort of endearing.

Pretend to care, Nicole Powell? Please? At least have the appearance of concern added to your emotional subroutine? I shouldn't be gauging players by their expressions, but when the only expression she demonstrates is that of someone who's bitten into a lemon and discovered that it's not only tart but moldy, I worry. She had something like six assists tonight, so I guess she was doing something right on that end of the floor, but it just didn't look like it. I get the feeling this is going to be a long bout of love-hate with a heavy dose of WHY DIDN'T WE TAKE REBEKKAH BRUNSON WHYYYYYYY. Essence Carson was apparently replaced by her polar opposite, who can shoot the lights out and knows where the three-point arc is, but lets Briann January run by her for a lay-up and has repeated defensive breakdowns. I don't mind the scoring, but honestly, E, you were hired as a defender. The first of Plenette Pierson's skyhooks went in and was awesome, but somehow that gave her carte blanche to take two more in the fourth quarter instead of going for a higher-percentage shot. She bodied up well, and played great in the first half, but I think the minutes and the back-to-back got to her in the second half. I'm really not sure what to think about Kia Vaughn anymore. One minute she tears down a rebound or sets a nice screen. The next minute, she's trying to do Tari Phillips's show-the-ball trick without having full possession of the ball. (And given that the “show-the-ball trick involves holding the ball out with both hands and daring the defense to take it, this is not a good thing.) All the flaws that there were in her game as a senior at Rutgers are still there in her third professional season. She blows lay-ups, then thinks that she should take jumpers instead. She commits stupid fouls more than she commits smart ones or gets victimized by the refs. Her fundamentals are a hot mess. And I feel like I'm harping on her too much, but this is going to be a recurring theme, I know it.

Since the above paragraph is entirely too long, Cappie Pondexter gets her own paragraph, despite the fact that she wasn't really the Pondexter we've come to expect. Whiz is playing her at the point, and I'll give her credit, she's accepted the role more fully than I ever could have expected, almost to the detriment of the team. She's distributing and rarely calling her own number- and in crunch time, she's shying away from her number, which is leaving us with Plenette and the skyhook. She can't be the point guard in the fourth quarter when it's a close game. Leilani or Essence or hell, Sydney Colson needs to be distributing the ball. I might not like Pondexter, but given our other options, she needs to be taking the big shots for this team. We can't have her passing off when she can take damn near anyone in this league to the hole. And the fact that I have to type this hurts.

Dear officials: if Katie Douglas is in the backcourt and the shot clock says 16, that is an eight-second violation and you should give us the ball. If Katie Douglas is flying out of bounds into the backcourt, that is either out of bounds off Indiana or an backcourt violation and you should give us the ball, not her a timeout. If Katie Douglas lowers her shoulder and bulldozes Plenette Pierson, that is an offensive foul and you should give us the ball. I mean, I'm not exactly asking for fine judgment calls here, just arithmetic and spatial awareness. I'm not blaming the refs for us losing this game, because we did that all by ourselves, but it doesn't help when you're concerning yourselves with reviewing twos and threes and failing math. (Also, maybe I missed a reallocation, but they may have shorted Tamika Catchings a foul.)

If the crowd is going to arrive this late every game, we are going to have to have a long talk. Several stretches of the game were interrupted by people coming in to take their seats; I swear about a third of the crowd thought it was a 7:30 tip. And then people were leaving early to catch trains. It was a pretty small crowd. I think the people in the upper deck were irked at the vast swaths of empty seats in the center court sections of the lower deck. I'd peg attendance at about six thousand actual physical sentient beings, but they were a loud six thousand. If this team manages not to screw everything up, and they can get the place full, it's going to rock. But that's a pretty big if at this point.

This is probably going to be my last season until the team comes back to New York, so I want it to be the best that it can be. And right now, I'm not sure how good it can be. (I mean, okay, I said last season was my last too, but they fired Blaze, I had to give them another chance.) But the giant flaws in this team showed tonight, and when one of those flaws is the coach, it's hard to tell how many of them are going to be fixed by the end of the year. But we've got a game in three days, so we'll see how things go then.

June 4th, 2011: Washington at Connecticut

2011-06-05T11:48:00.000-07:00

Just the Facts, Ma'am: The Washington Mystics got 16 points each from Nicky Anosike and Crystal Langhorne, but the Connecticut Sun countered with 57.1% shooting and five players in double figures to win their home opener 89-73. Tina Charles's 18 points led all scorers, while Danielle McCray made a splash with 5-5 shooting in her first game.

For random pompoms, a lack of post defense, halfcourt shots, tearjerkers, and Supercow, join your intrepid and multi-tasking blogger after the jump.

Season! YES! Fair warning: such exclamations of excitement may be the most coherent part of the Game Notes of Doom. It's been a long time, and it feels so good to be back in the saddle. Been fiending for this since February, because while the tournament's pretty damn awesome, there's nothing like being at a real game.

How do you start a 15th anniversary season? You start it with a random encounter on a Q25 bus with a woman who looks at you in your Rebecca Lobo jersey and exclaims that she used to go to games, who offers memorabilia and gives red pom-poms. You start it with the warm and fuzzy feeling of not being alone in the world, with a connection to the beloved past and the thrill of looking to the future. (Then you get on a Chinatown bus and pray hard that the driver doesn't slam on the brakes again.)

It's so hard to describe how good it felt to be back in the flow of things, it really is. The thrill of anticipation while waiting for the gates to open, the familiar faces on the lines and along the rails, the smell of popcorn, the squeak of sneakers, the hustle and bustle of the crowd... it's good to be home, even when it's not technically home.

Nearly lost it during the tribute video to Margo Dydek when they showed her with one of her kids. Tiny child! The Sun did a nice job gathering testimonials from a lot of her former teammates- I was actually more impressed that they tracked down Jamie Carey than I was Nykesha Sales or Katie Douglas.

Nice anthem by a middle school chorus. The Mohegan color guard either missed their cue very badly, or the Mohegans have different traditions about the presentation of colors. They sort of wandered in a third of the way through the anthem, and none of them seemed sure which flag should be on top and which flags should be dipped at what levels.

Karima Christmas always throws me off. It's the name. I used to work with a Karima, and I always picture her when I hear the name, so I'm all “ohhh, that's her!” She got into it a couple of times on loose balls. I don't think the Sun players were happy with her physicality. Ta'Shia Phillips saw some time in brief spurts, and she made the most of it. I'm mildly annoyed at her for taking my pen and ticket and *then* deciding she was too late to sign. I sort of wish she'd kept the pen, though; it's a prank pen, designed for that purpose. (Blow me, off, will you? Guess what, your teammates will think you're a nudist!) Victoria Dunlap showed a little range and a lot of hustle. Jasmine Thomas is really fast- we're talking afterburners and puffs of dust fast- but really needs to work on her control. She committed a lot of stupid fouls and threw some lousy passes. Oh, Lord, Washington needs a point guard.

Wow, their entire bench is rookies right now. That says a lot about this team.

Alana Beard and Monique Currie had a nice little contrast thing going, with Currie in a white suit and Beard in gray and black. I guess they're too used to this street clothes thing already.

I'll say one thing about Matee Ajavon: I'm pretty sure that the Mystics will never commit a shot clock violation when she's on the floor. She loves to shoot. She also loves to try and pick players' pockets, and not always succeed. She was really mixing it up on loose balls. Marissa Coleman didn't show up until about the third quarter. She was there, but she didn't seem to be there. Kelly Miller put up seven quiet points and three spectacular ones on a halfcourt heave, and was not completely awful. Crystal Langhorne put on a show in the first quarter with spin moves and a quicker first step than I remembered. Nicky Anosike just put on a show. The Mystics' post players outclassed Connecticut's pretty much every step of the way.

It looked like Lacey was trying to set up two separate units. I'm not sure if that's going to work or not. But as long as their post players keep doing what they're doing, they'll be good.

Danielle McCray, hello and welcome to the WNBA! So nice to meet you and that three-point shot of yours. Whether that was a one-day anomaly or not, she made Mike Thibault look like a genius for waiting for her. I was surprised that Tan White didn't start, and it felt a little sinister until I saw how badly off her shot was. She hit the deck for a lot of loose balls, both getting them back from the Mystics and losing them for the Sun. Kelsey Griffin had a nice little game off the bench. DeMya Walker's dramatics continue to be hilarious, but she was arguably the best defender of the Sun posts. At least she, er, had a bit of leverage at the, um, bottom to establish position. Seriously, her butt is a lethal weapon in this league. I think some of her flopping hurt her team, because there were a couple of calls that they should have gotten but didn't.

I have no idea why Kalana Greene started this game. I really don't. She contributed nothing on offense, and even her defense was lacking. I like her, but if she keeps starting, I'm going to wonder if it's strictly on the basis of her alma mater. Kara Lawson's shot was off, but she stayed on the Mystics defensively, and I think the Sun work better when she's running the show. Renee Montgomery had one really nice three-pointer that she shot from somewhere in the vicnity of Storrs, but she does know she can move closer to the line, right? Tina Charles looked good on offense, and had one stuff of Anosike that got the crowd roaring, but she had a lot of defensive lapses that left, for example, Lawson on Anosike, which can be safely filed under “things that are just not going to end well”. Asjha Jones was much the same way- some beautiful moves on offense, but some defensive lapses that made her look a bit like Sidney Spencer.

Connecticut needs to either work on their defense or work on their defensive rotations. They were getting slaughtered inside by the Mystics' posts, and Washington doesn't have the best posts in the conference. Thibault had better learn something from this and put in the adjustments fast, before they play Atlanta or half the West.

So, part of me wonders if Jessica Moore didn't play because of her knee or because they don't know what number to give her. (Something tells me #31 is not an option...) I'm also amused by Connecticut now having two Alaskans. I don't know why this is amusing, but it is.

I think the refs are still getting used to the charge circle- they were a little unsure on a couple of calls in that area. And they took a looooong time on reviewing a couple of baskets. Really, guys, if it's a sixteen-point game and under thirty seconds, do you have to agonize over where the ball should be inbounded? Some of us have slot machines to lose money at, you know!

The pregame dance team/color guard was supposed to be empowering for special needs students, but came off as disgustingly exploitative. I'm sorry, but when it's clear at least one of the people has no idea what's going on, you're being unnecessarily cruel.

Important lesson learned: hang out after game first, then go gamble. We're working on another shirt this year- in honor of the fifteenth anniversary season, we brought out the 1997 shirt from my collection- it doesn't fit right anymore and has a chocolate stain on it, so we're going to make something useful out of it. (I'm hoping people sign over the chocolate stain so it's not so obvious.) We thought the team was going to shower first, then go back, but they did it the other way around, so we only saw the injured players and the coaching staff.

Just as a heads-up, if you're in Connecticut and want something to do next weekend: the Sun are collecting cards and notes for Margo Dydek's family at the Tulsa game on Sunday.

It's good to have the season back. Now I'm actually looking forward to the Liberty's home opener next week and seeing all the Usual Suspects again. I love this game. I love this league. I love my fellow fans. (Some more than others. :))

February 26th, 2011: Pittsburgh at St. John's

2011-02-26T20:19:00.000-08:00

Just the Facts, Ma'am: On Senior Day at Carnesecca Arena, it was a junior who led the way, as Da'Shena Stevens's 15 points and eight rebounds helped the Red Storm beat Pittsburgh, 72-63. Coco Hart added 13 points, and Shenneika Smith had all 12 of hers in the second half for St. John's. The Panthers' Ashlee Anderson led all scorers with 20 points, and Taneisha Harrison had a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds.

For flowers, the eternal choice between light and dark, defense, and about a page of unadulterated squee so sweet it will rot your teeth, join your intrepid and verklempt blogger after the jump.

Magic numbers. That's what today was about. Today was about the numbers. 4 years, 2 seniors. 1 and 30, Sky Lindsay and Coco Hart. 20 and 9, overall wins and conference wins, the magic numbers to get this team into the NCAA tournament. It was about heart and soul and tears and the thrill of a bonus game on top of a game, but at its very core, it was about numbers.

For better or for worse, the way St. John's recruits and keeps players, we really haven't had seniors who don't play very often and are only remembered on Senior Day. Our two seniors are both starters, and Sky's started every game she's played in. One's been a constant; the other worked her way up from the bench and tried to step into some very big shoes.

Whatever complaints I have had about Sky's game- and they have been legion over the years- I will never deny that she has one of the greatest personalities I've ever encountered in the game. Charming and fun-loving, she's been a great ambassador for the team. She's embraced her role as a leader of this team and mentored the younger players. I'm going to miss the way her jump shot floats in the air before splashing down in a high arc, and I'm going to miss the way she's always dancing to whatever music happens to be playing, and I'm going to miss her mother's indomitable will and boots. (I still remember the WNIT year when Mama Lindsay was bound and determined to charter a bus to North Carolina.)

And whatever complaints I have made about Coco over the years- and believe me, they have been many- I will never deny her effort, her willingness to sacrifice her body against much larger opponents, her hustle, and her fight. She comes to play, and while much has been asked of her, she has given just as much in return.

The Senior Day presentation was beautiful- each player got flowers and a framed action photo, and then there was music video. We will not speak of the music video. I love my team, and I love Nadirah McKenith as a point guard, and I think Jennifer Blanding seems like a great person to hang out with, but for the love of God, they should not have made that tribute rap-whatever-it-was travesty of a video. No. No. A million times no. My heart appreciates the sentiment, but my ears still hurt from the badness. The anthem wasn't much better, either. Again, no. Just no. I think my theory about my team being very close to a girl group went out the window when Monique McLean graduated and Sheree Ledbetter transferred.

Leeza Burdgess is a very promising big. She still needs to have some of the rough edges knocked off her, as she's not as good at keeping out of foul trouble as she'll need to be, but she's got size and knows how to use it, which is what I always lok for in a big post. She needs to get on the right side of the line between aggressive and assertive if she's going to do well at Pittsburgh, but I think she has the capability of doing so. The other reserves for the Panthers were more or less irrelevant. I'll admit that I wasn't paying as close attention to Pittsburgh as I should have been, because it was enior day and I was still focusing on my team. So my apologies to Asia Logan, Marquel Davis, Kyra Dunn, and Yasmin Fuller. If you did anything exciting, I won't be able to describe it to your fans.

Agnus Berenato is taller than I thought. Also, Patty Coyle's jacket fits. Also, we nearly died laughing when Pittsburgh almost iced one of their own foul shooters, given that that was the last straw for the Liberty regarding Coyle. Ah, memories.

I knew Ashlee Anderson had to be something special for one simple reason: everyone on Pitt is either a senior or a freshman. Therefore, if a freshman is starting on a senior-laden team, she must be something special. I wasn't proven wrong, although I think our defense was more focused on Harrison and Sims, so Anderson as the lucky beneficiary. She's got a pretty stroke from the corner. Gets happy feet sometimes, though. She's only a freshman, so that kind of thing can be forgiven. Shayla Scott threw around more weight than she actually has. I think she got a little too physical at times. I don't think she needed to be climbing into players' shorts. Well, not literally, but close enough. Jania Sims was less of a factor than I anticipated- we did our best to cover both her and Taneisha Harrison. Harrison was able to get loose for a few shots, much to my annoyance. Chelsea Cole was never able to establish herself down low.

Pittsburgh played a very swarming defense, and if our passing hadn't been exceptionally crisp today, they might have caused us more trouble, but we were more or less ready for it. Their offensive rebounding was spectacular. There were a couple of points in the game where I looked over and said, “I'm tired of chanting DE-FENSE! No, I don't mean change it up, I mean I'm sick of Pitt having the ball.”

I have to give props to Jennifer Blanding today. I'm not quite sure why Kim Barnes Arico has her on a figurative choke chain, but this needs to stop. She gave good minutes, got inside, used her body well against the bigs from Pitt, scored a little, and got a bunch of blocks. At the first mistake, Coach pulled her, and that's not going to fly next year unless Mary Nwachukwu is ready and more than legit. Eugeneia McPherson appears to have left her offense in South Florida; hopefully, it just missed the connecting flight and will have hitchhiked its way to Morgantown so they can meet up on Monday. She also seemed a step slower than usual on defense. Amanda Burakoski looked like she'd lost a lot of the nerve she'd shown in the last few games, and I think that's a bad sign- unless, of course, she only has nerve when she knows Sky isn't going to play, which means things should be all right next year. (No offense, Sky.) She had one nifty save along the sideline that reminded me of Kelly McManmon from last year's team, who always made her best plays on the sideline. Buzz's threes were fairly well timed, though. Keylantra Langley got more minutes than she'd been getting in the last few games, and, um, at least she and Jennifer teamed up on a nice steal? Box credits her with four assists, and you could have knocked me over with a feather when I read that. I don't think she's the right point guard for our system- she's more of a power player, and unless she's really going to develop her slashing game, that doesn't match our speed.

Sky Lindsay chose a pretty good game to show her stuff. She was all over the place on defense, chasing every loose ball like her life depended on it, and while not all her shots went in, more of them went in than usual. Nadirah McKenith ran a very solid game, and her sharp, stylish passes set the tone for the Red Storm offense. When Pitt started fouling her in the last minutes, she was able to build up her point total, and I sort of wish she'd hit the double-double, because points-assists double-doubles are made of win and awesome. Shenneika Smith did nothing in the first half- at least, nothing worth mentioning unless I'm Coach and I'm lecturing her about defensive lapses, questionable shot selection, lack of court awareness (don't pass the ball into the backcourt if you're in the frontcourt!), and overall epic fail. In the second half, the shots started to go in, and she got a little highlight reel action going. Da'Shena Stevens worked her butt off in the paint, and was absolutely screwed by the refs on block/charge calls. She's become a steadier contributor over the last couple of months- I mean, it's not like she hasn't contributed in most games, but her median is approaching her mean, and that's the kind of player we need with such streaky complementary players. Coco Hart took a little bit to get started, and it was clear that her head wasn't completely in the game, but she worked, and oh, did she work. At least one of her baskets was a putback.

Best play of the game for St. John's: Da'Shena in trouble, rifles a low pass to Nadirah, who rockets it over to Sky, who hits the long jumper. Nadirah's rifle pass to Shenneika for a soaring lay-up was pretty nifty too.

The referees were a bit inconsistent on their block/charge calls, and they let play get a little more physical than I would have liked, but overall it wasn't too much of a hot mess. One of the refs made a couple of really lousy calls in St. John's favor, especially the “simultaneous possession” where Da'Shena had her hands on the ball for about a nanosecond.

We bent but didn't break. I think that was the biggest thing about this game. We let them come close and we let them tie, but we didn't let them take over.

So you'd think that would be the end of it, right? We're two and a half pages into the Game Notes of Doom, all the bases have been covered, the pithy analysis has been provided, it's time to go home and rub your eyes after an assault by lots of text, right? Not quite. Because it's Senior Day, and we're probably in the NCAA Tournament, so we're not in the WNIT, but we're probably not getting a nearby site due to other teams being in the way, and while my team is going to Hartford, I'm going to Bridgeport. If this is the last time I'm going to see my team- the last time I'm going to be in my home arena this season- maybe the last time I'll see Sky and Coco- you had damn well better believe I ain't leaving until they kick me out. And as it happened, the men were on ESPN, playing at Villanova in a game that was a nail-biter at the time, so a bunch of us stayed to watch it on the screen in the lobby.

Oh, and there was a post-game autograph session scheduled. They had to delay that a bit because the players kept wandering away from the table to watch the game. Some of us made ourselves useful by announcing score, time left, and who was at the line to inquiring people around the back and sides. Some of us also went in on “DE-FENSE!” and “LET'S GO JOHNNIES!” chants. Yes, I know it's ridiculous to do that for a game that's on television, and trying to disconcert a televised shooter is generally not all that effective, but it was a warm and wonderful bonding feeling. (And yes, people behind me, I'm aware of the fact that they can't hear me counting down the shot clock- but the people behind us can, and that lets them know what's going on with the possession.) When St. John's won, there was general rejoicing, and Nadirah ran out from behind the table and started high-fiving people. It was awesome.

And we got to wish them luck (well, not everyone, because Nadirah and Eugenia did a runner, which is a shame, because I really wanted to say thanks this year to them). And we got to give Sky and Coco a proper goodbye, which resulted in one of Coco's relatives insisting we take a picture with her, I am not making this up.

Good luck, and good-bye, and thank you- that's just the short form, Red Storm. Good luck in Morgantown, in Hartford, and in wherever the committee places you- our hearts are with you, even if our finances keep us from following you. Good-bye, even if the road hasn't yet come to its end for you, because we love you and miss you already. Thank you- thank you for Manhattan, Columbia, Nicholls State, both Seton Hall games, Southern Miss, Santa Barbara, Liberty, Rutgers, Georgetown, and Pittsburgh.

Thank you for the four-on-five minutes of the Southern Miss game, for Buzz teasing us at Seton Hall, for Nadirah's lay-up against Rutgers, for Eugeneia's amazing game against Maryland, for all the times Da'Shena got up again, for Shenneika's acrobatic drives through the lane, for Coco's boxing out, for Sky's hands on every loose ball, for Jennifer's strength on the block, for Zakiyyah's laughter every time she sees us during the entrance video, for Keylantra going to the floor, for Briana's hustle for every loose ball, for the Barnes and Arico families' tolerance of the crazy people in the jerseys.

Thank you, Sky, for snarking your mother at the Columbia game, and your family seeking stats at the LIU game, and your mother's boots, and the incredible family resemblance between you and your mom (and your sister), and knocking Syracuse out of the Big East Tournament yea all these years ago, and every dance move you've ever busted in shootaround, and for the pink streamer at Key Food which is right next to me on the bookshelf.

Thank you, Coco, for liking my hair, and for stepping up into big shoes, and for calling New York home for four years, and for every rebound you've brought down, and every putback you've fought to put into the basket, and for every time you've laid out to draw the foul.

And as the lights go out on the home slate for 2010-2011 at Carnesecca Arena, it all circles back to these small things: good luck, and good-bye, and thank you.

February 19th, 2011: Syracuse at St. John's

2011-02-19T18:38:00.000-08:00

Just the Facts, Ma'am: Syracuse scored 38 of their 78 points in the paint, including a 36-point effort from Kayla Alexander, and stormed back from a 14-point deficit to beat St. John's, 78-65. Alexander was one of four Orange players in double figures, with Syracuse getting strong games from Iesia Hemingway and Shakeya Leary. Da'Shena Stevens led the Red Storm with 18 points, while Eugeneia McPherson added 16 off the bench, 15 in the first half.

For lots of post play, a call to arms, frustration, mysterious collapses, and some serious coaching questions, join your intrepid and pessimistic blogger after the jump.

I've given up trying to figure out St. John's. I'm sorry, guys, I just can't do it anymore. A week ago- less than a week ago, six days ago- it looked like they'd finally found their cojones again after beating Georgetown in overtime, gutting it out against a team that might have been better than they were. Today they rolled over and died against a team that isn't nearly as good as they are. And I don't know whether that has more to do with a galling lack of senior leadership, some questionable coaching decisions, some team-wide malaise, or them getting too big for their britches, because those are all possible reasons why they fell apart in the fourth quarter.

They were honoring the Army and the ROTC today, so there was a little halftime ceremony, and the ROTC presented colors. Anthem was performed by the St. John's mixed chorus, and they were all right- not great, but not awful. Someone left their blackberry near the mic, and at one point everyone heard the chirp of an incoming message. I had to fight off an attack of the giggles.

I don't know what happened, but Kim Barnes Arico was hot under the collar even before the game. She had a very long and animated conversation with one of the Syracuse assistants. I don't know what it was about, but I thought it was interesting that she and Hillsman didn't chat before the game- most head coaches seem to do that kind of thing.

Carmen Tyson-Thomas wears a number with a lot of expectations at Syracuse, and she's not doing too bad a job with it. Phylesha Bullard was the sixth woman in the first half, but the real sixth woman was the very broadly built Shakeya Leary, who's built like a 95% scale version of Keke Carrier. She was the two in the one-two punch in the post, when Syracuse was going at it in the paint. We weren't able to match her bulk, and though she took advantage of it, she didn't take as much advantage of it as I thought she would have. On the other hand, she did a nice job setting up Kayla Alexander by being that two, so there's that. Three other Syracuse players got into the game, but it's very hard to write a meaningful analysis of players who play a total of four minutes, so if you're looking for that, I do apologize.

Tasha Harris is a big girl. She looks like she wanted to play football at some point in her life and got sidetracked by basketball. Apparently the scouting report said that she was a deadly outside shooter, because our defenders (ahem, Shenneika) kept going out to cover her and leaving Erica Morrow wide open. Iasia Hemingway got loose in the second half- that's when she scored all her points. She's another big- I thought she was a forward when she originally transferred, so I wasn't looking for someone her height when trying to figure out who was who; the only reason I was able to figure out who she was before Syracuse took off their shooting shirts was that she said hello to a few folks who I know are from Newark (I think they're Nadirah's friends and/or family). Erica Morrow got in on a few nice plays, but overall I wasn't impressed with her. I did, however, enjoy watching Elashier Hall (who appears to have gotten tired of people mispronouncing her name, because the way she was announced, it sounded like her name was given to the PA guy as Lacy). I find the jackknife fold of her shot peculiarly endearing, and I like her ability to fake out an defense on the fast break with her hesitation move. I think she needs to get the hesitation out of her offense when she's not faking out opponents, but she's only a sophomore. She has time to work on that. She hit one three from far out it came from freakin' Suffolk County. Kayla Alexander- who we called Six-Four during the entire game because that was the relevance of her existence- killed us. Killed us dead. Splattered us, smashed us, and ruined us. We had no answer for her height, and for some reason, Kim Barnes Arico decided not to play the one answer we did have. Syracuse understood that she had a height and length advantage over everyone on the floor for St. John's, and she took advantage of it.

Jennifer Blanding should have gotten more than six minutes. She was the only answer we had for Alexander- the one play where they were up against each other (okay, maybe not the only one, but the most memorable one), Alexander wasn't able to shoot over her. (Of course, Syracuse ended up scoring off the play because we couldn't get the rebound because of Leary's bulk, and she had the putback. But Jennifer's defense on the original shot was on point.) She had a pretty little skyhook as well. These notes are supposed to be my immediate post-game reactions, with a minimum of research, but Barnes Arico's quotes about Jennifer made my blood boil. Amanda Burakoski can apparently only score in threes- she hit a long-range shot and an old-fashioned three-point play (though can we really call it old-fashioned when the three-point shot has existed for more than thirty years?) She had some deplorable defensive lapses, though, including one near the end of the game where she all but joined in allowing Harris to part the Red Sea. DO NOT WANT, okay? Some of that might have to do with exhaustion, because she was starting to register on the Adubato Meter for being ungodly shades of red. Eugeneia McPherson found her offense in Florida (which is a sensible place to be in February), but had apparently traded her free throw shooting for three-point shooting,. She also had only the one free throw in the second half, and that bothers me. She got more desperate and less accurate, which was a team-wide problem. I love her work on the backcourt trap, but she wasn't as ready as usual when Syracuse was able to break the trap.

Shenneika Smith was not herself today. Or maybe she was and that's what we should be afraid of. She took a lot of off-balance shots that were not well thought out, and her defensive lapses were deplorable. She cheated off her assignment way too much, and part of me wonders if she got distracted by Harris possibly talking trash. High school ball in NYC is sort of like that, from what I've heard. (I don't know from personal experience, because for one, I don't play, and for another, my high school alma mater was not exactly a sports powerhouse.) Nadirah McKenith ran a solid game- lost her head a little at the end and dove for the lane, either to draw fouls or just to get herself into double figures. Her teammates weren't ready for some of her passes, and maybe that says something about her reading of the floor, and maybe that says something about how ready they were for the game, and maybe that says something about how ready Syracuse was for us. I don't know. Sky Lindsay barely played because Gina and Buzz have been hot, but she was brought in late in the game. Of course, when she came back in, she notched a steal and a fast break layup, and Kim promptly sat her back down again. That made no sense, especially when Day was hurting and Buzz's defense was falling apart. Da'Shena Stevens had one heck of a first half, and played well in the second, but after one particularly hard hit, it looked like all the fight went out of her. With about five minutes left, it looked like she had cracked under the pressure. I don't know if she was hurt or if she was panicking, but all of her shots at that point were quick and bad- the free throws, the twos, and the straight on three. She just could not contain the bigs from Syracuse. I know it seems like I'm harping on the inside play, but that was really the difference. They killed us inside, and our undersized posts could not compete. However, that is no excuse for the awful play of Coco Hart. It's one thing to be unable to defend physically larger players. It's another thing to be so off your game that your coach would rather attempt to counter size with small forwards while you sit on the bench for ten and fifteen minutes at a stretch.

Kim's head was not in the game today, plain and simple. I don't know if she was worrying about her kid, who was watching the (very thrilling) game over at the Garden, or if she was trying to figure out if Hillsman TP'd her house, or what, but she was off her game from the start, and it became clear that she wasn't deviating from her plan, no matter what. There were times when Buzz and Gina needed rest and Sky should have come in. There were times, especially in the second half, when Da'Shena and Coco needed to sit down and Jennifer needed to come in, especially when Syracuse kept pounding it inside and Day and Coco weren't able to defend their inside players. Her handling of Jennifer was egregiously awful. I don't know if we would have won on that substitution, but I think it would have helped if Kim had been paying attention to what was working and what wasn't. I think it would have helped if Kim had accepted when players were injured and worked around that- I don't think she wanted to take Day out even when there was blood. Blood is bad, Kim.

The officiating was just barely acceptable. There were a few plays that I thought should have been called against Syracuse, and one awful call against Da'Shena that should have been on Hall (the football tackle came from the player whose school has football, Bonita). Norma Jones was on point, though. She made her calls quickly and accurately, and called for help just as quickly when she didn't have the call. I have to wonder how Hillsman didn't get T'd up for coming all the way out to the center court logo to argue an out of bounds, though. I thought keeping coaches in the box was a point of emphasis this year, and... that's pretty far out of the box.

I'm disappointed in my team and a bit broken up. There's no sign of leadership, either from the bench or from the players, and that doesn't bode well for the rest of this season. I'm starting to wonder if Kim hung all her hopes on the sophomore class- on Shenneika, Nadirah, Eugeneia, Amanda, and Jennifer, and mostly on the first three, from the way she talks about Jennifer. None of the freshmen played today, after all. I wonder if she's written off the seniors already, if she's pinning everything on the class of 2013, and maybe on Da'Shena. I don't know if she still has this team. I don't know if this team still has this team.