Just the Facts, Ma'am: Tabatha Richardson-Smith poured in 17 of her 25 points in the second half, and Seton Hall answered a second half Georgia run with their own surge to defeat the Bulldogs 70-51. Richardson-Smith led four Pirates in double figures. Ka-Deidre Simmons had 17 points, 15 in the first half, to go with six steals; Tiffany Jones and Daisha Simmons each had 10, with Simmons adding six assists. Tiaria Griffin led Georgia with 16 points, while Krista Donald notched 13 boards.
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Good afternoon, everyone! We're coming to you from our post-holiday food coma at Walsh Gymnasium, where Seton Hall faces the Bulldogs of Georgia. This is the big one, kids. Time to prove that we are who we think we are.
There are a few Georgia fans across the court from us, but not many. We'll see how that develops at game time, though, since it's half an hour before tip.
Newark is very depressing. Lots of gates down, for-rent and for-sale signs abounding. It forces an examination of white privilege when traveling. Probably a little too heavy for game notes.
I think Aleesha Powell is taking advantage of her inactive status to look as much like a pirate as she can. The broad headband and the hoop earrings remind me a little of the old Hampton women's logo. (One of the few female-specific references I appreciated.)
Val Ackerman in the house! Come on, Pirates, get it done!
Andy Landers's hair is even shinier up close.
At halftime, Seton Hall is up 33-25. Ka-Deidre Simmons has 15 points, because Didi is a constant and a balm on wounded spirits. Daisha Simmons is, like, 0 for a billion. I love watching Bra'Shey Ali rebound. It's been intense and physical here. Seton Hall has to finish their shots. They've been getting a lot of looks right at the basket.
Georgia made a run to start the second half, and fatalist that I am, my reaction was okay, here we go, here's where Georgia proves why they've been relevant for decades and we prove why we're a joke. And then Tabatha Richardson-Smith popped open a can of you-know-what, and the Pirate ship was duly righted.
Georgia didn't necessarily go deep into their bench, but they got very good minutes when they did. Pachis Roberts was very efficient in her time, hitting midrange jumpers and most of her free throws (the one she missed had a really weird hitch in it). She was tough on defense, too, so you can imagine that we were relieved when she fouled out. Erika Ford was a late-in-the-half offensive specialist who fired up a lot of jumpers that either just missed or missed badly. No in-between. Mackenzie Engram showed promise, using her size decently well for a freshman and taking advantage of height mismatches. Haley Clark's judgment was not particularly sound. Halle Washington was a body inside, but not much more.
Shacobia Barbee got into early foul trouble, and I think that and the Seton Hall defense really took her out of her rhythm. The Pirates threw a couple of different defensive looks at her, going quicker in the first half and bigger in the second half. Tiaria Griffin got more looks because of this, and was able to take advantage. She took a lot of shots, both early and late, including a three-plus-1 (though I think she missed the free throw). I was actually most impressed with Merritt Hempe, who rebounded well, making a lot of plays on the inside and using her body to create space. She made some great defensive moves, too, including at least one resounding block. Krista Donald picked up a lot of rebounds on the inside, taking advantage of her teammates' height advantage to pick up tips and taps. Marjorie Butler ran th epoint, but there didn't seem to be a lot of organization to the Bulldogs' offense.
I think Georgia expected to have more of a size and speed advantage than they did. And they showed some of it in the early going of both halves, going hard after the ball and forcing turnovers. But they had no discipline and couldn't stay with Seton Hall on offense.
This was my first time seeing Tiffany Jones, and I was very impressed. She moves well and has both inside and outside game. Her offense was a big part of the push Seton Hall made in the second half. Chizoba Ekedigwe, other than the foul on Griffin's three-pointer, played solid defense, sealing well on the inside. Jordan Mosley spelled pretty much everyone in the backcourt. She was better in the second half than the first- she missed some makeable lay-ups in the first half. Lubirdia Gordon gave good minutes in the post- she had a couple of bad fumbles, but also came up with big boards and stole one right away from Georgia. Gotta hit your free throws, though. Kathleen Egan came in for some defensive minutes late in the first half; she might list as a guard/forward, but on defense she's a pure four and a tough one. Tara Inman and Teresa Kucera were both subs at the end of the game, when the outcome had pretty much been decided (though Tara, bless her heart, almost got us a tech for too many players on the court, mistiming her entrance- she was coming in for Daisha Simmons, who was on the free throw line).
Ka-Deidre Simmons is really the pulse of this team. She's steady and she's usually pretty calm. She took over the offense in the first half, driving the lane and getting fouled. In the second half, Georgia was able to force her into some bad shots, but that was when her teammates were able to step up around her. There's something reassuring about her having the ball in her hand; she makes good decisions and good things happen around her. Daisha Simmons started off shooting really, really badly, getting easy looks and missing them short; we were starting to wonder if her Alabama days were getting to her, convincing her that there was no way of beating Georgia. But she shook it off in the second half- once her first jumper went down, she seemed more confident and focused on the court. Bra'Shey Ali rebounds all the things and I love watching her rebound all the things. I don't like when she does cockamamie things like take threes, though. Janee Johnson's minutes were more limited than usual- this was not a good match-up for her. But she pulled down a couple of big rebounds at the end of the game when her team needed her. Tabatha Richardson-Smith is a firestarter, only you don't know when her fuse is going to go off. It went off early in the second half, and from there Georgia was doomed. She's kind of a "no, no, no, YES!" player- she'll shoot it from halfway across New Jersey if you give her a moment, and then it'll go down. And once she starts hitting her shot, then everything falls into place for her- she roves more quickly on defense, she rebounds harder, she moves more confidently.
It would have been easy for Seton Hall to fold the tents after Georgia took the lead back in the second half, and maybe a year or two ago they would have. But they regrouped and then some, tightening up on defense and forcing bad shots.
Officiating was uneven. You could almost tell when the whistles were going to start and stop on each team based on the number of fouls each team had, not by the actual flow of play.
The crowd was fantastic. There was a little student section, and the band was into it, and our usual band of merry miscreants made plenty of noise.
I'm trying to think of the last time I was this proud of a team, and it might well have been the day Shenneika Smith hit a corner three at Gampel. This is a big win for Seton Hall, and a big win for the Big East.
Sunday, December 28, 2014
December 28th, 2014: Georgia at Seton Hall
Sunday, December 21, 2014
December 21st, 2014: Indiana State at St. John's (Chartwells Holiday Classic)
Just the Facts, Ma'am: St. John's erased a seven-point halftime deficit, but Indiana State held on in double overtime, 73-67. Jasmine Grier led the Sycamores with 21 points off the bench, adding six rebounds. Aliyyah Handford led all scorers with 27 points.
For mistakes, disasters, bad passes, uncouth behavior, stomping the bleachers, a lack of focus, and the shaking of heads, join your intrepid blogger after the jump.
And here we are at the championship game, with Indiana State wearing the home whites against St. John's in their navy.
I hate our insistence on emphasizing blue uniforms, by the way. We are the Red Storm, not the Navy Blue Storm, so why do we keep trying to switch to blue uniforms?
At halftime, Indiana State is up 31-24, and we can't rebound for love nor money. The only saving grace is that we had three starters on the bench for most of the first half with two fouls, and I'm pretty sure that having Amber Thompson, Jade Walker, and Danaejah Grant available again will be useful. The reserves managed to keep it close, which is more than I expected playing most of the freshmen together.
Ugh. This was a great game until it turned into a ref show. We made stupid mistakes, and Indiana State made some great plays, but the officials made sure that the game went to overtime, made sure that the game went to double overtime, and in general inserted themselves into the game at any given opportunity in a way that would inconvenience a team making a run. I did not pay to watch Brandon Enterline, Norma Jones, and Rachelle Jones.
One of the Indiana State fans thought it would be a good idea to sit directly behind the center court bleachers that host 6th Man when the student section deigns to show up, and is home to the combined forces of Amber and Aliyyah's families in other times. She also believed it would be a good idea to attempt to disconcert Amber at the free throw line from this position. This is not a good idea. Her constant stamping on the bleachers from said position inspired the band to mock her. I'm all in favor of supporting your team, but sitting on the home side of center court and being rude to home fans is not on.
Indiana State went deep, though not as deep as they did yesterday, and that helped them in the end- they had players like Rhagen Smith who were ready and able to step up when Chelsea Small and Racheal Mahan fouled out. She didn't put up big numbers, but she was in the right place at the right time playing defense or boxing out. Jasmine Grier was smooth on both ends of the floor. I like her shot. I don't know if I like her mouth- she seemed to be doing a lot of chirping, and it seems uncouth to be chirping to a reserve freshman when you're a senior. Joyea Marshall did a good job of getting to the line, especially in the latter part of the first half and the overtime. She used her height well. Cierra Ceazer brought the offense and a little bit of rebounding. Alexis Newbolt had some critical plays at the end of the game, and sealed the deal for the Sycamores.
Foul trouble, attentive defense, and a lack of shot selection kept Chelsea Small off the scoreboard for most of the game. That was the one thing we did right. Racheal Mahan was all over the floor- pulling down rebounds, coming up with big shots on the inside, that sort of thing. Natasha Zurek didn't score until late in regulation, but ran the offense with a steady hand. I really feel like I should remember more about Stephanie Wittman, but I thought the guard play off the bench was more impressive than the guard play from the starters.
Coach did something that I thought was smart at the time, but he didn't follow through with it. He watched the second half of the SMU-Indiana State game, and saw that SMU made the second half comeback, so near the end of the first half, with the foul trouble for the starters, he gave the bench heavy minutes. Tonoia Wade gave good defensive effort, but she's got to hold on to those rebounds. Kyra Dunn pulled down one good rebound and was otherwise a source of boundless frustration for her inability to hold on to the ball. Selina Archer's minutes were brief and unremarkable. Tamesha Alexander was actually the first sub in, early in the first half for Aaliyah Lewis's only rest. Crystal Simmons got extended run in the second half as a sub for Aliyyah Handford, and while she looked uncomfortable out there, she didn't look completely out of place.
Poor Aaliyah Lewis is going to break one of these days. She's so tiny, especially in basketball terms, and she gets run into the ground. I think it got to her, and it's going to keep getting to her. Jade Walker, of course, got called for fouls at every opportunity and neer got a good call in her favor. She had a nice second half with jumpers from the short corners, and good boards. Danaejah Grant was good offensively, and she rebounded well, as she usually does, but she was a couple of steps slow on defense, and that killed us when it came to Grier- she was on Grier and Grier used her length to get over her, and Danejah couldn't or wouldn't counter with athleticism. Amber Thompson rebounded strong, but I'd like to see her be more assertive offensively. Defense is her calling card, her bread and butter, and her cliché storm, but she needs to be a complete player. I'm exceedingly grateful that we have Aliyyah Handford. I don't know where we'd be or what we'd do without her. She drove the lane, she hit jumpers- she was a little off her game on defense, though. I miss seeing her play the passing lanes as beautifully as she did at the beginning of the season.
Stupid mistakes. So many stupid mistakes. Stupid fouls. Bad, bad passes. Hurried shots. We didn't think.
And then the ref show started. I'm pretty sure that the little half-circle at the back of the lane isn't just decorative, but this crew seemed to ignore positioning when calling charges. They were addicted to jump balls- there were something like ten jump balls called in this one. For all the travels the Joneses were calling yesterday, there was a distinct lack of them today. Competence would be nice, but at this point, I'm really just hoping for consistency.
I would like to say that Indiana State won this game, that we didn't lose it, that it wasn't given to anyone... but I'm honestly too petty and irked to do that. Indiana State is a good solid team, and a throwback to what Missouri Valley basketball should be, but we should still have beaten them, and I'm worried about conference play more than I was before.
December 21st, 2014: Auburn at SMU (Chartwells Holiday Classic)
Just the Facts, Ma'am: Auburn withstood a second-half surge from SMU to come away with a 56-43 win. Khady Dieng led the Tigers with 14 points, while Kiani Parker added 11. Alicia Froling had 14 points to lead SMU; Destynee Hives-McCray notched a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds.
For chariot races, deathly quiet, skipping the cadence, displeasure, a taste of one's own medicine, jostling, and rebounds, join your intrepid and uninspired blogger after the jump.
Hello again, faithful readers! We come to you in stereophonic sound from beautiful Carnesecca Arena, where Auburn and SMU face off in the consolation game of the Chartwells Holiday Classic.
The teams have switched colors from yesterday. Auburn is in their home whites, trimmed in navy and orange, with orange shoes that are unfortunately more of a Volunteer hue. SMU has kept their two-tone blue Nikes and gone to their road blues, with a red stripe down the side and along the cuffs of the shorts. And I will stop channeling John Sterling now.
I like the Auburn-colored tiger-striped scarf the woman across from me is wearing.
At halftime, the halftime clock has not started and it's 35-18 Auburn. SMU has not looked good, and Auburn has gone pretty deep into their bench. Both teams have a lot of energy and are very vocal.
Kiani Parker took out the SMU radio guy. That's how badly SMU is getting beat- even the radio guy is getting his butt kicked.
We're still working out some kinks in the sound system. /crackle crackle squawk
Because Kiani Parker is apparently the source of all face-palm moments today: she blew a defensive assignment, and from somewhere on the Auburn bench there was a call of "Kiani, NO!"
Auburn's defense has forced SMU into two timeouts on the sideline. (Up to four at the end of the game. Rhonda Rompola has no faith in her team.)
No, seriously, it is stunning how little faith SMU's coach appears to have in her players. After they laid that egg in the first half, the Mustangs came out with five reserves to start the second half. Gabrielle Wilkins really rubbed me the wrong way- her on-court attitude was really obnoxious. Cocky on offense, disinterested on defense- this is a combination that is not going to make you any friends. Taylor Brame had a nifty basket on the inside in the first half, but she was most memorable for whirling the red rally towel whenever any of her teammates scored. She wasn't ready for it in the second half, when the starters were back in and Alicia Froling scored SMU's first second-half basket- she had to run to the scorer's table, get a towel, run back to her seat, and whip it around before sitting back down. Stephanie Collins never looked comfortable on the floor- she missed some easy shots down low and let herself get moved around despite her superior size. The freshmen guards, Mikayla Reese and Aurmani DeGar, were unremarkable. Raven Short saw extended time in the second half and seemed to be steadier than her teammates.
I really don't like Alicia Froling. She has some nice moves on the inside, but I'm not a fan of instigators, and she baited Tra'Cee Tanner right out of the game. She bothered me yesterday, and now I know why. Morgan Bolton didn't get a lot of time, or if she did, she didn't do much with it. Keely Froling stepped up after her sister fouled out, but was a late re-entrant into the game in the second half. Destynee Hives-McCray was a little more effective in this game than she was yesterday, getting inside and getting good looks, but she's got to hit those shots on the inside if SMU is going to rely on her. Kiara Perry came up with a couple of big shots, but was kind of all over the place on defense.
I don't know what happened in the SMU locker room at halftime. I don't know if I want to know. But there was some bad body language on that bench in the early going. And I don't think Rompola trusts her freshmen, and I don't know if the upperclassmen trust the underclassmen, or what the story is.
Small thing about SMU that bothered me: their small guards rarely crashed the glass, to the point where I was wondering if they were being told to hang back for the long rebound. Someone needs to tell them that those aren't guaranteed.
Auburn went deep into their bench in the first half and still played the high rotation in the second half. Starters were in where it counted, but the bench did a good job of holding down the fort. Cabriana Capers played briefly in the first half, and I don't know if she was ready- by the end of her run, she was pulling at her jersey. Big body, but not quite sure what to do with it. Asia Robeson had a couple of freshman fumbles out there, but looked good in the post. I love her potential. Hasina Muhammad has an awkward-looking shot, but was very disruptive on defense and rebounded well. I suspect her biggest concern is that she's too much of a tweener, size-wise. Jessica Jones played extensive minutes, including some alongside her twin, and while she was prone to freshman fouls, she was pretty solid. Neydja Petithomme ran the offense decently for long stretches, though I questioned some of her shot selection. Katie Frerking came up with a couple of good hustle plays in the second half, and I was amazed that her heave to beat the shot clock actually caught rim- it was better than her next shot!
Kiani Parker, as mentioned above, was the source of a lot of face-palms for her team. Top prize in that regard was getting into the game and immediately committing a foul on defense. She's a bit of a wild thang out there, not so much as a shooter but in general impetuosity. Khady Dieng played intense defense, sometimes too intense. She committed a lot of dumb reach-in fouls. That's something she's going to have to work on. I like her game, though. Brandy Montgomery was kind of up and down all through the game, making good plays and making bad plays. She got a lot of encouragement from her teammates. Jazmine Jones was unremarkable, though she kept getting hit in the head with the ball, once by her own sister during a scrum. Tra'Cee Tanner was solid on the inside, though she missed some makeable shots, and ultimately let herself get het up by Alicia Froling for the flagrant 1 that DQ'd her from the game.
Auburn's defense was solid, but they don't like being at the other end of the backcourt trap and the press.
So here's how it looked like it went down between Tanner and Froling: they were going at it in the post, and I remember thinking that the jersey pull by Froling would have been a ticky-tack fifth foul, but a foul nonetheless. Going back up the court to SMU's end, they were jostling each other- the usual kind of post tactics: shoulder blocks, hip checks, coming up against each other like the chariots in Ben-Hur as they came back to Auburn's side of the floor. I didn't see what Froling did, but she knocked Tanner enough off balance that Tanner flipped her lid and delivered a two-hand shove to Froling's back for the flagrant 1 and the fifth foul. Froling eventually fouled out as well, so I was somewhat relieved, but I felt like Froling should have been called for instigation, or whatever the basketball equivalent to that hockey term is.
Auburn has a lot of complementary pieces, but I'm still not sure that they have a go-to player to complement.
Saturday, December 20, 2014
December 20th, 2014: Indiana State at SMU (Chartwells Holiday Classic)
Just the Facts, Ma'am: Indiana State built a big first half lead and held off a second-half charge from SMU to win 64-55. Chelsea Small led all scorers with 20 points, adding a team-high seven rebounds. Gabrielle Wilkins led SMU with 13 points off the bench, with Morgan Bolton and Alicia Froling each chipping in 10.
For stark contrasts, blue shoes, rebuses, families, rebounding, social obligations, runaway headbands, aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand twins, join your intrepid and referential blogger after the jump.
Two! Two games today! Pretty much everyone has left, though, since most folks in New York really don't have any strong connection to SMU and Indiana State. Some Johnnies are roaming the crowd. I think Jade Walker has family here.
Our Buffalo Bulls are still here, grooving out to the sound of the music.
Jade Walker with a small child breaks the cuteness scale in ways I previously thought only Ashley Battle could manage. (No, fingers, Ashley Walker breaks a different cuteness scale, just ask Natasha Lacy.)
Perhaps appropriately enough, Jasmine Grier is rocking the flattop. I also approve of Racheal Mahan's team-blue ponytail.
We have a few fans here for each team, and I salute them. One of the Indiana State shirts is about as Exactly What It Says On The Tin as possible: an image of the state of Indiana and the word State. Kind of like a rebus.
Though they arrived late, I think we were sitting behind Morgan Bolton of SMU's parents. They cheered for everyone, but the guy's camera was tracking her pretty closely when she was on the floor.
At halftime, Indiana State is up 37-17, and to be honest, it should probably be more. SMU does not look good. Indiana State is rebounding very well, and I'd like to see them go inside more. Chelsea Small looks really good. (Buffalo, like many people in the crowd, left at the half.)
Indiana State rolled pretty deep, a thought that terrifies me for tomorrow. Cierra Ceazer seemed like the odd woman out, in the sense that while she was excellent offensively, she didn't seem as inclined to crash the boards as her teammates were, and there was a lot of board crashing going on. Jasmine Grier of the awesome flattop had a very complex shot, which didn't go in as often as she would have liked, but she was tough on the boards and had a huge block in the first half. Alexis Newbolt brought a little bit of offense as part of the first line of subs in both halves. We saw a little bit of Lashonda Littleton on the boards. You'd think I'd remember a player who had four turnovers, but I don't remember much about Kelsey Dirks. She might have been the one with the happy feet, though. Rhagen Smith popped some pretty jumpers.
Natasha Zurek and her face mask showed toughness and poise running the offense. Rachael Mahan and her rocket-contrail hair worked the boards hard and got buckets on the inside. Stephanie Wittman left no impression. Travecia Franklin got herself in foul trouble late in the game, and I feel like I should remember more of what she did. I was very impressed with Chelsea Small, who showed stroke both inside and outside, as well as rebounding moxie.
Indiana State crashed the boards hard and consistently. Pretty much everyone was either rebounding or boxing out. I love it. I would love it more if we didn't have to face them tomorrow.
SMU also went deep into their bench, running some interesting three-guard sets once Destynee Hives-McCray got into foul trouble. Gabrielle Wilkins played big minutes and caught a brief case of what Mike Lupica memorably referred to in his novels as Wanna Be The Man disease- late in the game, she kept taking the shots, even when she didn't have the best shot. Maybe this is normal for her and for her team, but it wasn't working. Stephanie Collins had a rough first half, but seemed to find her feet in the second half, using her height to disrupt Indiana State's plans on the inside. Taylor Brame was a big body in the middle, but possibly not one at 100%- she spent one timeout being intensely stretched. Variations on the three-guard set included Mikayla Reese in the first half and Aurmani DeGar in the second half, with mixed results- Reese was ineffective, while DeGar followed a sweet basket with a dumb foul.
I didn't just like Morgan Bolton because I was pretty sure we were sitting behind her parents. She stepped up big in the second half, even if she did get stuck holding the bag for the intentional fouls at the end of the game. She had a nice pass to Wilkins for a three. Destynee Hives-McCray makes too many fundamental mistakes for a redshirt junior, but she's a strong presence on the inside- when she's in the game. Foul trouble forced her out, and I was impressed at how SMU adjusted without her. Kiara Perry had distractingly bad handles for a guard- a guard consistently losing her dribble is a pet peeve of mine, and one of the few I tend to notice with guards. I do not like Keely Froling and her elbows. I like Alicia Froling's shooting, but I don't like her elbows either.
There are a lot of freshmen on SMU. There is a bit of a learning curve. The first half demonstrated what happens when a team full of freshmen runs headlong into a team full of seniors. The second half demonstrated what happens when a good coach takes those freshmen in hand.
Officials were solid but had some bonehead mistakes. When the SMU parents in front of you are side-eying the jump ball call in SMU's favor, and when they say it should have been a lane violation on Froling, you might have missed the call. They were also odd with the travels, calling shuffles and spin moves, but not football-style drives. (I am also curious if Cynthia Brooks is related to Denise Brooks- they look a lot alike.)
I am intrigued by both of these teams, and glad that they came out to New York.
December 20th, 2014: Auburn at St. John's (Chartwells Holiday Classic)
Just the Facts, Ma'am: Behind 22 points from Aliyyah Handford and 19 from Danaejah Grant, the Red Storm came away with a 56-49 win over Auburn. Khady Dieng and Tra'Cee Tanner each had 12 to pace the Tigers, with Tanner adding 10 rebounds.
For traps, questionable coaching decisions, subtle touches, literary references, mistaken identities, presents, aaaaaaaaaaaaaaand twins, join your intrepid and sugared-up blogger after the jump.
Good morning! Well, I'm not a morning person, so any morning where I'm not in bed is not a good morning; on the other hand, any morning where I get to see my team is a good morning, so it's a wash. Anyway. We're at Carnesecca Arena for the first half of the Chartwells Holiday Classic, featuring the host St. John's and the Auburn Tigers out of the SEC.
I like the War Eagle on the back of Auburn's jackets. Small, subtle, but intrinsic to who they are. Oh! It's also on the sleeve of the long-sleeved warm-up tops, near the right cuff.
Not that we got in early, but the scorecards aren't out and SMU was doing their walkthrough. It was a little confusing to walk into Carnesecca and see the scoreboard done up SMU style.
This box-out drill Auburn is running is pretty intense, and I like the concept. Why do other teams always run more interesting drills than my teams do?
St. John's holiday sweater shirt. Not sure if want, but it's pretty cool.
Amber's mom is doing this whole Madame Defarge knitting at the guillotine thing, and it's a little disconcerting. That might be the point, though.
We have Buffalo! I don't know why we have Buffalo, but we have Buffalo. As in, the women's basketball team of the State University of New York at Buffalo is in the next section over. Oh, please don't let this end up like St. Francis did, we don't have a MAC team in the city and I don't want to deal with any more hugging. (No, this time I can't find the degree of separation link. Help me, Kevin Bacon!)
At halftime, it's 32-22 St. John's, in a first half full of runs. Auburn got a 6-0 hole shot, then St. John's ripped off a 21-4 stretch, and then the lack of guard substitutions started to get to us. That, and some really bad clock management. Aaliyah Lewis appears to have forgotten about the 10-second rule.
We've got a few Johnnies around- a couple of the men are here, and so is class of 2014 Briana Brown (she of the three-pointer to beat USC) (among many other things, oh our captain). I kind of wonder if the kid in the 12 jersey realizes she's sitting three seats down from its former owner, but I think she and her sister (?) in the 20 jersey do. D'awwwwwwwww. (Also spotted Nadirah McKenith and classmate Jennifer Blanding in the crowd. Big Love said I could keep her Pink Zone jersey that I bought at the rummage sale!)
I'm not comfortable with how we managed it, but we pulled it out. Joe's got to stop running the starters into the ground and have a little more faith in the bench. It's going to backfire one of these days. This was not that day.
Auburn did their homework on us, and I don't think it was all because Williams-Flournoy knows us well from her Georgetown days. Their defense was strong, and they knew to be ready for Aliyyah Handford and Danaejah Grant on the break. There were a lot of block/charge calls because of that.
I'm not sure if Auburn has a one-Jones-on-the-floor rule, but I think the only time Jessica Jones came into the game, her sister came out. I mean, you could argue that twins who play the same position are redundant, but it still seems kind of strange, especially in contrast to the Froling twins for SMU in the second game. Asia Robeson had an impact in the relatively few minutes that she played- a big post with a nice touch around the basket and good instincts. Katie Frerking appears to be the designated three-point shooter, and we kept leaving her open, and eventually she hit one. I was starting to worry that that would be the start of a hot streak for her, but she missed the next one (pretty badly, if I recall correctly). Hasina Muhammad took a lot of questionable shots, but was a match-up nightmare, playing against our backcourt players with her height. She was better defensively than offensively, and I can see why she killed us last year. Neydja Petithomme played a few minutes in the first half, and was unmemorable.
I was very impressed with Tra'Cee Tanner down low. She was having her way with Amber Thompson, which is not a thing that happens very often, both taking shots and getting rebounds. That is a lot of woman in the middle, and she uses that build well. I thought Jazmine Jones played more than she did, even factoring in the inevitable confusion of twins. Brandy Montgomery's baskets came at key times for the Tigers, but so did her misses. Kiani Parker was solid all-around- I like her for Auburn. Khady Dieng appears to be the designated "someone still has not gotten the memo about hand-checks" player that every team has. (Ours is usually Jade Walker, but Sandie Udobi is also guilty of this when she's active.) She hit some very nice jumpers and was active on defense.
I don't know if Auburn has the offensive firepower to be a strong contender in the SEC. I don't know if they have a go-to player for when the chips are down and the clichés are out. But their defense, especially their press and their backcourt trap, is on point. They'll make a lot of teams' lives miserable at that end of the floor.
Selina Archer got a lot of minutes off the bench because of the foul trouble for Amber Thompson. I like how vocal she is on both ends of the floor, but I cannot get past her inability and/or unwillingness to grab a rebound. It makes me furious. Kyra Dunn was more of the same, except with even less effort. She relieved Selina a couple of times, and went back out just about as quickly for lectures. Tonoia Wade got some minutes at the end of both halves just to give someone some relief, and did nothing of note. Crystal Simmons saw time in the second half when Aliyyah Handford finally got to sit down, which was a decision I was screaming for in the first half- I thought Crystal would give us a better shot of escaping the trap. She looked a little scared of it, but she seemed to handle the pressure better than Aaliyah Lewis.
Amber Thompson didn't look 100% out there- she wasn't going as hard or as strong for rebounds as she usually does, and near the end of the game she looked like she was about to be sick on the court (sadly, this is a thing I have seen in my life). I suspect some of the rebounds she was credited with were... generous. Aaliyah Lewis should not have been playing the full 40 minutes on whatever foot injury had her wearing a boot halfway up her calf after the game. She had a lot of trouble seeing around the taller Auburn defenders in the backcourt, and I lived in fear of a ten-second violation- we came close a few times. Jade Walker came up big early on offense and pulled down some good boards in the second half. She brought it today, and we needed her. Danaejah Grant was an outside threat and a tough rebounder (well, when Kyra let her be- part of why Kyra got benched was because she kept impeding Danaejah, and don't impede Danaejah). And Aliyyah Handford continues to be awesome, though she's lost a step on defense from the beginning of the year, which is what happens when you overburden your starters.
Officiating was so-so, but I'm used to it.
In addition to the subtle touches of War Eagle on different parts of the uniform, Auburn has amazing letter jackets with a retro Aubie on the sleeve. We wished them luck and urged them to beat Alabama. (Which is probably overkill in that rivalry, but seriously, Alabama can go kick rocks with no shoes.)
I hope we're sufficiently rested for tomorrow, and that Joe shows a bit more willingness to work the freshmen into the rotation.
Sunday, December 14, 2014
December 14th, 2014: NJIT at St. John's
Just the Facts, Ma'am: A 12-0 run in the first half put St. John's in control, and the Red Storm cruised to a 66-42 win over NJIT. Aliyyah Handford led all scorers with 17 points. Leah Horton led the Highlanders with 13 points, 11 in the second half.
For reserves, charming the locals, dodging amusing typos, Girl Scouts, cookies, DESPN, the personal touch, side notes, and glee, join your intrepid blogger after the jump.
Game day! We'll be coming to you on delay from Carnesecca Arena on the campus of St. John's University in Queens, New York, as the Red Storm take on the Highlanders of NJIT. It is my devout pregame hope that NJIT is not sufficiently inspired by their men's victory over Michigan to take down St. John's.
The dead red bird at the bus stop is probably not a good omen. We aren't Cardinals or Redbirds or even Robins, but it's probably still not a good omen.
There were precisely three other people seated when I came in, and one of them has since gotten up. I think I made it in early this time 'round.
Danaejah Grant has her shoulder wrapped, and has already had to fuss with the straps twice, including one time where she had Sandra Udobi helping her adjust them. I don't blame her for being uncomfortable, though. That strap cuts right down the middle of her chest. Ow.
Also, Sandie looks really nice today. She usually dresses well, but I really like this outfit. Can't tell from here if it's a dress or a blouse/vest/skirt combo, but she's working it.
Well, crud. They're doing extra work stretching out Aliyyah Handford. Not good if Aliyyah and Danaejah are both at half-speed. Okay, we're playing NJIT, but I bet that's what Michigan thought too. (And this is why we try to put some trust in the bench, Joe. They may be young and slightly stupid sometimes, but we need them.)
No, large troop of strangers, you can't sit in the band section. Eleven sections in this place and you want to sit in the band section?
Oh, I love that navy blue skyline in the red stripes on the sweatpants. And of course, the skyline socks, which I still want some of somehow.
At halftime it's 33-17 St. John's, and it looks like Aliyyah's quad has eased up. She's got 11 and Danaejah's got 14. Alana Dudley has eight for the Highlanders (who have really ugly uniforms, I'm sorry).
We have Girl Scouts! We don't seem to have cookies, though. Then again, I made the most gorgeous chocolate chip cookies I've ever baked yesterday, so this isn't too much of a loss.
The halftime kids got game! Not the most skilled in the world, but they have nice fundamentals and run a better break than most kids their age.
Autograph day! Get the freshmen and Kyra on the flag, get a new poster for the house... life is good. I think the trip up to Yale endeared us to them- the freshmen were all very outgoing, and even the upperclassmen seemed to have warmed up to us. (This may also be because Amber was busy being moderately embarrassed by her mother, who pulled out the dreaded Full Name Ultimatum, which Aliyyah proceeded to tease her about.) So we're planning another road trip.
(Side note: this is one thing I've noticed about women's basketball- show a team a little love and they'll reciprocate tenfold. I've seen it over and over again in my life as a fan of non-top-10 teams. It might not be that way with the elitest of the elite teams, but you show a little interest and they'll love you. It can lead to awkward situations, and possibly hugging.)
NJIT played everyone who was in uniform. Lots of minutes to go around. Bianca Picard is only a freshman, but the Trekkie in me hopes that she develops leadership skills so she can be Captain Picard. Ruta Vetra got her minutes late in both halves and hit a three against the subs. Olivia Dudley was last off the bench in both halves, as far as I could tell, and I think her team was rooting for her to do well. Ronni Grandison gave good monutes in the high post. Martina Matejcikova was a bit of a mismatch. I like her shooting, even fi her shots didn't go down. Camerin Spahn had a nice play in the second half for her basket.
Nicole Maticka is very tall, and used her height with some effectiveness against us, pulling rebounds out over players' heads. She went out in the second half with what looked like a painful neck injury- she was crumpled on the court for some time, with the trainer on his knees trying to talk her through the pain. Pinched nerve or something like that, I think- not spinal or anything like that, thank the sweet hypothetical baby Jesus. Leah Horton isn't afraid to use her size down low on both ends of the floor- I think she intimidated our reserves into giving her space for baskets in the second half. (We wondered if she's related to Mauri Horton, who played at Rutgers about fifteen years ago oh God I'm getting old.) Alyssa Albanese, despite her small size, drove the lane fearlessly- she had a pretty finger roll in the first half. Alana Dudley carried the offensive load in the first half, as one of the only players who could get a shot to go down for NJIT. The offense ran more through Horton in the second half, due to match-ups, and she didn't play as much, either. I remember very little about Kim Tullis except her look of disbelief when she was called for a foul on the fast break in the second half.
I don't know who the memorial patch on NJIT's uniforms is for- didn't get a good look.
Play ALL the reserves! Even walk-on Kimberly Spruill got into the game and pulled down a board. So happy for her! We wanted her and Crystal Simmons to get points so badly, you have no idea. Crystal was solid, if unremarkable. I think she needs to have a better idea of where she's supposed to be on the floor on defense. Imani Littleton rebounded well, but could not hold on to the ball. Go up strong, Imani! Don't bring that back down where the guards can get back at it! Love her potential. Tamesha Alexander ran a solid, steady offense, though she was firing a lot of her passes high, especially to Danaejah Grant and Kyra Dunn. Would have loved to see her hit that three- the bench was all set to explode for her. Selina Archer set screens and bodied up on Horton. Kyra Dunn continued tapping out balls and pulled down a couple of rebounds herself. I'm actually amazed she never played volleyball. She's got the build, the fingertip skills (if that's even a thing), and the shorts (she appears to have had them hemmed, and they fit her much less saddle-baggy). Tonoia Wade had a couple of baskets in quick succession, and if she can hit threes with any consistency, I am all in favor of that. Heaven knows we need a three-point specialist.
Amber Thompson was a rock on the inside. Amber rebounds all the things. She didn't have a rebound in the second half, but she played less than a minute, so I guess I can cut her some slack. Jade Walker showed both her inside and her outside game, and did not! get called for any stupid fouls, which is a minor miracle. Danaejah Grant had the jumper working today, though not the three-point shot. The rim was not always kind to her. Aaliyah Lewis facilitated, not always directly, and I think she had a deflection on one of Albanese's shots (one of the few times Aaliyah will have a height advantage on an opponent). Aliyyah Handford had lanes all day and used them freely. Her quad might have been bothering her before the game, but playing and scoring sure loosened it up.
The starters barely played in the second half. It was glorious. Not that we played super-double-plus great, but with Big East season coming up, games where our key players only play seven or eight second half minutes are fine by me. Rest 'em up.
Officiating was unremarkable. Interesting interaction near the end of the game where one official signaled to make it a short timeout for subs, and another indicated that it was the under-4.
There were no Girl Scout cookies, but I seem to have gotten a Girl Scout business card. Troop 4839, Greater New York Council, for life, yo.
NJIT doesn't prove much, but it's good to see the kids get extended minutes. Auburn will be more of a challenge. Rest up, Johnnies. We'll be there.
Thursday, December 11, 2014
December 11th, 2014: UCF at St. John's
Just the Facts, Ma'am: Aliyyah Handford scored nine of her 15 points in the game's first five minutes, and Danaejah Grant had 14 of her 20 in the second half to bookend a 62-48 win over UCF. Aaliyah Lewis (12) and Jade Walker (11) also finished in doubles for the Red Storm. Aliyah Gregory led UCF with 19 points, 17 in the second half; Zykira Lewis added 15, 13 in the first half.
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Good evening! Well, if you have been subjected to the tender mercies of the MTA, you might not think it's such a good evening, but there's basketball to watch and good company to be had, so there are worse ways to spend an evening than at Carnesecca Arena to watch St. John's take on UCF. (I will let you know if Tari Phillips miraculously materializes.)
There has so far been no Tari, but there have been a slew of transit delays; only the fact that there were scoreboard issues that led to the game's start being delayed allowed me to get in in time for tip. And I know it was bad, because Amber's mom was just as late as I was, and Amber's mom takes games seriously.
So far the moment of the game is Zykira Lewis Parkouring her way up the wall and grabbing the railing after overrunning a defensive play. Other than that, it has not been a particularly pretty game. Aliyyah Handford had the first nine points and two quick fouls for St. John's, and it's been a trial by fire for the freshmen ever since. Aaliyah Lewis has nine points as well, including the last three of the half on a trio of free throws. Zykira Lewis has 13 for UCF.
I love my team, but we're playing like idiots tonight, we really are. Fortunately, having Danaejah Grant and Aliyyah Handford makes up for a lot of stupid mistakes.
UCF made a lot of subs, though I wonder if it's all relative- compared to St. John's, I imagine most people make a lot of substitutions. They're tall, long, and fast, but they lack a bit of finesse.
Yanique Gordon rebounded hard, with elbows out. Bryeasha Blair was mostly in situational free throw situations. Stephanie Taylor brought height and length that she used defensively. Jordan Jackson almost seemed to sneak into games, given that I think I only heard her name announced once. Andrea Hines crashed the lane hard for a guard of her size.
Fifi Ndour has nice instincts on the boards and handles the ball very well for a player of her height. Her shot needs a little work... a lot of work... but she's a freshman, this is what you expect from freshmen. Zykira Lewis was fast. I like her game. Plus, there's that whole parkour thing. At least I think it was her. I was still settling onto my bleacher when it happened, and I got the vague impression of a guard with a blonde streak in dark hair. Aliyah Gregory took over the offense in the second half, with her jumper falling and the occasional drive down the lane. She's another long, lean, tall player that UCF can build on if she continues to develop. Brittni Montgomery was tall and noticeable, but not statistical. I suspect she was boxing out. We ended up calling Erica Juarbe "Brooklyn Rage" for most of the game after she got into a mild disagreement with Danaejah Grant on a contested ball. I think I would like her ferocity if I were a UCF fan.
We saw a lot of the freshmen guard-type people with the foul trouble Aliyyah Handford dealt with. The results were mixed, to say the least. I like Tonoia Wade's approach on defense when she's playing it- like many a freshman before her, she's not always sure where she's supposed to be. And the makeup bothers me a little bit (or if she's not wearing makeup, someone hit a genetic lottery of some kind). Crystal Simmons played at both guard positions, missing her shots badly and looking lost on defense. Tamesha Alexander ran point for a short while, and I think I would have liked to see her be more assertive on offense in that time. Kyra Dunn pulled down rebounds! (instead of tapping all of them out) She's got to finish on the inside when she gets golden looks, though.
In general, we need the bench to step up. I know they're all newcomers, and in time they might be a cohesive unit, but they have to learn first.
Oh, Jade Walker. I think Jade is adorable, inasmuch as a broad-shouldered six-foot-tall woman can be adorable, but she's remarkable at getting into foul trouble. She commits stupid fouls, I will give the officials out, but sometimes I think they see her on the play and instantly assume she committed a foul, even if it was a clean play, even if it was a foul by a teammate. She stepped up on offense in the second half with long jumpers and a pretty finger roll off a lookaway pass from Danaejah Grant. Aaliyah Lewis ran the offense in the first half like she had left her brain in Tampa, throwing dumb passes into the long-armed coverage of the Knights' defense or throwing passes to places her teammates were not. On the flip side, it looked like a lot of people were out of position on offense; Jade and Danaejah each had a play where Aaliyah threw a pass where they were supposed to be, and they weren't. But tiny Aaliyah came up with big threes and drew two shooting fouls on three-point shots, plus a filthy crossover to get herself a clear lane for a lay-up. This game showcased one of her liabilities as a PG, though. Amber Thompson was not quite as ferocious as we've been used to her being, but she was still tough on the inside and seemed to get stronger as the game went on. Aliyyah Handford started off hot for St. John's, got in foul trouble, and was off and on throughout the second half thanks to more fouls. In a way, that's good; Liyyah needs all the rest she can get, since she's not going to get much of it from Coach. Danaejah Grant rebounded like a beast in the first half, then brought the offense along the baseline for the second half. We needed her.
I'm going to take a moment and marvel at the sheer joy Aliyyah plays with. She's got a sile on the court, and she's just as happy when she gets the sweet pass to her teammate for a basket as she is when she coes up with the basket herself. I can't believe I never noticed before. I hope she keeps on keeping on like that. (And also, on the topic of Aliyyah doing awesome things, she hit her 1,000th point tonight.)
The officiating was much more inconsistent than I would have expected from this crew. I've seen all these refs before, and though I expect very little from Fatou Cissoko-Stephens, I expect better from Kathleen Lynch and Bryan Brunette. (Also, Cissoko-Stephens needs to sharpen her hand signals- she's not very clear when it's a shooting foul versus an offensive foul.)
Sigma Chi Beta got in late, but they got there. Love the support they're showing. 6th Man made some noise tonight too. When they're in, they're in.
Intense halftime game today.
As long as we have Aliyyah and Danaejah, we're going to pull out games against lesser opponents, or at least have them provide the base and have the other starters fill in around it. But we're going to need more than that come Big East season. January 2nd is no joke. (It's all kinds of awkward, but it's no joke.)
Wednesday, December 3, 2014
December 3rd, 2014: Xavier at St. John's
Just the Facts, Ma'am: Danaejah Grant put up 23 points, and St. John's came on strong in the second half to put away Xavier 65-42. Amber Thompson added six points, 14 rebounds, and six blocks. Briana Glover led Xavier with 10 points.
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Good evening, ladies, gentlemen, and readers of all ages! We're coming to you in surround sound from the cozy confines of Carnesecca Arena, where St. John's is opening their conference slate with a tilt against Xavier. (Which, I suppose, also counts as the opener for Xavier's conference season, but I really don't care about Xavier.)
Fundraiser tonight for Lauren Hill- I think that's happening wherever Xavier plays. So we bought ducks. Jillian, Marcus, Quizz, Giggy, Teemu, Bombay, Louie, Tanya, Mallory, Drake, Adam, Cathrine, and Shaquala quack hi.
St. John's is up 28-25 at half. I'm worried about a couple of things, though. Danaejah Grant was grabbing her shoulder early and took a tumble in the middle of the first half, and she's been in and out all game, switching with Crystal Simmons. There's been virtually no post rotation, either; Coach only went to Kyra Dunn late in the first half after Jade Walker got her second (stupid) foul.
The European tour jerseys are boss. So are the #22 patches on the warm-up shirts for Lauren Hill. The shorts are resisting all Kyra's attempts to roll them up. She's trying nobly, though. Not that that's a good thing. (Okay, the jerseys were boss until Amber's #2 fell off the front. Then they were less boss, though the outline made an interesting effect. It's still not appropriate to drop a number 2 on the court.)
Xavier made a lot of hockey-style substitutions, especially early in the game, almost as if the coach were trying to determine what players and combinations were working well. Made it a little hard to keep track of everyone, especially with Xavier's lack of names on the jerseys. I was really bummed that Maddison Blackwell got hurt, especially since it looked pretty bad- foot or ankle, and she couldn't put weight on it. She mixed it up well on the boards. Anniina Äijänen hit a couple of late free throws, but was mostly playing mop-pup minutes. Maleeka Kynard drove the lane and was one of the guards who was all up in Aaliyah Lewis's business. I expected more, or at lest something, out of Aliyah Zantt, after her performance against us last year, but she seemed quiet. Kindell Fincher took over a lot of the offense in the second half, forcing contact and getting to the line.
Marquia Turner is a very small guard, and yet she still needed to find someone her own size to pick on- she kept knocking over poor tiny Aaliyah Lewis. Foul trouble kept her off the floor for stretches in both halves, and I'm pretty sure one of Zantt's fouls was a pass foul from her fifth. Briana Glover intrigues me as a very smooth, graceful forward- but her shots were just not going down. She rebounds nicely. Jenna Crittendon made some nifty defensive plays, poking the ball out and picking pockets. I genuinely do not remember Leah Schafer or Raeshaun Gaffney.
Xavier packed the lane against the drivig guards of St. John's, and did cause a lot more hesitation and passing around the perimeter. Other teams are likely paying attention to this. They also occasionally seemed to be playing sports that weren't basketball, such as football (tackling), hockey (checking), wrestling (leg whips), and volleyball (setting).
Oh, hey, it's time for the kids! Tonoia Wade showed off some defense in her end-game minutes- she did that Sugar Rodgers quick step to suddenly be all up in the ballhandler's face like a hyperactive puppy. Crystal Simmons was called upon to play big minutes in the first half, with Danaejah Grant having limited availability, and while she was not a factor, neither was she a liability, which is what you're asking for from a freshman being asked to replace a superstar. Kyra Dunn is going to spent the rest of this year frustrating me, but at the same time being strangel fascinating. She can't hold on to the ball- but she has remarkable recognition of where her teammates are so she can tap it out to them. She's got pretty good synergy with Aaliyah Lewis on that especially. And she has an intriguing underhand hitch in her free throw motion, as if she's debating whether this will be the shot where she goes Rick Barry on the line. Imani Littleton got up on the boards. Tamesha Alexander looks like she's working well with her classmates, which is a good sign.
Amber Thompson blocks all the things, and those things she doesn't block, she rebounds, up to and including an opponent's head. (I think that was an accident, though.) She also did nicely dishing off when the guards drove the lane. Danaejah Grant, despite the shoulder armor and despite the early pain, came through in the second half with jumpers and defensive plays. I know she's gotta be hurting- her arm got hooked a couple of times. Aliyyah Handford wasn't getting her jumper to fall- it's still a work in progress- and was quiet until deep into the second half, when she seemed to awaken and take over the game for a short stretch to put it out of reach. Aaliyah Lewis continues to be a steady hand, and she took a lot of contact in this one. I like her more and more with every game. Jade Walker... I do like watchin gher, and I think she's adorable, but this was a "love with a 2x4" kind of game- bad shots, bad decisions, bad fouls. Not that Jade wno't get called for a foul at any given opportunity no matter how bad a call it is, but she opened herself up to a lot of opportunities tonight.
I have to admit, the game flow did not go the way I was expecting. I thought Xavier had kept their players fresh enough to give us a fight in the second half, especially with the limited substitutions for St. John's. Instead, St. John's came out strong on both side sof the ball in the second half, and I don't think Xavier had a game plan beyond "get in the way".
RedZone showed out today, as did one of the frats. I think it was Sigma Chi Beta, but don't hold me to it. I'm only good with Greek letters when writing in Greek.
We got free glasses! They were very nice. They will be excellent additions to our fan cave.
This was a nice opening to conference play. Now let's see if we can keep it up for the rest of the non-conference slate.
Sunday, November 30, 2014
November 30th, 2014: Stony Brook at Iona
Just the Facts, Ma'am: Damika Martinez's 2000th career point was among her game-high 29, spurring a 73-62 win over Stony Brook. Joy Adams added 14 points, eight boards, and three steals. Sabre Proctor had 17 to lead the Seawolves, with Jessica Ogunnorin adding 14 points and nine rebounds.
For hard choices, small children, flicking tiles, amazing names, pacing issues, hard bleachers, and smoking on the subway, join your intrepid and mildly ashamed blogger after the jump.
These are not the droids St. John's Game Notes of Doom you were looking for.
I've always been a fan of defensive basketball. The New York Liberty started me that way, the Miami Sol developed me further, and Rutgers finished the job. But every so often you have to stop and appreciate a scorer. The peril of following defensive teams, though, is that you rarely see a phenomenal scorer. I haven't had a college team with a 2,000 point scorer since I was a Rutgers fan back in the day and Cappie Pondexter scored all the points.
But that was then, and this is now, and at 1:25 PM before the Iona-Stony Brook tip, Damika Martinez is sitting on 1,994 points. And I want to see her do it. So St. John's plays Wagner at 2, and Iona plays Stony Brook at 2, and I'm in New Rochelle.
Graphics team is already ready for Mik2K, but it's bad luck to keep it up quite so long.
I wish you could see this roster card. Typesetting, you're doing it so wrong, and possibly drunkenly.
Even the toughest basketball players love small kids. Damika and one of (I think) her little cousins were just too adorable.
Mik2K has been achieved. Damika has 14 at the half, and Iona is holding on to a 31-25 lead over Stony Brook. Only three Seawolves have even scored, led by 11 from Sabre Proctor. But I do not like the pace. All our guards are capable of running- so why are they slowing down the pace and pounding the dribble like it's a Rutgers-Villanova-Utah round-robin? "Don't think too much- you'll hurt the ballclub."
That game had the odd feeling of both feeling like it was closer than it should have been and not as close as it should have been. Does that make any sense? I felt like Iona should have been pressing more on offense- but Stony Brook had a lot more makeable shots and looks at the basket, and the margin sort of ballooned during a second half run and with Damika getting free throws (which, hey, cool, freebies as she winds toward 2467!)
Kristie Costantino had a couple of fantastic defensive plays, especially one in the second half where she flew in to deflect a ball that would have been a sure fast break lay-up. Kim Hanlon committed pretty much all the fouls. She looked taller than she's listed, though that might have been in comparison to shorter teammates. I'm also considering the possibility that the roster listed on Iona's scorecard is inaccurate. Alyssa Coiro was tall and got inside well, though she took it kind of personally when Aaliyah Robinson got her hard on the inside (to be fair, it should have been a foul on Aaliyah) and checked her from behind. I think Stony Brook does have hockey, but playing hockey in the middle of a basketball game is uncalled for. Christy Scognamiglio managed to sneak in for offensive rebounds.
I know it's petty, but Sabre Proctor pronouncing her name "sa-BREE" makes me sad. Your name is a sword! You have an Awesome McCoolname, and you make it mundane? Okay, fine. She was solid for the Seawolves, hitting jumpers and holding down the fort in the first half. Brittany Snow is tall, and Stony Brook used her size well early, setting her up on the inside for easy, easy lay-ups. She was also active on the boards, using her height against smaller Gaels. (Which would be most of them.) Miranda Jenkins really didn't make much of an impact- Stony Brook went a little larger off the bench, and she was the odd woman out. Jessica Ogunnorin was pretty impressive, and would have been even more impressive if a lot of those pretty jumpers had gone in. She was a mismatch on both sides of the floor, getting to the basket with some speed on offense and guarding Damika Martinez on defense, making sure Damika had a lot of trouble getting the ball. Kori Bayne-Walker, possessor of another Awesome McCoolname (no, seriously, whenever I see Stony Brook, I am possessed with an urge to write a fantasy series called "Banewalker"), ran the offense- she's a very wide guard, hard to put most guards on, and she started finding her threes in the second half.
Stony Brook has better size than I remembered, and a better idea of how to use that size. I'm interested in how that low post game is going to work out against Albany- yes, Albany lost Craig, but they still have strong forwards.
Kristin Mahoney still looks like a freshman out there- and worse than a freshman. Maybe it was intentional (though I certainly hope not), but she was constantly moving to the ball instead of staying with a specific assignment on defense. That's high school gym class instincts there. Philecia Gilmore gave good minutes in the backcourt, though I was surprised that we didn't try to use her to defend Bayne-Walker and give our shooters a little more space to move comfortably. I like her instincts on the court. Cassidee Ranger tried to defend at the four (she's more of a three, IMO) and fired off one of her sweet threes from the corner. Aurellia Cammock took a little while to get her groove, but got her feet under her in the second half to pull down rebounds and defend down low. She's starting to show me something this year, and I like it.
I still think Marina Lizarazu is a capable point guard, but I'm starting to be less enamored of her style. She seems to be a slow-it-down, pound-the-dribble guard, or at least that's the system she's being told to run, and it's frustrating when you know how good the transition game can be with this team. Maybe it's a trust issue early in the season, and maybe it'll change. She had some beautiful passes when the game sped up, including a wrap-around pass to Joy Adams for a basket down low that got the crowd going. The aforementioned Joy got off to a slow start in the first half, but her teammates were able to find her more in the second half, and she really took off. She was badly out of position often at the defensive end, though. I thought one of her teammates was going to drag her into place at one point in the first half. Karynda DuPree had a gorgeous block and pulled down a couple of boards, but she needs to be more assertive on offense- there was one play where Damika rifled her a pass inside in perfect position for a lay-up- and she threw the ball back out to Marina so unexpectedly that Marina stood there and stared as the pass went out of bounds. (Bad play by both of them.) Aaliyah Robinson put up threes and didn't make too many mistakes- a lot of the time that's what Aaliyah's there for, to hold down the fort and keep everyone's keel even. Damika Martinez was hurting- she had an enormous bandage wrapped around her ribs in the pregame, and seemed to be moving stiffly. She went for three quickly, then went cold for a while, then started popping threes. She seemed to loosen up more in the second half, and padded her totals with cheap free throws at the end. I am okay with this.
Officiating was interesting. It always is. Tight, for the most part, but there was a fair amount of contact late that they let go.
I still worry about Iona, but I'm happy for Damika. 444 points to go..
Saturday, November 29, 2014
November 29th, 2014: St. Joseph's at St. Francis (Seton Hall Thanksgiving Classic)
Just the Facts, Ma'am: St. Joseph's pulled away in the second half with size and strength, claiming a 64-42 win over St. Francis of Brooklyn. Natasha Cloud led the Hawks with 16 points, eight rebounds, and seven assists. Adashia Franklyn added 11 rebounds off the bench, helping the Hawks to a 46-25 rebounding edge. Eilidh Simpson led St. Francis with 12 points.
For family affairs, torturous Christmas music, magic feathers, taunting, the vagaries of fate, all the colors, and uncomfortable implications, join your intrepid and numb blogger after the jump.
On to game 2, and we've decided that we're rooting for whichever team has Seton Hall's bench. It's easier than moving. Early indications suggest that we've ended up rooting for St. Francis, which I'm okay with. I know it's probably better for Seton Hall's RPI, SOS, and other TLAs that they play St. Joseph's tomorrow, but sometimes I get tired of considering the big picture and just want to cheer for a team.
Pretty much everyone who's not here for the second two teams has cleared out. Seton Hall men are at the Prudential Center at 4 and volleyball is going for the Big East title at 5, so the Pirate people have mostly left. A couple of the usual suspects are still here, though. And there are Simmonses(eseseseses) everywhere. They will not relinquish Daisha and Ka-Deidre.
St. Joseph's brought a Hawk. Because, as we all know, the Hawk will never die. Unfortunately, the head doesn't fit tightly and the shade of maroon is a little off, so it looks like they brought their own turkey. This is a comment on the quality of this specific costume, not on the idea of the Hawk in general, please don't shoot me.
A couple of latecomers just sat next to me, not realizing that the start times had been swapped and Seton Hall had played at noon. And that, ladies and germs, is why you always come for both games of a doubleheader. Why wouldn't you? Free basketball is free! (And just to make my point, once they realized that Seton Hall had already played, they left. Why? WHY?!)
I should probably be disconcerted that a team from Brooklyn has no New Yorkers on it, right? Or that a team from Brooklyn has precisely one black player? I'm not crazy to be bothered by that, right?
At halftime, St. Joseph's is up 33-28. It's been sloppy for both teams. Eilidh Simpson is keeping St. Francis in it with 10 points, while the load is more balanced for St. Joseph's.
What is with the Christmas music, SHU? Stoppitomg.
It's okay, y'all. I can take the loneliness. Leave me here alone in these impossibly hard bleachers. That's all right. Just leave me here. You can all go. Just leave me here alone.
Signs your bleachers might be uncomfortable: your coach and his family would rather perch on a wooden box than sit in the bleachers.
This is going to sound weird and maybe a little unfortunate, but St. Joseph's looked much more like a Division I basketball team than St. Francis did, especially down the stretch. Their conditioning was way better, as was their form.
I hope Jordan Strode is all right after taking that hit to her braced right knee. She looked like she was in a lot of pain. Adashia Franklyn made some noise down low, going hard after offensive rebounds and blocking shots. I was very impressed with her. Chelsea Woods played a lot of the guard minutes off the bench in the second half with the absence of Strode, and comported herself well. Jessica Pongonis filled space in the middle.
Ashley Robinson (no, not that one) was all up on the offensie boards, following her shot. She definitely had some moments that were reminiscent of the professional Ashley Robinson. Kathleen Fitzpatrick sunk the dagger late in the second half with a long, high, arcing three that splashed through the net from somewhere in the vicinity of Cherry Hill. Her teammates occasionally had trouble spotting her. That might be because she's tiny. Sarah Fairbanks took advantage of the baseline all night- baseline and more height. She made a difference down low for the Hawks. Natasha Cloud did pretty much all the things, whether it was finding her teammates at the right time with the ball, pulling down long rebounds, or hitting shots from the outside. Ciara Andrews did a lot of her scoring in the second half.
I thought it was smart of Coach Griffin to conserve Cloud for a long stretch of the second half. They're going to need her tomorrow, and they didn't need her against St. Francis. (Also, if they go to stall ball, and she's holding it, does that mean the Hawks are utilizing Cloud storage?)
(...I'll show myself out.)
The Terriers' bench is very inexperienced. I think all of them are freshmen, and they showed it. Alex Delaney shows promise, but I don't know if I'd have a player with her build hanging out around the three-point arc as much as she does. Cassidy Derda looked a little lost out there, though she made some decent plays setting screens for her teammates. Blair Arthur is just adorably tiny. In general, though, they were not a memorable bunch. I hope they develop- you know how much I like seeing good basketball in the city. (Though see above caveat regarding the makeup of a team- if they aren't representing my city, they can't count as a city team.)
Jaymee Veney missed one ill-advised three pointer badly, and the St. Joe's fan section never let her live it down- the "airball, airball" chant came up every time she touched the ball. I think it got into her head, too. She didn't hit a shot afterwards, and she seemed disconcerted whenever they started up. That might also have been the defense, because they keyed on her pretty quickly. Leah Fechko had her moments of hustle, but then there was the play where she lost her balance and decided to literally sit the play out. Eilidh Simpson scored the first seven for the Terriers, but wasn't able to get the ball afterwards, as St. Joe's was able to adjust and change the passing lanes. I like the leadership of Katie Fox, both on and off the floor. She made a lot of good, smart plays. I think I expected more out of Sarah Benedetti, and she had moments where she looked like a solid senior, but she looked overmatched for most of the game, more than most of her teammates.
The St. Francis bench kept yelling to their players to box out. I don't think it really hit them that as hard as they were trying, St. Joseph's was bigger, stronger, and taller than they were, and no matter how much St. Francis threw their bodies in front of players, they weren't going to successfully keep St. Joseph's off the boards.
Officiating was unmemorable, so mediocre but otherwise survivable.
It took us a while to get out after the game, so we got to see one of the Hawks (I think Fairbanks, but don't hold me to this) use a volleyball to play soccer with a small child. D'awww.
Also, the Hawk will never die, but it will sometimes shed. I now have a Hawk feather in my coat pocket, because why not?
Props to the St. Joe's students who kept the noise up all through the game. I may not have been rooting for their team, and I may not root for their team tomorrow, but making the trip for women's basketball makes you a star in my book.
Odd note about this game- both teams wore their colors, St. Francis in bright blue, St. Joseph's in maroon. Hopefully either St. Francis or St. Peter's brought white.
November 29th, 2014: St. Peter's at Seton Hall
Just the Facts, Ma'am: Seton Hall dominated start to finish against St. Peter's in a 75-45 win. Daisha Simmons led all scorers with 30 points on 12-19 shooting, adding four steals. Bra'Shey Ali notched a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds; Janee Johnson was scoreless, but had the game-high with 11 rebounds. Alyssa Velles led St. Peter's off the bench with 17 points; no other Peacock had more than six.
For drab colors, old hatreds, a lack of pressure, brain farts, forgotten post players, free throw issues, and multitasking, join your intrepid and fortunate blogger after the jump.
It's entirely too early for this, though part of it has to do with the amount of transit time required. Part two of your intrepid blogger's "weekend? What weekend?" basketball extravaganza is the first day of the Seton Hall Thanksgiving tournament, otherwise known as the Seton Hall coaching alumni reunion. Seton Hall goes up against St. Peter's (with former Pirate coach Phyllis Mangina and favored GNoD target Pat Coyle), while St. Francis (with Pirate alum John Thurston at the helm) faces off with St. Joseph's (not sure how they ended up on board the Pirate ship, though).
It's cold. That hill is even longer when it's cold.
It's taking every ounce of strength I have not to tell Mangina off right now. "Gosh, it's fun watching Seton Hall recover from the ashes you burned it down to," or words to that effect. I think I should be applauded for my remarkable restraint there, given that I remember how much talent she managed to squander in those years. (How Noteisha Womack never ended up on someone's radar is beyond me.)
At halftime, Seton Hall is up 34-18 against a really, really bad St. Peter's team. I mean, really bad. I mean, come on, guys. Daisha Simmons has 16 for the Hall, punctuated with a spinning scoop to end the half. Bra'Shey Ali has 10 and what feels like all the rebounds. She's been reading the peculiarities of the road-side rim well. Alyssa Velles has nine of the Peacocks' 18 points on some late shooting.
Your early contender for brain fart of the day: Bra'Shey Ali inbounding the ball to the ref. Ref's response: "I'm not on your team."
The intensity was not what the coaching staff was looking for, but it's kind of hard to be intense when your opponent is that far below you in skill. We got to see some extended minutes for the reserves, which is always my favorite part of a blowout.
Alyssa Velles supplied most of the scoring for St. Peter's, shooting sweet jumpers whenever she was given space- and she was given space too frequently for my liking. I know the scouting report probably focused on Mostafa and Bethea, but still. Sajanna Bethea has some potential, but right now she plays like someone who's accustomed to having a huge size advantage on everyone and hasn't learned how to play with anything that resembles finesse. She's big and reckless and has all the shooting skill of a CYO fifth grader. Teresa Corchado threw her body at a block and was very easily rattled when Seton Hall threw the press at her. Talah Hughes boxed out inside well enough, but I admit to being distracted by how fluffy her hair was. Fluffy! I was pleasantly surprised at how well Marcia Senatus ran the offense off the bench- nothing flashy, but she didn't make too many mistakes, either. Neechelle Ingram made a couple of plays in the middle- I'm surprised she fell to the back of the rotation. Or I would be if I hadn't suffered through years of Pat Coyle.
Hala Mostafa has really developed since her freshman year. Her shot is still a little weird, but not as awkward as it was early in her career, and she's developed a nice little spin move and quick first step. She had a couple of resounding blocks. Bridget Whitfield looked to have a little bit of a temper on her- got away with spiking the ball after she was called for a double dribble. Antonia Smith was quieter than I had expected- I thought she was going to be more of an offensive threat, but she was one of many Peacocks (I still want to call them Peahens, because biological accuracy was for the win!) taking really bad shots. So was Rebecca Sparks, which disappoints me because I always like to see Rebeccas do well. I'm an egoist, what can I say? Samantha Meier was a big body down low, but not an accurate shooter.
St. Peter's focused most of their defensive energy on clogging the lane- a Pirate, usually a Simmons, would drive and find herself covered in navy blue jerseys. They couldn't keep it up.
Nice to see Teresa Kucera on the floor again. She fell to the back of the rotation with the newcomers. Claire Lundberg had herself a nice little stretch in garbage time, though she seemed to be backing off her three-point shot. I'll take a pretty finger roll, though. Kat Egan was tough defensively. Love her hustle. She got tasked with guarding Mostafa for stretches in the second half, with mixed results- she had a lot of trouble hanging on the swift change in direction. Tara Inman brought the hustle. She shook a lot of balls loose on the ground. Lubirdia Gordon still can't catch a pass to save her life, but she's getting better at corralling rebounds and setting screens. Jordan Mosley ran a steady offense off the bench, but had some bad luck with the rim. We were rooting for her to get that basket.
Bra'Shey Ali grabs all the rebounds. I know I just said the same thing about Amber Thompson yesterday, but it's true. I love watching the way Shey reads an odd hop and scoops it up like a vacuum cleaner. She was fierce and tough and I love watching her work. Janee Johnson was much sneakier with her rebounding. I had no idea until I grabbed the final stats that she had the game-high. I was mostly caught up in the dumb mistakes she was making. I ride Janee on dumb mistakes harder than I do most players because if you have the brains for Duke, you should not be making quite so many dumb mistakes. It's a bass-ackwards form of respect. (I <3 Janee and her hustle.) Ka-Deidre Simmons didn't make much of an impact on the score, but she was making life miserable for the ballhandler and finding her teammates with the ball. (Except for that one time her assignment fired up a three while she was fixing her hair.) Tabatha Richardson-Smith found her offense in the second half, not so much her defense, but that's Tab. She'll give you all the offense in the world, but not so much the defense. She's tall and she can get in the way, but she's not going to hang defensively. It seems unfair to be harping on her after this game, but it means I'll lay off her later. Daisha Simmons put on a show, and seemed to be trying to put on a show- she had fancy moves on offense, she poke checked like she'd been hanging out at Devils games, and she made sure she had every shot she could get. I thought it was a little ridiculous that she was shooting when Seton Hall was up big and she was already at 25 points with scoreless players on the floor, but maybe she had her reasons for going for 30.
Hitting people in the face is apparently no longer a foul, but other than that the officiating was fairly solid. Travels were mostly being allowed to slide, but I'll chalk that up to game management, given that it took almost nine minutes for St. Peter's to score and another three for them to get a field goal.
Overall, it's hard not to be satisfied with a 30-point win, but at the same time, I feel like Seton Hall was aware of just how bad St. Peter's was and was willing to play down to them. They're not going to be able to do that against St. Joseph's. (Spoiler: St. Joseph's won the other semifinal.)
Friday, November 28, 2014
Noember 28th, 2014: Binghamton at St. John's
Just the Facts, Ma'am: The Bearcats came in feisty, but the guards stepped up for St. John's once more in a 67-51 win over Binghamton. Aliyyah Handford and Danaejah Grant had 19 points each to pace the Red Storm; 15 of Handford's came in the first half, while 12 of Grant's came in the second. Jade Walker (11) and Amber Thompson (13) fueled a 51-26 edge on the boards. Jasmine Sina had 20 to lead Binghamton, with Imani Watkins adding 18.
For swag, turkey comas, mild worries, guards guards!, gearing up, and fan hypocrisies, join your intrepid and flushed blogger after the jump.
Good afternoon, ladies, gentlemen, and other sorts of loyal readers! Your intrepid blogger has done her Black Friday shopping here at Carnesecca Arena, and now awaits the St. John's-Binghamton game.
The jersey selection wasn't as good as in previous years, so we claimed our Pink Zone jersey (#15, Jennifer Blanding from the era) and a couple of shirts. Aliyyah Handford is awesome and I would love to wear her jersey, but she and Amber Thompson both only take medium, and my chest does not accept mediums.
Everyone was kvetching about having to wait outside for the gates to open, and most people found excuses to cajole their way into the building early. In a dose of irony/cruelty, the person who had the most trouble getting in was the pizza delivery guy. SMH. Whiny suburban moms can get in, but the guy with the food has to be cross-examined.
One peeve about the rummage sale: no socks. I want the Under Armour cityscape socks so badly and I still can't get them. I am willing to give people money for them. I'm not even asking for a freebie. I want to buy socks. Let me buy your socks!
Since the men are playing at the Garden, the band and cheer squads are split. The band is supplementing with alumni.
Dude in Seton Hall Paradise Jam shirt, you had a pretty awesome week, but you are just a wee tiny bit lost. Trust me on this one. I've learned to tell the difference. (As it turns out, Binghamton's lead guard is the sister of a Seton Hall men's player, so a bunch of people have turned out for her. I'm not taking any bets on any of these people showing up for the Thanksgiving tournament tomorrow at Walsh, though.)
It's 35-24 St. John's at halftime, after a first quarter that was closer than it needed to be. Jasmine Sina, the aforementioned Pirate sister, was hot to start for the Bearcats, but Aaliyah Lewis has stepped up the defense on her. Aliyyah Handford has 15 of the 35. Amber Thompson has pretty much all the rebounds. (No, really. Just looked at the box. Amber has 11. Binghamton has 10.)
St. John's turned it up in the second half to pull away, but I have to admire Binghamton's fight. When they got down, they didn't get emotionally down. They got angry, and they made a couple of little runs to keep the margin under twenty. I have to respect that.
Binghamton doesn't have a long roster anyway, and they were even shorter-handed than their roster would suggest; only nine players were in uniform, and only seven of them played. Our PA guy had a lot of trouble with Gintare Surdokaite's name, which makes me think someone forgot to get the pronunciation guide out in time. I think she played most of her minutes in the first half. I don't have many clear memories of her. Kylie Libby was first off the bench- I think she was mostly in the second half. I seem to remember her on the boards.
(By the way, this is why I prefer jerseys with names on them. It's a lot easier to remember who you are if your name is on your back. Otherwise, it's easy to mix you up with a player who wears a similar number and quite possibly has a similar build to you.)
Jasmine Sina lit us up from the outside in the early going. She's very small, but she's excellent for her size. Aaliyah Lewis locked her down on defense in the second quarter (as a shorter form of saying "in the latter stages of the first half", I'm well aware that college doesn't use the quarter system). As her teammates became more effective in the second half, and as the defense shifted in response, Sina was able to get open again for the long ball. She's a feisty little thing. Imani Watkins took advantage of the lane in the second half and really drove hard to the basket. Kristin Ross got whatever rebounds Amber didn't. She was the Bearcats' size not necessarily directly in the middle, but in the post. Kim Albrecht did a little bit of everything, and seemed to be doing a lot of the right things at the right time on the floor. (It's more of a hockey phrase- "doing something good with the puck"- but it can be adapted for basketball.) Sherae Swinson was mostly quiet, though there were some strong moments down low.
Play I was most impressed with: Sina's last three-pointer, high and sweet and perfect over the long arm of Amber Thompson.
You may add to my list of things that frustrate me about Kyra Dunn the inability to grasp a rebound once she's on the case. She tipped out a lot of balls. Teaming her up with Amber might be better than teaming her up with Jade- she can tip the balls and Amber can catch them, because Amber catches all the rebounds. Crystal Simmons played big, solid minutes with Aliyyah Handford out for much of the second half. That created some interesting backcourt dynamics with Aaliyah Lewis, with Aaliyah almost seeming to move to the two while Crystal handled more of the ballhandling. Imani Littleton got her time in the second half, and seemed strangely unbalanced, ending up on the floor a surprising amount of times. She lurked around the basket and got buckets. Tamesha Alexander ran point for stretches in both halves and seemed fairly steady, but as a placeholder, not as a playmaker. That last turnover on her was not a fair call- that should have been a trip on Binghamton.
Today we saw what happens to a two-player team when one of those players can't hit the broad side of a barn. Danaejah Grant was not getting good shots in the first half, and was taking bad ones. There were at least two occasions where she ignored a player calling for the ball and instead took and missed a shot. She got a little better in the second half- I think she realized that without Aliyyah in there she was going to have to be the primary scoring threat, and made better decisions. Amber Thompson backed off a little bit in the second half, but in the first half she took down everything that looked like it might even consider being a rebound, with phenomenal positioning and great ferocity. Jade Walker stepped up her offense in the second half, with soft midrange jumpers. She was as fierce on the boards in the second half as Amber was in the first. Aaliyah Lewis stepped her game up. I know I keep saying she's growing on me, and part of that may be my feeble, futile hope that she'll sprout a few extra inches somewhere along the line, but I'm impressed with how she's developed at the beginning of this season. Her passing vision still needs a little work, but that should come with time. Aliyyah Handford had a fantastic first half, including some long jumpers, and since I've been saying that she needs to develop her jump shot if she wants to be the next Johnnie in the WNBA, I'm happy with that. She took a hard hit near the end of the first half and spent much of the second half on the bench with a towel over her head like a Russian grandmother's shawl.
One of the Binghamton (or possibly "Binghamton" fans) in the next section over wouldn't stop riding the refs. Every. Single. Possession. Every single possession he was either complaining that there hadn't been a foul on Binghamton, that there had been a foul on St. John's, or that a violation of some sort had occurred. Not that I haven't had my share of disagreements with officiating, and not that Amber didn't get away with a couple of shoves, but you've got to know when to pick your battles. (Such as the travel called on Tamesha that should have been a trip. Or Aliyyah getting hit in the face.)
Player families, or at least the specific subset that I tend to call "Team Jersey", have started helpfully labeling themselves- Danaejah's family had t-shirts with her name and number on them, Aliyyah's mom had a sweatshirt, Amber's mom was rocking a nifty shirt.
I still think the prize for the shopping spree game should have been whatever the kids could get into the cart.
I think Jade and Aaliyah proved in this gae that they have the capability to step up if one of our backcourt diarchy is out of the picture, whether that was Danaejah with the bad shooting in the first half or Aliyyah with the injury in the second half. That's bigger than any rough opening against a team that shouldn't have been a challenge for as long as they were.
Thursday, November 20, 2014
November 20th: Florida at St. John's
Just the Facts, Ma'am: Florida made up all of a 14-point halftime deficit, but the one-two punch of Danaejah Grant and Aliyyah Handford was enough for St. John's to prevail 72-66. Handford finished with 27 points and Grant with 26. Carlie Needles led Florida with 16 points, adding eight rebounds.
For worrying trends, mass transportation woes, the possibility of getting into a cab with a stranger, conditioning issues, proper hydration, lack of focus, and repurposed ducks, join your intrepid and unfocused blogger after the jump.
I hate my job. I do not necessarily hate my job because of what it is and what I do, but because I work in the industrial armpit of Queens, which means that if a truck stalls out on either the Grand Avenue Bridge or the Metropolitan Avenue Bridge, I end up waiting 40 minutes in the cold for a bus and thus missing most of the first half of the St. John's game.
At halftime, it's 40-26 St. John's over Florida. That's the good news for the Johnnies. The bad news is that it's the Danaejah Grant/Aliyyah Handford show, which is not sustainable in the long run. Aliyyah has 17 and Danaejah has 16. That leaves seven points scored by other players. That's not sustainable in the long run. From what I've seen, we've been moving very quickly on both ends of the floor.
It's Military Appreciation Night at St. John's, so we got swearing-in ceremonies at halftime and the team has "We Support Our Troops" shirts.
I did not enjoy the sloppiness and lackadaisical play in the second half that allowed Florida to come back and take brief leads, and I'm still not comfortable with everything being about two players, but the season is still young, younger than most of our roster.
I'm really not feeling the black road jerseys for Florida, though I'm not sure what they should be wearing instead. Maybe blue?
There was a fairly large contingent of Florida fans- maybe two rows' worth- behind the bench. Why in the name of all that is sweet and holy would you come to New York from Florida in mid-November? It's cold up here! I know it's been cold in Florida, but it is way colder up here, are you people crazy? In any case, they were loud, and one of our fraternities did work trying to drown them out.
January Miller moves pretty well for a guard of her build. She was all up in everyone's business on defense. I keep meaning to check whether Haley Lorenzen is any relation to Jared Lorenzen. One of those random connections my brain throws up sometimes. I feel like I should be remembering more of the bench, but I think they played the bulk of their minutes in the first half, when I wasn't there to see them; it felt like the starters were the key players in the second half.
Carlie Needles has a really obnoxious habit of yelling out assignments while on the lane for free throws. It's to the point where it's legitimately disconcerting to the shooter, and I'm surprised that none of the refs got on her case for it. She seems to run that team. Cassie Peoples launched threes from all over the floor and showed a fair amount of hustle. Ronni Williams took a nasty spill in the second half and twisted her ankle- she came off limping, but was well enough to come back and come up with some big plays late in the game. Antoinette Bannister pressured the ballhandler, and when someone less sure than Aaliyah Lewis had the ball, it did not end well for St. John's. Kayla Lewis mixed it up down low, aggressive for a player with a relatively slimb uild for her height. She was impressive. I could have done without some of the forearm shivers, though.
Oh, Kyra Dunn. I can already tell that you're going to be that player who makes me want to tear my hair out. I love her shot blocking, and we do need height, but height is not particularly effective if it runs away from anything and everything in sight. It also distresses me that she's not terribly fast for her size. Usually it's the big posts who lumber, but despite looking kind of like a stick insect, Kyra does not move very quickly. She was in and out as necessary. Imani Littleton played in spurts, but when she made freshman mistakes, she was sent back to the bench, same with Tonoia Wade. Tonoia's gotta hit shots on the break like that. More oomph is required. Minutes were brief for most of the bench players, which worries me for the rest of the season. We need a blowout so they can get extensive minutes so we can determine who they are and what they can do.
Amber Thompson remains a strong defensive force and a tough rebounder. I don't know if she's looking ofr her offense and not finding it, or if she's been told not to shoot, but I'm not sure I'm comfortable with her only getting two shots. If she's not a credible threat, then there's more defense on Aliyyah and Danaejah. Jade Walker came up with big baskets down the stretch, and it's absolutely amazing that she didn't foul out of the game, since there were three calls after her fourth foul that I thought were going to be on her and were instead passed. At least she's trying. I'm not sure I like the outside jumpers, but as long as they're falling, I shouldn't complain. Aaliyah Lewis is growing into her own as a point guard- still a little unsure of herself, but growing in confidence both with her teammates and within herself. I just wish she weren't so tiny! Aliyyah Handford was hot in the first half, but cooled somewhat in the second, though I think Florida intensified the defense on her. She went down late in the game and scared the living daylights out of most of the people in the arena. She got back up, though. I think she came up with a steal right after that. Danaejah Grant was fantastic in the first half and again at the end of the second half. I think she was letting some of the foul calls get into her head- I'm not sure she was completely engaged. Maybe I'm wrong. I'm a little wiped out.
We got frustrated with the officiating, as always. But if they'd called everything we had seen, I'm pretty sure Amber would have fouled out, so there's something to be said for non-calls. I guess.
We got our first look at the new student section for St. John's, the 6th Man. I certainly hope they're involved for longer stretches of the game than this during men's games. Three rows of standees at center court are not going to be very popular if all they're doing is standing, not cheering. The guys from the baseball team, on the other hand, were pretty cool. (Yes, I'm demanding when it comes to fan participation.)
I'm not worried about Binghamton or Wagner. But I'm starting to worry about Auburn and Seton Hall.
Sunday, November 16, 2014
November 16th, 2014: Sacred Heart at Iona
Just the Facts, Ma'am: Iona's two stars hit milestones, but Sacred Heart hit 12 threes to spoil the Gaels' home opener, 82-80. Kelcey Castro, Shelby Hickey, Hannah Kimmel, and Adaysha Williams each had 14 points to pace a balanced Pioneer attack. Damika Martinez poured in a game-high 37 points for Iona in the loss, while Joy Adams added 16 points and 12 rebounds.
For many trains, leaping bleachers in a single bound, not learning from mistakes, culinary disappointment, shiny screens, and lots of points, join your intrepid and strongly psyched blogger after the jump.
And here we are once more into the breach, or something like that, as your intrepid blogger finally gets to see a home game for one of her teams. Iona opens up at home against Sacred Heart.
I am a little disappointed in New Rochelle. I'd been jonesing for the last few days for blackout fries and a sandwich over at the Blackboard, only to discover that the Blackboard is under new ownership and is apparently now a pizza joint. Breaks my heart- that was some of the best pregame eats anywhere in my travels; the only ones who had them beat were LIU, and that's because if you go to an LIU game, you're a fool for not going to Junior's. We're going to investigate a couple of other places in that area, but I still want my blackout fries. :(
Speaking of boards, though, Iona has installed two huge, new, shiny boards, equipped with constant stats for all players on the roster. I approve this message so hard, you have no idea.
We're sitting with Damika's family, which promises to be loud and epic, since Damika is two points away from breaking the Iona scoring record, which is pretty much a certainty unless something unspeakably awful happens. Please don't let something unspeakably awful happen.
Someone on Sacred Heart's team, either an assistant or an injured player, is rocking a jacket straight out of the '80s Coaches' Collection. I think it's more Kim Mulkey, my husband thinks it's more Andy Landers. But it's a bilious green with a pattern that looks almost like camo. I do not approve in any way, shape, or form.
Sacred Heart, we need to have a talk about your roster and why at least three of your players are wearing jerseys that don't match the roster on your website. It's very confusing.
It's a day of milestones here at the Hynes Athletics Center, as Joy Adams joins the 1000 point club and Damika Martinez has made a club all of her own, taking over the Iona career scoring record. And given that she's at 1905 right now, the odds of her hitting 2000 are pretty good. But Iona's only up two at the half. Hannah Kimmel's been big for the Pioneers, and so have the four triples of Shelby Hickey.
Despite my love for the Syracuse zone as run by Jim Boeheim, I am really starting to develop a distaste for it, mostly because coaches that fall in love with it won't get out of it, no matter how badly they're getting sliced up. If you allow six threes in the first half because Sacred Heart is driving and dishing and getting open looks and hitting open looks, it might be time to reconsider your game plan. Instead, Iona stuck to the zone and gave up six more threes in the second half. Give up 12 triples in a game, and you're probably going to lose.
Lerae Ettienne makes quite the first impression- tall, broad-shouldered, copper-haired- and she did an excellent job of getting inside for the Pioneers. (I know that at least once in the game I yelled something along the lines of "How can you miss her?!" after she got the baseline and went up for a lay-up. Kelcey Castro brought offense off the bench, coming up with big threes in the second half. Tykera Carter and her giant pouf of hair got good looks from the outside, though she wasn't able to hit them, and I think she was also part of the roving defensive brigade on Damika Martinez. (Well, pretty much everyone defended Damika Martinez at one point or another. She's the Gaels' primary and secondary offensive options.) Katherine Haines was the first player in off the bench for Sacred Heart, but she didn't play much.
Katie Shepard is a nice little point guard- did more of her distributing in the first half, then started hitting shots in the second, when her team needed a little bit of an offensive boost. She was also pesky on defense. Hannah Kimmel did a little bit of everything- rebounding, inside lay-ups, outside jumpers, defense. I think the disconnect between her academic age and her calendar age- she's a redshirt sophomore who spent two seasons injured- is interesting, as she has a lot more experience and maturity than you would see from a regular sophomore, and that might be a big help to them in the next year or two. Shelby Hickey killed us in the first half beyond the arc, then she started taking the baseline too, just when everyone else was starting to set up outside. Adaysha Williams took a lot of shots. They were not all good shots. Alissa Tarsi seemed like a non-factor until the second half, when she was committing fouls- I think Ettienne got a lot of her minutes in the first half.
We got our first look at Ashley Murray in this one. I like her size, but like every freshman post before her, she has to learn to use her body without committing fouls. (Though she does apper to be of the school that if you're going to commit a foul, you might as well go for it with gusto- her second foul almost had her opponent in a half nelson.) Kristin Mahoney spelled Damika in the first half and seemed very nervous. There was no excuse other than nerves for that fumble. Karynda DuPree had a nice block in the first half, but was otherwise very passive, and she was parked on the bench for the second half. I like Philecia Gilmore's instincts, and I like her hustle, but she's got deplorable foot speed. I'm not going to harp on her conditioning in every set of game notes, because I am the last person who has any right to comment on that. I assume she's going to work on that at some point. Aaliyah Robinson found her shot again and was all over the boards. I love her heart and her hustle, and if Damika weren't a phenomenon, Aaliyah would be my favorite Gael.
But Damika Martinez is a phenomenon, a scoring force of nature the likes of which I have never had the chance to root for before, a near certainty to join the 2000-point club and making a good run at the MAAC career scoring record. She looked at the situation in the second half, where Iona wasn't scoring anything from anywhere, and basically took matters into her own hands, with 25 of her 37 in the second half. She wasn't asked to run point in this one, which she has occasionally been asked to do (this is not a good plan). I just wish she'd looked at the clock before taking the last shot after the buzzer. It didn't go in, but it's the point of the matter. Cassidee Ranger did a lot of running around to create screens and try to get looks, being more successful with the former than with the latter. Joy Adams missed makeable shots, but I love how she works on the boards. I'm just not sure what her position is. Marina Lizarazu moved the ball to the right people, but still seemed a little hesitant- we got luck on at least one play that should have been a five-second call. Aurellia Cammock had trouble holding on to rebounds- I'm pretty sure she would have had at least three more boards if she'd been able to maintain control. I love her hustle- she just needs to work on her hands. (And on getting people to spell her name correctly. She's been showing up as Auriella in some parts of the roster, and while Auriella is a beautiful name, it's not hers.)
Some bad calls in this game on both ends of the floor- I thought there was going to be an incident when Damika was called for her second foul on a bad, bad charge call, but in the second half, the scales were balanced with a bad fourth foul charge on Hannah Kimmel. I thought there was a key non-call late in the game when Joy went to the basket, but you can't put an entire game on that.
Defense matters. We can score all we want, but scoring 80 points doesn't matter if your opponent puts up 82. And looking at this team- maybe it's just early in the season, but no one on Iona seems really sure that they can trust each other. It's not reassuring.