Just the Facts, Ma'am: Monique Oliver's 14 points led the way for Rutgers, which shot 61.5% from the field in taking down Louisiana Tech 73-46. The Lady Techsters only shot 25% from the field, and were led by the 16 points and nine rebounds of Brittany Lewis.
For diving, awkward moments, a mass of Cagers, Bill Laimbeer blocking your view, and an angry Spoon, join your intrepid and snarled blogger after the jump.
Ah, the Maggie Dixon Classic. This is a good tradition, and I’m happy to be part of it.
Any oddities during the next week or so may be blamed on the computer I’m using while my baby is in the shop- this is my mom’s eeePC, and it’s ridiculously tiny. Very portable, with a battery life that would make the Energizer Bunny blush, but with all the speed of Kara Braxton running full court. It has its uses, though. I think I can fit it in my clipboard!
It was pleasant and relaxed coming in, and it was nice seeing all the usual suspects again.
Kym Hampton’s voice is going. It’s getting painful. Can we please kiss and make up with Tari Phillips already?
Sue Wicks was also at the game, and it’s very wrong of me to notice that she still fills out a pair of blue jeans quite well, despite being forty-mumble. That’s got to be an awkward situation, stuck between your alma mater and a dear friend, and MSG didn’t help by putting her on the spot on camera.
It’s 36-22 at the half in favor of Rutgers, and Rutgers is shooting really well. It’s terrifying and somewhat abnormal. I’m surprised Stringer hasn’t let her team hear it for showing such offensive potency. Unfortunately, Louisiana Tech’s most noticeable skill has been flopping with a prowess that would make Mery Andrade blush and DeMya Walker give approval. C’mon, guys. You’re better than this. Right? The whistles have also been pretty wild.
I was very disappointed in Louisiana Tech. I would have expected them to be more in Spoon’s mold, but about the only thing they have in common with her as a player is intense stubbornness and a distinct lack of shooting ability. I don’t know if she’s not getting the recruits, or if she’s just not getting through to these kids, but something’s not right here.
There was a point where I thought Courtney Hayes was a dead woman. She attempted badly to defend a three-pointer, where defense was defined as standing several feet away from the shooter and bouncing once like she was on a pogo stick. The shot went in. Hayes brought the ball up. Spoon called timeout, slapped the ball out of Hayes’s hands, and started ripping her several new orifices. Tavasha Anderson was the first player in off the bench, if my scribbled math is correct, but other than one good defensive stand against Monique Oliver, I don’t remember what she did. Kelia Shelton came off the bench to drive the lane, and she did a good job of exploiting RU’s foul issues to get to the line- all but three of her points were from the line. Jelena Vucinic came into the game late and proceeded to prove why she didn’t come into the game until late- she was extremely wild on her drives, and she did look lie she was trying to Force Choke one of the Rutgers players. Savanna Langston was the last Lady Techster in, and she seemed obsessed with shooting the elbow jumper. Seriously, hon, you’re 6-2, that doesn’t have to be your only shot.
Whitney Frazier’s shot was badly off in the first half, and even after she finally got one to fall early in the second half, she was still fairly wild, and I think she lost confidence in her shot by the end of the game. Lulu Perry brought it on defense- she’s mighty quick. Got caught up in a couple of quick fouls in the second half, though. Janay Borum kept going for long shots, out by the NBA line. She hit some closer, especially in the second half. Jasmine Bryant was unremarkable. We were very impressed with Brittany Lewis, who hit the boards on both ends of the floor and had one resounding block. She did a little bit of everything. I think my favorite was the offensive rebound and putback that bounced hiiiiiigh off the rim, then fell softly and sweetly through.
Seriously, though, La Tech. Y U NO BETTER?
Everyone played for Rutgers, I think. No, seriously, everyone, including Brittany Lapidus, who I refuse to believe is a senior. I would have issues believing you if you told me she was a senior in high school. Anyone and everyone affiliated with Rutgers in the building, and possibly a few other people in a few other places, was rooting for her to hit one of the shots she took, and it was clear that everyone wanted her to score when one of the posts (Butts, I think) gave up an easy shot in the lane to flip it over her shoulder to Lapidus. Shakena Richardson has an incredible knack for the flashy play, whether it was a dramatic steal off the inbounds or a flip over her shoulder to go in the basket. Unfortunately for her, she wasn’t able to finish either of the and-1s. I’d say she’s adorable, but I think she’d hurt me. Ariel Butts showed nice moves in the lane, but committed the sorts of fouls one finds in freshman posts. Very popular with her teammates, though; they were screaming and cheering whenever she scored. Rachel Hollivay looked good, but was prone to defensive lapses and careless mistakes. I can see why she was such a highly rated recruit. Chelsey Lee was first off the bench and came on strong in the second half. She and the other posts really did a good job of finding each other. Kahleach Copper played a bit in the second half and had one block that must have impressed me at the time. Precious Person played well, but to be honest and horribly wrong, I was too distracted by her name to take much note of her play. Surname as a noun/given name as an adjective is a very distracting combination. I’m sorry. She really does look like a good player, but I’m going to have to do a lot of growing up to take her seriously.
Look, I told you everyone played for Rutgers, so the bench paragraph is going to be long.
Christa Evans started the game, and did a lot of scrappy work underneath, setting screens to get her teammates free. Near as I could tell, that was her job. Monique Oliver took a little bit to get started, but when they gave her the ball, stuff pretty much got done. She’s a load down there. She’s a little scary. Betnijah Laney kept trying to get long shots, and I don’t know if that’s her forte or not. I don’t think she’s as comfortable in the Stringer system as she thought she would be. But I could be wrong. That happens to me a lot. Erica Wheeler got into foul trouble early in the first half, and never really let the refs get out of her head. I don’t know why Syessence Davis got the start, but I don’t remember anything major that she did. I guess she did that sneaky point guard thing where she dished out assists without me noticing.
Late in the second half, Rutgers showed flashes of why I used to like them- the defense created offense, and offense that was crisp in its passing. Richardson had a steal that led to a rapid-fire four-pass sequence ending in a lay-up.
I think the officials got bored with Louisiana Tech's flopping, because the calls were not as favorable to them in the second half. It was a rough game by the end; the defensive styles of both teams lend themselves to rough play.
Sunday, December 9, 2012
December 9th, 2012: Louisiana Tech at Rutgers
Sunday, December 18, 2011
December 18th, 2011: Louisiana Tech at Prairie View (Chartwell's Holiday Classic)
Just the Facts, Ma'am: Down by 14 with 6:26 to go in regulation, the Lady Techsters fired off a 21-5 run to force overtime and (eventually) pull out a triple-OT 89-83 win over Prairie View. Kiara Young and Jelena Vucinic each had 21 points for Louisiana Tech, while Kiara Etienne led Prairie View with 24.
For entropy, exhaustion, chanting, attempted murder, and telepathy, join your intrepid and worn out blogger after the jump.
So is the game over yet? With all due respect to Prairie View and Louisiana Tech, by the middle of the second overtime, I was approaching the game the way I usually approach baseball games- “please, for the love of God, let the team that's in the lead win so the game will end!” I'm pretty sure everyone around us thought we were insane, but we just wanted it to be over. Honestly, I found myself wishing that Cynthia Cooper was still at Prairie View so she and Spoon could settle it in a one-on-one duel after the second overtime.
With all due respect to the National Anthem, I'm not going to applaud a recording, especially not one that drags on forever. Pick one that doesn't go on forever.
I don't think I like Louisiana Tech's alternate road jerseys. They don't go with the rest of the color scheme. I understand that these alternate jerseys match the men's scheme, but come on. Spoon worked the all-black everything pretty well, though.
Change in the starting lineup from yesterday, which shuffled the bench around a bit. Kanedria Andrews became the first player off the bench, and she was not nearly as effective as she was yesterday. Courtney Hayes, she of the not-actually-existing on the roster, put in a first half bucket and was never seen again. Tavasha Anderson started to make her presence felt late in the game, once the rosters had thinned and she was needed. She threw her weight around, especially in the third overtime (which, I'm sorry, is a ridiculous phrase to end up typing).
I'm not sure whether Kiara Young was consistent, per se, but she was always in on plays, and her score line on my card is quite beautifully multi-colored. Jelena Vucinic, I humbly apologize for forgetting about you and your crazy spins yesterday. I'm sorry. I won't forget your outside shooting again. Please forgive me. Shantale Bramble-Donaldson played well in the second half, and when she fouled out in the first overtime, I thought Louisiana Tech was done for. Whitney Frazier got her shot going, and had a really nifty block in the first half. Jasmine Bendolph hit the shot to send the game into the first overtime, so I'm not thrilled with her.
I felt like I should have been rooting for Louisiana Tech, but somehow I wasn't. Strange, that.
Fouls, fouls, everywhere fouls for Prairie View. LaReahn Washington managed to foul out off the bench; her temper got a little bit the better of her. Asha Hampton-Finch played a lot off the bench, and her length was useful in getting to the basket. She had to do a better job of holding on to the ball, though.
Kiara Etienne didn't put on quite as much of a show as she did yesterday, but she didn't need to. She came up big in the overtime, but that was as much a function of three people fouling out as anything else. The coaching staff really worked on Jeanette Jackson all game; I thought that was an interesting point of emphasis. I like her willingness to penetrate, and her judgment will improve with time. Larissa Scott continued to set the screens that so intrigued me about her, plus was able to get into the paint and hit some lay-ups. I like her offensive rebounding, too. She's raw, but she's a freshman; it happens. Michaela Burton and Latia Williams shared the same problem- an inability, or an unwillingness, to handle the ball. At one point, Coach Wilson yelled, “Just keep dribbling, Michaela, you're a guard!” This is a very young, very raw, team- no seniors and only two juniors of consequence, so they're going to be more dangerous next year than this.
The officiating was administratively messed up. With nine seconds left, the officials had to take several minutes to settle up the foul count. Turns out they'd mis-allocated a Prairie View foul to Louisiana Tech. Because both books were wrong, no free throws for Louisiana Tech. The foul was eventually retconned out of existence (for the record, it was Larissa Scott over the back- I had it on my chart, which is why I chart fouls and use different colors for each period, which becomes a lot harder at the third overtime, darnit).
By the second overtime, I was sure that Kim Barnes Arico was going to ninja someone with one of her stiletto heels if they tied the game again. It was hysterical. We may have been loopy by then.
Prairie View's contingent got a lot louder today than they were yesterday.
Classy move by Spoon not to have Louisiana Tech huddle up directly at center court.
It might be a long season in Ruston. They looked more like a Teresa Weatherspoon team today, feeding on their opponent's weaknesses and flashing better ball movement, but Fresno State would eat this team alive.
Saturday, December 17, 2011
December 17th, 2011: Memphis at Louisiana Tech (Chartwell's Holiday Classic)
Just the Facts, Ma'am: The Memphis Tigers put the pedal to the metal and never looked back in an 86-67 win over the Lady Techsters of Louisiana Tech. Brittany Carter led all scorers with 24 points, while Jasmine Lee put in 23 for Memphis. Louisiana Tech got 16 points and 10 rebounds from Shantale Bramble-Donaldson.
For emptiness, awkwardness, team colors, and a ball of confusion, join your intrepid and sleepless blogger after the jump.
So then everyone left. The end.
I'm mostly kidding, but there's something painful about the neutral game in a hosted tournament. At least with the home team playing, you get the atmosphere of a game. But when the band packs up to go home and the cheerleaders put on real clothes and the bulk of the crowd leaves, things get quiet, and a little depressing. You can hear the referees communicating, the voices from the bench, everything.
Liberty fans, I am disappointed. You were enticed with the promise of Teresa Weatherspoon, and where were you? Shopping? You could shop tomorrow. Lucky you, the awkward choice doesn't have to be made.
We could have ended up with an awkward situation if both the family of Memphis guard Bilqis Abdul-Qaddir and the family of one of the Louisiana Tech assistants had stayed in our section. But the Memphis folks moved along behind the road bench, and we scared off the Louisiana Tech family. I'm okay with that. I like my space to yell at the refs.
There's something very 21st-century about hijab accompanied by a Memphis supporters' scarf.
I was more impressed with Memphis than I was expecting, but then, I've been skeptical of Memphis since around the time Tamika Whitmore gave up on being a consistent player. So sue me. I hold grudges sometimes. They play a lot taller than they are, and they're fast.
Lauren McGraw had a tendency to play a bit out of control- lots of fun flash, but a lot of moving faster than she was ready for. Danay Collier got a fair bit of playing time in her homecoming, but I can't recall much of what she did- I was surprised to find she had played that much, to be honest. Ann Jones came off the bench as sixth woman in the first half and showed a little touch, though the illegal screen she drew as one of her first moves was not exactly a promising portent. McFerrin only threw in most of her bench near the end of the game, so they weren't in a position to do anything exciting or interesting.
Jasmine Lee impressed me, though I can see the flaws in her game. Her stamina and conditioning could stand some improvement, but I like her instincts. She worked hard in the paint. Bilqis Abdul-Qaadir ran a nice offense- she's small, but she's effective, and fast. Brittany Carter's athleticism impressed me- she had a resounding block that we could hear on the other side of the court. Nicole Dickson displayed a little range, but also athleticism. I was most intrigued by senior guard Ramses Lonlack- she plays a lot taller than she is, and she has the footwork of a soccer player. Control wasn't great, but Memphis seems to like to play fast and frenetic.
Spoon, give Sophia back her 1999/2000 hair. Some things just aren't right.
Louisiana Tech went deep into their bench- everyone played at least five minutes, but I don't think Savanna Langston's five minutes were terribly impactful. Tavasha Anderson moves well for a big girl. Kanedria Andrews got into a lot of plays late in the game, but I think they were expecting her to do a lot more earlier in the game. Kiara Young brought speed, and offense, but not much else.
It's probably for the best that Courtney Hayes didn't do anything of note, because somehow she didn't make it onto the roster that St. John's printed up. So now I'm confused and don't know anything about her. Jasmine Bendolph showed a nice stroke, but I think she might be having back problems- she looked a little pained, and I thought I saw a heating pad come off her during one timeout when she was about to check in. Shantale Bramble-Donaldson did a good job establishing position down low, but Memphis was able to make her less of a factor in the second half. Whitney Jones can play- nothing spectacular, but a nice all around game from her.
Ah, the peril of double-headers when I can't bring the computer to the game. Things get vague, especially when people keep distracting me.
My husband/viewing partner/distraction pointed out that Louisiana Tech threw a lot of high passes, and wondered whether there's just that little height in the WAC. They were fast, and had great ball movement, but I'm not sure whether they are really her team yet. They made a lot of stupid mistakes and couldn't hit a lot of easy shots. I expected a lot better out of them, and maybe they were just off their game today. We'll see more tomorrow. Or today. Time travel tense trouble here.
The officiating bothered me- not necessarily because of the quality of the calls, but because it looked like they weren't sure who was the crew chief. Spence and Aliberti got into a debate early in the game.
Crowning Moment of Funny: Shantale Bramble-Donaldson grabs a rebound. Bilqis Abdul-Qaadir rips it out of her hands cleanly and promptly falls over on the endline. The whistle blows. Teresa Weatherspoon explodes, charging off the sideline to protest the call. The funny part? It was a travel on Memphis for Abdul-Qaadir rolling with the ball. Nothing says WTF like screaming bloody blue murder at a ref who's making a call in your favor... even as your team inbounds the ball.
Hello, Chris, you poor unfortunate bastard! Did you miss us? Because we miss you. I have no idea whether anything did go on at Taffner Field House; we had a long walk home to look forward to.
Tomorrow's matchups will be fun, and Lordie, do I wish Cynthia Cooper was still at Prairie View right about now.
Friday, February 29, 2008
March 21st, 2005: NCAA tournament
travels among the pod people
Like hell are the Game Notes ever going back to Storrs.
Went to Storrs yesterday with my bf. Having done it, I would need to be paid handsomely to go back there, and even then only if it were a truly neutral game.
Temple-LA Tech- 66-61, Temple. The Lady Techsters got up big early, but couldn't hit lay-ups for love or money. Candace Dupree turned it up in the second half, and they took control late. Horrible refereeing, horrible game. It was almost more painful than Villanova and BC in the Big East Tourney. Dawn Staley looks quite, QUITE different with her hair down and styled. She got T'd up because of one of the MANY blown calls in that game. If Erica Taylor (formerly Smith-Taylor) isn't careful, she's going to end up playing the wrong role in a redux of LJ and LL in the 2000 Olympics- she's got hair to her waist, and it looks like extensions.
Rutgers-Hartford- 62-37, RU. *fist pump* When are UConn fans- oh, sorry, I must have meant Hartford fans who just "happened" to be wearing Husky colors- going to learn that booing someone like Cappie Pondexter pisses her off and makes her play better? I'm sorry that the Hawks got stuck in the middle of this stupid grudge match UConn and Rutgers have going on. They played hard, but they didn't have the speed to keep up with the Knights, and this with Matee Ajavon having a bad game.
UConn-Dartmouth- 95-47, UConn. Dartmouth came in like they knew they were just sent there to give UConn an opponent. They didn't play like they cared, and that's sad. The young'uns looked good for Connecticut. Turner was less of a focus of the offense than I remembered. UConn fans seem to be a bloodthirsty bunch; up 35 and they're screaming for the team to shoot when it's clear that they're under orders to pass as much as they can. It also struck me as tactless that a starter was shooting a 3 with under 6 minutes to go, or even that the starters were still in. Maybe I'm just embittered because some of the fans felt the need to scream "Rutgers has no class!" at me and my bf, or because someone asked me where my conference loyalty was when I applauded the men's team losing to NC State- someone who then turned around and cheered against a Big East representative.
(This is NOT meant as a rant against all UConn fans, just the ones who taunted us or shot us dirty looks for wearing our team's gear. Some of them were nice. One of them even gave us directions to a Chinese restaurant.)
Richmond-Florida State- Florida State whomped Richmond. We left before halftime.
Celebrity sightings: Manute Bol, folded over several chairs; the Diana in the stands, schmoozing with various and sundry; possibly Patty Coyle (definitely one of the Coyle sisters, but there are three of them who all look alike).