Just the Facts, Ma'am: FDU used a strong third quarter to take control of a close game and win 61-49. Madelynn Comly led three Knights in double figures with 13, while Lauren Francillon had 11 rebounds. DeAngelique Waithe had 24 points and 10 rebounds in the losing cause for LIU.
For travel difficulties, awaiting the snow, overpassing, the discourager of hesitancy, cough drops, death glares, and not finding the open shooter, join your intrepid and blurry blogger after the jump.
Good evening, fellow travelers! It's game night in Brooklyn, as the Blackbirds take on the Knights of Fairleigh Dickinson.
I would have sworn FDU was wearing blue earlier in the season. Maybe that was the men. It would be interesting if they actually wore different colors, though perhaps not the greatest sign for intra-departmental solidarity. (See: UConn.)
Stephanie, you really need to work on your communication skills. There's a difference between all set for two games for two people and all set for one game for one person. I think by the end of the season I'm going to have to become an LIU booster to make up for this. And I don't wanna be a booster. NCAA regulations are a headache.
(We got the ticket thing worked out. Also, if Stephanie wants any of my cough drops she's welcome to them.)
At halftime, FDU is up 25-24, in a game that's been closely contested and defensive-minded. DeAngelique Waithe has 10 to lead the Blackbirds. Peniel M'Bikata and her flaming orange hair have seven points for the Knights.
Rousing anthem by the band, and I'm always here for their rendition of "Poison".
As you can imagine, attendance is sparse. Even Denisha's contingent is down to about half strength. But they bring enough noise, and we work together well, or at least I like to think so.
I think of everyone currently active on the roster, Destoni Willock would be my last choice to take the last shot of the half. Our Canadian needs to work on her ballhandling skills.
FDU came out of the locker room super late- they had one player run out of the corridor about thirty seconds before the buzzer, waving her teammates along after her; the Knights' coaching staff didn't actually emerge until after the buzzer, and I'm surprised they didn't get dinged for a delay of game. Whatever they said in there, whatever adjustments they made, whatever change of plans they had- boy howdy, did they ever work.
Once again, our PA guy was slacking on announcing opposing subs coming out of stoppages of play, so I'm not as clear as I'd like to be on rotations. I didn't even know Madison Stanley came into the game until I checked the box score. I'm going to guess that was at the very end of the game, for the final possession or two. Elise Graham gave the Knights an alternate ballhandling option in the open floor- she had a nice transition lay-up amd set up Kamrin Weimer for a three with a nice pass. Weimer didn't leave much of an impression, and most of what I dimly remember from her was more rebounding-related than offense-related.
Natalie Zamora tried to defend people who were bigger than she was. It usually didn't end well for her- she really racked up the fouls in the third quarter. Courtney Blankenship set screens (she had one particularly solid one that impressed me with both its solidity and its legality- you know how hard it is to find a legal screen in the lower echelons of D-I?!), got boards, hit free throws, and had trouble holding on to the ball.
Lauren Francillon gave up her body on the glass, and picked up steam as the game went on- balls she was losing in the first quarter, she was winning the fights for in the fourth quarter. Good interior toughness. Amina Markovic went on a scoring run in the third quarter, hitting from the outside and at the rim. I don't think she was on our original scouting report, because we sagged off her a lot. Then again, we had a lot of trouble hanging with shooters on the wing, so maybe that was the bigger issue. (Also, I think I may have annoyed her when I was questioning a foul call, but it was a bad call and the ref should have felt bad for making it, so there.)
How exactly were we losing track of Peniel M'Bikata? I mean, I don't know if they noticed, but her hair is flaming orange. It's not literally on fire, but it is pretty close to the color of an open flame, and does stand out rather spectacularly. She shook loose for three-point shots and drives in the lane. I like her style. Lucia Serrano-Ranz was a three-point specialist with moments of defensive prowess. Madelynn Comly got to take most of the free throws at the end of the game. Her passing game needs work.
FDU fought for possessions, and collectively boxed out really well- it seemed like there were always three burgundy jerseys going to the ball once it came off the rim, especially if it was LIU putting up the shot. Following your shot is a thing, people. I'm pulling my hair out over here.
I'm not sure who's a stronger indication of "welp, here goes nothing", Paris Jones or Destoni Willock. Paris tries, and she had a nice defensive stand that her teammates helped her finish, but I don't think she's gotten all the rust off yet. She doesn't seem to fit into the current schemes. Destoni tries hard, but if the ball is being passed to her on the inside, disaster is inevitable- either she's going to fumble or the ball's never going to get to her in the first place (probably because she's out of position or hasn't done enough to get into position). I'm really starting to wonder what Daisha Davis has done, or hasn't done, to be so far out of the rotation.
Ella Vaatanen gave not-terrible minutes off the bench in the post. She's still a little more tentative than I'd like, but she's learning, and she seems willing to learn. Tia Montagne carried the bulk of the load for the reserves. While I'm not sure how she's picking up the various code-named defensive schemes, she's got great instincts on the ball defensively, taking advantage of opponents' miscues. Her shot needs work, both when she takes it and when she doesn’t take it, but I like watching her play.
Follow your shot, Denisha. Follow your shot, Drew. This isn't a recording, but I'm starting to think it needs to be one, and broadcast everywhere they go like a somewhat more specific version of the Shame Nun. Denisha Petty-Evans shot three-for-eleventy billion and somehow still looked like she was avoiding shooting the ball. It looked like she was passing up too many good shots to end up taking desperation shots near the end of the shot clock. She had a nice steal, though, and another good attempt at one. Drew Winter does fancy ballhandling tricks, and then she slows down the offense. She looked scared to shoot today, and when she did finally put the ball in the general vicinity of the basket, "general vicinity" was a generous definition of where the ball ended up. It seems fitting that the one shot that went in was the twisting lay-up she practically shot over her own head. She racked up the assists, but I don't know how many of them were actually the best looks for the squad.
At least Seneca Richards had some awareness of time and score in the fourth quarter, putting up quick threes and draining a surprising number of them. I didn't realize she had that much legitimate range. She was looking a little like she had Katie Douglas eyes out there, so I hope she's okay and she hasn't been staying up too late. (Says the woman who's typing Game Notes of Doom at quarter past one in the morning. For reasons.) She's a shooter and not much else, but she tries and she's got height and our options are somewhat limited as long as Jeydah's out, so it is what it is. Stylz Sanders was consistently getting out-sized out there, but she made a lot of smart plays on the baseline and kept loose balls alive. She's making a strong run at trying to be my favorite, but it's too late for that. DeAngelique Waithe played like she was the only one on the floor trying to win the game for LIU. (I looked at my clipboard at one point and realized she was the only Blackbird to score in the third quarter. This is a problem.) She had her moments where she looked like she wasn't sure where to be on defense, and she's got to watch that first step when she gathers for the jumper at the top of the key. But she went hard at the basket, and she hunted down loose balls like there was a bounty of their heads. She was looking for opportunities and she took them. I unabashedly love to watch her work- she has such a nice combination of strength and flexibility that results in her showing up very quickly in very small spaces.
Way too much hesitation on offense. I get trying to find a teammate with a better shot, but sometimes the best shot is the one you have, instead of the one your teammate is forced to take because the shot clock's running down and she's got two defenders in her face. There was one sequence at least, possibly more, where pretty much the only people in the building who didn't realize Denisha Petty-Evans was open were the people who were supposed to be defending her... and Drew Winter with the ball. By the end of the game, we were joking that Drew was clearly a Jets fan, because she seemed to believe in the Herman Edwards school of clock management.
Officiating was the usual NEC trainwreck. No one wanted to call travels or major contact, but minor hand-checks were another story entirely. I think I did most of the gasket-blowing that Stephanie secretly wanted to do. (I consider that part of my responsibilities as a fan. There are things fans can get away with that coaches can't.)
We got pretty dinged up in this one. Stylz took a couple of hits, Tia was slow getting up after a collision, and I thought Angel was going to throw up during some FDU free throws. This might be part of why I'm a little annoyed at the officials.
There's something missing for this team, and I can't put my finger on it. It might be as simple as getting Jeydah and her offense back. It might go deeper. I don't know. But we've got good senior leaders, so there's that in our favor.
Tuesday, January 30, 2018
January 29th, 2018: Fairleigh Dickinson at LIU
Saturday, December 30, 2017
December 29th, 2017: Fairleigh Dickinson at LIU
Just the Facts, Ma'am: Balanced offense helped Fairleigh Dickinson pull away in the second half of their 82-71 win at LIU Brooklyn. Mike Holloway Jr. had 27 points to lead the Knights' charge. Joel Hernandez had 23 points and 10 rebounds to lead LIU.
For weird beards, an enthusiastic fan, autographs in the seats, dubious leggings, biting cold, and impressive foot-stomping, join your intrepid and wayward blogger after the jump.
And now for something very slightly different: as I type these words, the LIU and Fairleigh Dickinson men are warming up and stretching, which gives me a good forty minutes to finish up the women's notes.
I am really not feeling this unadorned navy that FDU is wearing. Nike let them down. That being said, the shorts fit very nicely and I am shamelessly ogling some cute college behinds, because this is a thing one does before actually seeing what basketball skills there are to appreciate.
(I don't necessarily object to appreciating an athlete's physical beauty. I do object to it being the only thing one values about them.)
Not gonna lie, ally-oops actually look cooler when they don't end in dunks.
The ladies have started dressing and trying to escape. Daisha, Seneca, and Ella seem to have gotten out unnoticed. Denisha, not so much.
And I stand corrected. There is a blonde in LIU basketball gear and the most hideous pink and purple leggings in the next section, and as a matter of fact I am judging her so hard right now. I think that's Seneca.
Meanwhile, everyone has found Jeydah and she has ridiculously neat handwriting.
FDU better be careful with those practice dunks. One of them shook the shot clock slightly out of position. Seriously, y'all are going to bring that shot clock down on your heads and I'm going to laugh SO HARD before worrying for your well-being.
Why is Tia in a boot? WHY IS TIA IN A BOOT? I am not okay with this!
I'm surprised one of the St. Francis players stayed. I can't see her bookbag, so I can't tell you who.
At halftime, FDU is up 39-36, behind 12 points each from Mike Holloway Jr. on the inside and Darnell Edge on the outside. Fast game, physical game, and sloppy game. I think there have been more deflections than there have been clean rebounds.
Shoutout to the loud dude in the upper deck. I hear you, man. Keep it coming, all positivity and all supportive.
FDU's warmups are plain, but the blue gradient on the shorts works.
That was certainly an energetic and enthusiastic game. Tempers seemed to be flaring and I'm surprised there weren't even more technical fouls than were already called. I don't know if I can say I honestly enjoyed the chaos.
FDU went deeper in the first half than in the second, as so many teams do. I thought they actually got good minutes from Nadi Beciri in his brief time. Tyler Jones was so forgettable I only happened to notice he was in because I didn't recognize his jersey number. Pretty much ditto for Pat McNamara. Be more memorable if you want me to write about you, deep reserves. Kaleb Bishop mixed it up a fair amount in the paint, and I'm not sure it was as ineffective as the box score might lead you to believe. He had a big block on Raul Frias in the first half. Elyjah Williams also gave them good inside play, though if I recall correctly, one of his baskets was actually granted either on a goaltend or an own goal by LIU. Neither would surprise me.
Jahlil Jenkins is very energetic and very quick. I'm not sure if calling a player a waterbug is a thing anymore, but that's the comparison that comes to mind, the one that people used to use for Betty Lennox. He had a few very nice steals off LIU's sloppy passing and sloppy ballhandling. Darian Anderson got handsy, which was a problem for him late in the game. Pretty three-point stroke, though. Darnell Edge, while he drove a bit, was mostly FDU's outside threat, and he got off to a hot start with a couple of early threes to spread the defense and make room inside for their big center.
Mike Holloway Jr. is a big dude, and a powerful one at that. He went in for buckets, and no one was going to successfully stop him on a regular basis. I was really surprised when he stepped outside for a pretty sweet-looking three-pointer late in the game. He was huge for them, both literally and figuratively. Noah Morgan played with a lot of emotion, which wasn't always to his advantage, given the double technical with Batts after he hit a big shot. He was also arguing with the ref a fair bit, even after the technical.
I actually sort of like the balance FDU brought to the floor- it's good to have both solid outside shooters and an inside threat who can clean up the mess inside.
The less said about Raul Frias's shooting, the better. I think it's best for everyone's dignity. Jamall Robinson came on and hit a couple of threes late to keep it close and keep LIU in the game. I'm trying to remember if he was part of the stretch of three or four offensive rebounds that ended with a turnover and no points. You could hear the crowd groan when the Knights came away with the ball. Eral Penn was ridiculously athletic down low, going up for monster dunks and big blocks. There's something to be said for the high-flying game in moderation. I don't know the context for the double tech with him and Holloway. I suspect someone may have said something about someone's mother, or something along those lines. I can understand why he switched to the bench- it's nice to have a change of pace off the bench.
(I don't understand why LIU carries so many players and plays so few of them. Is this coach handing out redshirts like a Starfleet security recruiter, or is there something more here that I don't understand?)
Julius van Sauers has one big problem that's not going to be tenable in the long term if he's going to start, and that's his tendency to get into foul trouble. You can't do that if you're going to start, especially if that's going to leave your team very thin up front. I don't think LIU wanted to go to Eral Penn as long as they did. He did have one play that I thought was really nice, a hesitation move where he timed it perfectly to force the FDU defender to foul him. I just don't know if he's a sustainable starter. Raiquan Clark took over the game in the second half for LIU, and I don't know if that was entirely a good thing. It seemed to get to the point where everyone was expecting him to make things happen and forcing the ball inside to him, instead of looking for the best shot. I do understand the concept of feeding the hot hand, but this looked a lot more forced than feeding the hot hand. I enjoyed watching him kick ass, and I think he might be my favorite of these gentleman Blackbirds. But I do also believe in offensive balance, and I'm starting to wonder if they do.
I still think that Julian Batts shot should have counted. I thought he got it off in time. Fight me. I don't care. Really quiet game for him, and that's a problem. This team's not good enough that a starter can go 0-fer from the field. Jashaun Agosto ran a good point guard game, choosing his moments to shoot well and making good passes. Joel Hernandez didn't force things for himself as much as he did the first time I saw this team this year, though he was the man with the ball in his hands at the end of the game when LIU was desperately chucking up threes to try and stay in the game. I think he might grow on me after a while.
Can I admit something? Something weird that most basketball fans might not get? Of all the differences between men's and women's basketball, the one that threw me off most, at least in this game, was the beards. There were a lot of beards and attempted beards in this game. Is Harden making that a trend? It's not a good trend.
The other sharp contrast between the second game and the first game was the number of deflected and contested rebounds. I would have to watch the film closely, but I think there were more contested boards than clean ones.
Let me tell you, if the women's officials had been calling the men's game, it would have been twice as long and both teams would have had twice as many turnovers. The footwork was abominable, and I think I actually did let fly a Bronx cheer when they called one of the few travels in the game. Most of the turnovers were off sloppy ballhandling, sloppy passing, and charges.
I wish more of the people behind the LIU bench had been at the women's game- they missed one heck of a game, and I mean, it's a rivalry, what's not to love? We could have used the noise. But I'll take the support for the school anyway. It's nice to see people at low mid-major games.
I'm genuinely surprised neither coach got a tech. LIU's coach was screaming at anyone who seemed to be vaguely near where he was yelling, and FDU's coach was stomping the floor so hard I swear Stephanie Del Preore was taking notes from the bleachers on how he got those acoustics. Given how double-tech happy this crew was, I expected someone to be leaving early at some point.
You're going to be hearing a lot about this team in 2018, but only because all of LIU's weekend games are doubleheaders, not because they're, like, super good or anything.
Saturday, January 30, 2016
January 30th, 2016: Fairleigh Dickinson at Long Island
Just the Facts, Ma'am: It was tight throughout, but the Blackbirds of LIU soared in the end to a 65-62 win over Fairleigh Dickinson. Brianna Farris had 20 points to lead LIU. Kelsey Cruz led all scorers with 24 off the bench for FDU, with Erika Livermore adding 18 points and nine boards.
For mysteries revealed, always going the long way home, shaking it like a Polaroid picture, guarding the inbounds, body language, and questionable housekeeping, join your intrepid and exhausted blogger after the jump.
Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, readers of fluid gender identity and who refuse ageist and sexist categories! Welcome to yet another round of the Game Notes of Doom, coming to you from the campus of Long Island University in Brooklyn, where the Blackbirds will be taking on the Knights of FDU. Out of respect to yoru intrepid blogger's intrepid husband, we will be eschewing use of the "Fairly Ridiculous" moniker for the Knights, even if he's a Devil, not a Knight.
Our flock of Blackbirds still seems to be reduced to six. Lots of people in warm-up suits standing on the sidelines.
Mom, this is why we can't give you nice things. If you can't be bothered to show up for tip, I'm going to stop hooking you up.
LIU doesn't clean the WRAC very often. Ticket stubs still linger from the men's game on the 28th. And this being New York, it has the expected result: I already squished one roach that came crawling out of the woodwork.
This game is a double-header, but we'll see if mom wants to stay for the men's game. I'm not prepared if we do! *panicked expression* (She didn't.)
In honor of the school's past colors and current tertiary color, there are blue streamers and shirts being given to alumni and their Hall of Famers. This is a thing I don't get. If you have a color in your name, I would think you would stick with that color.
The band's anthem was so-so, but they're not exactly constructed for the anthem.
At halftime, LIU is up 34-30, behind 11 first-quarter points from Brianna Farris and 14 points from Jolanna Ford. Erika Livermore has been everything she was cracked up to be for FDU, with 14 points.
So far, my favorite thing has been DeAngelique Waithe's four limbs of inbounding prevention. Early in the game, there was one sequence where she kicked the ball out of bounds three consecutive times, once getting it almost to the midline area. FDU had to change inbounders and sub out the player before they could get the ball in.
I don't think we can keep it up, but it's fun as it is.
Somehow, we did manage to keep it up. I'll be honest. I don't know how. We dug down deep and held the line on defense. It's very easy to come to love a team that builds itself on defense, hustle, and rebounding.
Fairleigh Dickinson has some good talent, but whatever the opposite of clutch is, they were that in the fourth quarter. They got sloppy and tight; I don't think they were ready for the defense.
Peniel M'Bikata played a little bit in the first half, but not in the second. Anastasia Williams committed a foul of questionable utility in the third quarter- I think that might have been one of the borderline calls that had the FDU staff up in arms. I like the way Zeynep Akgun handles herself on defense, but her ball security needs work. She was getting her passes picked off with regularity. Jackie Jackson was tough down low, using her height well and seizing rebounds. Kelsey Cruz got hot in the second half and near the end of the first- she pulled FDU as close the halftime margin was with two quick baskets, and then hit a couple of corner threes. If they had managed to win, she would be the heroine of the game. In appearance, not style, she reminds me of Layshia Clarendon.
I don't think Kiana Brown started off with her head entirely in the game- she was the player who was unable to inbound past DeAngelique, and she also had an early, stupid foul. She settled down a little bit and put up a couple of nice drives in the lane- she had a scoop shot that pretty much defined "better to be lucky than good" with the roll she got. Natalie Zamora got the start, but didn't play much, in favor of Cruz and Akgun. She showed fire in the third quarter, both offensively and on the boards. Madelynn Comly committed fouls at inopportune times for the Knights. I think they were expecting her to be more of a factor offensively.
Amina Markovic sets screens really well, and had a nice lay-up in the second quarter. I finally got to see the myth, the legend, the woman herself- Erika Livermore, darling of the Rebkell fantasy scene and purveyor of fantastic statistics. In the first half, she lived up to the billing, getting her points whenever and wherever she wanted, whether it was in the lane or on outside jumpers. She rebounded nicely as well, anticipating the path of the ball. In the second half, the defense started to remember that she existed, while the FDU offense started to forget. I know it's suicidal to depend heavily on a single player, no matter how good that player is, but if I'm FDU, there's never a possession where Livermore doesn't at least touch the ball. I saw at least one today, and though it ended with Brown getting the roll, that's still not practical. I'm not saying she should shoot every time down the floor, but she should at least receive a pass.
I think the pressure might be getting to Lily Abreu a bit. She looked like she was going to break down in tears a couple of times, though that might just be the way her face is laid out. She canned a three for great joy and justice.
Shanice Vaughan still has a tendency to think she has to do everything herself when the game is in the balance and a clutch shot is called for. But she did a really great job of getting the ball to her posts on the break, and found shooters on the outside. She plays more with her heart than her head. Sometimes that's good, and I think there'll be at least one game where she carries them through on pure emotion. Stylz Sanders did her best to live up to her name, adding ridiculous degress of difficulty to her drives through the lane and throwing up wild shots. I rarely encourage players to prioritize jumpers over driving, but she might be better off that way. Brianna Farris was the key to the game on both ends of the floor. She got hot in the first quarter to start the Blackbirds off right, then set the tone on defense- she had a fantastic interception early on on a disruption that Shanice helped with, but her defense was more critical in the second half, when she was switched to Livermore and bodied her out of her comfort zone.
As long as the refs don't call three seconds, Jolanna Ford will have herself a day. She spends a lot of time in the paint, and that extra power dribble will come back to bite her against more defensively-oriented teams, but she was strong today. She took off in the second quarter, but got in foul trouble in the third- my heart was in my throat after the fourth foul, since we're down to six players and as adorably 'are you old enough to buy this video game' young as Lily looks, I'm not ready to put that much of a burden on her. Watching DeAngelique Waithe guard the inbounder is worth the price of admission- she's super active and keeps both her arms and legs moving. She drew a five-second call from FDU, and it was glorious. I love how she rebounds, and that she never gives up on a play. Her offense was solid today as well, which is always a nice bonus. I think I have a favorite now.
Honestly, my biggest problem with LIU is... well, it's not nice to say things about the friend of a friend, especially one who provides a ticket hook-up. You don't risk the gravy train, right? But I'm going to be honest, because that's what I do here: if I were a recruit considering LIU, and I saw Stephanie Oliver on the sidelines, with body language indicating that she hates everyone and everything involved with the current game and would rather be doing anything else... I wouldn't be considering LIU anymore. I would be considering somewhere else where I wouldn't have to face four years of public sarcasm and constant nitpicking with precious little support to balance them. Maybe she's different behind closed doors. I don't know, but I can only judge what I can see.
I love LIU's step team, I really do. I don't have enough rhythm to keep up with them, but they definitely know how to bring the noise.
I'm not comfortable being conflicted by a tertiary team. Let's just leave it at that.