Just the Facts, Ma'am: 28 points from Jaleesa Ross and 21 from Rosie Moult led Fresno State over Southern Miss, 88-51. Rachel Vigers led Southern Miss with 18 points and 9 rebounds.
For line changes, accolades, three-point shooting, and random acts of St. John's fans, join your intrepid and ardent blogger after the jump.
Noon is too early for a basketball game to tip off. Of course, I'm biased, because I like to be there when the gates open, which means that I'm in my seat a little after eleven if it's a noon tip. And we left the house a little early, so we were at St. John's by 10:30, which gave us a chance to wish Fresno State good luck against Southern Miss. (Their coaching staff agreed that that game was rough. They also said we were the fans of the game, which I thought was a magnanimous gesture. So we decided to root for them.)
The place was deserted even at the first tip. Have I mentioned that noon is too early for basketball? Because St. John's wasn't in the first game, the cheerleaders and band and whatnot weren't in, so we got a recorded anthem and canned music. For noise, it was the two benches, the two of us, and a couple of band guys who came in early and joined us in cheering for Fresno State and against Southern Miss.
Adrian Wiggins was prepared for the Golden Eagles' physicality. Of course, he had more options than we did, but he was still willing to sub liberally, especially in the second half. Veronica Wilson set the tone by going toe to toe with Tanisha Washington and making it clear that if Washington wanted to play, she was going to find herself tangling with someone who used to practice against Carolyn Swords and Stefanie Murphy on a regular basis. She couldn't hit a bunny for love nor money, but she didn't need to. Emma Andrews showed a lot of nerve trying to guard Rachel Vigers, who has four inches and a lot of weight on her. Marnique Arnold showed no fear of anybody on her back-to-back and-ones. They got some decent minutes out of Bree Farley at guard. We got to see a few younger players, like Jeanna Furst, who put up a big block; Alex Furr, who showed impressive range from beyond the arc; and Blakely Goldberg, who played well inside. Wiggins kept his players fresh with wholesale subs in the second half- we're talking hockey style line changes.
Rosie Moult did a couple of things well. Her hands were active and her defense had bright spots. But the thing she did best was camp out on the wing and put up threes. She didn't make any of her own shots, but she didn't need to. Hayley Munro did a nice job of cleaning up on the offensive boards. Taylor Thompson's release continues to be funky, but her range is impressive, and her defensive intensity is unmatched. When a little bitty guard is defending big physical centers, and doing it well, that says a lot. Taja Edwards was in and out for Wilson a lot, and she wasn't much of a factor. Jaleesa Ross had the game that I thought she was going to have yesterday. Her shots were falling, her teammates were catching her passes, her hands were more active- all of that. I'm not sure I was thrilled with her taking threes late in the game with Washington on her- I thought for sure she was going to be targeted, and if I were Adrian Wiggins, that's a risk I wouldn't have wanted to take.
Fresno runs a couple of drills that I really like. One is a rapid change of direction drill, where the leader shouts out which way they're going and changes it on a dime, including diving forwards and backwards for loose balls. Another is a defensive drill, where the pass comes in low, and as the "offensive" player scoops it up, the "defensive" player is suddenly all up in her face, hands up and going "Ball, ball, ball, ball!" That one looks like a good way to show players how to put on pressure, and how to take it.
Southern Miss behaved themselves for the first half of the game, and then as the lead ballooned for Fresno, some of the misbehavior that reared its ugly head yesterday showed up today. Elbows came out a little more. Hips protruded. Players went flying for no good reason. Other such charming things. And over it all, the hoarse, high-pitched, heavily accented screech of the Southern Miss coach. Oh, it was glorious finally yelling "SHUT UP ALREADY!" at her near the end of the game.
She went a little deeper into her bench this time, but not as much as she could have. I really do think it would have made more sense to go deep into the bench on the second consecutive day of getting beat down like a redheaded stepchild, but no one pays me for this. Nia Bradford continued to overdo it, looking very much like a player who was looking for playing time by any means possible, and if that meant falling into line with what the coach wanted, then that was what she would do. Fresno did a good job of keeping Ewa Urbanowska from being much of a factor on the inside. Danielle Johnson continued to shoot and miss.
The diving by Washington and Geneshia Dunbar was hilarious. I'm sorry, but you're not getting any sympathy. Dunbar set a legal Screen of Death that people were screaming to be called a foul, but it was clean, it was legal, and if you're stupid enough to run into a screen after your teammate calls it out, you deserve to see stars. Brittany Johnson was mostly confusing, because she and Danielle Johnson subbed for each other. Washington continued to be overphysical, with the bonus of being able to mock her shooting. Rachel Vigers was a bit more aggressive on defense than she had been yesterday, and still very effective for her height in the paint. Jamierra Faulkner continues to impress me- she needed more shots this time, but I still like her style.
The referees had a better grip on this game than they did yesterday. I think they were aware of what happened yesterday, and what could have happened, and didn't want it to happen again. I only saw one or two Fresno players go off injured, and they were only small injuries.
Some of the St. John's players drifted in and out during the game, in various states of uniform and health. I think we scared the daylights out of Briana Brown when we were going full throttle for Fresno. We waved at a few of them, and at least on Twitter Jennifer waved back.
It was very cathartic to see Southern Miss get their comeuppance. I never said I was fair, or neutral, or anything like that.
Sunday, December 19, 2010
December 19th, 2010: Fresno State at Southern Miss (Chartwells Holiday Classic)
Saturday, December 18, 2010
December 18th, 2010: Fresno State at UC-Santa Barbara (Chartwells Holiday Classic)
Just the Facts, Ma'am: 58.8% shooting by UC-Santa Barbara countered a 23-5 free throw differential in favor of Fresno State, and the Gauchos pulled out a 64-62 win. Emilie Johnson led all scorers with 21 points, while Sweets Underwood notched a double-double of 14 points and 11 rebounds. Hayley Munro's 16 points and seven rebounds led Fresno State.
For star power or lack thereof, shiny objects, swarming defense, potential Russians, and scouting, join your intrepid and intrigued blogger after the jump.
Californians, you'll have to pardon me if these notes are not as coherent and exhaustive as they are most of the time. Between the lateness of the hour and the insanity of our game against Southern Miss, I'm wiped.
I'm not lying or being polite when I say that this was the matchup I was most looking forward to in the Chartwells. I had heard a lot about UCSB, Lindsay Gottlieb, and Mekia Valentine; I had heard a lot about Fresno State, Adrian Wiggins, and Jaleesa Ross. I knew this was an even match of two good teams and programs with solid track records, teams I might never see again unless I traveled west.
And of course, when you know to watch a player, someone else steps up. Nicole Nesbit came off the bench like a bolt of lightning to energize a swarming, relentless Gauchos defense in the first half. She was flying on the fast break. Sweets Underwood stepped up with a pretty awesome block in the first half and some key baskets in the second, but she also made some fairly stupid mistakes. I don't even remember Melissa Zornig playing. I'm very sorry.
Mekia Valentine's foul trouble really hampered her in the first half, and it almost seemed like her teammates weren't sure what to do with a big girl in the middle. Either that, or Fresno State was very prepared for the repeated attempts at alley-oop passes that the Gauchos tried. I'd love to see her be more assertive, just not tomorrow. She did have some monster blocks, and as a presence in the middle defensively, she's formidable- but with her build and height, she could be more. Emilie Johnson put up the quietest points I ever saw; I remember filling out my scorecard and at one point going, "When did Johnson score 17?" She was just quietly and mercilessly effective. No plays that made me go "ooh!" or even "No!" There and competent. It sounds like a backhanded compliment, but it's not meant that way. There's nothing backhanded about it. Margaret Johnson spent so much time in foul trouble that she played less than the bench players. Angelei Aguirre played all right- not badly, not amazingly, but solidly. Kelsey Adrian occasionally appeared to be under the impression that she was playing hockey, judging from the physicality of some of her moves on defense. She was really going at it with a couple of the Aussies from Fresno State.
I'm not sure how enamored I was of Coach Gottlieb in the second half. Her team lost composure and got rattled by a defense very similar to the one they used in the first half, and her endgame was very sketchy. I understand the rationale behind trying to run clock with nine seconds left, a two-point lead, and the one-and-one coming up on the next Fresno foul. However, if you have a player open in the front court, it makes more sense to throw it to her and get the two-possession lead without having to worry about the free throws. You know why? Because Nesbit missed the front end of the one-and-one, and the only reason it worked out for Santa Barbara was because the refs screwed Fresno State of about a second, and their only shot was a halfcourt heave that had the distance but not quite the aim. If they'd set up Valentine the way the entire booster section was screaming for them to, they wouldn't have had to worry.
And yes, the Gauchos traveled exceedingly well. They brought two sections of people in blue and yellow. They brought signs, some streamers, and some little signs. One guy had a very cool supporter's scarf (you know, the ones they have in soccer). Of course, it was not as cool as my fiancé's St. John's scarf, but they can't help it.
Fresno State has a lot of Australians. It's sort of hilarious. Who knew California was so inviting to Aussies? And Adrian Wiggins's animation intrigues me. I like a man who's passionate about his job.
Taja Edwards got her time in the second half, and helped spearhead the comeback by the Bulldogs. Fresno State really didn't rely on their bench much, and didn't get much out of it (though they did need to make a sub for Ross early because of foul trouble). I had to look at the box score to remember that more than two reserves played, so again, there's little I can say about them. Sorry, Fresno fans.
I get the idea that a lot of Jaleesa Ross's plays are much cooler in her head than they turn out in the real world. She reminds me of Ticha Penicheiro in her drive and dish ways, especially with the flair she puts on them. Unfortunately, a lot of those times she reminded me of the young Ticha who would sheepishly say that she put too much mustard on the hot dog sometimes. With Taylor Thompson in the game, Ross was playing a strange sort of combo guard, with Thompson setting up the offense but Ross doing the dishing inside. Not sure if it really worked, because by the time Fresno started really learning to read her passes, so did Santa Barbara. For a freshman, I really like Thompson. She's spunky. Not afraid to get up in anyone's business or to take the big shot. Rosie Moult alternated moments of great plays and big shots with moments of sketchy ballhandling, stupid fouls, and an absolute fascination with staring at what Ross was going to do next with the basketball. Kayley Munro was willing to mix it up inside- she and Kelsey Adrian were going at it hammer and tongs all night. Marnique Arnold's shot wasn't falling in the first half, but in the second, she was able to get things going with some help from the swarming, intense defensive pressure of the Bulldogs' defense in the second half.
The scoreboard operator was a bit punchy by the time this game was into the second half- there were score irregularities at two different times in the half, and I was called upon to straighten out the score by some Gaucho family.
The refs got a bit tired near the end, too; guys, I'm pretty sure it's a foul when Mekia Valentine sits on someone, and when that someone is much smaller than she is, it's not a pretty sight. I mean, they had better control of that game than the other refs did, but that's small consolation.
You can see how Fresno State got into the tournament in this team; you can see the ghosts of Gauchos past in this team. It was all that I hoped it would be- but for different reasons.
We were rooting for Fresno State simply because they'd be a better matchup for our MASH unit, because I didn't really like the idea of facing Valentine with both of our starting posts injured. We were, however, sitting in one of the UCSB sections, because we had to move, because Southern Miss decided to colonize the section next to the band. I didn't trust myself when it was just the fans; when the players moved into that section, I was relieved we had moved, because otherwise the GNoD would be coming from the inside of a jail cell because I'd be arrested for assault and stupidity. You don't mess with my team and then go sit in a section that's traditionally home turf.
Sometime in the middle of the game, a couple of women wandered over to the section and we did double-takes. If not for the giant hoop earrings, the slightly higher voice, and the fact that I can't think of any reason she'd be chilling with UCSB fans/boosters/family, I'd have sworn on a stack of media guides that one of them was Becky Hammon. Dead ringer for her in body language, in looks, in build, and in style. So weird. Also, not fun. I sort of don't like her. But I didn't want to move again.
I admit to being easily distracted during this game, because I kept looking around to see where my team was, and if any of them were walking, and if Day had any notion of what planet she was on (no, seriously, when they're doing the finger test, it's a bad sign).
In conclusion: great game, could have been a little better, and I sort of want that Gaucho fan's scarf.