Just the Facts, Ma'am: The Aggies of UC Davis used their speed to their advantage in a 71-61 win over Yale at Fordham's holiday tournament. Rachel Nagel led the Aggies with 17 points, while Cierra Hall chipped in 15 points and a team high nine rebounds off the bench. Tamara Simpson had 18 points in a losing cause for Yale, with Jen Berkowitz notching a double-double of 13 points and 15 rebounds.
For seniors, coincidences of nomenclature, tempo changes, a lack of musical accompaniment, fancy fleeces, disconnects, and the power of speed, join your intrepid and groovy blogger after the jump.
On to the next one, as the saying goes, and the second half of our double-header features the Aggies of UC Davis and the Bulldogs of Yale. Since the first game ended rather earlier than I think the organizers were expecting, these two teams have extra time to warm up. (And in Yale's case, perhaps find the rest of the team, since I doubt they only brought six players with them to the Bronx.)
Look, I know I'm probably the only person in this section who cares about the second game, but y'all are either going to have to sit down or leave in the near future, because y'all are clogging the aisle and blocking the view. (It looks like they're choosing to leave. Hey, your loss. I'd think you'd want to scout the team y'all are playing tomorrow, but maybe that's just me.)
Meanwhile, the Rams are putting in overtime, signing posters in a cramped row behind the VIP seats across from the visitors' bench. (Normally they use the media table, but that's not practical in a double-header.) Dead serious, I think G'mrice Davis is actually sitting on the aisle stairs because there isn't quite enough room to make this whole thing work.
(Update: Yale has found all the players. But also, UC Davis has quite a lot of players.)
It's nice to get to see family for the holidays- it looks like Johanna Klug has folks in from Germany, and our North Carolina gals Halei and Ralene were talking to someone who looks like a slightly older Halei around the face.
Y'all. I know your butts probably hurt, but if you are standing in front of me in twenty-five minutes, we are going to fight. (Again, they left.)
The seats in front of me and around me have been filled with Tamara Simpson's family, both nuclear and extended. They're enthusiastic, but not obnoxious like the Hartford fans were, so it's cool. (Also, the Yale family gets some nifty swag- Patagonia fleece with logo and number? Swanky.)
At halftime, UC Davis is up 38-33. Rachel Nagel has 11 points and three boards to lead the Aggies, who have also gotten timely points from Cierra Hall. Tamara Simpson is putting on a show for her family and folks, with 15 points, three rebounds, and three steals.
Fordham scouted the first half, and bailed for a while, but they're wandering back now. I think they get to relax now.
Yale's coaching staff has some snappy dressers on it, whether it's the head coach's tailored suit or the young person in the black jacket and gray shirt with matching bowtie. And if that's Melissa D'Amico in the Irish green skirt- well done, I saw what you did there.
UC Davis did a better job of controlling the pace of the game and getting Yale to play at their faster tempo. That might be a problem for Fordham tomorrow, so it's a good thing I'll be in Brooklyn. The Aggies seemed to like longer passes and uptempo play.
(Huh. The work at 121st Street is done.)
Sophia Song has one of my favorite names in college hoops right now, and some instincts around the basket. Kaitlyn Hsu came in at the very end of the game, with just a few seconds left (almost to the point where you wonder what the point is, but I guess it makes sense if you're trying to keep someone higher in the rotation from getting hurt in garbage time). I think Karley Eaton was mostly in as an accurate free throw shooter, especially at the end of the game.
Cierra Hall reminds me a little of Cierra Burdick (not just because of the name, she looks a little like her around the face), but she more reminds me of Jackie Nared from St. Mary's. She rebounded ferociously and showed a knack for being in the right place in the right time. I love her moves, and I love her potential as a freshman. Marly Anderson is not terribly mobile, but she gets good position and I'm sure she'll get some of those shots to go down in other games. She laid a couple of monster blocks on the Yale guards. Nina Bessolo is quick, especially on defense.
Morgan Bertsch rebounded well close to the basket. She made herself available down low and finished at the rim. I thought the Aggies did a good job of managing her fouls. I'm still not sure how you pronounce Nafekh, but I think it might sound like three-pointer, because Dani Nafekh came up with two threes in the second half. She's an interesting match-up. Pele Gianotti is long and lanky, and I think she thinks she has an elbow jumper, but it's not a reliable shot.
Have yourself a day, Rachel Nagel! She sliced her way into the lane like nobody's business, going to the basket with authority and without fear. The play of hers I actually remember most is watching her leap after an offensive rebound on a missed three- I'm not sure she didn't move before the shot actually went off. I love that kind of rebounding focus. Kourtney Eaton had a great deflection in the third quarter that broke up a Yale possession and hit a couple of threes. She's a steady hand, good for them.
The pace of play seemed really important to the Aggies. When they were able to make it work, they took over the game; the times when Yale was able to bottle them up and either deflect passes or just stop them on defense were the times the Bulldogs were able to get back into the game. (Except for that mind-numbingly stupid over and back, there was no excuse for that, I don't know what that even was.)
I get the feeling Yale's coach might need ot learn to trust her bench a little more. I think part of why they started to fade in the second half was the virtual lack of substitutions. I know exactly what that can do to a team, having survived both the St. John's and Fordham experiences. I also get the sense there might be a torch-passing in progress, but it's definitely a work in progress, and the underclassfolk might not be as ready as the coach wants them to be.
The only reason I noticed that Alex Cade was in the game was that she committed a foul. Either I need to get the wax out of my ears or the PA guy needs to do a better job of announcing substitutions. People, if y'all don't have names on your jerseys, it's that much harder to tell y'all apart. Bronwyn Davies gave the Bulldogs a little relief in the first half, but I don't know if she knew where she was supposed to be on the floor. In her case, I can understand why Yale didn't go back to her in the second half.
I did like the energy that Alexandra Maund brought, both on and off the floor (when the ref had an issue with the players gathering behind the bench during timeouts, she proceeded to leap over the chairs to get in the official-approved spot). She wasn't necessarily able to get it corralled into a useful form, but I get the sense that this might not have been her best day. Mary Ann Santucci started the game on the bench, though she started the second half, and I can't help but wonder if that's part of that "my underclassfolk should be readier than this" sense I'm getting off Yale. She set up Jen Berkowitz with a nifty feed down low and came up with a couple of threes, but it looked like she was missing easy shots when they counted. That's a problem for a senior.
Tamara Simpson started the game on fire, and though she cooled down somewhat in the second on offense, she remained ruthless in the passing lanes, intercepting balls and returning them on fast breaks. I love the leadership she showed on the floor, and I'm a sucker for a steals specialist. The folks around me seemed extremely fond of Roxy Barahman, despairing when the looks she got at the basket in the first half didn't go down and exulting when she started to get the shots in the second half (especially the three-pointers, they were super hyped about those). (Also, I love when player families show vocal support for their kid's teammates and not just their own kid.) She made a great defensive play in the fourth that ended up leading to one of her threes. Hard worker, and that's always rewarded in the end.
Jen Berkowitz stepped up big time in the second half. She started getting better rebounding position and making more plays on the inside. She had a couple of monster blocks, one on Gianotti and one on Kourtney Eaton that was a very poor life choice on Eaton's part. I don't know if it was the Aggies' tight man defense or the original Yale game plan that made her less of a factor, but it seemed like they should have maybe gone more to her sooner. Megan Gorman got the start, but didn't play much in favor of Santucci, and left no real impression when she did. Ellen Margaret Andrews is carrying around a lot of name, and I can see the potential Yale sees in her (she had one nifty play on an offensive rebound and putback that was especially nice) but there's a lot of work to be done with her. Her shot is almost embarrassingly not sound.
There were stretches when Yale seemed very disorganized; there were stretches when they had their act together and were able to get a run going. But there's a disconnect they're going to need to get past if they're going to succeed in the Ivy- and given the phenomenal individual talents they'll be facing, even that might not be enough.
Officials were fantastically lax on travels, to the point where I got to break out the "counting is hard" line, which is always a fun one when you're sitting with folks from an academically inclined school.
There will be interesting clashes of styles tomorrow (or, technically today but I haven't slept yet because sleep is of the weak). I'd like Yale to shut up the Hartford fans.
Thursday, December 28, 2017
December 28th, 2017: UC Davis at Yale (Fordham Holiday Classic)
Sunday, December 19, 2010
December 19th: UCSB at St. John's (Chartwells Holiday Classic)
Just the Facts, Ma'am: Shenneika Smith scored 13 of her 15 points in the second half, and the depleted Red Storm used strong opening runs in each half to fend off the UCSB Gauchos 56-47. Smith also pulled down 9 rebounds, notched three steals, and swatted three blocks. Kelsey Adrian's 10 points and seven rebounds led the Gauchos.
For exhaustion, Starbursts, horrified stares, and incoherency, join your intrepid and completely wiped the heck out blogger after the jump.
And then it was championship time. People decided to show up. The Santa Barbara fans made it in. So did the usual suspects: Sky's mom, Nadirah's family, Buzz's Barn Brigade, the Arico family, those sorts of people.
We have to give a shoutout to the St. John's band. They've stepped their game up the last couple of games. They're doing stuff that is way above their previous level of difficulty and doing it well. I'm very impressed. They're also getting more involved in the games, and I'd like to think that we're influencing them. (Hey, Coach Barnes Arico let us know we were the best fans, so you never know.)
We've also sort of been adopted by the young Aricos. They gave us Starbursts. This is very serious; they take their Starbursts as seriously as mom takes her coaching. We're honored and flattered.
Nicole Nesbit reminds me a little bit of Jessica Bibby, with her incredible speed and inability to stop. That's not completely fair to Nesbit, because I think she's better than Bibby, but it's the best comparison I can think of. Sweets Underwood had a solid game, and seemed more omnipresent than she was by the statistics. The Gauchos also got some outside shooting from Destini Mason and Melissa Zornig.
Mekia Valentine got in foul trouble again, and she got her fouls at the textbook times for bad fouls. That kept her from being anything more than a presence to shoot around in the middle. Emilie Johnson's shots weren't falling the way they did yesterday, though we kept letting her have them. Margaret Johnson got more playing time, and I think I remember her getting a couple of rebounds, but that's about it. Another unremarkable game from Angelei Aguirre. Kelsey Adrian threw her body around as if she was under the impression that this was a hockey game. In case you are wondering why I keep making this joke, she's Canadian. Canadians and hockey go well together.
Keylantra Langley looked more like a freshman than she did yesterday- a little less sure of herself, a little less confident, a step slower than she had been, and she had no excuse to be a step slow, since she was one of the few players who was not injured. Nadirah McKenith came off the bench again and though she looked to be handling the ball a little more gingerly than usual, she looked like her thumb wasn't bothering anymore than it was before the second hit yesterday, if this sentence is making sense by this point. Jennifer Blanding had her usual array of stupid plays and missed shots, but she looked like she was growing into her body a little bit and seeming more comfortable.
I don't care what you say, Shenneika Smith is Supergirl. In the first half, she looked pained, agonized, and at times doing everything but sitting herself on the bench to get out of the game. In the second half, she took the team on her shoulders and carried them to the win with athletic drives that shouldn't have been possible on her ankle the way it was. She was unbelievable. Sky Lindsay stepped up in the second half, though she was also a step slow and it was clear that her Achilles was flaring up a couple of times. Coco Hart looked a step slow, and it was clear that she was stopping short because of her ankle a couple of times. If this sounds like a recording, it's because that many of our players were injured and it was ridiculous. Eugeneia McPherson was playing more of the point today, so she wasn't looking for her shot as much, but she got to the line late in the game to salt it away. Amanda Burakoski got the start in place of Da'Shena Stevens, who watched the game from the trainer's room (and who presumably had a very good day, because she's a Philadelphia Eagles fan for some reason). Buzz canned a couple of nice threes and did good work tipping out offensive boards and boxing out. She's not a four by nature, but she does a pretty good impersonation of one.
I'm really not amused with Kim Barnes Arico right now. As injured as her team is, and as much as Zakiyyah Shahid-Martin showed in those minutes she had to play late yesterday, I would have thought we'd see Z get some time, but she was DNP-CD'd. I understand not putting in Briana Brown even if she was healthy, because she had been suspended for being stupid (that's the way I was told it, and while I can infer what "stupid enough to get you suspended" translates to, I can't explicitly state it without evidence), though I would think that this is a situation where you just use your healthy bodies no matter what. I'm sorry, but if your players are stopping short, coming up lame, wincing in pain, shooting short, not going for plays they normally jump on like piranhas on raw meat, and in general unable to move, TAKE THEM OUT. Don't berate them for not being able to make plays they are physically unable to make. It was heartbreaking how much pain Shenneika was in, and how she had to limp to the table to receive her award afterwards. That's one thing I've noticed about KBA- she'll run players into the ground. It's one thing to drive and drive and drive, the way Geno or Pat does. It's another thing to completely ignore the limits of the human body, especially after that wreck of a game yesterday.
All-tournament team: Jaleesa Ross of Fresno State, Sweets Underwood and Emilie Johnson of UCSB, and Sky Lindsay and Eugeneia McPherson of St. John's. Shenneika was MOP of the tournament.
I'm sure I'll remember other things I wanted to put in these notes, but I'm tired and it's been a long weekend, so I'm going to go crash, all right?
Saturday, December 18, 2010
December 18th, 2010: Fresno State at UC-Santa Barbara (Chartwells Holiday Classic)
Just the Facts, Ma'am: 58.8% shooting by UC-Santa Barbara countered a 23-5 free throw differential in favor of Fresno State, and the Gauchos pulled out a 64-62 win. Emilie Johnson led all scorers with 21 points, while Sweets Underwood notched a double-double of 14 points and 11 rebounds. Hayley Munro's 16 points and seven rebounds led Fresno State.
For star power or lack thereof, shiny objects, swarming defense, potential Russians, and scouting, join your intrepid and intrigued blogger after the jump.
Californians, you'll have to pardon me if these notes are not as coherent and exhaustive as they are most of the time. Between the lateness of the hour and the insanity of our game against Southern Miss, I'm wiped.
I'm not lying or being polite when I say that this was the matchup I was most looking forward to in the Chartwells. I had heard a lot about UCSB, Lindsay Gottlieb, and Mekia Valentine; I had heard a lot about Fresno State, Adrian Wiggins, and Jaleesa Ross. I knew this was an even match of two good teams and programs with solid track records, teams I might never see again unless I traveled west.
And of course, when you know to watch a player, someone else steps up. Nicole Nesbit came off the bench like a bolt of lightning to energize a swarming, relentless Gauchos defense in the first half. She was flying on the fast break. Sweets Underwood stepped up with a pretty awesome block in the first half and some key baskets in the second, but she also made some fairly stupid mistakes. I don't even remember Melissa Zornig playing. I'm very sorry.
Mekia Valentine's foul trouble really hampered her in the first half, and it almost seemed like her teammates weren't sure what to do with a big girl in the middle. Either that, or Fresno State was very prepared for the repeated attempts at alley-oop passes that the Gauchos tried. I'd love to see her be more assertive, just not tomorrow. She did have some monster blocks, and as a presence in the middle defensively, she's formidable- but with her build and height, she could be more. Emilie Johnson put up the quietest points I ever saw; I remember filling out my scorecard and at one point going, "When did Johnson score 17?" She was just quietly and mercilessly effective. No plays that made me go "ooh!" or even "No!" There and competent. It sounds like a backhanded compliment, but it's not meant that way. There's nothing backhanded about it. Margaret Johnson spent so much time in foul trouble that she played less than the bench players. Angelei Aguirre played all right- not badly, not amazingly, but solidly. Kelsey Adrian occasionally appeared to be under the impression that she was playing hockey, judging from the physicality of some of her moves on defense. She was really going at it with a couple of the Aussies from Fresno State.
I'm not sure how enamored I was of Coach Gottlieb in the second half. Her team lost composure and got rattled by a defense very similar to the one they used in the first half, and her endgame was very sketchy. I understand the rationale behind trying to run clock with nine seconds left, a two-point lead, and the one-and-one coming up on the next Fresno foul. However, if you have a player open in the front court, it makes more sense to throw it to her and get the two-possession lead without having to worry about the free throws. You know why? Because Nesbit missed the front end of the one-and-one, and the only reason it worked out for Santa Barbara was because the refs screwed Fresno State of about a second, and their only shot was a halfcourt heave that had the distance but not quite the aim. If they'd set up Valentine the way the entire booster section was screaming for them to, they wouldn't have had to worry.
And yes, the Gauchos traveled exceedingly well. They brought two sections of people in blue and yellow. They brought signs, some streamers, and some little signs. One guy had a very cool supporter's scarf (you know, the ones they have in soccer). Of course, it was not as cool as my fiancé's St. John's scarf, but they can't help it.
Fresno State has a lot of Australians. It's sort of hilarious. Who knew California was so inviting to Aussies? And Adrian Wiggins's animation intrigues me. I like a man who's passionate about his job.
Taja Edwards got her time in the second half, and helped spearhead the comeback by the Bulldogs. Fresno State really didn't rely on their bench much, and didn't get much out of it (though they did need to make a sub for Ross early because of foul trouble). I had to look at the box score to remember that more than two reserves played, so again, there's little I can say about them. Sorry, Fresno fans.
I get the idea that a lot of Jaleesa Ross's plays are much cooler in her head than they turn out in the real world. She reminds me of Ticha Penicheiro in her drive and dish ways, especially with the flair she puts on them. Unfortunately, a lot of those times she reminded me of the young Ticha who would sheepishly say that she put too much mustard on the hot dog sometimes. With Taylor Thompson in the game, Ross was playing a strange sort of combo guard, with Thompson setting up the offense but Ross doing the dishing inside. Not sure if it really worked, because by the time Fresno started really learning to read her passes, so did Santa Barbara. For a freshman, I really like Thompson. She's spunky. Not afraid to get up in anyone's business or to take the big shot. Rosie Moult alternated moments of great plays and big shots with moments of sketchy ballhandling, stupid fouls, and an absolute fascination with staring at what Ross was going to do next with the basketball. Kayley Munro was willing to mix it up inside- she and Kelsey Adrian were going at it hammer and tongs all night. Marnique Arnold's shot wasn't falling in the first half, but in the second, she was able to get things going with some help from the swarming, intense defensive pressure of the Bulldogs' defense in the second half.
The scoreboard operator was a bit punchy by the time this game was into the second half- there were score irregularities at two different times in the half, and I was called upon to straighten out the score by some Gaucho family.
The refs got a bit tired near the end, too; guys, I'm pretty sure it's a foul when Mekia Valentine sits on someone, and when that someone is much smaller than she is, it's not a pretty sight. I mean, they had better control of that game than the other refs did, but that's small consolation.
You can see how Fresno State got into the tournament in this team; you can see the ghosts of Gauchos past in this team. It was all that I hoped it would be- but for different reasons.
We were rooting for Fresno State simply because they'd be a better matchup for our MASH unit, because I didn't really like the idea of facing Valentine with both of our starting posts injured. We were, however, sitting in one of the UCSB sections, because we had to move, because Southern Miss decided to colonize the section next to the band. I didn't trust myself when it was just the fans; when the players moved into that section, I was relieved we had moved, because otherwise the GNoD would be coming from the inside of a jail cell because I'd be arrested for assault and stupidity. You don't mess with my team and then go sit in a section that's traditionally home turf.
Sometime in the middle of the game, a couple of women wandered over to the section and we did double-takes. If not for the giant hoop earrings, the slightly higher voice, and the fact that I can't think of any reason she'd be chilling with UCSB fans/boosters/family, I'd have sworn on a stack of media guides that one of them was Becky Hammon. Dead ringer for her in body language, in looks, in build, and in style. So weird. Also, not fun. I sort of don't like her. But I didn't want to move again.
I admit to being easily distracted during this game, because I kept looking around to see where my team was, and if any of them were walking, and if Day had any notion of what planet she was on (no, seriously, when they're doing the finger test, it's a bad sign).
In conclusion: great game, could have been a little better, and I sort of want that Gaucho fan's scarf.