Just the Facts, Ma'am: St. John's took another close loss in conference, 73-68 in overtime against Butler. Whitney Jennings had 29 points, including five threes, to power the Bulldog offense, with Tori Schickel adding 23 points, nine boards, and five blocks. Qadashah Hoppie led St. John's with 24 points in the loss.
For wild shots, bad calls, and déjà vu all over again, join your intrepid and emotionally exhausted blogger after the jump.
Good evening! We come to you live from the frozen tundra of Queens, where St. John's hosts Butler. Okay, we're not frozen compared to the Midwest, so I guess the teams from Indiana and Ohio would rather be here than home right now. But I would still like to register a protest with the Weather Bureau.
We're partying like it's 2010 up in here. Sky Lindsay is doing the broadcast, and none other than Sky's mom is sitting right at center court. Sky's mom was always a hoot and a half, so I'm happy to see her.
Fantastic anthem to get things going.
For whatever reason, Section 6, the endcourt section near the visiting bench, is locked down tonight. Guys, if this is in response to the Villanova thing, then I had the student section wrong.
We've got some good noise going tonight. I approve.
It's 32-all at halftime, which is honestly better than I was expecting. Alisha Kebbe is on fire, making defensive hustle plays and leading the way with 10 points. Tori Schickel has 13 to power Butler, with Whitney Jennings adding eight on a couple of quick-trigger threes.
New hairdo appraisals: Tiana looks fantastic, but the new looks are not going as well for Kayla and Jasmine.
Today I learned St. John's has a kick line in addition to a dance team and a cheer team. They're pretty good!
So it happened again, and I'm getting a little tired of losing these games in the final minute, in overtime, right at the end of the game. I don't know who lacks the closing ability here, if it's the players not having the finishing kick or Joe not being able to draw up proper plays or we just run out of gas because we don't have enough players. I don't know what it is, but I don't like it, and I'm getting tired of these reruns.
Butler did a good job of creating mismatches, and any defense is going to struggle when a shooter is launching from outside and hitting with the regularity that Whitney Jennings was. Tori Schickel is a dangerous weapon for any team to have, and she finishes well. It's always good to have a backup plan.
Butler went with an interesting approach with their reserve forwards- I think Sarah Humphrey got all her minutes in the first half, while Ellen Ross only seemed to come into the game after halftime. Humphrey gave them an interesting element of length on the floor, though she needs to finish better at the rim. Ross was stockier and seemed more defensive-minded, making hustle plays at the edge of the floor. Naira Caceres gave the Bulldogs a shot of offense early on, but in a game where travels are being called, I can see her being more of a liability because she's in love with the Euro-step. There was one possession where it felt like we dodged a bullet because Butler missed her in the corner.
Good gracious, Whitney Jennings has a quick release. She was feeling it tonight, and that did as much to end our night as anything. As soon as she had a moment of daylight, the shot was up and good. She's small, and she's quick, as so many successful small players are, and she killed us. I'd appreciate if she weren't throwing elbows, though. (One sequence, she threw the elbow, I yelled, "HEY JENNINGS WATCH THEM 'BOWS!" and she got called for an offensive foul in rapid succession. I was amused, but that’s also because I'm easily amused. Michelle Weaver got called for a hilariously disproportionate number of fouls in the fourth quarter; for most of it, she was the only Butler player with fourth quarter fouls. She stepped up her defensive intensity late in the game, doing as much to secure the win for Butler as her teammates' offense did.
I'm not even sure what spot in the starting five Kristen Spolyar fills. It felt like the three she it was a back-breaking kind of shot. She seems to have bulked up, and not necessarily in a good way. I honestly expected more development from her. Shae Brey hit the boards hard- she was in on a key multi-o-board sequence that led to a big bucket for Butler, and got a steal that led to a fast break lay-up. She's really tough. Tori Schickel was solid in the rim and huge on the glass. She's not the quickest player, and that's going to hold her back at the next level. And she's got to convert her free throws. But she's got good touch, and she knows how to play to her strengths. I wish her all kinds of success. The Big East is better as a conference when everyone's successful.
Butler responded really well to everything we threw at them. We pressed them for a while, and it worked for a while, and then they adjusted. They figured out where the weak points were in our defense and attacked them. They're not spectacular, but they're solid.
Jasmine Sina's minutes mostly came when Alisha Kebbe came off the floor limping after a hard crash. She put up a three that went in and out and broke the hearts of everyone on the bench. I keep having to resist the urge to lapse into 'net-speak and call her a smol. I feel like we could have gotten more out of Kadaja Bailey if she'd played more. But I think she's having another crisis of confidence, and someone's got to help her through it, whether it's one of her teammates, one of her coaches, or someone not on the team. We believe in you, Kadaja! Kayla Charles started the second half, for reasons known only to Joe Tartamella. She did okay around the rim, but the second Schickel got a step on her, it was over. She finished well at the rim (I want to say it was Kadaja who set her up on one particular beauty) and blocked shots, but any time something didn't go her way, whether it was a call or a non-call or a missed defensive assignment, she was out of the game and into her feelings. She's got to understand that inconsistent officiating is a universal constant in women's basketball and learn to let it roll off her back. Otherwise she's going to lose minutes, she's going to lose opportunities, and she's going to get herself in trouble with her mouth. I believe she's got so much potential, but she doesn't know how to get out of her own way.
Curteeona Brelove kept getting called for fouls, and there was one that I definitely agreed with her disagreement on. I think that was why Joe opted to start the second half with Kayla, because I didn't see any injuries for Meemo. But I could be wrong. It's been known to happen. I really don't like the number of plays that are ending with her taking a long perimeter jumper late in the shot clock. I understand the necessity, but we shouldn't be in that position in the first place, and she's not the right player to have in that position. She's the closest thing we have to power on the inside until Kayla gets her act together. We need to use her that way. Akina Wellere came up with loose balls in scrums that were somewhere between steals and rebounds. She did the best she could, but she got stuck in too many bad match-ups. Maybe her three-point stroke is coming back. It would certainly be welcome. Alisha Kebbe started the game like her hair was on fire, but she couldn't sustain that much intensity on both ends of the floor. Her shots started getting wild, even as she kpt cranking up the D and the hustle. Her line doesn't look good, but I blame her for nothing.
Qadashah Hoppie was dealing from outside. She was the biggest reason we were in the game most of the night, hitting threes at key moments. These are the games we need to have from her pretty much every night to have a chance, and I know exactly how unrealistic that is. She's streaky, and when she's on, she's amazing. When she's off, she still thinks she's on, and that's when everything falls apart. Tiana England was on a roll, finding her teammates on the fast break and making the extra pass. She didn't do it with flash, and she didn't make a big production of it, but she racked up the assists. Sometimes it looks like she's getting the hang of this whole point guard thing, and then she dribbles the air out of the ball and she's out there killing time like some kind of serial temporal murderer. Her confidence seems streaky, and that's not a good thing for a point guard.
I do love to see pushing the ballhandler out of bounds not called a foul when the other team does it, and then having it be called a foul on the next possession when we do it. All I ask for is consistency, and I'm fully aware I'm never going to get it. I can still be salty about it.
Shoutout to the youth coach who had his team gathered around him immediately after the game and was lecturing them on the things they could learn from that game- and letting the people who hadn't been paying attention to the game know that he a) had seen them not watching, and b) most extremely Did Not Approve, in the most level, intense tone possible. It sounded like a fantastic teaching moment, and I love how he handled it.
These notes have taken a long time to write, ironically because they're so much of the same thing over and over again. Players have tendencies, teams have tendencies, and when times are bad, they fall into them. I've written this story before, and it's tiresome. We don't have enough depth. We have all the clock management skills of an inept watchmaker. We spend too much time in our feelings and not enough in the game. We have players being forced to play out of position and not succeeding at it. You've read this before. I've written it before. Why should I do it again?
Maybe the story will be different against Xavier. Spoiler alert: it was. But even if we do get this thing turned around against the only team in the Big East worse than we are, who's to say we can do it on the road against Georgetown's defense or Villanova's system? I hope we can. I want this team to do well. I just don't know that we can.
Saturday, February 23, 2019
February 1st, 2019: Butler at St. John's
Saturday, February 3, 2018
February 2nd, 2018: Butler at St. John's
Just the Facts, Ma'am: St. John's raced out to an early lead and never looked back in their 76-38 trouncing of Butler. Qadashah Hoppie had 16 points off the bench to lead a balanced St. John's attack in which every active player scored at least two points. Kristen Spolyar had 12 points to lead Butler.
For reimagined pronunciations, bitter cold, the Union Turnpike Block Party, baby guards, calling glass, free pretzels, and getting off the schneid, join your intrepid and slightly insomniac blogger after the jump.
Good evening, ladies, gentlemen, and well-mannered non-binary folk! It's game day! Are you ready? Please be ready if you're St. John's. Losing to Providence was humiliating enough. Butler's good this year, and Tori Schickel seems to be on a mission, but we should still be beating Butler.
I wish to inform you that it is excruciatingly cold outside, and the wind is biting. This is probably not the night to be persnickety about opening an hour before, and no earlier. My knuckles are starting to look weird, and I haven't even had any interesting drugs.
Either Butler is really short-handed, or they've got half the team in bubble wrap back in the locker room. Neither would surprise me.
I swear, a woman could live a very happy life solo with a couple of massagers, one of them being the one that looks like a mini buffing machine that the trainer has been using on half the squad. I don't think I should describe the other one here. This is a family show!
I think there's some kind of giveaway for the students. They're coming out of the room with food and shirts. The shirts look moderately interesting, but they probably don't come in my size.
Alisha Kebbe's trying to make a break for it! Well, no, she's stretching herself up against the side wall that holds up the "student section", but it looks like she's trying to go over the wall.
Someone on Butler is wearing extremely pink sneakers. You're a little early, hon.
Well, that escalated quickly. It's 45-15 St. John's at the half. We were one shot and 1.5 seconds away from holding Butler without a field goal in the first quarter. I don't think we're going to keep shooting 56% from the field, but I'm not sure Butler's not going to keep shooting 23%. Alisha Kebbe has 12 to lead St. John's. Tori Schickel has six for Butler, which is actually fairly impressive, given the defense she's been facing.
Well. That escalated even more quickly. I honestly wasn't expecting this, though I also didn't realize that Butler was quite so short-handed. I think everyone realized that the slide could not continue, and boy howdy did we bring it to a crashing halt. It was ridiculous by the end.
I don't know the story with Iman Lathan- didn't play the entire first half, then started the second half. She was the one with the pink sneakers. I don't know if she's a point guard or a shooting guard. There were times when I wasn't entirely sure she knew what position she was supposed to be playing and where she was supposed to be on the floor. She has a high-arcing shot, but like many players with high-arcing shots, she doesn’t always know where it's going to land. Sydney Buck gave good effort, scrapping on the floor.
I keep wanting to pronounce Kristen Spolyar's last name like "spoiler", because it would be interesting and open up lots of puns, but it's "spol-yar" and so all you get are a lot of contested shots. Butler looks to her to shoot, or at least she thinks Butler looks to her to shoot, and she put it up often. She was able to draw free throws on contact in the lane (but more on that later). Whitney Jennings is very tiny and very blonde, and if she were just a little bit taller, she could probably have stayed at Iowa without a problem. But her drives in the lane had bad angles and were easily blocked, both from in front and behind. She's got to realize she isn't going to get the call all the time. Michelle Weaver is impressively tenacious on defense- there was a sequence where Maya Singleton had a fast break opportunity and Weaver got back and shut it down hard. She never gives up, and I think that says a lot about both her and her team. (Also, if she and Kaela Hilaire match up on Sunday, there will be scrums, or hair-pulling. They have very similar philosophies.)
I keep wanting to pronounce Shae Brey's last name like it rhymes with her first name, because that would sound really cool, but it sounds like the first half of Breyers instead. I think she was the one benched for Lathan in the second half, but given how few players Butler had on hand, everyone played a big chunk of minutes. She's tall, I guess? I'm trying to remember if she's the one with the funky free throw wind-up, or if that was Spolyar. Tori Schickel, once she has a little bit of space to operate, is money down low. But if you take away her space and deny her the ball, either she's going to push off to get that space or she's going to be completely neutralized. We keyed on her, and Butler's response was to have everyone else on the floor shoot contested shots and get blocked. It would be interesting to see her against a team that doesn't have defensive specialists holding down the fort in the middle. Oh, dear. Seton Hall's defensive strength isn't in the post, is it?
I'll say this for Butler- they never gave up. Even down at the end, Weaver was still hunting down loose balls and everyone was still rebounding hard. They're a good team that got a bad hand. If they get healthy, they're dangerous.
Our mascot is Johnny Thunderbird. This is known. But I'm pretty sure the actual chosen mascot of the squad is Shamachya Duncan. She's adorable, and the team's reaction whenever she makes a shot is even more adorable- they go off. And when she hit the three at the shot clock buzzer, off the window, I thought we were going to get a bench warning for players coming onto the court. (For the record, Machi said that she did call glass on that shot.) We kept yelling for Tamesha Alexander to shoot whenever she got the ball, because while she had her two free throws, she didn't hit a shot. But she kept passing off. I think she values the assist more than the bucket, and that's a good mindset to have when you're at the back of the rotation. (But at the same time, we wanted to give her the big call the way everyone else got the big call.)
Big game today for Kayla Charles, who looks like she's been improving with every game she plays. She's got to do a better job of holding on to the rebound instead of trying to bat it around, but I love her aggression on the glass. I think she's been learning from Maya, and there are definitely worse people she could be learning how to rebound from. She's a little over-ambitious on defense, but she's also a freshman. Andrayah Adams has really cranked up the defense down low, though I'm still leery about lineups that have her in the frontcourt for any length of time. She was sinking threes and hitting from the elbow. I love how well-rounded her game is becoming. (I'm also easily amused by her reactions after foul calls. Andrayah is one of those people who believes that every call against her is a scurrilous lie, if I'm reading her body language correctly.) Qadashah Hoppie seems a little too willing to call her own number sometimes, though that does make a nice contrast to our other point guard. Lead guard. Whatever. We were starting to run clock in the second quarter, and usually the ball ended up in her hands at the end of the clock. I don't know how much of that was by her design and how much of it was from the playbook. She digs the long ball, almost to a fault. She's got to do a little bit of a better job of sticking to her man, especially when the defensive assignment in question is the other team's top scorer (who has an even more blatant dye job than Q does, which is pretty impressive considering Q has red hair).
Oh my gosh, I cannot say enough about the work Maya Singleton did defensively on Tori Schickel. She took away every inch of the space that Schickel wanted to use down low. She forced her into bad shots, into bad passes, into travels- it was amazing to watch. She hit a couple of shots herself, usually from around the free throw line, but for the most part, her energy was devoted to shutting down Schickel. I'm okay with that. Imani Littleton also played a key role in the defensive scheme- I saw her slide over to help a couple of times, especially in the first half; with Butler's personnel, that was a risk that we could take. Statistically she was quiet, but she helped out in all the little ways, and there were a couple of plays that might have been given to her as rebounds by other scorers. As I'll get into later, I have my reasons to doubt this scorer's abilities.
Alisha Kebbe made so many possessions happen, or continue, by diving for loose balls on the baseline and sideline. Full body sacrifice is the best sacrifice. She got hot early, and that was a big help in building that insurmountable lead. When she's on, she brings so much on both ends of the floor. Tiana England showed commendable poise today, and did a good job of running the slow-down offense we needed to run somewhere around the 25-point margin. At times it was too slow, which was usually when Q ended up chucking something right at the end of the clock. She had some slick passes on the break, and to set up those shots at the end of the shot clock. I worry about her ability to change gears, though. She still hasn't mastered that, though I should recognize that she's only a freshman and these things take time. (I keep thinking of Tiana as more experienced because she's a redshirt, but that doesn't mean a thing when it comes to actual game experience.) Akina Wellere was efficient, which was pretty much all we needed anyone to be in this game. She seemed looser and more relaxed than she's been most of the season. I keep saying she's better as a sidekick than as the star of the show, but no one ever listens to me.
The block party was on in full effect tonight, and pretty much everyone was invited. Thanks to tiny Whitney Jennings, even the guards got in on the action. Butler took too much time to get their shots off, and our defense was ready to pounce. It was glorious.
There were times when it felt like the officials were making mercy calls just to keep Butler in the game. I know that's petty, since we did kind of beat them to the point of abuse, but there were times Imani Littleton couldn't possibly have been any straighter up and they called the foul on her. By the end, the refs were letting a lot of things slide. I think they wanted to go home too.
My biggest issue with the game officials in this one was actually with the official scorer. For those of you who've seen me at games, I bring my own score cards to track points, fouls, and other stats. During the fourth quarter, I noticed my numbers didn't match up with the ones on the scoreboard. I thought that was strange, but I've been wrong before. I didn't think I'd been so wrapped up in the game that I'd missed fouls, but again, I could be wrong. It's been known to happen. But I got home, and I looked at the play by play, and I realized that the official scorer never reset the team foul count after the third quarter, which meant that on the scoreboard, and in the play by play, St. John's started the fourth quarter with two team fouls and Butler started with three. I think that might have given Butler two extra free throws, but I'm not sure- I don't remember if that foul was in the act of shooting or not. Going back into the play by play, I saw that the same thing happened after the first quarter, but it looks like the foul count never got to the point where it would have become relevant. Either that, or the refs had it right the whole time... why do I have my doubts about that?
Dance team showed why they're national champions in one discipline and came second in another. Whoo-ee, they're bringing the fire this year.
All in all, a very satisfying win. If we can do half as well against Xavier, we should be fine. Famous last words, I know, given how much of a fight Xavier put up at Seton Hall, but I think we've got things back on track here.
Saturday, January 28, 2017
January 27th, 2017: Butler at St. John's
Just the Facts, Ma'am: Big defensive plays and balanced scoring helped St. John's fend off Butler 62-55. Aaliyah Lewis and Jade Walker each had 16 points to lead St. John's. Tori Schickel had 20 points and 11 rebounds for Butler.
For big blocks, feelings getting in the way, nifty socks, hot-shot sophomores, friendly new neighbors, and a dash of worry, join your intrepid blogger after the jump.
It's yet another jam-packed weekend of college basketball coming to you in surround sound and smell-o-vision from the Game Notes of Doom. The schools of the Old Northwest come to the tri-state this weekend. Tonight it's Butler at St. John's.
St. John's is promoting their mental health awareness initiative tonight, with giveaway infuser bottles and special warmup shirts.
Butler appears to be short-handed. I think their injured players are actually in street clothes. Someone is rocking the heck out of a little black dress, and someone else looks ready to start interviewing for assistant jobs in her black pantsuit.
I refuse to be outnumbered by the fans of a team from another entire time zone. You're better than this, Johnnies. Get on in here. I mean, okay, it's half an hour before the game, but STILL.
Poor Sandie appears to be in street clothes again. I hope she's at least healthy enough to start on Senior Day.
Oh, gods, Senior Days are coming. So many of them. All of them. Feelings. Feelings everywhere. Inability to can rising rapidly.
Not only is Alisha Kebbe out of the boot, she's dressed to play and rocking incredibly awesome Superman socks. The funny thing is she's not even the one with a sock-related nickname. We appear to have misplaced Shamachya Duncan, though. Joe, don't tell me you scared Machi off already. (No, there she is. That's a relief. Misplacing freshmen is just careless.)
This is the third time the team has had to stop and pose for pictures during warm-ups, and I'm not sure if this is going to mess with everyone's rhythm or not.
Coach Tartamella got his 100th win in the Providence game, so he gets a commemorative ball. Call me when he passes Kim Barnes Arico, though.
At halftime, St. John's is up 31-25. Balanced scoring for the Johnnies, while Tori Schickel and Sydney Shelton have carried the load for Butler.
I think Coach is going to do something drastic to Jordan Agustus by the end of the game. A play shouldn't be so bad that it makes the coach register on the Adubato scale, and she made two or three.
You know, I'd think the star intramural players representing the frats and sororities of St. John's would be taking this game a little more seriously. The boys are clowning around and the girls are taking it rather more seriously.
This game should not have been as close as it was. Butler isn't that good. Sorry, Indianapolis, but I try to speak only the truth. The Bulldogs have a couple of really solid pieces in Tori Schickel and Sydney Shelton, but they're still a year or two away from the next big step.
I so badly wanted to pronounce Shae Brey's last name "breigh", but it's "braigh", so her name doesn't rhyme. She was the post sub for Butler, a long forward, who pulled down a lot of rebounds in the lane. She's a very good stylistic match for Schickel. Sydney Buck reminds me distressingly of a bully from my elementary school (just around the face), so I may be unreasonably prejudiced against her. It would have been easier to laugh at the three she airballed if Schickel hadn't scored off the rebound. She hawked the ball a lot on defense.
Taylor Buford carries herself like she's been watching a lot of Skylar Diggins, but she hasn't taken the game lessons to heart. Michelle Weaver drove the lane and accepted a lot of contact (especially late in the game, but that's a topic for another paragraph). Alexa Bailey didn't play a lot- most of her relevance was in helping to keep the foul derby going, and going, and going.
Sydney Shelton has one of the strangest shots I've ever seen, and bear in mind one of my players breaks physics for her shot to go down. She just sort of flings it up there from the general vicinity of Fort Wayne, and it goes down somehow. If anything, she can't get too close, because the shot goes off the back of the rim too strongly, and then it's pell-mell pandemonium time for the rebound. Tori Schickel is the real deal- she's efficient at the basket, and she rips down boards with ferocity. It's hard to believe she's a sophomore. As a fan of basketball, I look forward to seeing her- as a fan of another Big East team, not so much. Everything around the rim is hers, and she claims her territory with authority.
Butler does nothing remarkably. But they don't necessarily do anything badly, either. They're average personified.
I love Maya Singleton's hustle, and I love her strength, but this not finishing through contact and not finishing at the rim thing needs to stop. Someone needs to get her drilling on how to finish through contact. She laid a glorious smackdown on a Brey shot that went rapidly outward in a straight line. Andrayah Adams continues to improve on defense, and her timing on the shots she hits is very, very nice. As far as I'm concerned, someone who can hit shots at the end of the clock is always welcome. Come to think of it, Keylantra Langley's been hanging around lately, and that was her claim to fame. Crystal Simmons does so much for us on defense. It's amazing how much she makes happen with quick hands and a knack for being in the right place at the right time. If she had an offensive game of any sort, she'd be a prospect; as it is, as a European with top-notch defense, she'll find herself a good gig if she wants one after she graduates. Jordan Agustus made me want to tear my hair out, and made Joe register higher on the Adubato Scale than I've ever seen him. I don't know which play infuriated him more: the forced jumper near the end of the second quarter when he was signaling for the ball to come back out, the blown coast-to-coast lay-up (fun fact: Jordan has no handle), or the way she knocked Akina off the rebound on the sideline. Unsurprisingly, Jordan didn't play in the second half.
I keep saying this, and maybe someone else will say it, and maybe that someone else will have the power and the phrasing to get it through to her. Jade Walker has got to get the hell out of her feelings on the court. Fouls happen. No-calls happen. Welcome to women's basketball. She's got to stop letting it get to her. A call happens, or doesn't happen, and mentally she's out of it for the next play. I love her jumper. I love when she goes hard to the rim. I love when she makes a big defensive stand. But she's got to keep her head in the game. Imani Littleton got in foul trouble for being in the way of driving players. She was solid on defense, with a couple of absolutely vicious blocks down low. I'm almost envious of her sheer cool.
I'm almost as envious of Alisha Kebbe's socks. I'm glad to see her back in action. She was still a little stiff, and Joe was using her rather more judiciously than he usually does, but she brought the hustle and the grit in the paint. Aaliyah Lewis picked her moments carefully, exploiting the Butler defense with her speed to drive the lane. She is the maestra of the offense, and she looked like she got a good rest in to ease whatever was bothering her last game. Akina Wellere hit a couple of huge threes in the third quarter to give St. John's a bit of a cushion into the fourth quarter.
Kids, we need to talk about clock management. More importantly, we need to talk about not fouling to stop the clock when you're up under a minute to go. Three straight possessions, Butler drove and St. John's fouled. Joe was not amused, to put it mildly.
Joe was also not amused at Schickel swinging the off arm into Jade repeatedly. Jade also did not approve, but Jade disapproves of many things. I feel like the officials felt the burning need to add points to the game by making sure everyone would be in the penalty fairly quickly. A low-scoring game is still a low scoring game, guys.
We need to play a lot better against Xavier on Sunday. Xavier's just a little bit better, and we have people to try to impress at the Garden.
Monday, March 7, 2016
March 6th, 2016: Butler at DePaul (Big East tournament)
Just the Facts, Ma'am: DePaul led from start to finish in a 76-49 dismantling of Butler. Megan Podkowa led the Blue Demons with 14 points. Tori Schickel had 14 points off the bench for Butler.
For ennui, uninspiring play, distant memories, bad hair decisions, and mismatches, join your intrepid blogger after the jump.
Big East basketball never stops. We're into the second session of the day now, as DePaul takes on a frankly overmatched Butler squad. We came back from dinner a bit late, so we missed any and all pregame festivities, and we're at the half, with DePaul leading 39-19. DePaul got hot from three in the first quarter, and while they cooled down from deep in the second, they kept the defensive and interior pressure up. Butler is in over their heads, and I think they even know it. Langlois is playing to extend her career, and Tori Schickel came on strong in the second quarter, but no one else is really following suit.
Don't tap DIBS in his bald spot. That's not cool, kiddies.
Stay classy, DePaul band. You're yelling "Eight more points!" when DePaul's at 61. I can do arithmetic. If that's the only way you're going to get it, then I pity you.
Why are there three campus police at the Butler band? This is probably not good. We're near the end of the third quarter, and now I'm curious. This game has been lopsided enough that I'm typing and watching at the same time. It's not great.
Emmy Schabel came on late for the Bulldogs and showed a little bit of touch- there's good form to her shot. Michelle Weaver didn't look quite as tiny in this one. She still needs to work on her court awareness. Taylor Buford was a little over-aggressive on defense, but I think she was just happy to be on the court after not playing against Xavier. Tori Schickel really showed some moves in the paint. She's tough inside, a physical player who can finish through contact. I like her. Nicole Orr's minutes were unremarkable.
I was surprised to see Brittany Ward bring the ball up the floor- that didn't seem to be part of her game. She was solid on the boards. Belle Obert had a big block on Megan Podkowa and held down the fort on the inside, but DePaul has a lot of size in unexpected positions, and tht really interfered with a lot of what Butler wanted to do.
Blaire Langlois played like a woman who didn't want her career to end. That led to her pressing a lot and taking a lot of shots. Her team relies on her for direction, and I'm not sure what they're going to do next season. Alexa Bailey had a stronger game than she did in the preliminary round, including a nifty block that led to a hustle save by Obert. Sydney Buck seemed to have more of an effect in the fourth quarter than the statistics would indicate. I have to look at the class years again- that might be something they can build on for next year, along with Schickel down low.
DePaul played pretty much everyone, so this might take a while. I didn't even realize Brandi Harvey-Carr was still active this year- I thought she was injured or something, since I remembered her being fairly high in their rotation and a big presence down low. She filled space well. Meri Bennett-Swanson showed a little bit of soft touch. Lauren Prochaska is slim and small and very confusing. Tanita Allen really didn't need to take that last three. Mart'e Grays has very fluid movements- she's not quite Matrix level, but she changes direction very quickly. Amarah Coleman looked too much like she was trying to get in position for playing time next year, taking a lot of quick shots. I really like Ashton Millender on defense- she does all the little things I like to see out of a player.
Tell me more about how Chanise Jenkins earned Big East Player of the Year. Please. Because I was against it before and I'm still against it. And I'm against her pigtails. I know. I'm petty like Tom. I will go to the wall for Tabatha Richardson-Smith as BEast POY. Jessica January had the better game for the Blue Demons, making neat passes to the wing. Brooke Schulte was very quietly efficient. She's another of those players who doesn't necessarily do one thing brilliantly, but does everything well. She's just solid.
Megan Podkowa's range is a game-changer for DePaul. She's very versatile, powerful inside and out. She's useful defensively, too, able to deflect passes. Jacqui Grant is a phenomenal rebounder- my notes from that game have a whole bunch of little 'r's next to her name, indicating that she did a particularly nice job pulling down, sealing off, stealing away, and generally claiming rebounds. She got caught reaching a few too many times and eventually fouled out. DePaul's pretty lucky to have her.
I'm finishing these up well after the fact, so if there were any egregious officiating calls, I don't remember them. But let's face it, it was 76-49, the refs weren't what I would call a factor.
Of all the quarterfinals, this was easily the least dramatic and the least interesting. Seton Hall and St. John's, of course, held my interest because they're my teams and I love them. Creighton and Villanova were interesting because of the upset and because Creighton is fun to watch. This was a game with a clear underdog and a clear over-dog, and Butler really never stood a chance- and they played like they knew they never stood a chance.
Saturday, March 5, 2016
March 5th, 2016: Butler at Xavier (Big East tournament)
Just the Facts, Ma'am: Tori Schickel's lay-up with 1:32 to go gave Butler their final edge in the first round of the Big East tournament, as the Bulldogs defeated Xavier 48-47. Blaire Langlois had 20 points and eight rebounds to lead Butler. Jenna Crittendon had 14 points for Xavier before fouling out.
For blue blobs, tied dance-offs, hustle on the baseline, guarding three-point shooters, turning up the intensity, and rocking out with your tuba out, join your intrepid and caffeinated blogger after the jump.
Good afternoon once more, gentle readers. The preparations for game 2 are underway, as the Musketeers of Xavier and the Bulldogs of Butler take the floor. Their colors are depressingly similar. The Big East really has a bad case of the blues.
What even is this remix of "Rolling in the Deep"? No. I do not approve.
The group around us seems to be leaving, which annoys me as much as their showing up in the first place. It's a double-header, for Pete's sake. I'm never happy, what can I say?
One of the Creighton players came by- I think she has family here. Either that, or she really liked that cup of whatever she was holding.
That awkward moment when you realize you've accidentally sat with the team whose butts you just whooped. Janning, Lamberty, and another Jay just moved up into our row.
Xavier's band is super fresh- they're currently doing an arrangement of "Shut Up and Dance". Both bands have been great.
At halftime, Butler is up 24-15 with a late push. Jenna Crittendon has 11 of the 15 for Xavier. Butler's scoring is a wee tiny bit more balanced, with Blaire Langlois's 11 leading the way.
We get performances from both dance teams at halftime of this one! I give Xavier the edge, but they're both pretty decent.
Best band moment: band collaborations! So far we've had Xavier doing the instrumentals on "Hey Baby" and "Sweet Caroline", with Butler contributing vocals (though "Sweet Caroline" got interrupted by the arrival of the teams).
The shooting in this one has been so bad that the Butler band got tired of doing the "airrrrrrr-baaaaaaalllllll" chant at Xavier. We're up to four, plus one by Butler.
I think it's awfully confident of Georgetown to come watch this game instead of preparing for the 4-5 game tomorrow.
If Xavier's band had pulled out the Shinedown earlier, we would have been rooting for them. That's some seriously hard rock to arrange for marching band. As it was, Butler dodged a couple of bullets on the missed free throws by Ward.
Michelle Weaver played briefly in the second half, but her lack of size was painfully obvious, and she didn't look ready for the postseason. Tori Schickel made plays at the basket and made space for her teammates to work. Nicole Orr showed some intriguing flashes of athleticism around the arc.
Blaire Langlois was the star of the show for the Bulldogs. She scored from all over the floor. More importantly, her team had faith in her to get the job done. Everyone looked to her- at least that was the sense I got from the way they all interacted on the court. Alexa Bailey was very quiet in the first half, but came up with a really nifty steal late in the game (which, granted, was promptly stolen back by Maddison Blackwell, but it was a nice play). Sydney Buck left no real impression, though I think she was involved in some of the Butler defensive pressure in the backcourt.
Belle Obert had some good plays boxing out and getting on the glass. She ensured that her teammates would have room to rebound. Brittany Ward has a lot of athletic moves right at the basket, but she just couldn't finish. If Butler had lost this game, she would have been the goat for missing four straight free throws at the end of the game. I feel like I'm saying this a lot today, but she's a freshman. I think the pressure got to her. She's tough, and she'll get there in the end, but right now she's still clearly a freshman.
Jada Byrd came in for defensive purposes. Anniina Äijänen played briefly in the first half and did nothing of import, which is good, because there are only so many times I can attempt to type an umlaut before I start swearing at the character map. Leah Schafer did a bit of rebounding and screening, which is something I like to see out of posts. Marquia Turner showed some offense in the third quarter, when Xavier started trying to take the game back over. The big girl, Imani Partlow, got a stretch of minutes in the first quarter, but while she was able to get position in the paint, she wasn't able to finish at the rim, and I think Brian Neal got tired of it eventually.
Jenna Crittendon hits threes. She's really good at them. She was able to use her height to her advantage when Butler sent smaller guards at her. They got smart and started doubling her in the second half, and while she was able to get some space, it wasn't enough for her to be effective. That did, however, free up Briana Glover inside- she had a couple of very quick baskets to start the third quarter, and that seemed to give her more confidence down low. Raeshaun Gaffney also seemed to find her feet in the second half, playing with more confidence. She had a fantastic save on the baseline, throwing the ball over her head to get it in to a teammate.
I'm always simultaneously disappointed and self-righteous when players named A*li*yah have bad games- disappointed because they're not living up to the name, and self-righteously satisfied because that just means Aliyyah's better. Aliyah Zantt had a very disappointing game- she had two big baskets back-to-back in the fourth quarter, but that was it. Maddison Blackwell had a nice game defensively, and did a lot of the little things, but went AWOL on defense.
I thought the officiating at the end of the game was a little suspect, but it's probably more damaging to go ahead and make the call that conceivably gives Xavier the game than it is to not make the call and let the game play out.
For most of the night, it seemed like each team was graciously offering the other one the opportunity to get curb-stomped by DePaul in the second round, at DePaul's home arena. The game picked up in the second half, but it was not pretty. The band and the cheering fans more than made up for the lack of execution on the floor.
Saturday, January 23, 2016
January 22nd, 2016: Butler at St. John's
Just the Facts, Ma'am: A strong defensive effort in the first half fueled St. John's on their way to a 68-41 win over Butler. Aliyyah Handford had 16 points and 10 rebounds to lead the Red Storm, while Imani Littleton had 14 points and nine boards. Brittany Ward and Taylor Buford each had 11 to pace the Bulldogs.
For color confusion, snow, frats, not using one's head properly, making Liyyah smile, disturbing reserves, and the need for sleep, join your intrepid and mildly insane blogger after the jump.
Good evening, fellow travelers! A Storm is coming, and I don't mean Jonas. St. John's hosts Butler tonight, and so far I think the Bulldogs wish they were out in the wind and ice. It's 29-8 at the half. Aliyyah Handford and Danaejah Grant each have 8 points for St. John's.
I would at some point like the announcers to acknowledge the Division I hip-hop dance champions. That would be cool. They do amazing things and should be appreciated for them.
Halftime featured Greek basketball (the frat kind, not the Hellenic kind). It wasn't bad.
In defiance of all logic, today was supposed to be a "blueout". Yes, let's embrace the color that all but one of our conference foes wear. We're the Red Storm, not the Blue Storm. Red is our color. Why do we keep moving away from it?
I'm a little worried about next year, but we're looking okay for this year. We got to see a lot of the young'uns, and see what they have to offer. We got to see Butler's young'uns, too, and while they're definitely not ready for the big time, there's plenty of potential there.
Emmy Schrabel came off the bench near the end of the game and immediately attempted to get tangled up with Tamesha Alexander, which is not a good plan. You don't tangle with the Philly kid. Nicole Orr brought good size and defensive positioning- she always seemed to be in someone's way. I really like Taylor Buford and her defensive intensity. She jumped the passing lanes well and finished on the break.
I remember Alexa Bailey committing fouls, but that's about it. Sydney Buck was small but pesky, all up in the ballhandler's business. Blaire Langlois hit one really deep three, and spent a lot of her time out on the perimeter, taking threes that usually didn't go in. Some missed far more badly than others. Brittany Ward threw her weight around on the boards. She needs a better sports bra. Other than that wardrobe malfunction, she was pretty solid. Belle Obert started the game off well, but one early foul seemed to knock her off her game. Orr and Buford were both more effective off the bench, and when Butler switched to a smaller, more pressuring lineup, she was left behind.
There's potential on Butler, but they're too young right now, and too raw. They make a lot of mistakes on offense, taking bad shots and not boxing out on the offensive glass. Their pressure defense is fantastic, though, and I love the way Buford and Orr play the passing lanes.
Tamesha Alexander wasn't ready for the pressure. The difference in speed between her and Aaliyah Lewis was abundantly clear tonight; she almost seemed to be waiting for the double-team to come and make her life miserable. She's got to deal with the pressure better. Crystal Simmons played briefly, but her defense was not as strong as I'm used to. She was touching more and getting less accomplished with the fouls she was committing. Akina Wellere came on a bit stronger in the fourth quarter, but she, like her cohorts off the bench, was very weak in the passing game.
Jade Walker brought the offense, but not the defense or the rebounding. Her effort in the second half, when we had the 30-point lead, was lacking, and Joe definitely noticed it when he had to put the starters back in. Jordan Agustus tried to do too much- I think she saw this game as an opportunity to be the star like she was in high school, and loked more for her offense than for the team's plan.
I love to watch Aliyyah Handford start a break and finish it. She's so quick, and she's so fluid, and why do I have to lose her in two months? Her long jumper was also working today. And her rebounding! There was one play where she was so high up I thought she was Imani for a second. Danaejah Grant brought the outside shot and made herself an option for beleaguered ballhandlers. Aaliyah Lewis demonstrated that speed kills- she lured Butler into double-teaming her, then raced down the court with all of them behind her and lots of open teammates in front of her.
Sandra Udobi did her best, but her mobility wasn't there today. She kept her head and kept the young'uns grounded in the second half, but she had shots at the basket that she should have made. Imani Littleton was brilliant today; for the first time, I really saw why she was so highly rated coming out of high school. She had good moves at the basket, she rebounded well, she defended well- more importantly, she seemed to have a good head for the game. She recognized the plays she was able to make, and the ones that she wasn't able to make. She needs to work on her hands, catching passes and hanging on to rebounds, but that's something I think can be worked on.
The passing under the basket was great- at least for the starters. Lots of people looking to make the extra pass. It didn't go as well with five reserves on the floor- those passes were not as crisp, and the effort wasn't there. I don't think Joe really wanted to bring Aliyyah, Danaejah, and Aaliyah back in the game, but th bench was not playing well.
We were worried about officiating, because we had an Enterline, but it wasn't too embarrassing. There were a couple of bad over-the-back calls on players who had the audacity to be taller than the player boxing them out, but there was one for either side. You could tell when they were making game management calls in the second half.
I'm worried about next year, but Liyyah gonna Liyyah and Nae gonna Nae (no, I don't know if she nae naes), and this game should have given Imani a lot of confidence.
Friday, January 9, 2015
January 9th, 2015: Butler at St. John's
Just the Facts, Ma'am: Butler handed St. John's their first loss in conference, 55-50. Ijeoma Uchendu led the Bulldogs with 15 points, while Loryn Goodwin flirted with a double-double at 11 points and nine rebounds. The Red Storm's Aliyyah Handford led all scorers with 27 points, but no other Johnnie scored more than eight.
For pain, suffering, rage, elaborate workarounds, one good shot, incoherency, and sore throats, join your intrepid and dizzy blogger after the jump.
Good evening! Bit of a late tip here at Carnesecca Arena, as St. John's plays a TV game against the Bulldogs of Butler. Your intrepid blogger is injured but dressed for the game (slipped on the subway stairs coming up this morning and now my knee looks like part of my thigh).
I don't know why Selina Archer didn't start out stretching with the rest of the team, but in the long run, I'm not expecting this to be a key factor.
Kyra. Kyra Dunn. Worry about your damn lip gloss or Chapstick or whatever it is after the game. Okay, we're still forty minutes before, but still. You gotta take it onto the court?
There's a player for Butler rocking yellow and blue tips to her dreadlocks, and she is working them.
Kevin, our band director, appears to have bogarted my husband.
I have asked my Diet Coke twice why it doesn't have rum in it. This is not a good omen. We're down 26-19 at half to Butler and can't hit the broad side of a barn. Aliyyah Handford has 8, but no one else is contributing consistently. We're not rebounding. We're skimping on defense.
#22 in this biddy game is throwing some tough screens.
It's very difficult to be a two-player team when one of your two players is not playing well. It is even difficult to be a two-player team when that same player is double-teched out of the game with lightning speed. I do not know what Danaejah Grant said or did, but I find it hard to believe that she twice said something so heinous that she had to be T'd up in the time it took Maj Forsberg to blow her whistle. There were no warnings. There were only technicals, and Danaejah was ejected from the building. Big Brother frowns upon obscene language in this space, so my true feelings regarding this turn of events must be relegated to Twitter, which in turn is not fit for the underage and the faint of heart.
Indeed, many of my sentiments as regards this sporting event can only be properly expressed in the sort of language better suited to the coarsest of dockworkers, else our readers of delicate sensibilities be rendered insensible. I regret that this unfortunate turn of events will undoubtedly color my perception of the proceedings, and beg the understanding of our gentle readers.
Lexus Murry was the player with the awesome dreadlocks mentioned above. Her one shot was a pretty little jumper that, in conjunction with her hair, reminded me of Seton Hall's Tabatha Richardson-Smith. Andriana Moore is a big girl who isn't afraid to throw her weight around. She finished well around the basket and had a nice rapport with Ijeoma Uchendu. If you're expecting more reports on the bench for Butler, that's all there is, there isn't any more.
I am trying to remember where I remember Loryn Goodwin from, because I don't think I've seen North Texas in person, but I know her name. She picked up a lot of boards- she's taller than she looks, which sounds strange but makes sense in context. It's not even that she plays bigger, it's that you look at her and realize she has height. Ijeoma Uchendu reminds me of a slightly compressed Natasha Howard- same hairstyle, same sort of build, only not quite as long in the limbs and a little stockier around the torso. I like the way she plays, and her passing vision was really good. Sydney Buck started, but didn't play very much- Murry was in when the chips were down. Belle Obert showed soft touch at the basket and from beyond the arc, and made a couple of key blocks down low. She was one of the few players for either team who was consistent from the free throw line. I feel like I should remember Blaire Langlois more, but other than missing the two free throws on Danaejah's second technical, I don't remember her.
Butler crashed the boards well, which is saying something with our rebounders. They have some good pieces, and when they gel, they'll play spoiler up and down the conference. Coaching is solid, too- they defended the last St. John's possessions very well.
I'm pretty sure Kyra Dunn is the reason for this strand of graying hair right over here *points at right temple*. At her height, there is no excuse for her not to be some kind of defensive presence and not to have her hands up. No excuse. She plays low, she plays scared, and she plays like she's never seen a basketball before in her life. And she needs to pull her shorts down. Crystal Simmons was called upon for big minutes in the enforced absence of Danaejah Grant, and she looked like a freshman who hasn't played extended minutes on the NCAA level. She got good looks, but they steadfastly refused to go down. On defense, she made one or two good plays, but didn't seem comfortable.
And meanwhile, everyone else on the bench sat. Joe, if you're not going to trust them in your time of need, why did you bother offering them a scholarship?
Danaejah Grant looked off her game even before Maj Forsberg decided she needed to leave- double-clutching on her shots, bailing out on defense- but I'll chalk that up to the shoulder. She sure looked like she was finding her groove until the technicals happened. (Poor Nae then tried to sit on the bench and blend in with her teammates, but no such luck. She had to leave the premises.) Aaliyah Lewis made some questionable passes, but overall ran a good game. She tried to step up on offense after Danaejah left, but that's not her forte. Jade Walker showed off her outside game. She got a little sloppy on defense- there were teaching moments in the first half, and teaching moments are not happy fun time for anyone. Amber Thompson had trouble hanging on to the ball, but as always, made plays on the boards. I might have tried going inside to her more on offense after Danaejah was removed from the game, but I am not Joe Tartamella. Aliyyah Handford did her damnedest to win the game single-handedly, and because she is Aliyyah and we are not worthy, she almost did it. Jumpers, lay-ups, steals, assists, she did it all. It broke my heart to see how emotionally beaten down she looked at the end of the game. I wanted to give her a hug.
Ball movement needed work. There were times when it was crisp, but too many times when everyone was waiting for someone else to do something.
I still do not understand how Butler got both a good field goal and a two-shot foul on the same play. From everything I know about officiating, it should either have been a foul on the floor, no field goal, or a field goal and an and-1. Butler should not have been allowed to get five points on the possession, and y'all can do the math. And then there was the review after Jade hit what was blatantly a long 2 to put St. John's within 39-38. The refs originally called it a 3 to tie the game at 39. They went to the screen... and put Butler back on top by one, as they should have been... by giving Uchendu an extra point to make the score 40-39. It got reversed properly, but really. And that's setting aside the technicals on Danaejah, which I have harped upon. I will not bore you further with my opinions regarding that matter, as I believe my retreat into ornate, Victorian-esque prose indicates the level of distress the officiating has put me in.
We got a T-shirt! And it was an XL! We might be able to wear it!
Props to the Sigma Chi Beta frat boy who just missed the free throw for the t-shirt, missed the three for the prize pack... and nailed the halfcourt shot for the iPad.
Dance team is awesome this year. Sorry, Butler, no matter how early you break your timeout, you can't join us.
I am too tired and too frustrated to sum up this game in a pithy manner.
Wednesday, January 15, 2014
January 15th, 2014: Butler at St. John's
Just the Facts, Ma'am: The Red Storm gave up a 20-point lead to the Bulldogs, then came back themselves for a 58-55 win. Briana Brown led St. John's with 16 points, with Aliyyah Handford contributing 10 of her 14 in the second half. Taylor Schippers of Butler led all scorers with 18 points, 17 in the second half.
Get off your intrepid blogger's lawn after the jump.
I hate Kids Days/School Days/Field Trip Days/Camp Days, whatever you want to call them. I hate them with a passion and a fury. If I want to see my team, I have to take time off work and reschedule my entire day, just to accommodate thousands of screaming children who only care about having an excuse to not be in school. And St. John's does a really bad job of organizing it for those few fans who are actually here for the game instead of an excuse to play hooky from school. We're currently sitting behind the band section, as our regular seats were already taken when we arrived 51 minutes before tip-off. Somehow they managed to completely load the second deck and most of the lower deck in nine minutes, unless we got lied to about when the doors opened. Again. I honestly don't know what kind of educational value these events have, but I hate them with a fury and a passion.
(Don't get me wrong, I love the band. Hi, guys! But I can't imagine my eardrums are going to make it through an entire game with y'all.)
Worse, they've got that stupid lousy DJ again. Stop it stop it stop it stop it.
I like Sandie's new haircut. Suits her face. Briana looks like she didn't want to get up this morning. Not that I blame her.
Extremely bad form, St. John's. The section behind the Butler bench is completely packed, and I'm pretty sure there's a Butler fan here who would like to sit with their school. I couldn't read his sweatshirt clearly, but it looked like Butler's font and logo, and he gesticulated repeatedly at the visiting bench. I'd be irked if I were him- come all the way out here for a morning game and you have nowhere to sit to support the team you've traveled this far for? Dude in the Butler sweatshirt, I don't know you and you don't know me, and I have no power here, but I am so, so sorry.
By the way, don't believe any attendance number you read from this game. Our tickets were not scanned, torn, taken, or otherwise acknowledged past a cursory glance. I have no reason to believe any others were.
At halftime, St. John's is up 35-17. Butler appears to be without the services of Daress McClung, which is kind of a problem for them. Briana Brown leads St. John's with 12. Liz Stratman has 10 of Butler's 17, including two threes (which means Amber needs to get her butt out to that three-point arc and defend). It's been solid effort for the Red Storm, especially as the half has worn on. Excellent rebounding. Butler's passing is pretty crisp, though.
We've come to terms with sitting in the back row behind the band. Given that the men's team is in the back row the next section over and Nadirah McKenith is three seats down from me, I think we've found where all the cool kids sit.
Okay, lousy DJ, you're playing De La Soul, I guess you can live. Though this really bad mix of "Apache" is making me expect Chardé Houston to spontaneously appear and teach the DJ a lesson.
Another reason I hate when my team hands games over to the reign of small children: school groups leave early, and when they leave early, a lot of the energy goes out of the building. I appreciated being able to get my bleacher seats back at the under-four timeout, but at the same time, why would you go to an event that you can't finish? (That also explains why there was only one door open: half the security guys were stuck playing traffic cop in the parking lot.)
Yes, I'm a cranky old bat at heart and apparently always have been. Moving right along to the actual game notes.
Butler relied heavily on their starters, even moreso given the absence of the reigning A10 player of the year. Ashton Feldhaus caught my attention with her long braid and her goggles, but ze goggles, ze do nothing. Blaire Langlois picked up a lot of the fouls in the foul derby at the end of the game, and spent a lot of time on the floor. She wasn't much of a scorer, and this NCAA box score doesn't tell me assists, but I seem to recall her, or someone with her general build, passing the ball well- not necessarily getting the immediate assist, but getting what would be an assist in hockey- the pass that leads to the pass that leads to the shot, a play that I'm fond of and that doesn't get a lot of statistical traction in basketball.
Liz Stratman found her way open in the first half, whether it was from beyond the arc (where her defenders were clearly not comfortable with her) or shouldering her way to the basket. She was also strong on the boards; even if she didn't end up getting a lot of the rebounds she got her hands on, she was able to tap them out to her teammates. Lexus Murry was a pest defensively, usually on the ball. Haley Howard had a great deflection that was apparently not counted a block even though it totally was. She lists as a guard, but they use her much more in a forward role, especially defensively. Mandy McDivitt scooped up all the loose balls. I think she was the one who managed to garner the timeout on a loose ball in the first half, a heads-up play that secured Butler the possession. You cannot give Tayler Schippers a second or an inch. She'll take that time and she'll take that space, and she'll pop a jumper or drive to the lane for a lay-up. Her offense is incredibly quick, and once she gets going, she doesn't stop. She hauled Butler back almost single-handedly in the second half.
Butler had great ball movement, especially in the second half. They forced a lot of defensive switches, ones that St. John's couldn't keep up with, and got open shots. They also swarmed the glass well. You'd see four or five black jerseys and maybe one white one on a lot of plays.
Keylantra Langley brought the defense, as she always does, up in her assignment's face with her hands out. Unusually for her, she hit her shots in the flow of regular play instead of late in the clock. (Yes, this is going to be a recurring thing, as it's been for years. Not my fault most of Key's offense comes with the shot clock running down.) Danaejah Grant came off the bench fairly late in the first half, but started the second half and brought the offense. She had a beautiful poke-check that led to an Aaliyah Lewis steal. She does have a tendency to go for the more attention-getting plays than the practical ones that get things done, but she might mature out of that one of these days. Aaliyah Lewis gave decent minutes at point guard, though I'd have to take a good look at plus/minus to determine how good they were and how accurate the number is. I think she's adapted to being more of a distributor, and she's not doing as many stupid things to try and prove that she has a place. (The 1-on-4 drive that ended with losing the ball out of bounds is a notable exception to this observation.) Jade Walker was good on the boards, but couldn't get her shot to fall and got some really bad calls against her.
Sandra Udobi got the start, as she's been doing, and played very limited minutes, as she's been doing. She chased down rebounds and came up with a beaut on the offensive end. Amber Thompson grabbed ALL the rebounds. Well, you know, not literally, but metaphorically. She went hard on the boards, boxing out when she couldn't get the board herself, and just generally being the hard-nosed awesome Amber we've been looking for for some time. Eugeneia McPherson was a non-factor- had some bad luck with the rim but mostly took bad shots and ran a decent offense. She's not an inspired point guard, but she's capable of running the team. I'm not sure it's a good idea, though, and there'll be more on that below. Aliyyah Handford had a really rough day at the line (seriously, did we bring Coco Hart back from Finland to run a free throw clinic?) and looked to be nursing a couple of injuries early in the game. She had a five-point spurt in the second half that helped St. John's regain control of the game, but I'm still worried about her shooting. Briana Brown was our captain today, coming up with big shots and free throws when her team needed her. She seemed to be making all the big plays (except for the aforementioned spurt by Aliyyah).
Part of why we lost this game was crisp ball movement by Butler that led to open shots. Part of it was our inability to guard those passes. Part of it was Taylor Schippers getting hot and hitting shots she'd missed earlier. Part of it was really questionable officiating. But a large part of it was the same thing that I've been noticing about this team: we run clock like Rutgers and Villanova do, except that our players are much more comfortable in a fast-paced, breakneck, high-scoring game where they can score in transition and get the press going. Running the clock down to the buzzer every possession bogs everything down. We choked away a 20-point lead and barely had time to get it back because every possession came down to the last few seconds, with no one even looking to shoot. If that's a team issue, then Joe has to coach them through it; if that's coach's decision, it's a bad decision that's going to come back and bite them against a team they shouldn't lose to. It almost did today- Butler without McClung should have had no chance of coming back like that.
I get the feeling that we're not going to be the ones complaining most vigorously about the seating arrangements. They seriously only saved two rows for St. John's friends and family, plus maaaaaaybe one of the crappy corner sections, and never saved anything for the Butler fans. Meanwhile, hundreds or thousands of those kids left in the second half, some of them almost as soon as the second half started. And they get priority? Tell me why I should either pay for a game I can't go to, or rearrange my schedule, when I'm going to get jerked around for doing it.
I don't know if I'd be less cranky if we'd won bigger, but my knees are still sore from that railing.