Just the Facts, Ma’am: In a tightly contested game, it was East Carolina that came out on top, 66-63. Dominique Claytor and Thais Oliveira each had 14 points to lead the Pirates. Kamila Hoskova had 18 points in the loss.
For driving, tripping, so many games, local flavor, and things I’ve forgotten, join your intrepid blogger after the jump.
Sleep is of the weak. Basketball is of the strong.
Turnarounds don’t get much tighter than this; finished the notes on Seton Hall from yesterday and I’m already on my way out there again for the concluding games of the Seton Hall Thanksgiving Classic.
What is it about religion that makes people overshare in ways that would otherwise be considered socially unacceptable? There’s a woman singing hymns on this train and she’s been singing the same song for something like three stops. At least she’s singing along to her headphones instead of talking to people who seriously don’t exist, but if I wanted to listen to music on the train, I would have brought my headphones and my iPod.
It’s half an hour before the consolation game, which will feature Rider and East Carolina, and there are eight people in the stands. And I’m pretty sure two of them are school employees of some school or another. I don’t think anyone knows who’s got which bench, though we got to see East Carolina warming up, so we know they’re using the visiting bench, while Rider is using the home bench. Sometimes I wonder how those things are decided. Sometimes I’m too tired to care.
Someone here has a taste for country music, and I’m not sure if it’s one of the facilities guys or someone on East Carolina. I’m not saying I mind, I’m just surprised by the selection.
East Carolina’s warm-up shirts are even worse up close. Like, what are you supposed to do with that diagonal zipper? And why is the purple not quite right?
At halftime it’s 30-26 ECU. East Carolina has controlled most of the way, but Rider’s hanging tough. Foul differential is not helping the other Pirates.
There are a few of our Pirates in the stands. I am digging Shadeen Samuels’s jacket. She carries herself like she knows she’s got swag.
It’s nice to get external validation of my sense that the officiating is getting worse, not better.
Guys. Y’all really have to review whether a ball went out of bounds before the end of the half when the result is 0.2 going back on the clock? You can barely even do anything with that much time. It took longer to review it than it did to play it out (though not by much, since the initial inbounds pass actually hit the rim).
Well, that was an adventure. It was a close game, and it was certainly closely contested all the way through. I admire the guts of both teams, but there were a lot of times it bore more resemblance to amateur wrestling than basketball out there, and I have a problem with the officials letting that happen. We’re lucky none of the injuries in this game were serious.
Once again, Desiree Corbin: if you’re going to foul the shooter, make sure she doesn’t hit the shot. Cheap stupid fouls after the shot has been released don’t help anyone. She had to play some extra minutes with the injury to Dominique Claytor, and I don’t think that was the plan ECU’s coach wanted to go with. Tania Pierre-Emile got a couple of minutes and a nice backdoor lay-up with them. I’d have to check the box Score, but I think Destiny Campbell’s minutes tracked pretty closely with Desiree Corbin’s, though they were more effective (at least I will take a basket over a dumb foul). Mickayla Sanders was less physical than she was yesterday; she seemed to be backing off more plays and letting her teammates handle the rebounding. (And no, it wasn’t boxing out. I like boxing out.)
Raven Johnson was first off the bench in this one, sometimes very early. She had to sub that early in one half because of injury, but I’m not sure which one it was. Justice Gee did not have a good day- too many bad fouls, nto enough ball security. I can understand why she was benched from yesterday. Lashonda Monk is kind of tiny- for some reason, it didn’t seem so obvious yesterday. She was tenacious on defense, which sometimes worked out for her and usually ended in her getting called for a foul. There were a lot of fouls. SO many fouls. All the fouls on everyone.
I’m surprised Necole Hope’s mother (or other female relative who was on the floor yesterday when she was injured) didn’t get herself thrown out yelling at the refs. I know, I am the world’s biggest hypocrite in this regard, but I don’t stand up and yell at specific officials. The foul trouble really cut into her minutes, as did her inability to hit a basket. Yesterday’s game earned Ariyana Williams the start, and she definitely had the green light to shoot. She got off to a very strong start, with eight points in the first quarter, but outside shooters can be streaky, and there were times when her shots didn’t fall. There’s definitely something I like about Alex Frazier- she came up with big plays when her team needed them in the second half, whether it was the basket or the pass. She’s a strong leader for them.
Dominique Claytor bounced back from her injury in a hurry. She went down hard and spent a good chunk of time away from the bench (unfortunately, in double-headers like this, locker room facilities are not always fully available, so you get teams having to do medical stuff in the lobby). She really stepped her game up in this one, hitting the glass hard and intercepting passes. Her fourth quarter was huge in the win, and is probably what got her on the all-tournament team. Thais Oliveira had a good defensive game, blocking shots and getting perimeter steals. I didn’t think she had a jumper, but surprise, there it was from just past the three-point line. She occasionally needs to be yelled at to move into position, but that happens to a lot of players.
The Pirates really cranked up the defense when they needed to. They like to press, and they like to scramble, so they were able to force steals. Their style did come with disadvantages, like being over the foul limit in every quarter.
Rider tightened up their rotation somewhat in this one. I don’t think they subbed beyond Jaiden Morris in the second half at all. So let’s see if we can squeeze everyone into one paragraph. Taylour Jones showed some nice ballhandling moves on the crossover. Tracey Goodman had a nice steal and a block on Oliveira in the first quarter, though I can understand Rider going smaller in order to counter East Carolina’s all-guard sets. Daija Moses sneaked into the game sometime in the first half (the PA guy wasn’t as on the ball with sub announcements as he was yesterday, and I am also immensely more tired than I was four games ago) and did some work on the block. Bright-haired Jaiden Morris was an offensive spark off the bench for the Broncs, but more of her shots were contested than they were yesterday, and she couldn’t adjust her game plan. I think she’s got a lot of potential, though she’s got to learn shot selection.
Once Stella Johnson managed to keep out of foul trouble, she was pretty dang good. She threw up pretty shots in the lane and was able to draw contact. She had a nice steal and fast-break lay-up in the third quarter. I can see her value to Rider now that she’s not sitting on the bench with early fouls. Kamila Hoskova was able to consistently draw fouls and get to the line- her ability to penetrate and hit both shots and free throws fueled the Rider run in the third quarter that gave them the lead at the quarter break. She hit the floor a lot on those drives and going after loose balls on defense. Lexi Posset spent enough time falling dramatically on minimal contact that I think she actually got a formal warning from the official. She got enough of those calls that the East Carolina fans were up in arms.
Lea Favre did a good job of making the baseline cut and score. Rider was able to use her size more effectively than they did yesterday, using her (or at least the threat of her) to make space in the lane. Aubre Johnson started racking up the fouls early on, and ended up fouling out of the game, so Rider wasn’t really able to use her effectively.
Enough with the tripping, guys. Both teams were physical, but Rider was more dangerous. I’m not looking forward to them playing Iona.
And the officials let a lot of it happen. Again. We are so lucky that no one was seriously injured. I don’t know how long we’re going to be this lucky.
Surprisingly fun game. I thought Rider might pull it out at one point, but East Carolina did just enough to win.
Monday, November 27, 2017
November 26th, 2017: East Carolina at Rider (Seton Hall Thanksgiving Classic)
Saturday, November 25, 2017
November 25th, 2017: Jacksonville State at East Carolina (Seton Hall Thanksgiving Classic)
Just the Facts, Ma’am: In a fast-paced, defensive-minded game, Jacksonville State came away with a balanced 82-73 win over East Carolina. Taylor Hawks and Ki-Ki Patterson each had 13 points to pace the Gamecocks. Ariyana Williams notched 15 off the bench to lead the Pirates.
For names being the same, purple, passionate family, stomping the bleachers, doppelgangers, consistent inconsistency, and surprises, join your intrepid blogger after the jump.
Every Thanksgiving tournament with a hosting team must, perforce, have a truly neutral game. People are starting to stream out as Jacksonville State takes the court to stretch. Theoretically East Carolina should be here as well, but I don’t see them. I see their support staff and commentator types, but no basketball players.
I do like East Carolina’s purple. It is to my everlasting sorrow that I follow so very many teams and none of them wear my favorite color.
No, Quanny, you can’t play two. Jacksonville State has too many players on their roster to add you on anyway.
Remind me to bring the seat cushions for next game. My ass hurts so much. These bleachers are the world’s hardest wood.
East Carolina has arrived. I’m not entirely certain what they’re wearing, but it looks like a hoodie and a t-shirt had a baby and then neither of them actually wanted to claim it. I think one of the purple Pirates actually cut the hood off hers.
Oh, cool. Seton Hall has the name and number t-shirts/warm-up shirts, for even easier identification of your favorite Pirate.
Rider’s staying to scout. Looks like Seton Hall is relying on the coaches for that. They bailed at halftime.
Speaking of halftime, Jacksonville State is up 44-35 in what’s been an entertaining game. A lot of shots are falling short, but the defensive intensity is fun on both sides. The Gamecocks are getting key baskets from Ki-Ki Patterson, who leads the way with nine, and Brianna Perry. East Carolina hasn’t had anyone particularly stand out, but they seem to really need to go to the strong side to hit their lay-ups.
A small group of ECU fans has discovered the remarkable resonance of the bleachers at Walsh and is happily stomping on them at every appropriate occasion.
There’s a white tape X on one of the chairs on the Pirates’ bench and a smaller one on another. I’m not sure what the deal with that is. (Yes, at least in this game, ECU is using Seton Hall’s bench, making it doubly the Pirates’ bench.)
Well, I’m not going to say this was the greatest game ever played, but it was certainly fun to watch. Both teams got up and down the floor in a hurry, and both teams played high-pressure defense. Jacksonville State came up with the big plays more consistently, and that gave them the win.
(That being said, JSU’s coach needs to switch to decaf. I speak as an expert witness.)
Leah Strain has one of the stranger shots I’ve seen, and she shoots her free throw the exact same way she shoots her jump shot. I don’t know if I’ve ever seen a free throw taken as a jumper before. She’s feisty on defense, though, and wouldn’t let up on the ballhandler. Taylor Hawks kind of sneaked up on the game, coming up big in the fourth quarter. Morgan Towells was one of two players on the court today who wore #1 and had a small-to-medium-sized Afro with a blonde tint; just to make life that much more confusing for your intrepid blogger, she was matched up with her counterpart, Alex Frazier, on both ends of the floor. She took a lot of hard hits- the Gamecocks were, as a team, extremely willing to take charges (they were somewhat less thrilled about getting called for blocks).
Chloe Long, in terms of build, reminds me a little of DeWanna Bonner, in the sense that it’s hard to believe a human can be that skinny and still be a top-tier athlete. She’s not Bonner, not by a long shot, but her length at guard gives the Gamecocks options- given how ECU was playing, she saw a lot of minutes at forward. Rayven Pearson is a whole lot of woman. She’s a very solid option down low on both ends of the floor, and East Carolina didn’t really have anyone who could match up with her; their post players were more the long, lanky type that could keep up with the fast-break offense, and the one bulky player in their frontcourt was a good bit shorter. Her ability to get to the basket and to clear the offensive glass is going to be a problem for anyone who doesn’t have a bruiser to counter her.
Gretchen Morrison’s foul trouble on defense kept her out of the game for long stretches, but JSU’s coach was able to insert her at opportune times when the Gamecocks had the ball, and she answered with timely corner threes. She and Strain sort of platooned. Ki-Ki Patterson got off to a strong start to get the Gamecocks rolling, and had a knack for quieting East Carolina. She was far better penetrating the paint than she was from beyond the arc. Brianna Perry had a nice little game- quick hands on defense and big shots on offense. I feel like I’m repeating myself a lot, but Jacksonville State was very balanced, and everyone really stepped up who played substantial minutes.
I’m not entirely sure how or why the player named on Jacksonville State’s roster as Tyler Phelion spent the day being called Coco, but, hey, I spent four years watching Centhya Hart for St. John’s, so I really can’t argue with a college kid choosing to go by the nickname Coco. She started off on fire, hitting their first two baskets, and did a good job of getting to the line. There’s something about her that suggested that if her team needed someone to step up and have a big game, she could be that someone. Tasha Magruder made defensive plays in the second half, deflecting passes and grabbing rebounds.
The Ohio Valley might be very interesting this year, if a team that hasn’t traditionally been one of the ones we hear about all the time is building something like this. I like their balance, I like their heart, and I like that they have a post player like Pearson that they can go to in order to disrupt the opponent. I’m trying to imagine an eeny-weeny guard like the ones UT-Martin used to have running headlong into Rayven Pearson. It doesn’t end well for the imaginary guard.
Necole Hope was the one who had the enthusiastic fans in the bleachers behind the Pirates’ bench (at least, I assume that was why one of them was allowed down on the court after she took a hard hit and hit her head- don’t worry, she shook it off, went back into the game, and made some big defensive plays). She’s got to be more careful with her fouls, but I like her defense. Ariyana Williams hit a couple of threes in the fourth to keep the game close, and was the recipient of many fouls (and thus many free throws). Lashonda Monk was busy on defense, which got her into foul trouble.
Tania Pierre-Emile saw a little time in the first half and more in the second, and set the nice screen that opened up Williams for her first three. I’m not sure if they normally use her more, or if there are reasons she wasn’t playing as much, but I think she could be good for them, to facilitate their shooters. Mickayla Sanders was really the only one out there with bulk, but given ECU’s style, that wasn’t terribly helpful. Destiny Campbell and Desiree Corbin each saw a few spot minutes that were mostly unremarkable, except when Corbin committed an incredibly stupid foul after a shot by Phelion. She got pulled shortly after that for a Teaching Moment.
Thais Oliveira would be so much better if she could do anything with her left hand. In the first half, she kept going to the right side, even if it meant crossing the basket through the defense. In the second half, she at least realized she had to try to shoot from the left side, whereupon we discovered why she doesn’t do that. It was bad. I sort of think I like her midrange pull-up, but I don’t know how I feel about centers having midrange pull-ups. She helps them keep the game moving, which helps. Dominique Claytor brings size as a guard, though ECU claims to run a four-guard set. She’s the closest thing they have to another forward, I guess. She had a nifty steal in the third quarter, and brought toughness to the floor.
Justice Gee has a pretty bad-ass name. She fueled the speed of the Pirates’ attack- they pressed, and they ran, and they kept the game very high-octane. It did not help the tattered remnants of my exhausted sanity that she matched up with her fellow #0, Taylor Hawks, whenever Hawks was on the floor. Too many players. Not enough nameplates. Please, coaches, put names on your jerseys. Alex Frazier played at full speed ahead at all times. It bit her in the ass a couple of times when she got called for really blatant charges- in case you were ever wondering why they call it a player control foul in college, you can pull up footage of her third and fourth fouls. I’m pretty sure at least one of them would qualify. Raven Johnson had a nice fast break play in the second quarter, with the steal and the lay-up, but otherwise I remember nothing about her.
East Carolina is certainly scrappy, and that’s the kind of team that at least manages to inexplicably cover against UConn, even if they can’t quite beat them. That’s the standard you’re going to be held to in the AAC if you haven’t proven you can do anything else, sorry to say.
Dear officials: can we please call fewer hand-checks and more hands to the face? Before someone gets seriously hurt? At least in this one they did eventually start calling much of the contact after two straight possessions where an East Carolina player smacked the back of her head on the floor. (Oliveira hit her head right before Hope hit hers.)
It was sort of fun to get distracted by spotting Seton Hall players in street clothes as they wandered in and out of the scene. The coaches tended to stay put more.
I’m intrigued by both of these teams, and I’m looking forward to their contrast of styles with their appropriate opponents. Rider’s physicality will probably not be welcomed, appreciated, or tolerated by East Carolina.