Just the Facts, Ma'am: Washington broke open a close game in the fourth quarter to beat Penn 65-53. Kelsey Plum had 24 points and seven assists to pace the Huskies, while Talia Walton had 18 points, 11 in the second half. Sydney Stipanovich led Penn with 16 points and 13 rebounds.
For purple, changing shirts, chasing loose balls, maroon versus gold, rigging the shooting contest, and the star y'all already knew about, join your intrepid and parched blogger after the jump.
I don't always root for Huskies, but when I do, I root for UW. Stay purple and bow down to Washington, my friends.
Seriously, did you think I was going to travel four and a half hours for a single game? We're staying for UW and Penn. So far it's definitely more competitive than the 2-15 game was, and with a three at the buzzer Penn has a 25-24 lead. Kelsey Plum has 11 for the Huskies, while Penn has spread the scoring out a bit more.
We're right behind the scout table, so Brenda Frese is a few seats over from us, greeting the adoring public. One of the assistants is still in scouting position, though.
Any band that plays "Fat Bottomed Girls" is all right by me, Penn. UW, of course, has to go to Nirvana. UW gets the edge on cheer, though I admit I had a better view of them. Love the daps amongst them with Harry. Band brought extra people who couldn't be in the pit during the game because of NCAA regulations, but they whipped out their instruments and got into the empty seats behind their bandmates as soon as the game was over. Excellent rendition of "Celebration" after the game!
It was close for a while, with both teams notching threes at the end of quarters, but UW came up with the big shots in the fourth quarter to pull away. What really impressed me about the Huskies was the trust they have in each other to pick each other up, whether it's on loose balls or no-look passes. I guess that's the advantage to playing an iron five.
Penn really only played one sub, Beth Brzozowski- they cleared the bench late in the game, when they were down big and were waving the white flag. That way, everyone got a chance to be in the tournament, which is nice. Brzozowski didn't really have much of an impact backing up the three starting guards.
Kasey Chambers must catch so much flak from opposing Ivy League bands because of her name. We're talking serenades of "Not Pretty Enough" here. She hit the big three that put Penn up at the half. She's a little bitty thing, or at least a medium-sized slight thing, and maybe that's why she sets up beyond the arc so much. Lauren Whitlach (whose name I kept hearing as "whiplash") was also firing away early and often from deep. Anna Ross had a nifty steal in the third quarter, and kept Penn fighting when they got down late.
Sydney Stipanovich showed moxie on the inside- she looks awkward, like she's a 5-4 woman who woke up in a 6-4 body and isn't 100% sure how it functions, but the shots go in and the rebounds stay grabbed. She lit up in the third quarter. It was fun to watch. Michelle Nwokedi was a defensive beast- she had a couple of spectacular blocks, one on Gilling and one on Plum, and I can't remember which on it was she managed to keep inbounds. I think it was the one on Gilling. Penn came up empty the next possession, though, which is a shame- you can't waste plays like that. The three-pointer is not her shot, and she definitely has to refine her offense, but thre's a lot of potential there. She's a player I'd be excited about if I were an Ivy fan.
It may be a conscious stylistic choice by Penn's coach, but I can't shake the feeling that they need to hit the weight room a little bit. Lots of very slight players there.
Mathilde Gilling came in briefly in the first half to spell Katie Collier; those minutes were unremarkable. I was surprised when it was Collier who came out, as Chantel Osahor had just gotten in a little bit of foul trouble. She started getting ready to come in in the third quarter, but ultimately Mike Neighbors decided to wait until the very end of the game to bring in all the subs. Subs for everyone! Everyone gets a sub! Their time wasn't very impactful, but I liked the defense that Deja Strother brought down low, and I thought it was nice for Kelli Kingma to have the chance to bring the ball up. When does Jenna Moser get to have her name on her jersey?
Chantel Osahor is an interesting player. She's got a big body, and she looks like she's going to get gassed if you run her for more than five minutes, but she's very quietly a critical part of the offense with her screens (even the illegal ones) and her passing. I don't know why she considers the three-point shot part of her offensive arsenal, because she doesn't have enough arc on it to gt it over. I've heard that that weird flat shot of her goes in more than it should, but I saw no evidence of that today. Katie Collier picked up nifty passes from her teammates and sometimes finished the shots at the rim. Sometimes, not so much. She was horrendous at the line, though; I think she might have been trying too hard to overcorrect for the previous misses (she was off to the right on one, off to the left on the next, for example). Talia Walton came up big in the second half, hitting threes from the strong side and beating the buzzer- she was the one who ended the third quarter with the big three for UW.
Alexus Atchley made some great defensive plays along the sidelines and hit a couple of big threes in the fourth quarter to stretch the lead. But we all know who the star of the show is for the Dawgs- the woman who wears #10 and the diamond braid, the Husky so purple even her name is purple, Washington's all-time leading scorer and a strong candidate to break 3000, the one and only Kelsey Plum. She has some soft touch, and she loves to use the glass. She has range and versatility. But don't let the shooting line fool you. She's more than a volume scorer. She had some beautiful passes to her teammates, including at least one no-look to set up a three. What first drew our attention as the game started was her hustle on defense- she was making smart deflections and playing tough. I really like her all-around game. She's a star, and she's going to be a superstar.
Officiating got pretty tight in the second half. The people behind us were yelling at the refs to let 'em play. There were a couple of out-of-bounds calls I disagreed with, but nothing really major.
It wasn't the crispest game in the world, but it was competitive until very late. I think the faith the Huskies had in each other was the key- you can make riskier plays if you know your teammates are going to be there to clean it up.
Questionable decision-making by both sides at one point late in the game. UW has an eight-point lead. They inbound to Collier. If I'm Washington, why do I have 0-4 from the line Collier in position to catch that ball? If I'm Penn, why am I not fouling her? Ultimatly, Penn chose to play out those last few seconds and give the subs time in the game, but I'm surprised they didn't go at it a little more aggressively.
Saturday, March 19, 2016
March 19th, 2016: Penn at Washington (NCAA tournament)
March 19th, 2016: Iona at Maryland (NCAA tournament)
Just the Facts, Ma'am: Maryland held off a feisty Iona squad, 74-58. Shatori Walker-Kimbrough led five Terps in double figures with 19, while Brionna Jones added a double-double of 11 points and 11 rebounds. Philecia Gilmore of Iona led all scorers with 21 points on seven triples.
For hustle, Latin, bouncing, maroon and gold, pride, defense from offensive-minded players, and fighting the good fight, join your intrepid and proud blogger after the jump.
Hello, fellow Dancers! Your intrepid blogger comes to you from the road, where the debutantes of Iona take on the veteran belles of Maryland.
Getting there has already been an adventure. Have you ever taken a bus with worn out shocks? Yes? Have you spent four hours on said bus? I refuse to admit or deny yelling, "Ride 'em, cowboy!" after one spectacular bump.
Everyone in Maryland is so very nice! We stayed at the Marriott on campus, and it's really nice. The cozy room is fairly efficient, and the people are really sweet. The folks at the Xfinity Center (I still have the urge to call it the Comcast Center) are super friendly, without the perverse in-your-face-ness that we were getting from Marylanders the last time we came to town. Thanks for letting the backpack in- we really had nowhere to put it.
Sometimes the school size difference is really obvious. Iona has five people in the band. Maryland has… a lot more than five.
Pretty good Iona turnout. I mean, it is our big debut, and it's not that far. I'm still proud, though.
At halftime, Maryland is up 42-27. Philecia Gilmore has four threes to lead Iona in scoring. Maryland has spread the wealth, with Shatori Walker-Kimbrough's nine as the team-high. Marina Lizarazu is making me want to tear my hair out.
Bonum certamen certa. Fight the good fight. That's Iona's motto. And I think it's safe to say that the 15th seeded Gaels fought the good fight against a bigger, stronger, better Maryland team. I hate the "chuck everything from beyond the arc" game plan, but with Maryland's size inside and ability to go deep themselves, it wasn't the worst idea in the world, though my opinion of that might be colored by the fact that it sort of worked.
Iida Ahvenainen came in at the end so Joy Adams could get her well deserved curtain call. Treyanna Clay had one of her better games, hustling on the boards and finishing at the rim. She really showed the potential she has. Alexis Lewis was solid on the boards, but Lex has always been a streaky shooter, and today she came up snake eyes. I still love what she brings on both ends of the floor, and she's going to be huge for us in the next three years.
Karynda DuPree really just makes me want to scream sometimes. I'm very glad she's no longer chucking the stupid threes she used to, but I'd like to see her be more assertive near the basket. She has moves. I've seen them. She just doesn't do enough to put herself in position to score. I like what she brings on defense, but she has to step up offensively next year. Joy Adams missed way too many bunnies at the rim- she had at least two clear looks that she left short. She can't do that. I realize, of course, that she's played her final collegiate game, so she can do whatever the hell she wants now, but if she wants to continue playing basketball as a career, she can't miss easy shots at the basket. She showed flashes of the athleticism and power that made her the terror of the MAAC, and of that I am very proud.
I love Marina Lizarazu's tenacity on defense, and her willingness to dive for loose balls. The problem was that today half those loose balls were her fault. You can't sneak dribbles behind your back if you're a MAAC point guard facing a Big Ten defense. You have to be careful with your passes, but half of Marina's passes went to Maryland players. She found her offensive groove in the second half, when the drives started falling and she got the jumper working a little bit. Aaliyah Robinson was quiet today- tenacious on defense and scored a little, but she wasn't the senior leader we needed her to be. Thank all the gods for Philecia Gilmore. Fee had herself a day from outside- scored the first six of the game for the Gaels from beyond the arc, and by the end of the day, I was trying to figure out how to squeeze a seventh trey into six spaces, something I've never had to do before. I love her so much. She's only a sophomore, and that's awesome and terrifying at the same time. If anything, she should have taken more threes- her twos mostly missed long or strong. (They were not, however, bound to get the friction on.)
I could have sworn Kiah Gillespie played in the first half for more than the paltry seconds the box score gives her- ESPN claimed she didn't even play, but I remember hearing her name. (I also thought it was pronounced Key-ah, like pretty much every Kia/Kiah I've ever seen, not Kye-ah, but you learn something new every day.) Brianna Fraser was a load down low, but her hands were hard- she let passes slip by her down low. Brene Moseley took over in the fourth quarter, hitting on jumpers and wild drives. I was surprised that she didn't start, given how much I've heard about her. I like her poise late. Tierney Pfirman seemed to pick up her scoring later as well.
Brionna Jones had a huuuuuuge block on Joy that got the crowd going, and picked off Philecia to open up Shatori Walker-Kimbrough for a shot. That's a lot of woman to try to contend with. She dominated on the boards- there was a play where Treyanna had the rebound all but secured and Jones took it away. She also had trouble keeping her hands on the ball on offense, though. The post players for Maryland in general were having trouble receiving passes, whether it was being out of position for them or letting them bounce off their hands. Malina Howard came on strong in the fourth quarter, partially because I think Iona was just flat worn out. She got what she wanted at the basket when she wanted it.
I had no idea who Kristen Confroy was when I came into the game, and to be honest, I still have very little idea of who she is, other than the person who opened the scoring for the Terps. She read the long bounces really well on missed jumpers, because there were a lot of shots that took odd bounces. I genuinely have no recollection of Chloe Pavlech, though I suspect she was one of the people who didn't react well to Philecia and Marina on the trap. I think she was the one who got stripped a couple of times. I came into the game hearing a lot about Shatori Walker-Kimbrough as a shooter, but I was more impressed with her hustle and savvy on defense. She has a pretty shot, but I think Iona's game plan was to deny her the shot as much as possible- which is how she ended up at the line so many times. She's a great piece to build on, and criminally underappreciated.
Officiating got a little out of control in the third quarter- I always find it a bit sketchy when the foul differential is penalty-zero, and you should have heard the Bronx cheer that went up when Maryland finally got called for one. There were weak calls on both sides. Obviously nothing ultimately affected the game, but I hate to see officiating that seems slanted. Maryland didn't need the help.
Terrapin fans turned out. I love it. They were pretty quiet until Iona made the runs in the third and early fourth, and then the defense chants started up. The Iona contingent was pretty loud, but that might just have been us. I love when fans get loud. Be proud! Support your team! Especially when your team is as good as Maryland!
We lost, but I'm glad I came. We put up a fight. We never quit. When you're an overmatched 15 facing a 2 that plays to your weaknesses and can counter your strengths, there's only so much you can ask. The Gaels went above and beyond that. It was a fitting sendoff for Aaliyah and Joy, and I can't thank them enough for leading us to this pinnacle.
We'll be back. And next time maybe we won't be a 15.
Saturday, March 21, 2015
March 21st, 2015: Seton Hall at Rutgers (NCAA tournament)
Just the Facts, Ma'am: Kahleah Copper and Tyler Scaife each had 21 points to power 8th-seeded Rutgers past 9th-seeded Seton Hall. Betnijah Laney added 17 points (including 4-6 3-point shooting) and 12 rebounds to seal the deal. Tabatha Richardson-Smith had 18 to lead Seton Hall, getting 17 points and seven rebounds in support from Tiffany Jones off the bench.
For a sea of blue (but not that sea of blue), road tripping, bad calls, well-aimed kicks, an uncharacteristic lack of poise, and Moooose, join your intrepid and peripatetic blogger after the jump.
Hello, loyal readers! Your intrepid blogger is currently coming to you live and in stereophonic sound from the lobby of Walsh Gymnasium, where the Seton Hall faithful are starting to gather for the bus that will take us to Gampel Pavilion, on a collision course with the Scarlet Knights of Rutgers.
You won't be getting in-game notes from me, as Gampel frowns upon both backpacks and laptops. (Moose, however, are strongly encouraged, so Moooose is in the bag with our Seton Hall gear.) At most, if Gampel has wi-fi, you'll get tweets.
I'm rather enjoying the evisceration of C. Vivian Stringer that our boosters are engaging in. Apparently she tried to bar the SHU band from the WNIT game last year, and the WNIT was all, uh, no, you can't do that.
This was not how the story was supposed to end for Daisha and JJ and Chiz and Didi. This is not how it was supposed to go. This wasn't what was supposed to happen, and all I can bring myself to do at the moment is rail at the heavens, because this is not fair and it's not right, and yes, we partially brought it upon ourselves, but not entirely. And as hard as these seniors have fought to be in this place at this time, to have it taken away not entirely by their own hand is heartbreaking.
Gampel Pavilion's security is ridiculously strict. I brought a totebag to carry my clipboard, Moooose, and a few small things. They told me no. It's maybe 14" x 12" x 4". In front of them, we took everything out of the bag, stowed the small things in our pockets, picked up Moooose and the clipboard, and rolled the bag into a tube the size of a tossed t-shirt. Seriously, guys, you need a hobby.
(Also, I don't want to say that the "no flag" policy was strict, but the SHU cheerleader who normally does the flag run had to use an imaginary flag.)
Kathleen Egan gave a few spot minutes at the 4. Jordan Mosley was the sub for Ka-Deidre Simmons when Didi got in foul trouble, and showed guts going after a Rachel Hollivay shot. (She got her hand on it and it still went in.) Lubirdia Gordon brought size down low, primarily in the first half, but seemed a little tentative. Then again, so were most of the Pirates. Tiffany Jones was one of the few people not afraid to attack the basket. I think early on she thought she was going to be more effective from beyond the arc, but someone knocked sense into her, and she went more towards the basket as the game went on. Tara Inman showed spunk, but not always common sense.
Chizoba Ekedigwe was stiff in the middle, and not in the stalwart kind of way. I think she actually played a minority of the critical minutes. She's normally a defensive stopper, but she just couldn't seem to get moving. Daisha Simmons was solid, though she did a lot of unnecessary passing. Janee Johnson was hot from outside. I think she knew what this game meant and wanted it worse than anyone else in a blue jersey. Tabatha Richardson-Smith was solid offensively and made a couple of great, aggressive defensive plays. I could do without the shots from somewhere in the vicinity of Metuchen, though. I've said before that as goes Ka-Deidre Simmons, so goes Seton Hall. And tonight Didi didn't have it. I don't know what was wrong with her. Maybe we'll never know. Maybe it was simply the doubles and triples Rutgers was constantly throwing at her, grinding her down. But she showed only flashes of the fearlessness that has been her trademark, constantly passing when she had interior looks, throwing up bad shots out of desperation, losing the vision that marked her as a point guard to be feared. This was not the Didi who led us to the top of the table.
Accidental funny but shouldn't be funny but funny anyway: Tab chased a loose ball into the Rutgers bench and landed hard on Coach Stringer, and may have gotten a foot to her gut. Later, she would fall into referee Tiara Cruse with the aid of momentum. I am positive Tab meant no harm, but it was a bit cathartic.
Rachel Hollivay came off the bench, though I think she might have started the second half. The PA guy wasn't really clear on announcing subs. She was strong, but her motion seemed limited. Cynthia Hernandez fired off two quick makes in the first half, and thereafter we were forced to devote somewhat more defensive attention to her. She doesn't look like your prototypical three-point specialist, but she's got a nice shot. Christa Evans played brief minutes when both Butts and Hollivay had picked up quick fouls. Shrita Parker has a lot of speed. I'm not sure how much common sense she has on the floor, but she has speed and she has guts.
Betnijah Laney has clearly heard the aspersions cast on her professional prospects due to her lack of a perimeter game at her size. She'll never be asked to participate in a WNBA three-point contest, but she was stroking them today. I'm not completely certain how many of them were fully behind the line, and she needs to get that extra foot or so in the next couple of years. She cleaned up the boards that extra step away from the basket- not necessarily the ones directly at the rim, but a little ways off. Tyler Scaife brought the pretty, pretty offense in the second half, hitting jumpers and getting looks. I can tell from the box score that Briyona Canty did things, but I don't remember her doing things. Kahleah Copper was a matchup nightmare- she ate our backcourt alive. She was too big for either of the Simmonae to handle and too fast for Tab. She's so athletic. Ariel Butts boxed out well, but didn't really make an impact.
I am not a trained official, but my impression has always been that if a player is touching the ball while her feet are in contact with the floor out of bounds, then she and the ball are out of bounds and it's a turnover. This crew managed to mess that up twice in the first half. Unless there is some new rule I have not been made aware of, and the painted area on the far side of the baseline is now part of the floor, this is a load of hooey. The officiating seemed to deteriorate further in the second half, though honesty compels me to question whether the officiating changed, Seton Hall changed, or my perception changed.
Seton Hall brought about two busloads, more or less. Rutgers may have brought more. There were even a few brave St. Francis fans there to bear witness to the carnage to come. The UConn fans seemed friendly enough.
The ice cream stall was extremely popular. What is wrong with you, Connecticut, there's still snow on the ground!
Damika Martinez of Iona decided, 'you know what, I'm going to the tournament, even if my teammates don't come with me'. We saw her walking the concourse at halftime.
We played our hearts out. It wasn't enough. And I grieve for our seniors, that they had only this night on the big stage. I wanted so much for them. I wanted them to exact satisfaction on Rutgers for last year and for the slights this year, and then who knows? The sky would have been the limit. Why not Seton Hall?
But that's the question for next year now. Why not Seton Hall? Why not Tab and the Pirates?
For this year, though, I'm left saying words I thought I'd never say. Go UConn. Destroy Rutgers. I'm petty, what can I say?
Wednesday, April 10, 2013
April 9th, 2013: Louisville at Connecticut
Just the Facts, Ma'am: The first five minutes were competitive, but UConn pulled away fast and hard to cruise to their eighth title, crushing Louisville 93-60. Breanna Stewart's 23 points led five Huskies in double figures; she also had nine rebounds, three steals, and three blocks. The Huskies shot 53% from the field overall and hit half of the 26 three-pointers they took. Sara Hammond had 15 points for Louisville.
For the end of the road, badly timed congestion, dramatic debuts, and suitable finishes, join your intrepid and airborne blogger after the jump.
Adding to the list from yesterday and today: Santa Barbara, San Jose State, Army, several Washington players (real Huskies wear purple, woof!), Phoenix Mercury, Drury, Nevada, Bowling Green, Green Bay, South Florida, Evansville, Kansas, USC-Aiken, Pepperdine, Liberty, Maryland-Eastern Shore, Towson, Southeastern Louisiana, Dillard, Montebello, Northwestern, UNO, Butler, CCNY. (And at the very last, Cincinnati. I'm 70% sure the woman in the airport with the Cincy backpack was Jamelle Elliott.)
We've made our choice and picked our side. We're in the lobby of the Sheraton New Orleans, where Louisville fans are already starting to gather for the pep rally in an hour. Some uncomfortably lost UConn fans have wandered through. (I may be a St. John's fan, but I'm not lost. I'm wearing red and white.) The woman next to us is hoarse from cheering in Atlanta. The guy across from us is completely sacked out. There's a woman with a Louisville pocketbook, which is awesome. Looks like the rest of the band came in from Atlanta. This is going to be good. And it was amazing. Got some side-eyes from Louisville fans for my St. John's gear, but it's amazing how quickly they became friendly when the magic words "anyone but UConn" were uttered. Shelby Harper came down and mixed with the fans for a while. Two different people had Louisville bottle cozies.
Two different security people had issues with the laptop that I got in on Saturday and Sunday with no issues, but they called a supervisor, so there was no need to get angry, because no one likes me when I'm angry.
Seriously, this coaching milestones video is all the awesome. Some amazing coaches up there.
We got our seats upgraded for the final through a friend who had to leave town after the semis. It's awesome.
The all-time Final Four coaches video is very cool, especially when they go back into the history.
Dear NCAA, why did you have to inflict Kym Hampton on us? It's bad enough Lib fans have to hear her increasingly cracked rendition of the anthem every year, but come on. Can't you go find Tari Phillips?
It was 11-7 Louisville at one point. It's 48-29 UConn at the half. Breanna Stewart has been fantastic. Louisville has been extremely disorganized.
They're doing a fantastic presentation on the AIAW at the half, with some true legends out there. I'm so glad the NCAA has decided to acknowledge the AIAW history (now can we acknowledge the AIAW records, maybe?). I have yet to detect a flaw in Lynette Woodard.
If you want to beat UConn, you have to come at them without fear but with discipline. You can't let them run out ahead and expect to come back. You can't throw up fast, wild shots; you can't slack on defense; you can't let UConn have open threes. I mean, really, how many times can you leave Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis or Kelly Faris beyond the arc and expect to not get your butt handed to you?
Shelby Harper was sort of a spaghetti move in the first half, briefly coming in and jacking a three before going back to the bench. She returned when the game was utterly out of hand. That's pretty much when Megan Deines got her time, too. Monique Reid played like an idiot. On back to back possessions she didn't bother following her shot, then slapped Stefanie Dolson in the face. Or maybe that was the stupid foul when Stewart hit the three-pointer. I forget which bout of idiocy that was. Jude Schimmel kept committing stupid fouls, though she got her shot together in the second half when UConn got less intense on defense.
Sara Hammond played like one of the only Cardinals who actually wanted to win the game. You can't miss the open shots that she did, but she was going hard in the paint and fighting for rebounds. Antonita Slaughter was covered pretty closely, but she also got the job done. She's going to be the steal of the 2014 draft. Sheronne Vails hit one off a pretty feed from Bria Smith, but that's about all I remember her doing- that, and being the recipient of a lot of feeds underneath because the UConn defense wasn't interested in her. Smith made a lot of stupid mistakes regarding the dimensions of the court and the position of the UConn defenders when she got into her passing game. I like her aggression, but not her judgment. Shoni Schimmel played out of control. She's always wild, but that seemed more prevalent than usual. I think they needed her to show a little more judgment.
The biggest cheer from the UConn fans (and a few non-affiliated fans like your intrepid blogger) came when Heather Buck got the steal and the fast break lay-up; my memory is that it turned out to be the last basket for UConn, which is appropriate. Kiah Stokes also got in near the end of the game, but I think she missed her opportunity to score when UConn was milking the clock near the end. I'm really starting to think Morgan Tuck intentionally takes that one bad three per game just to remind everyone what number she wears. I still like her physicality, though. Moriah Jefferson showed off her speed a fair bit in the second half. She's a lot of fun to watch. Bria Hartley was all right- not great, with some dumb mistakes, but efficient when she wasn't making mistakes.
It's a good thing this was Caroline Doty's last game, because it's become clear that she's terrified of making a move. She dodged taking at least two shots that were within her game. She was okay, defensively, though. Kelly Faris was all over the place, and she did a great job getting open beyond the arc, both off the dribble and with help from her teammates screening for her. Stefanie Dolson looked more for her shot in the second half, but was always on the boards and looking to help her teammates get in position. Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis was rock-solid. She's blossoming into the superstar she was expected to be. And so is Breanna Stewart. I wasn't impressed with her at the start of the season, and I'll happily get in line to admit that I was wrong, that the Stewart I was seeing in the first part of the season wasn't the Stewart that Geno recruited. She has such beautiful touch beyond the arc, yet can get inside and hit tough shots in the lane with a gawky sort of grace (it makes sense in context, I swear). She needs to get a little tougher about taking contact, but she's a freshman, she's got three more years to learn that, one of which will likely be spent getting smacked by Dolson in practice and all of which will probably include Tuck getting physical with her.
It took the officials enough time to call the elbow by Doty, but they did do it. Of course the UConn contingent objected to it, but if an elbow connects to a face, a foul is likely to be called, so they're just going to have to deal with it. Other than that, the refereeing was unremarkable. I think the crew showed great restraint in not calling the technical on Jeff Walz that he so dearly seemed to be asking for in the second half after Reid's idiotic foul on Dolson. You could almost imagine Denise Brooks telling Walz that they didn't want to humiliate him any further.
The UConn band was really loud. We were hearing them better than the Louisville band in front of us. (Though it was a relief not to be behind the UConn band for the first time in six possible chances.) The Louisville fans tried to get their chants going during some of the UConn musical segments; of course, the UConn fans got their call and response going at pretty much every opportunity.
Credit to the UConn fan with the ever-changing collection of signs on neon paper. I don't know how many of them she had, but they were plentiful.
We didn't stay for the official outdoor trophy presentation. Not for nothing, but I've been to more than my share of UConn love-ins. I think I'll pass.
UConn threw the haymaker early, and Louisville was unable to recoer. They beat Louisville at the game that had gotten Louisville into the championship game, while Louisville seemed to have been doing the bulk of their preparation by studying Cal's defense on them. How many times can you sag off Kelly Faris before you realize she might be having a good shooting night? Louisville did't know how to prepare and they should have known how to prepare.
But congrats to UConn. They played a phenomenal game, and got what they needed when they needed it.
Monday, April 8, 2013
April 7th, 2013: Louisville at California
Just the Facts, Ma'am: Louisville came back from a 10-point halftime deficit to beat Cal 64-57. Antonita Slaughter had 18 points on 6-10 3-point shooting, while Bria Smith added 17 points and six rebounds. Layshia Clarendon led Cal with 17 points.
For bricks, pride, tiny banners, and total exhaustion, join your intrepid blogger after the jump.
Teams spotted today: Akron, Louisiana-Lafayette, Ohio State, West Virginia, Duquesne, Montana, Central Florida, Spelman, Pittsburgh, Iowa, Mississippi State, Prairie View, Oregon State, Vermont, TCU, Marshall, Oklahoma, South Dakota State, Sacramento Monarchs, Atlanta Dream, Arkansas State, St. Francis (PA), Princeton, Clemson, Georgia, Carson-Newman, UTEP, UCLA, Purdue, Yale, Miami, Murray State, James Madison. Lots more Baylor fans today. Gotta shout them out.
The pitch of the arena makes our seats better than you would expect. The anthem was done by a local artist. She was okay, but not great.
At halftime, it's 37-27 Cal, and it could be more if Cal would stop throwing the ball out of bounds and if they could hit their free throws. They're 1-6 from the line. But they're owning the boards, and Louisville isn't hitting their threes. Monique Reid took a very hard tumble on a Cal drive, and she hasn't come back into the game yet. She did later in the second half, though, which is kind of reassuring.
What a heartbreaker- well, if you were rooting for Cal like I was. To see them come so far and then lose it all I think I'd be even more disappointed if Cal hadn't been so clearly outcoached in the second half of the second half.
It's a lot harder to see the fine detail from up here, so I apologize in advance if the notes are not as doomy as usual. Megan Deines played briefly in the first half and came in right at the end of the second to help give the stars their curtain call. Jude Schimmel complemented her sister well off the bench (though from up here, it's kind of hard to tell 21, 22, and 23 apart). Monique Reid got a lot of run in the first half, but much less in the second half. We'll see how available she is for the championship game.
Would someone please guard Antonita Slaughter at some point in the near future? You would think a coach from Brown and a team of players smart enough to go to Cal would have figured out that guarding the woman who hit three threes in the first half would be a plan for success. Instead, they let her get three more open threes. You do not sag off someone who has hit five threes. Honestly. Shoni Schimmel was distributing well in the first half, then got her shot going a little in the second half. That pass to her sister was a thing of beauty. Sara Hammond continued to be tough in the post. I don't necessarily like her, but she got the job done down low, especially in the second half. Sheronne Vails got the start, but with Louisville sometimes I get the sense that Jeff Walz picks a name out of a hat for that fifth starter spot. Bria Smith was very efficient and absolutely ruthless. She broke a pretty little fast break that got the crowd going.
Lots and lots and lots of red in the stands, in groups and singles.
Eliza Pierre's defense is scary. She was all up in her player's business (usually Shoni Schimmel) and gave them no room to operate. I love to watch that kind of thing. Mikayla Lyles played very late, when Cal was sort of throwing spaghetti at the wall. Reshanda Gray had an up-and-down game, and tended to make stupid mistakes right after making good plays. She needs to be more consistent.
Layshia Clarendon is amazing, and East Coast bias can do anatomically impossible things to its metaphorical self that I haven't seen her before this year. Stupid Pac-12 Network and its stupid disagreement with stupid DirecTV. She had ice water in her veins during the attempt to come back. And she has awesome hair. Talia Caldwell muscled up well in the post. Brittany Boyd made a couple of great plays- when she hit the three, I thought they had a shot. Afure Jemerigbe gave the announcer a lot of chances to get her name right with points and fouls. Gennifer Brandon rebounds like she has springs in her legs (and from overhead looks a little like a gazelle when running), but that shot... almost too strong for an offensive rebounder.
Cal seemed to get flustered in the second half. The perils of not having been there before, perhaps- they started throwing up bad shots and bad passes. The exceedingly nosy guy next to me (no, sir, you cannot borrow my computer, please stop staring at my screen) kept complaining that Cal wasn't dribbling the ball up. He had a little bit of a point, since Cal's passing was not sharp, but I don't think dribbling into the traps would have helped much.
The woman all the way at the end of our row hooked us up with nifty Cal cheering stuff. It was really nice of her. Signs! Tiny banners! A streamer for Moooose!
I'm very surprised that Cal doesn't seem to have done anything to address their abysmal free throw shooting. That was painful to watch.
I was rooting for Cal, but I wanted whoever won this game to take the title, so on Tuesday I'll be in red and white and cheering for Louisville. Anything to avoid another UConn coronation.
April 7th, 2013: UConn at Notre Dame
Just the Facts, Ma'am: UConn ended the first half on an 14-3 run to break open a close game and maintained control through the second half in their 83-65 win over Notre Dame. Breanna Stewart had 29 points, five rebounds, and four blocks for the Huskies. Kayla McBride led the Irish with 16 points, but on 5-20 shooting. Notre Dame shot 29.7% as a team.
For bricks, flurries of offensive rebounds, competitive spirit, quick exchanges, and Breanna Stewart's debutante party, join your intrepid and sore blogger after the jump. (Mama may need a chiropractor after this one.)
The second game is now settling in. The UConn and Notre Dame fans have deigned to join us for this one. They took their sweet time showing up for the first game, which is one of the things I detest about both fan bases- they both tend to make double-headers look really bad. I do love the coaching milestones they're showing here.
At halftime, UConn is up 10, and you would pretty much have to be a Boneyarder to have expected this. UConn put on a burst near the end of the first half that was reminiscent of what they did to Kentucky and Maryland. This halftime video about Louisianans giving back to the community is nice, but it's sort of funny when you realize Barbara Farris just left that high school. (But I love Barb. Anyone who considers not having an absentee ballot to be sufficient emergency to use frequent flier miles to go home and vote is awesome in my book.)
Okay, seriously, if you expected this, you are a passionate UConn fan and I salute you. UConn brought it. Bria Hartley was a little shaky, but she looked better than she had for most of the season, and she seemed to gain confidence from her teammates. Moriah Jefferson gave decent minutes, but not quite what she had been doing in the regional rounds. Morgan Tuck does seem to be possessed by the memory of Tiffany Hayes once a game, and I like her physicality in the lane. Heather Buck was the official victory cigar, along with Kiah Stokes. I was surprised that she didn't play more, but maybe her back was flaring up.
Caroline Doty got the start, but that's about it. Hartley played the starter's minutes. Stefanie Dolson got in the middle and made herself an encumbrance to the Notre Dame offense, but a lot of passes went off her hands- I think she got tagged with more than she deserved, looking at the box score. Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis was solid, in more ways than one- I've mentioned this before, but she seems to have taken it to heart that people were just tagging her as a three-point shooter and has whipped out a whole arsenal of offensive tricks. I continue to be impressed by her development (or is it re-development?). And Breanna Stewart seems to have decided that she doesn't want to be considered overrated or anything like that. She just took over all over the court. And she looked like she was enjoying herself, which is always nice to see.
Geno got mad at a couple of dumb mistakes- blown assignments, bad passes (at one point it was pretty clear how he wanted Dolson to inbound the ball, and then she blew the inbounds pass), that kind of thing. It's sort of hilarious to watch him blow his top.
A lot of Notre Dame players went into the game in the last couple of minutes, when Muffet McGraw wanted to give her star players their curtain calls. I don't remember who most of them were. Madison Cable got a lot of run in the first half, with a little offense and an eye for the three-ball (even if she didn't hit it), but she looked a little like she was in over her head. Markeisha Wright was solid off the bench, including one pretty make on a feed from Natalie Achonwa. Kaila Turner got some first half minutes, but the rotation tightened up in the second half until it was clear-the-bench time.
Kayla McBride really looked like she was pressing, as if she felt she had to live up to that tournament average she'd been putting up. Nothing was falling for her. Jewell Loyd had slightly better luck, but not much. Ariel Braker pretty much tried to sit on a UConn player's legs in the first half, and she ended up fouling out- oh, dear, I wonder why. Natalie Achonwa was solid but unremarkable. She was okay on the boards, though. Skylar Diggins couldn't get her shot to fall, but she had some beautiful passes to set her teammates up. I like how she goes after loose balls, but she needs to follow her shot more often.
Notre Dame, would you please stop with the lime green? The Cal fan on my left looked at you all when you ran out of the tunnel and said, "I'm cheering against the green team." It is an unpleasant color, it really is.
The officiating got interesting, but it got interesting on both sides, so it's hard to complain. Notre Dame got the free throws in the first half; UConn got more calls in the second half. The game got very physical at points, because these two teams don't like each other much and they know it was likely the last time they were going to play each other.
Both fan bases showed out for their game- just not the first game. The chants came thick and fast, on each other's heels, over each other's music and All-American highlights. I really don't think these teams and their fans like each other for some reason.
Right at the end of the first half, UConn went on a tear that I think was the end of the game for Notre Dame. It's the kind of haymaker that took all the air out of Kentucky, and I didn't expect Notre Dame to fall prey to the same very UConn tactic. If the Huskies are on this kind of roll, it's hard to imagine anyone but UConn cutting down the nets on Tuesday.
Saturday, April 6, 2013
April 6th, 2013: Final Four Super Saturday
Your intrepid and verbose blogger hits New Orleans, and New Orleans hits back.
I'm not used to things opening an hour and a half before things are supposed to start. The gates opened at 9:30, and it's quarter past ten, and I'm expecting things to be happening already.
The UConn autograph line is already packed, and UConn doesn't sign until after 12. Good Lord, people. Cal's line is pretty much empty.
Teams spotted so far: Monmouth, Texas, Southern Miss, Wyoming, Southern, Louisiana Tech, Drew, New Hampshire, Texas Southern, Marquette, San Diego State, UConn (of course), Illinois, Indiana, New Mexico, North Carolina State, North Carolina (and I think she might have been Charlotte Smith, but we're currently having a philosophical debate as to whether known affiliation allows for a double count for Elon), Oakland, Cal State Dominiguez Hills, Sam Houston State, East Carolina (though they were here for the combine, so maybe that doesn't count?), Boston College, LSU, Ole Miss, Allegany, Moravian, West Chester, Vermont, Washington, VCU, Virginia Tech, Tennessee, Memphis, Cal (of course), Tulane, Louisville (of course), Notre Dame (eventually, of course), Michigan, Colorado State, Maryland (who are really showing out- fear the Turtle!), Wichita State, Baruch (CUNY up in here!), Arizona State, Oregon, NYU, Georgetown, Wake Forest, Richmond, Rutgers, Stanford, Detroit Mercy, Regis, Niagara, Quinnipiac, Texas A&M, Cal State Northridge, Baylor, St. John's (not us), Buffalo, Minnesota, Michigan State, Duke, Missouri State, Syracuse, DePaul, Delaware, Navy, Tulsa, Alabama, Nebraska, Illinois State, Marist, Temple, Middle Tennessee, Texas Tech, Florida State, Rock Valley, Harvard, Wisconsin, Emory, Maryville, Georgia Tech, Kentucky, one very nifty Canberra Caps Ardossi jersey, Seattle Storm, Minnesota Lynx, and Connecticut Sun.
I love marching bands! I love traveling fans! I love the tournament atmosphere! Boom de yada! Boom de yada!
I think ESPN is doing a piece on Shoni and Angel, because, well, Angel just wandered through, hair all slicked back and pretty.
The trophy is in the building. I got a picture. I have taken many pictures. I will take many more pictures.
The Golden Bears have rolled out, and so far the practice seems fairly serious, at least until the band starts up and the tuba stands alone. They're pretty loose, though. I'm not sure what my favorite part about Cal being in the Final Four is, the pleasant surprise or the Straw Hat Band. But this is so much fun, and they have more beads! Shiny things! The Cal players were really hyped about seeing their fans- I think some of the people behind us may be serious boosters.
Louisville's band is AWOL, presumably in Atlanta with the boys, so they're borrowing part of the Tulane band. They're doing basic stretching first, and Monique Reid is biking to nowhere. Seriously, someday someone's going to hook a generator to those bikes and reduce energy bills in arenas by something like 5%. The Dark Angel herself appears to be the Cards' special guest for this. I guess she's supposed to inspire them or something. Louisville is taking this practice dead serious- one of the grad assistants is handing out a practice schedule. Good Lord, that's neurotic. And the band came out late, so they are here. A bit disorganized, but here. And rocking the heck out of "Stayin' Alive" and the Ghostbusters theme. Louisville players are helping throw the beads now. Shelby Harper has no arm. Cortnee Walton does.
WBCA All-American team about to be announced. Elena Delle Donne, Skylar Diggins, Stefanie Dolson, Chelsea Gray, Brittney Griner, Kayla McBride, Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis, Chiney Ogwumike, Odyssey Sims, Alyssa Thomas. Delle Donne gave a little speech. Pictures were taken. Plugs were made. Alyssa Thomas immediately went to find the Maryland staff and Laura Harper (who just ran off to glomp someone)
Notre Dame's turn to practice. They have names even on their practice jerseys. They are really committed to that gods awful lime green. :( Niele Ivey is gorgeous, though. Absolutely breathtaking. Jewell Loyd had a fantastic tip-in from a very defensive drill. The band started taunting declaring their intent to beat UConn. And then Diggins and McBride danced with pom-poms.
Capital One is sponsoring a contest in which all the shots have to be banked in, which is a little ridiculous, but both of the contestants managed it, which is awesome.
UConn's open practice was mostly three-shooting. I took pictures, but that's about it.
Battle of the Bands needs to stop being decided on crowd noise, because UConn fans would cheer for their band if they just farted in a vague sense of rhythm. Notre Dame's male cheerleaders did a remarkable worm stunt six deep. Cal was musically the best. Louisville was outmanned and stood no chance, though the flip on top of the pyramid was awesome. UConn's band took direct aim at Notre Dame- both of them played "When the Saints Go Marching in". UConn's was technically better, but they lost me when they decided to throw in "Who dat say dey gon' beat dem Huskies?" You do not steal the "who dat". And then they decided to take an encore they weren't entitled to. That stuff gets you thrown out of band competitions in some places. Musically, I think it was close between UConn and Cal, but Notre Dame was good and had great stunts. But UConn fans... sorry, guys, but stop with the blind loyalty and get some musical taste.
High-schoolers have taken the floor. Tamika Catchings and Swin Cash are the honorary(?) coaches. What is with the neon green on ALL the things this year? Seriously. I recognize a few more of the high schoolers this year.
Tulane band was very disappointing. I assume that's not the whole band, but they hit several sour notes.
Purple starters: Jessica Washington, Saniya Chong, Jessica Jackson, Diamond DeShields, Stephanie Mauvinga. Black starters: Kaela Davis, Alexis Brown, Kendall Cooper, Mercedes Russell, a young lady named Harper whose first name I didn't catch. (Linnae?)
I didn't really follow the game, because I wasn't interested, but it looks like Arkansas got a nice little shooter in Jackson, and maybe Rutgers fans have reason to be excited about Scaife.
Coda: after we adventured on Bourbon Street and found it not to our liking, we wound our way back to Canal and public transit through a side street. Suddenly I hear "Rebecca!" We turn around, and there's Shenneika Smith. Of all the places, and all the people, and all the times... it put a wonderful capper on the day. We chatted about Jeopardy! and the WBCA team, and it was good.
Monday, April 1, 2013
April 1st, 2013: Kentucky at Connecticut
Just the Facts, Ma'am: It was a close game for nine minutes, then UConn outscored Kentucky 61-30 and won 83-53. Breanna Stewart led four Huskies in double figures with 21 points, and the Huskies forced 21 turnovers out of Kentucky. A'dia Mathies had 14 points for the Wildcats.
For blues, goosebumps, drives, fundamental flaws, and the shame of leaving early, join your intrepid and chilled blogger after the jump.
Don't worry, you've only got three more games of me after this, then you'll get a six-week break from long blocks of text, irrelevant parenthetical asides, and occasionally inaccurate analysis.
All things considered, there are a fair amount of people here so far, given that it's 6:19 and tip is around 7:30. The band and cheerleaders are getting ready to go- we're at UConn's end, which makes me a bit frustrated, but what can you do? Maybe we'll get enough elevation to see over the band pits.
This game was tied at 22. Heck, Kentucky had a 23-22 lead. And then UConn remembered that one of their other staples is stifling defense, and a UConn game broke out. Kentucky got scared, as if they'd suddenly forgotten how to play offense against stifling in-your-face defense, even though you'd think they practice against it every day. UConn broke loose down the lane. At least maybe I'll make the 9:38 train back to NY.
I decided I was making that 9:38 no matter what, so for the first time in close to five years, I left a game early. I don't enjoy doing that- I feel guilty, as if not getting my money's worth, but not getting my money's worth is not worth shivering my way through an hour on a Metro-North platform and getting home at 1 in the morning. It was the under-4 when I left, and I believe it was a 27-point game; the only frustrating part is that I don't have a personal complete box score.
Azia Bishop played briefly, but after a hard moving screen, she got sat down, and I don't think she went back. Mitchell didn't seem happy with her after that foul. Bria Goss got the same teaching moment treatment after a stupid foul. Though at least she was a little more effective in the first half. She got a lot of time because Kastine Evans was hesitating, Jennifer O'Neill was making some stupid mistakes, and A'dia Mathies was in foul trouble. Jelleah Sidney tried to get the defense on, but she got into foul trouble in the first half, and I don't think that helped Kentucky's cause. I know, understatement of the year, but I think that got into their heads a little too. I thought it was interesting she got more aggressive on offense- might be a good sign for them for the future. I don't remember Bernisha Pinkett doing anything of note other than committing a foul so egregious in the paint that even I could call it half-obscured by the stanchion. Janee Thompson gave decent minutes; they definitely could have been worse, all things considered.
The early fouls on A'dia Mathies could not have helped her confidence, but I think having to run around after Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis all night and having to be a key part of her team's offense didn't help. Kastine Evans wanted the ball, but as soon as she got it, she backed away from shots that she was taking against Delaware, even when she had space. You have to be aggressive against UConn. You can't let them get into your heads, or your shorts. You have to go at them like they're just another basketball team. They may not be, but you have to treat them as such. DeNesha Stallworth at least seemed interested in shooting the ball, though I do have to question some of her shot selection. I know she had decent luck with the midrange jumper, but I'm not sure if that was the best plan against UConn. They're pretty much okay with people shooting outside jumpers against them. Samarie Walker... I don't know if she wasn't looking for the ball or if she was defended too tightly to get the ball in her preferred spots, but 0-1 from the field and 2-2 from the line is not nearly sufficient when you want to knock out a team like UConn. She looked good on the boards, but she needed to be a bigger part of the game. Jennifer O'Neill's shot was on early, but she persisted in making stupid decisions with the ball- bad passes, over-dribbling, too much hesitation- and stagnated her team's offense.
Samarie... DeNesha... you are both fairly seasoned players starting at a top-notch SEC school. One of you came from UConn, the other from Cal, neither exactly what you would call bad or badly coached. Why am I seeing both of you have issues with taking and hitting lay-ups from the weak side?
Just in general, after Mathies hit the free throw that gave Kentucky the lead, and after UConn remembered that hey, they can play really good defense too, Kentucky seemed to forget how to play basketball, while UConn could smell blood in the water and brought everyone (well, except Heather Buck) to the feast.
I left the game before Buck got in, but I sincerely doubt she did anything. Morgan Tuck continues to impress me for a freshman, though I think the spirit of Tiffany Hayes possessed her through her jersey on that three-point shot. I like her build, and if the knee heels up so that she doesn't need the brace, she'll be a force to be reckoned with. And of course, you've got to love a big who can hit her free throws. Bria Hartley played a lot of minutes off the bench when KML had foul issues and for Caroline Doty in general, and she looked more like the player she once was, quick with her hands and breaking loose for lay-ups in transition. Moriah Jefferson put on the afterburners, and her block on Thompson had the crowd roaring in approval. She's adorable, yet terrifying in her ability to sneak under the dribble. Kiah Stokes got some good minutes; her lay-up in the paint got the crowd going.
Stefanie Dolson grabbed ALL the rebounds. Now, the placement of my seat meant that I couldn't see most of the action under the basket at either end, because the stanchion was in the way. But I remember seeing that big ol' 31 a lot. And then she bicycled her way to New Orleans- no, seriously, she was working the daylights out of that bike. Caroline Doty did pretty much the one or two things she's still capable of doing at a UConn level, then got out of the way. I didn't think she was able to go that fast anymore after all the knee injuries, but she had one zoom-zoom drive. Kelly Faris... if I have to have her on a New York team, can I draft her to the Jets instead? They need someone who can make interceptions in the open field and hard tackles like she did. She's a hard-nosed player, and I respect that, but I feel like I'm complaining about her tackling someone every time I see her play, and that's not necessarily a good thing. And she did not display that tendency not to make mistakes that so many people laud in her. Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis continues to intrigue me with her increased willingness to be more than just a lethal three-point shooter- she's using that blocky build to get inside and body up on defenders. I'm starting to see a little Epiphanny Prince in her game- am I crazy in that regard? (I know better than to ask whether I'm crazy. I already know the answer to that one.) And then Breanna Stewart decided to be the player that everyone's been saying she could be, and it was kind of amazing. She made moves with both hands. She slapped the daylights out of shots. She went in. She went out. She did in fact shake it all about. She looked like she wanted to be the star.
UConn turned it up another gear. They made stupid mistakes (after one Faris pass, I thought Geno was going to flip out), but they didn't let those mistakes get to them. The difference between an Elite Eight team and a Final Four team, I guess.
Officiating could definitely have been worse, could definitely have been better, but though they let them play, it didn't go to the extremes we saw in Oklahoma City.
A rumor was going around the crowd that Kevin Ollie was in attendance, but I received no confirmation either way.
To the woman behind me, who complained twice that Kentucky wasn't letting UConn bring the ball up: that is, in fact, one of the core principles of their defense. You idiot.
I feel like I can't give a complete report, since I missed the last three minutes. On the other hand, we're on the third page of notes, so maybe I can.
See you in New Orleans, Huskies.
Saturday, March 30, 2013
March 30th, 2013: Delaware at Kentucky
Just the Facts, Ma'am: 33 points from Elena Delle Donne and a fierce second-half comeback weren't enough for Delaware to come from behind, as Kentucky claimed the victory 69-62. Jennifer O'Neill led the Wildcats with 19 points, and A'dia Mathies added 16.
For honor, stuffed birds, inconvenient tubas, drives, and shades of blue, join your intrepid and mildly embarrassed blogger after the jump.
Your intrepid blogger was bound and determined to go to Bridgeport, whether or not her team made the trip, so here we are three rows back in the endcourt behind where the bands will be, watching as the arena starts to fill up in shades of blue. Unsurprisingly, the dominant groups are UConn and Delaware. Delaware brought at least three buses, and it pleases me that they're genuine Delaware...ites. Ians. Ers. Whatever one calls a person from Delaware. I'm pretty sure a couple of folks from the men's basketball team are here, and I saw someone in a jersey that wasn't 11.
There appears to be some sort of strategic alliance between some of the Delaware fans and the Maryland fans. I find that fascinating. I guess regional loyalty beats out the mutual tie of Delle Donne.
If someone behind me doesn't stop spreading pistachio shells around the section like an ill-mannered health-conscious baseball player, I'm going to have to go Noo Yawk on them. Really, people.
My husband and I are the only people wearing St. John's gear, and yes, we've gotten some peculiar looks, but I don't actually care. I'm going to represent my team even if they're not here.
Delaware band is in front of us. Love the guy with the YouDee on his trumpet. Will have to acquire a foam YouDee at some point to add to the souvenir collection. They did a good anthem with a very colonial feel to it (which makes sense, since they have the Revolutionary-era name history).
It's 41-27 Kentucky at halftime, and so far only Elena Delle Donne and Danielle Parker have looked capable of playing at Kentucky's level. I'm impressed at Delle Donne's speed and ability to absorb contact, something which she seems to have improved upon. Parker is rebounding like crazy. These may be the worst officials I have ever seen- at the beginning, everything was a jump ball, then everything was against Kentucky, then everything was against Delaware- and by everything I mean leg whips and forearms to the face. We're lucky no one got seriously hurt.
Kelsey Buchanan really mixed it up on the inside with the Kentucky posts, and then acted surprised when she got called for a foul. Aww, that's cute. Jaquetta May came off the bench first in the first half, and from what I can glean from the box score and my obstructed view from around the stanchion, she worked loose a lot of offensive boards (I think two or three of the were on a play near the end of the game, when Delaware had four chances at the basket and couldn’t come away with a basket). Trumae Lucas was an offensive catalyst in the second half, and had some great defensive plays too. Stephanie Leon's minutes were near the end of the first half- I think she was just there to fill time.
I loved watching Danielle Parker rebound. Loved it. She was tough. Couldn't shoot (though the rim in front of the Kentucky/Maryland bench wasn't kind to anyone), but I loved her rebounding. Lauren Carra got in foul trouble early, and though her three at the end of the first half was cold-blooded and key to keeping the Blue Hens in it, she didn't wake up until the second half. I think I remember Kayla Miller bringing up the ball every so often, but also that she didn't seem to be bringing it up as often as one would expect from a point guard- the responsibility for that seemed to fall to everyone else on the floor (Parker, Delle Donne, Carra, etc.). I think Delaware would have needed her to be more of a factor to survive. Same for Akeema Richards. I think she was in for her defense, but I'm not sure.
Elena Delle Donne took over the game for Delaware, for both good and ill. She was spectacular, and she's been working on the parts of her game that were weaknesses when she was younger. She'll always be a step slow on defense, but she's been improving on the offensive end, and when she decides she's going to get aggressive, no power on this earth is going to get in her way. She deserved every moment of the standing ovation she received, and I wish her all the best. She seems like a really sweet kid.
Azia Bishop gave some good minutes in the lane. Brittany Henderson got on the boards, and even if she didn't pull the rebounds down, she made room for her teammates to get them. Bria Goss was solid, especially on defense. For me, the real defensive star was Jelleah Sidney, who drew the unenviable task of having to guard Elena Delle Donne when Plan A didn't work. She was also a constant presence on the boards, especially on the offensive end. I remember seeing her under the basket a lot. They also got good if unremarkable minutes from Janee Thompson.
A'dia Mathies seems to have decided that she needs to take over for her team. This is both good and bad- good because they need her not to have a game like she had against Navy, bad because her judgment is not necessarily the greatest. Jennifer O'Neill missed her first three shots badly, I started swearing, and then she started hitting everything in sight, so I shut up. She was a little careless with the ball, but she was the offensive catalyst they needed her to be. It was great to see Kastine Evans starting to look more like herself. Her three at the end of the first half was cold-blooded, and she hit a second big one in the second half as well. Love it when a player's moments are choice. DeNesha Stallworth spent most of the game on the bench because of early foul trouble. When she was in the game, she mostly stuck to turnaround moves with limited success. But the foul trouble really got to her. Samarie Walker was fierce on the boards. She really went after it, though she came up oddly short on some of her shots.
The referees were... oh, let's just call them interesting and decide that they hope to stay home for Monday's game. The Delaware fans were complaining that they were biased towards Kentucky, the Kentucky bench was screaming at the differential, and I was screaming that maybe they should figure out how to call something other than a jump ball.
Really liked YouDee's performance. So far, he's the best mascot I've seen in the
tournament and the redheaded guy who plays him is, like, way hot omg. Also seriously impressed by the biceps on the male cheerleaders for Delaware. Those three guys could probably in combination bench-press the team bus.
Lots of Delaware fans there, and I think most of them were actual-facts Delaware fans, not UConn fans flying false colors because OMG ELENAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA. And they got loud. And I hope to God they stay loud without Delle Donne.
I think every man in the SEC is required to slick back his hair with industrial-grade gel unless physically impossible. Search your feelings, you know it to be true.
Very surprised that Kentucky's defense wasn't more frenetic. They seem to have been sitting back more. They're going to need to ratchet it up against UConn.
March 30th, 2013: Maryland at Connecticut
Just the Facts, Ma'am: Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis and Breanna Stewart each had 17 points to lead Connecticut over Maryland, 76-50. Alyssa Thomas had 13 for the Terrapins, while Tianna Hawkins and Chloe Pavlech added 11 each.
For chanting, tricks, blood relatives, the wrath of Geno, accidental deflections, and bodies all around, join your intrepid and sleep-deprived blogger after the jump.
Being at a game in Connecticut is sort of like being in the middle of Beatlemania. It's intimidating, and not entirely pleasant. They don't understand why you'd root for any team but UConn. (I'm from Queens, this is how I roll, deal with it.)
Maryland, I love you, but really, this obsession with the state coat of arms has to stop before it leads you into any more bad fashion choices. However, bringing a state flag is cool.
UConn up 35-26 at the half, and I think UConn smells blood in the water. The officials have been a bit strict about travels and VERY loose about everything else. Geno got his T for arguing for a call on what looked like a body slam by Hawkins. And the crowd had his back all the way. That was a truly deplorable and dangerous non-call. Maryland's chucking a lot of shots. UConn's had some bad luck with the rim, but that'll change in the second half; that rim's been messed up all game.
I think Elena Delle Donne accidentally set a screen for Stefanie Dolson; while Dolson was down and hurt, Delle Donne got up and drew the attention and cheers of the crowd in the endcourt section, so they weren't staring at Dolson until she was up.
Malina Howard, if you're going to call and flail for the ball as if your very life depended on receiving the pass right that second, you don't immediately pass off the ball as if it grew spikes and stabbed you in the palms. It is very hard to take you seriously when you tend to disappear. Sequoia Austin got in at the very end of the game. Sparkly Brenda Frese mostly went with Howard and the starters.
Does Alicia DeVaughn always try to make with the three-pointers? I don't expect a tall, long-armed rebounder to decide that she's going to put up long shots when she doesn't to my knowledge do it all that frequently. She had her hands in on a lot of plays, but I think she went over the line on her physical play. Katie Rutan is automatic from those corners, and while she's not a great defender, she does work hard on defense. Tianna Hawkins consistently got on the boards, but also got beat to them by good Connecticut boxouts. She made her presence felt on defense, but not on offense. Chloe Pavlech looked like a freshman out there, though she got her long-range shot going in the second half. At times, it almost looked like Maryland was taking their cues from Delaware and making everything about Alyssa Thomas the way Delaware made everything about Delle Donne. Thomas has a decent handle for a woman of her build, and I understand the exigencies that led her to playing the point for the Terrapins, but I think Maryland would be better off with her not bringing the ball up as much and being able to get herself into position instead of having to bring the ball up, dish off, and then get in position. She played well, but she couldn't do it all herself no matter how hard she tried.
Maryland just didn't seem to know how to get out of the trouble they were in, but that might be because they were short-handed and because when UConn smells blood that's the end of the game.
Hello, Moriah Jefferson! You are tiny, but you are fast and sneaky and slice through the lane like a hot dagger through butter! She had one beautiful steal and fast-break lay-up (I think Thomas was the victim) in the second half that set off the crowd. She actually got the start in the second half, because she was playing that well. Morgan Tuck looked a little slowed up by her knee brace, but she bulled her way into the lane and along the backdoor cuts with great efficiency. Geno probably wants to see her get more comfortable with her off hand, though. Kiah Stokes got time near the end of the game and got in on the boards. Bria Hartley was... well, I think I understand why Geno exiled her to the bench.
Which I'm pretty sure is also the only reason why Caroline Doty was getting the start. I really don't remember her doing anything. Kelly Faris didn't necessarily make much of an impression, but at the same time, always just seemed to be there. Her two-pointer in the second half came off a gorgeous look-away pass from Jefferson. Breanna Stewart actually looked comfortable for the first time that I can remember when seeing her. If she's starting to settle into her height, it's going to be a long three years in the Big Metro American However Many. She was blocking shots not just on the perimeter but on the inside. Stefanie Dolson had a quiet night offensively, but she was a monster on the boards and in the paint. The final rebounding numbers don't reflect how hard Connecticut was working to seal off the glass. Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis was using that strong build of hers to create space in the first half, going closer to the basket before unleashing the jumpers in the second half. She was good.
There were flashes of that terrifying UConn tendency to immediately create offense from their defense- Stewart blocked a first-half shot, and two passes later she drained a three from the right side. Jefferson had a sweet steal and a lay-up. UConn basketball, in its purest form.
These officials were not particularly interested in calling fouls until the second half, and it did not make them popular with either team and either coach. A lot of bodies were hitting the floor with very few calls being made.
I'm impressed with the Maryland cheer squad's strength. It takes a lot for an all-girl team to pull off some of those stunts. And you've gotta love a band that uses the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles theme as an alternate fight song. Their version of "All of the Lights" pales in comparison to DePaul's, though.
Sitting low in the endcourt is a very bad combination, especially when coupled with barriers for the band sections. You see virtually nothing, between distance and the stanchion and the barriers. I have to remember that for next time.
If Kentucky is as lax as they were today, UConn will run all over them. If UConn takes their foot off the pedal as early as they did today, Kentucky will rip them to shreds.
Wednesday, March 27, 2013
March 26th, 2013: Dayton at Kentucky
Just the Facts, Ma'am: A'dia Mathies had 34 points, and Kentucky used a small first half run to take control of their second round NCAA tournament game, beating Dayton 84-70.
For MOAR hats, free drinks, bendy cheerleaders, redemption, and grabby hands, join your intrepid and clock-racing blogger after the jump.
Good evening, everyone! We're coming to you for the last time this season on the usual tape delay from Carnesecca Arena on the grounds of St. John's University, in some-yet-to-be-identified neighborhood of Queens, New York. Second-seeded Kentucky and seventh-seeded Dayton will be squaring off for the dubious pleasure of going to Bridgeport; on one hand, woo-hoo, it's the Sweet Sixteen, but on the other hand, it's Bridgeport. Hard to get excited about that city. (Sorry, Nutmeggers.)
The bands have officially opened battle. Dayton's band did "Crazy Train". Kentucky's band immediately followed up with "Crazy Train". The Dayton band did not look amused. Their version was better, anyway.
A fair amount of St. John's fans stuck around for this one. I'm impressed and pleased.
I also really want Ukari Figgs's shirt, but that's because I really like royal blue, though that is not why I am leaning towards Kentucky in this one.
At halftime, it's Kentucky, 40-31, and A'dia Mathies lives, with 15 points. They keep leaving her open in the corner, and she keeps hitting threes. Kentucky went on a huge run to bust open a14-all game, but Dayton's hanging tough. Andrea Hoover has 13 for the Flyers. Dayton is having a lot more trouble finding the open man than they did against us.
I think Kentucky missed the game tape from Dayton-St. John's on Sunday. They seemed inclined to let Dayton get back into it for a while, but then A'dia Mathies happened, as she did quite a bit that night.
Brittany Wilson played a little bit in the first half, but not again in the second, which surprised me; I would have thought Jabir would use her to bang with Stallworth and Walker a little bit and try to wear them out. Kelley Austria committed an exceptionally stupid foul and somehow missed the scouting report that getting trapped in the corner against Kentucky is a recipe for disaster. I did like the offensive rebound she sneaked out of the pack with on a Hoover miss, though. Olivia Applewhite at least brought good physical defense, even if she couldn't get her shots to fall. I like the way she plays, though she does have to work on her shooting.
Samantha MacKay, what are you even doing fouling a three-point shooter? This was not the greatest game she's ever played, to be polite about it. She was careless with the ball (which is never a good plan against Kentucky) and just threw up some very bad shots. Amber Deane looked like she was in a little over her head (which, since she's a freshman and Kentucky is kind of vicious, doesn't surprise me). She had one brilliant save on the baseline- she pulled off the "throw it off the opponent" move perfectly. Andrea Hoover did pretty much the same thing to Kentucky as she did to St. John's, only more inside the arc. Cassie Sant started off hot for Dayton, with midrange jumpers and moves on the baseline, but she got into a little bit of first half foul trouble, and I think that might have affected her confidence in the second half. Ally Malott was solid, but Dayton needed her to be more than solid if they wanted to spring the upset.
In general, Dayton looked rattled by the Kentucky defense, and hopeful when Kentucky overreached or slipped an assignment. Jabir was getting frustrated, too. "STOP FOULING!" he yelled at one point in the second half, when they went into the penalty.
Azia Bishop played very briefly, but I think she might have either gotten hurt during the game or been injured beforehand; she was holding her left arm tight against her body during the handshake line. Janee Thompson got minutes as part of the hockey-style line changes, but didn't make much of an impact. Jelleah Sidney mixed it up in the lane and got into a little bit of shoving with Dayton players. Brittany Henderson gave them some very good minutes off the bench as a tough, physical guard who boxed out well- if Pinkett had hit the three off that pretty pass she threw, the place would have gone off even more than it already was during that run. Bria Goss gave Kentucky the bulk of their bench minutes and was a spark on both ends of the floor.
We saw more frequent substitutions from Kentucky tonight, both in quantity and frequency. And Matt Insell is probably going to be gone in no more than two years. He did a lot of the yelling on the sideline, to the point where I thought the officials were going to remind him of his role and tell him to sit down.
Another questionable game from Kastine Evans, though she was better on the defensive end than she was against Navy. She still seemed to be the target of most of Matthew Mitchell's criticism, though we caught a couple of other Wildcats being hollered at. Samarie Walker drove the lane well- except that any top-10-team level starter should be able to hit a lay-up from the left side. She blew one shot by forcing herself to go right and take the shot with her right hand. But she's a tough rebounder, and I guess I can give her a little bit of a pass, given what I later heard was the reason she had to switch into a throwback #22. (We didn't see her barfing, which I'm okay with, since seeing players barf at two games is more than enough for my history.) Jennifer O'Neill's passing was not particularly crisp, and she did seem to enjoy taking shots from somewhere in the vicinity of the Whitestone Bridge, but I still like how she runs her team. I'm sort of a sucker for floor generals who run their team with unmistakable authority, I don't know if you've noticed. And she did come up with a couple of big plays in the second half. DeNesha Stallworth was a stalwart in the post, plus she brought her jumper to this game.
And then there was A'dia Mathies, who seemed to have taken the lousy game from Sunday to heart and roared back to life with a vengeance, going down the lane for lay-ups and hitting three after three from the corner. She looked like the first round pick she has been touted to be. (Oh, and Bill Laimbeer was in the audience...)
The people around me who were cheering for Kentucky- both the Kentucky fan base and the St. John's fans who returned for the second round- were extremely upset at the officials for what they perceived to be unfair calls. The fact of the matter is that, yeah, Kentucky holds and reaches a lot as part of their defense, and if they get the wrong crew, they're going to be in a lot of trouble. The refs let everyone play in the first half, then tightened up in the second. (Not that there weren't bad calls against Kentucky; O'Neill has a case.)
Dayton added another hat to the band collection, a flight cap. Also, the band director's jacket was red and blue striped, with sequins and flashing lights. Seriously, Kim Mulkey would have thought it was over the top and a touch ostentatious.
Great fan support for Kentucky and from the Dayton band. I am all in favor of stomping on the bleachers.
Thank you for the free Diet Coke, person who got busted at the gate. I took it home with me afterwards.
On to Bridgeport!
Monday, March 25, 2013
March 24th, 2013: Navy at Kentucky
Just the Facts, Ma'am: DeNesha Stallworth had 18 points and 11 rebounds to help Kentucky win their first round game over Navy, 61-41. Jennifer O'Neill added 12 points, 9 in the second half, and five steals. Jade Geif and Alix Membreno each had 9 points for Navy.
For dancing, gyrations, dress uniforms, souvenirs, sloppiness, and many cerulean hues, join your intrepid and apologetic blogger after the jump.
Good morning, everyone! We're coming to you on tape delay from Carnesecca Arena on the campus of St. John's University in Queens, New York, for first-round NCAA tournament action between the Patriot League champion Navy Midshipmen and SEC powerhouse Kentucky.
I'm in a chair-back seat. It's kind of disconcerting. I'm usually in the bleachers across from the home bench- I like being across from the bench so I can see a team's interaction. But here I am four rows from center court, facing everything except the logo. I'm so confused. All the advertising is covered up, since the NCAA has all the ad rights, so there are black squares where the bright ad lights used to be, and ribbons on the court where the sponsor logo once was.
Kentucky is very, very blue. It's intensely colored. Navy has a strong base here already, though we're not sure who the guy in the Army cap is cheering for. Kentucky has names on their jackets. I like them already. I have some idea of who they are!
Not buying the swag. $25 for a hat? $10 for a program? Forget it. If I'm buying anything it's going to be in Ne Orleans.
Navy appears to have brought foam goats. I'm going to go make a trade if I can. (I had to lie and say I wanted my husband's bracket to bust to get one.)
Kentucky band is coming in. Bands have been moved to what's normally the student section instead of the angled corner next to it where they usually are.
Mystics coaching staff is in attendance- Marianne Stanley and both Thibaults.
At halftime, Navy is up one on Kentucky, 26-25, but I don't think it's sustainable. Navy's been letting themselves get rattled by Kentucky's pressure, making bad passes and completely losing clock awareness in the last ten seconds- first not calling time to avert the five-second call, then not getting off a shot when they got the ball back after a really bad shot by Kastine Evans. Alix Membreno is playing really well for the Mids, with seven points and some great hustle. Jade Geif is rebounding all the things and bringing the body. For Kentucky, DeNesha Stallworth has started to get hot with her jumper, and they're killing the offensive boards.
There is a... gentleman... in a UConn shirt objecting to our discussion of our brackets. Sir, you are in a UConn shirt. You are lost. Be thou silent or GTFO.
Kentucky band did the anthem. They did a great job of it, but I do wonder why they didn't let the Naval band do it.)
Kentucky and Jennifer O'Neill opened up a can at the start of the second half, and it was pretty much downhill from there for Navy.
M.L. Morrison brought a little bit of offense off the bench in the first half, along with a body on the Kentucky posts, especially DeNesha Stallworth. Erin Meador committed some really stupid fouls, especially her third and fourth ones. The rest of the bench mostly played spot minutes, not really much of a factor in the game.
Audrey Bauer, I am not sure why you persisted in shooting threes from somewhere in the vicinity of Annapolis, but after the third or so miss, you should have realized that this was not a good plan and gone away from it. It's okay to take another step towards the line, not a step back. Chloe Stapleton picked up two quick fouls and then a third one near the end of the first half, so whatever it is she usually does for Navy, she didn't have much of a chance to do it. Jade Geif killed the boards in the first half, and I love how she was able to body up on the Kentucky posts, but she has got to hit her chippies. She had a lot of shots right at the rim that rolled off. She has to go up with more authority, though she did a better job of that in the second half. Alix Membreno played out of her mind in the first half- hitting shots, going for steals- but I think she ran out of gas. Kara Pollinger wasn't much of a factor. I remember her hitting a three, but that's about it.
Kentucky brought in a wave of reserves all at once very early in the first half, but went back to a more traditional substitution pattern for most of the game. Jelleah Sidney got away with quite a bit of shoving that I felt was quite uncouth; I don't care if your sister was a Johnny- she was epic fail, anyway- you don't get to do that at Carnesecca. Azia Bishop is one heck of a big body in the middle- surprised they didn't use her more. She got more time in the second half, because Stallworth was starting to wear down, and I think she helped wear at Navy's confidence by wearing them out in turn. Bernisha Pinkett gave them good defensive minutes off the bench. I remember seeing a lot of the back of her jersey on traps. Same for Bria Goss.
A'dia Mathies had one of the most awful games I've ever seen from her. She kept leaving her shots either short or off the side of the rim, she couldn't get on the boards- I think Navy's gameplan hinged on doubling and tripling her because they could, and in that regard, they were victorious. Granted, it was the only regard in which they were victorious, and there are no moral advances in the NCAA tournament. DeNesha Stallworth showed off a surprisingly pretty jumper from all over the floor, but she slowed up in the second half. I think stamina was getting to her. Samarie Walker attacked the rim in the second half with verve and vigor, cutting through the lane and the defense. Jennifer O'Neill was fairly quiet in the first half, and then the second half started and she was a firecracker- her points came in a fast spurt, along with a couple of nifty steals. She propelled Kentucky on to get their act together. Kastine Evans didn't play well- Mitchell was not happy with her.
Kentucky fans turned out in force; it truly was a sea of blue. I salute the cheerleader who carried blue and white streamers in his megaphone to hand out to fans- love the ingenuity. And I knew gymnastics was serious business in the SEC, but wow, the Kentucky male cheerleaders were spectacular with their flips and the fast spelling out of C-A-T-S.
I forget what the Navy band was playing- something aquatic-themed ("Sea Cruise", maybe?)- but the Kentucky band proceeded to do The Swim to it. I think the Johnnies in the corner were ROBL (rolling on the bleachers laughing).
I love that the first half was competitive; I wish the second half had been just as fierce by Navy.
Sunday, March 24, 2013
March 24th, 2013: Dayton @ St. John's
Just the Facts, Ma'am: St. John's came back from a 13-point deficit with 5:18 to go and forced overtime, but ultimately Dayton came away with a 96-90 win in the first round of the NCAA tournament. Andrea Hoover had 24 points, 16 in the first half, to lead the Flyers; Kelley Austria had 14 of her 21 in the second half and overtime. Nadirah McKenith led St. John's with 22 points, nine rebounds, and 10 assists.
For pride, hats, flags, red, and gutting it out, join your intrepid and serene blogger after the jump.
Why are there so many UConn fans here, omg. You guys had your own pod, stop stalking Samarie Walker already.
Dayton's band is hogging all the airtime. Come on, guys. Let our guys go.
Amber Thompson is probably going to kill her mother for the head-on-a-stick. Our Newark contingent has gone all out (they probably planned for that Trenton regional) with signs and ticket sales. And giant heads on sticks.
Okay, I'm enjoying Dayton's band, but I think I'd like them more if they weren't stepping on our time. I think our band is starting to get annoyed at them.
At halftime it's 43-30 Dayton, and if Joe Tartamella is not ripping his team several new ones based on their inability and/or unwillingness to guard the three-point line, I want his job because he's not doing it. Andrea Hoover has 16 for the Flyers. Shenneika Smith has 10. Dayton has done an excellent job of finding the open man when the double comes.
I'm not disappointed in the team, merely that I don't get to see them again. I'm not angry. I'm not ashamed. I'm sad, but that's it. You can't ask for more than everything, and they left everything on the floor. When I thought they didn't have enough left in the tank, they gutted it out of them somehow, and they never stopped fighting.
I do not know where Assertive, Aggressive Ashley Perez has been all season, but I would absolutely adore it if she stuck around for the next three years instead of Slightly Scared Mouse Ashley Perez. She hustled hard on defense, to somewhat more effect than usual- and then the shots started falling. Turns out the problem was that she was taking them too close to the line; once she took a couple of steps back and started hitting them from Nassau County, she was into her groove. She also was more willing to drive, though her shot selection was a little shakier there. She carried us through the second half and the first overtime, but in the latter part of the overtime, she started to falter. It's been a while since she's had to go that hard that long. She started heaving up panic shots that fell short. Still. Good to have her. Keylantra Langley was a step slow on defense and kept leaving her man open. Not good when one of your primary duties is to play defense. Would have liked to see her be a little more assertive on offense. Mary Nwachukwu played sparingly, just to give Amber Thompson some relief from foul trouble, and was not particularly effective. I'd yell at her that she needs to rebound the ball, but that was the last game of her senior year, so she doesn't have to rebound anything anymore.
Briana Brown kept getting out of position on defense. This was not a good match-up for her, and I think it affected her offensive confidence as well as her defensive confidence. She went to the floor for loose balls as always, though. She's tough. She'll rebound. Aliyyah Handford had some issues with her handle, but when she went hard to the paint, no one was stopping her. If that tip-in had gone in at the end of the first overtime... but it didn't. She played hard. She tried to keep us in it during the second overtime. Amber Thompson had a lackluster first half and then exploded in the second half and overtime. Suddenly the easy shots she'd missed were going in. Suddenly she was pulling down rebounds with authority. She took over in the second half. That's the Amber I know and appreciate and look forward to two years of.
The seniors get their own paragraph, because they were awesome and I'm not going to be able to write about them again, and that makes me incredibly sad. Shenneika Smith put on a show to open the game, countering on seemingly every Dayton run. She was slashing, she was taking jumpers, she was being the star that we knew she could be. Her hands were up and active and moving. And then Nadirah McKenith pretty much took the team on her shoulders. Scoring, rebounding, dishing, stealing, hustling, defense... Nadirah did everything and anything she could to pull St. John's through. When she fouled out on the charge (which was a call I couldn't argue with, though many around me did), she was inconsolable, head buried in her jersey, shoulders shaking, needing to be pulled out of her chair to join the huddle at the next timeout. My heart broke for her. She's been such a rock for us... it hurts when she's hurting. We chanted her name when she went out of the game, and I know it wasn't enough, but maybe she'll n the huddle at the next timeout
Okay, I guess I should talk about Dayton, because they played just as hard and were even better than we were. But it's hard, because they're not my team and I don't know them as well because I didn't have a roster, and I'm still entirely too proud of my team to talk about the team that beat them. But seriously, Dayton and their fans and their band were fantastic, and I look forward to their eventual inclusion in the Big East.
Olivia Applewhite killed us on the boards, and that bucket in the second overtime was a backbreaker. I was very impressed with her, although she's got to be more careful about staying on the bench when she's not in the game. I like her toughness. Kelley Austria was a steady consistent offensive force for the Flyers off the bench, getting the job done on backdoor cuts and drives down the lane. She owned the show in the second overtime. Brittany Wilson was a tank- I still don't know why she set that screen on Nadirah away from the play, but whatever. I wouldn't have expected her to swish that three, though.
We could not get a body on Andrea Hoover for the entire first half. She just kept slipping loose and getting open on the right side. It was exceedingly frustrating. She was less of a factor later in the game, but by then Samantha MacKay was stepping it up. Amber Deane looked like a player with a lot of potential, but I'm not sure if she felt like she was ever in the game. She was steady, but she didn't leave much of an impression. I think the scouting report keyed heavily on Ally Malott, because she didn't get a lot of opportunities. Cassie Sant didn't hit a lot of shots, but the ones she hit were well timed.
It's hard to get a handle on Dayton because of the lack of names on either jerseys or roster. (I need to whip up a scorecard one of these days, for games when a program is $10 and I have no idea who half of these people are.) In general, their passing was sharp and crisp and they were great at finding lanes. Just a very solid team that's run well.
Officiating was interesting. Not necessarily in a good way. To be fair, I thought Dayton got the short end of the stick in regulation (except for getting the timeout granted the second time they tied it up), but I was really not happy with the charge that fouled Nadirah out of the game. Neither was the crowd. But ultimately, the refs didn't decide the game.
The crowd atmosphere was amazing. I wish I could have bottled it and saved it for next year, because it was the kind of cheering we so rarely get at Carnesecca for a women's game. Stomping, cheering, chanting, screaming... can we carry it through without Shenneika and Nadirah?
The Dayton band has a ridiculous number of hats. At least four. We tried to trade with them, but they didn't have any extras. :( I think my favorite was the one with the giant airplane on top. They use the same cheer cadence as Villanova, which is very confusing.
The second half, I thought we were done. Dayton was up 13 at the half, and for most of the half, we'd score a basket, then let Dayton take it right back, then cut it to 6 or 7, then Dayton would pull it back out to 13, wash, rinse, repeat. The last couple of minutes happened in what seemed like a blink.
I'm so incredibly proud of my team and the year they pulled out. It would have been easy to strike the tents after Gina tore her ACL, but we surged back in Big East play. Our young players have gotten valuable experience, and we'll be back.
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
April 7th, 2009: Louisville at Connecticut (NCAA tournament)
Victory! Defeat! Tiny adhesive Cardinal heads!
Nota bene: These notes are being written the night of the title game, though I'm unable to post them in St. Louis- I no can haz intarwebs. :(
Either way, this game was going to be historic. Either way, it was a privilege to be there for the game. Either way, it's been a fantastic ride.
Accidentally being booked at the official Connecticut hotel had its advantages. We wandered into the official UConn pep rally. We stuck around for a while, enjoying the cheerleaders and being very confused by the bright orange fountain. But though the cheerleaders' nerves of steel- doing two-and-three-level pyramids on sidewalk is pretty courageous- impressed us, the fans were only moderately involved, so we got bored and wandered towards the arena. Since it was too early to go in, we wandered towards Union Station. Then we heard the dulcet strains of a marching band and wound our way through the mall until we came to the hotel of the Marriott and discovered the Louisville pep rally. This was not moderate involvement. Card fans were revved up for this historic occasion. They brought large inflatable Cardinals and small adhesive Cardinals; one of the latter is still stuck to my shirt.
It's a shame the players couldn't channel the fans' enthusiasm and energy. Angel McCoughtry and Becky Burke seemed to be the only players out there who gave a damn. I honestly think they lost a minute of game time because Deseree' Byrd took five to ten seconds on every possession to get the play. Thank every God there's no ten-second rule in the women's game, or this probably would have been a thirty-point game with the extra L'ville turnovers. I liked the idea of having her drive on Montgomery- she's bigger and stronger, so theoretically, she should have been able to muscle Montgomery out of the way and score. The theory fell flat on its face when Byrd couldn't even find the barn to hit the side of. Same problem for most of the Cards, come ot think of it- I don't have a box score accessible, but I shudder to think of what Louisville's shooting percentage was, especially in the second half, when most of their shots were random flings at the glass. But Byrd was especially guilty. At least McCoughtry hit some of hers, got to the line, and got some steals, and at least Bingham was active on the boards. But the rest of the Cards did a disappearing magic trick behind their two stars. Well, okay. Burke didn't play much of the game, but when she did, she was on top of things. Ditto for Monique Reid, who's going to be a key player for them next year, judging from her play this postseason.
I could be wrong, but Tina Charles might have gotten tired of Geno being pissed at her. She went absolutely nuts out there. Louisville doesn't really have a center, so Charles devoured Candyce Bingham for lunch and had room left over for anyone else who came at her. With Charles in the middle, they didn't need much from anyone else, but Montgomery was more than willing to drive and add some offense, and then Maya Moore started adding her contributions in the second half, and that, as they say, was the end of that. Not to mention that Moore's defense was beautiful. She's so graceful. God. I hate piling compliments on a Husky like this, and I hate having to find new ways to be impressed by her. Make it stop. McLaren was a game-changing weapon off the bench, not in terms of anything she necessarily did, but by clogging the paint and slowing the game up. Louisville was having enough trouble on the boards and, y'know, actually hitting shots, but with two bigs in against the very small Cardinals, Louisville was screwed. UConn's screen-setting led to a lot of ugly mismatches. Byrd on Charles is made of fail. And I liked that both teams deliberately stopped the clock to get their subs in.
Inconsistent refereeing, blah blah blah cakes.
Dear UConn band: please do not jump the other team's turn. Please also learn to coordinate with your loud, passionate fans so that you're chanting the same thing at the same time.
Oh, Geno. Seriously, don't ever change. You're one of the best-written characters in women's basketball; we couldn't make you up if we tried. Going through the de-netted hoop was one of the funniest things I've ever seen on a basketball court.
In conclusion: ladies of Connecticut, ladies of Louisville, ladies of Stanford, ladies of Oklahoma, and the rest of the field, it's been a pleasure and a privilege flying with you this year. Things may not have turned out the way I would have liked, but there's nothing in the world like being at the Final Four when the confetti comes down, the net gets snipped, the trophies are handed out, the winning fans cry with joy, the losing fans cry with grief... and, eventually, the lights go down.