November 10th, 2019: Fordham at Columbia

Just the Facts, Ma'am: Columbia took second-quarter momentum with them to the second half and dominated Fordham 70-51. Abbey Hsu had 15 points to lead the Lions, with Kaitlyn Davis adding 14 off the bench. Kaitlyn Downey had 19 points to lead Fordham before fouling out.

For bewilderment, confusion, a lack of effort on so many people's parts, exhaustion, and an inability to can even, join your intrepid and repetitive blogger after the jump.


They say there's no rest for the weary, and there's also no rest for the nerdy, as your intrepid blogger heads uptown to watch Fordham take on Columbia at Levien Gymnasium.

Whoever put the "Espresso Patronum!" sign up on the coffee stand, I appreciate your geekiness and your flair for puns, but your grasp of Latin needs some work.

I don't see Isis Young on the Fordham bench, so I don't think she's playing. I'm not even sure if she traveled.

Well, this is not what I was expecting after the fight we gave Notre Dame. Columbia is up one at the half, 32-31. Madison Hardy made a splash with five points in the last couple of minutes, while program-featured player Kaitlyn Davis is carrying the load with 10 points. Kaitlyn Downey has 14 to power Fordham, but no one else seems to be able to hit shots.

I would have expected more originality from an Ivy League school than the Imperial March for opposing introductions.

The PA guy is terrible. So terrible. He doesn't seem to have read the Fordham pronunciation guide, he seems to think the women's game is played in halves, he's inconsistent about announcing subs, he takes forever to announce fouls, and forget knowing the opposing roster- he doesn't even seem sure who Columbia's players are. This is a problem when you're the Columbia announcer, I'm just saying.

For the love of all that is sweet and holy, please turn down the sound system slightly. The music is ridiculously loud.

Allow me to sum up my feelings about this game in one quote from in-game commentary: Sarah Karpell, for reasons beyond human imagining, decided to go one-on-three and ballhog in a way that would have made Cappie Pondexter say, "Nah, you should have passed that ball." My reaction, literally: "I- I- I- I- that was so bad my inability to can can't even." I'm very glad Kaitlyn Downey decided to show up for this game. I just wish the rest of her teammates had bothered to join her. This wasn't even a hangover game, this was a "woke up in a tub of ice with a kidney missing" game.

I will give all the credit in the world to Columbia's ball movement on offense and the way they extended their defense. They forced us into very uncomfortable positions, and we weren't ready for it. I can understand the freshmen not being prepared. The returning players have far less of an excuse.

I would desperately like to know what is up with Zara Jillings. She's gone from one of our top reserves last year to not even getting off the bench in the first half and ending up a billionaire in the second half. I realize Sarah Karpell is doing a lot of the same things on defense, but Zara has the advantages of height and a year of experience. Something seems extremely off here. Katie McLoughlin saw some time in the second half to try and start something with hustle, but it didn't work. Nothing worked and I am so very tired. Catherine Polisano saw some garbage time at the end of the game, when Coach Gaitley finally threw in the towel (more or less). Megan Jonassen got maybe two stretches of play, if that, and was ineffective.

I'm going to break my usual rhythm here, because the minute splits were just that pronounced. Sarah Karpell brought the defense, but her offense is definitely a work in progress, and that one-on-three possession broke my brain. I have never so thoroughly lost my ability to can even before. She played heavy minutes, for reasons I don't completely understand. Vilisi Tavui got the start, but she didn't play a lot, between foul trouble and what appeared to be straight-up fear. She's a weapon, but she's a weapon we can't use until she figures out how to be used, and that's a problem.

Something is deeply wrong with Bre Cavanaugh's shot, at least through these first couple of games. Her floaters/lay-ups don't look good coming off her hand, and her jumper hasn't been consistent enough to make up for that. She was at least able to force a little action from the Columbia defense, but she's not playing like someone who can command the opposing defense's respect. Anna DeWolfe did not know how to deal with the defense Columbia was throwing at her. They extended the defense almost all the way to the halfcourt line and put a lot of pressure on the ballhandler. Some handled it better than others. Anna did not handle it well.

Oh, Kene. I love Kendell Heremaia dearly, but one of these days she's going to be the death of me. Squashing Bre on a loose ball like she had momentarily forgotten she was not playing rugby is pretty close. She and most of the rest of the guards had this bizarre fixation on trying to force the ball inside. I have no idea why. I just don't. I don't know what the thought process was there. I don't know if there even was a thought process there. Kaitlyn Downey was the only bright spot in this game, hitting her corner threes, nailing her midrange jumpers, and getting open on backdoor cuts. I know I've come down hard on Kaitlyn to start the season, but she made up for being overwhelmed against Notre Dame. I just wish the rest of the team had come along for the ride.

Madison Hardy certainly knows how to make a splash. Her two buckets at the end of the second quarter gave Columbia huge momentum going into the half with the lead, and she added one during the fourth quarter to help put the game away. Most of the rest of the bench didn't play much: Carly Rivera saw a little time in the first half, Madison Pack hit a three as part of our continuing fourth-quarter humiliation, and Stephanie Flynn saw spot minutes in both halves. The only other bench player to see heavy time was Kaitlyn Davis, who demonstrated a marvelous ability to draw fouls and get to the line. She shot as many free throws by herself as Fordham did as a team.

What first drew my attention about Mikayla Markham was her vocal communication on the court- she was calling signals quickly. She picked up her offense in the second half. Janiya Clemmons drove hard and didn't make a lot of her shots, but her penetration helped set up her teammates. Abbey Hsu's three-point ability is extremely useful for Columbia, and every one of her shots seemed to bury us a little deeper emotionally, like we had failed in our plan on top of failing everything else.

I don't know what else to say about this game. It's been a few days, frankly because I don't want to write about it. We gave up. We gave up threes and we gave up drives and we gave up on offense. I don't understand how a team that took Notre Dame to the final minute could fall apart so badly against Columbia. I respect what the Lions did, and how they executed their game plan, but we went toe-to-toe with a bigger and more talented team than them. I don't understand any of this.

Read More...

Summary only...

December 11th, 2018: Columbia at Fordham

Just the Facts, Ma'am: A strong first quarter powered Fordham to a 68-49 win over Columbia. Bre Cavanaugh had 19 points to lead the Rams. Sienna Durr had 19 to lead Columbia before fouling out.

For free stuff, early starts, aborted missions, and seeing the bench, join your intrepid and sneaky blogger after the jump.

You know what today is? That's right. Issa game day. You'll be getting a double dose of Fordham today, as the women play host to Columbia and the men welcome NJIT to historic Rose Hill Gymnasium. Or at least you were going to, but honestly, I didn't feel like staying for the men's game. But it's a double-header anyway.

We get free scarves today! I like how Fordham is handling the promotion- instead of just handing them out at the door, you get a ticket that you can redeem for the scarf in the second half. And I also like that they made it optional, so that you're not wasting resources on opposing fans. (Looking at you, St. John's.) They should probably have made it a little more convenient to get to the

Santa has set up shop in the corner by the entrance, and there's a box to drop off letters to him. I guess it would be awkward for him to have to take the letter personally if he's also doing pictures.

I like Bre Cavanaugh's new braids. She has stripes! And from above the effect is a little more like a coronet. It fits her.

Hooray, we have a band!

Ralene Kwiatkowski is still in the boot, and it looks like a couple of the young guards are taking redshirts.

I understand that they have to be ready for the men's crowd, and that there will certainly be more people coming, but at this point I think we have more security staff on hand than fans.

Oh, sweet summer child. The kid leading the line for Columbia looked so startled at the lusty booing from the Fordham band. If you think that's bad, you haven't seen your own conference yet, have you? As an aside, this is the most disorganized entrance I've ever seen from a team.

I'm not sure how I feel about the navy blue border on Columbia's shorts. I definitely don’t' like the retro script from Nike. Some schools and color schemes make it work, and they're not one of those schools.

Solid anthem from the band. Their version of "Jingle Bells" is a little somber for my taste.

Things are going pretty well, all things considered. It's 38-23 Fordham at the half, with the Rams hitting a three to end each quarter so far. Mary Goulding has 12 points to lead the Rams, who are doing a number on Columbia inside. Columbia's defense has been very aggressive, and we've made them pay. I like the Lions' fire.

Enthusiastic shirtless dude in the gray shorts, I don't know you but I like the cut of your jib. And of your abs.

Columbia takes a lot of risks. For the most part, said risks did not work out, but I can see them being more effective in conference play. Columbia's coach takes no nonsense from anyone, but does so in a very dry manner. I like how she handed the freshmen Markham and Casey- she was always calling them over and giving them a little extra advice. Self-possessed, I think is the word.

The Lions didn't have a lot of height available, and what they did have, they mostly didn't use. Madison Pack saw a little bit of time in the first half and launched an ill-advised three-point attempt. Abby Lee came in and committed a hard foul pretty much as soon as she came onto the floor. She's big, and burly, but I don't know how good she is at using that size effectively. Andrea McCormick was in for maybe one possession- Columbia was going to a lot of players early in the game, as if their coach were trying to see who had the hot hand and who wasn't working out. Stephanie Flynn didn't play a lot of minutes, but she was one of two reserves who started the second half, so I guess she must have been doing something right.

The other reserve who got elevated to starter for the second half was Mikayla Markham, who brought a lot of energy to the floor. I mean a lot. I mean like the human equivalent of a 5-hour energy shot. The first big play she made was a phenomenal runback to kill a Fordham fast break... and on the ensuing stoppage on the out-of-bounds, she proceeded to gather her teammates in and tear at least one of them a new one for the sloppy passing that led to the fast break she had to stop. Her range needs work and her shot's a little funky, but if she can keep her temper a little more in check, she could be really good for them. Riley Casey also got a lot of run at the point, sneaking off with a rebound. Sydney Brown got a long run in the second half, pulling down boards in the scrum (and there were a lot of scrums).

Sienna Durr is high-usage, but very intriguing. It looked like she was getting a little frustrated by the end of the game, with a stray elbow here or there. Lilian Kennedy had a really strong first half, and I was surprised that she didn't start the second. She seems to have a lot of potential. Imani Whittington got called for two charges in the first half, and that seemed to be enough for Columbia's coach to cut her minutes.

Janiya Clemmons brought a lot of offense for Columbia, mostly on jumpers, although I think she was also the one who gave Fordham a taste of their own medicine with a twisting lay-up in the second half- it was the same sort of play that Fordham had been making successfully in the first half against the aggressive Columbia defense. She had a ridiculous offensive rebound in the fourth quarter where she practically appeared from nowhere to keep the possession live for the Lions. Madison Hardy has a nice shot, but she also seemed to get frustrated as the game went on.

Columbia has a lot of freshmen, and that bodes well for the future- but at the same time, their present is rife with frustration and letting their feelings affect their game. It's a collective problem, and it's one they'll have to solve if they want to be truly competitive in the Ivy League.

We actually went fairly deep into our bench in the second half! It was a pleasant surprise to see some of the young guards, and everyone got so excited when Katie McLoughlin hit the contested floater. Okay, so she missed the free throw, but she tried. Catherine Polisano got in a nifty hustle play right at the end of the game. I'd actually like to see more of Alexa Giuliano running the offense, either with Lauren Holden (thus moving Lauren to off guard, where shooting threes from Cape May is not the most terrible thing in the world) or without Lauren (thus letting Lauren get some well-earned rest, because she's going to fall over one of these days). She seems solid.

Vilisi Tavui is still not ready for primetime. I don't know if she's tentative because of the leg injury last year, or that's just how she is, but she was consistently a step slow on offense and in the wrong place on defense (tallest player on the floor should not have been on 5-7 Markham for two straight possessions). Halei Gillis had a nifty pass inside to Megan Jonassen for a shot. I'd like to see more of Halei- we don't have a lot of height, and she's got most of it. For her part, Megan had a bit of a rough time of it. She disagreed with a lot of the fouls that were called on her, but I think she was out of position on the boards. Zara Jillings had a good game, but what intrigues me more and more about her every time out is how much time she spends working with Coach Gaitley. Zara's only a sophomore, but if she doesn't end up on Coach Gaitley's bench as soon as her senior year is over, I'll eat my hat. And I like my hats, so you know this isn't something I say idly.

Bre Cavanaugh didn't have to be the star of the show in this game, and that's probably the best thing about the day. She still brought her swagger to the floor, and when she drove the lane, Columbia couldn't stop her. I still find Lauren Holden's propensity for long threes frustrating, but when they go in, her entire game changes. She had a big third quarter, and that helped break the game open for us. She went hard after the ball; if Columbia hesitated, they were lost, and she was down on the floor with the ball. Kendell Heremaia, whether intentionally or not, did a good job of drawing the Columbia defense to her in twos and threes, leaving her teammates open for jumpers or backdoor cuts. (Also, this is a very shallow observation and not relevant to her basketball skills, but her hair looked fabulous. Kenny, I need to know what conditioner you use.)

Kaitlyn Downey seems to have found her shot, and that's led to her really seeming to have found her footing on the court. She used her size well to get inside, and to get midrange shots going. Mary Goulding went off in the first quarter, and ended the first half with a bang on a three-pointer. She's tough, and she's scrappy. She didn't do anything remarkable in this game, but she didn't really have to.

What we did to Columbia's defense in the first half was just mean. Mind you, I'm not objecting. We baited them into doubling and tripling down, and we took advantage of open shots. They were a little cagier in the second half, but we were still able to take control on fast breaks.

I will say that Columbia's Coach had good reason to be annoyed at the officials. We got away with a lot of three-second calls. I know counting is hard, and not everyone can get into an Ivy League school, but that's no excuse for not doing one's job correctly.

I'm really glad we got to go a little bit deeper into our bench, even if it was only at the end of the game. I'd still like to see Bre and Lauren get a little more of a break, but we'll cross that bridge when we get to conference season, I suppose.

The scarf is amazing, and WBB specific, and will probably be one of my new favorite things this winter. It goes better with my coat than my St. John's scarves do. There should be more promotions like this!

Read More...

Summary only...

December 6th, 2018: Yale at St. John's

Just the Facts, Ma'am: Alisha Kebbe's three-pointer with 22 seconds left turned out to be the game-winner in the Red Storm's hard-fought 56-52 win over Yale. Three Red Storm players had 12 points each to pace St. John's. Camilla Emsbo had 14 points and 12 rebounds to lead Yale, with Roxy Barahman adding 13 points and 11 rebounds.

For elbows, overwhelming frustration, deep concern, and the worst case scenario, join your intrepid and panicky blogger after the jump.

Good grief, it's cold today. I know it's going to get worse, but I don't approve. Maybe I'm getting old. But still, it's game day, and that's all that matters. St. John's plays their second home game of the season, as the Bulldogs of Yale come on down I-95.

Schedule magnet giveaway to fill that hole on the door! It looks really nice- the total team picture is a nice touch. Usually there's a heavy emphasis on the seniors, but since two are one-year wonders, I can understand the design choice.

Shenneika Smith still has the moves defensively. Tiana couldn't get past her.

Choral anthem has been the best part of the night. Game is tied at 26 at half, and I'm pretty sure Curteeona Brelove has a broken ankle. So, yeah, things are going about as well as you'd expect, now that we're down to eight players and all our tall people are picking up fouls at a horrendous rate. If it weren't for a big push in the last minute, we'd be down- we put up five points in the last minute of the second quarter. We started off with a lot of energy, but we couldn't maintain it. Losing Kayla Charles to foul trouble in the first quarter exacerbated the problem. Kadaja Bailey is not ready to play the five, which leaves either Kayla or, um. Well. Then it's adventure time.

Yale has height, especially in the person of freshman Camilla Emsbo, and they're using it whenever they can. Their coach is a very snappy dresser. She's sort of got this Ellen vibe going.

It is now officially "I have not had enough vodka for this season" o'clock. I think that's a land speed record in that regard, though only having three non-conference home games helps. Or doesn't help. Whatever is even going on here.

Yale leaned heavily on their bench in the first half, and not so much in the second half, and I'd be lying if I thought that didn't play a role in the Bulldogs' fortunes. Also, can we please at some point play a team that has names on their jerseys? It would be really helpful.

Erin Hill and Bronwyn Davies both got a little run in the second quarter. Neither of them had a huge impact on the game. Mackenzie Hewitt sort of sneaked into the game at some point during the second quarter (our new PA guy is extremely enthusiastic and I like his style, but he's a little slow on announcing subs) and ran a little point.

Ale Aguirre canned a couple of big threes for Yale in the second quarter to help them take the lead. She did commit a couple of moderately dumb turnovers, though. She's still fairly young. Alex Cade soaked up the bulk of the bench minutes for the Bulldogs, especially in the second half. She was exchanging pleasantries, or so the euphemism goes, with Kayla Charles for much of that time, and I'm surprised the refs didn't notice the little elbow jabs both players were throwing at each other during play and even after the whistle. Actually, I don't know why I'm surprised, because there are a lot of things the refs didn't notice in this game. We'll get into that later, though.

Camilla Emsbo is still a little raw, but she's going to be very good for Yale once she really finds her confidence. When she goes to the rack, she can't be stopped, and her height presented us with a lot of problems on the glass. 5-10 on 6-4 does not usually end well for the 5-10 people. Alexandra Maund really threw her weight around down low, and then seemed gravely offended that she would ever be called for a foul. She got into early foul trouble, and Yale seemed to be playing better with Cade; Maund's too similar to our own post players, so she didn't provide the kind of advantage her build usually does. And her footwork was off too; at one point, the phrase "prima ballerina" may have been bandied about for her spinning around so much. She got called for a lot of travels and could probably have been dinged for more.

Tori Andrew came in to shoot, and she took a lot of shots. We contested her well on the outside- well, I mean, we have good defensive guards, this is a thing we can do to people. She has an exceptionally quick release on her free throws. I like Roxy Barahman- she controls the game well at the point, and crashed the boards like crazy. I don't know if I would have called my own number as often as she did, or made it so obvious that I was going to (we can all see you pulling the jersey, Roxy). Megan Gorman didn't leave much of an impression, except for a couple of good defensive stops on attempted Red Storm fast breaks.

Yale looked better than I expected. They countered us well, and they've got some depth, and they've got some height; to us, that's a deadly combination.

Shamachya Duncan is aware she's allowed to pass the ball, right? It seemed like every time she touched it, it was going up. I realize she hit the first one, and that shooters gotta shoot, but at some point passing the ball to a teammate is an acceptable option. I did like the defensive hustle she showed on the sidelines, though. Jasmine Sina is scrappy, and maybe a little too scrappy; she had to have her hand retaped at some point in the second half.

Kadaja Bailey looked shell-shocked for much of this game, like she had no idea where she was or what she was supposed to be doing. She's going to spend a lot of this season playing out of position, and if Joe made her any promises about what she'd be allowed to do on the floor, they're probably going to get trampled. She's not a post, and we're going to have to ask her to play post, and she's going to have to be ready for whatever comes at her. Ditto for Kayla Charles- we only have one true post player if Curteeona Brelove is out for any length of time, and that would be Kayla. She got really frustrated in this game, to the point where I think she mentally ascended to another plane of existence sometime in the fourth quarter. When she's on, she's unstoppable and she's going to make someone else's life miserable. But she can't get into her feelings about the officials. They're all terrible, K, just roll with it.

On one hand, Tiana England did a lot to keep us in the game with her drives and her determination. On the other hand, she had a terrible case of the fumbles, with at least three of her turnovers being unforced. And her ability to slow the game down, whether by her design or Joe's, is something that has driven me nuts for a long time and will continue to drive me nuts. Apologies to long-time readers for harping on a theme. Qadashah Hoppie brought speed and distance shooting to the floor, but that extra something I can't put my finger on seemed to be missing. She wasn't as electric as usual, and I can't tell why.

Akina Wellere is definitely tuning her game to be more of an interior game, and it shows- there was one sequence where she passed on a corner three she would have taken all three other years of her St, John's career. She's doing what she has to for the team, but that doesn't mean I have to like the necessity. Alisha Kebbe was a monster defensively and on the inside. I can't bring myself to squee too much about the big two-handed block she brought down early in the game, because that's the play where Meemo got hurt, and given all the contact on the sequence, I'm not entirely certain that wasn't a cause of the injury. Poor Curteeona. Ankles are not supposed to curve outward. She spent most of the first half on the trainer's table and most of the second half on the bench in a walking boot, with an expression so desolate the bench priest was trying to cheer her up. It didn't work.

So now we're going to have an in-depth discussion of why you carry more than nine players on your active roster (remember, Alissa Alston is an ineligible transfer sitting out a year). And the discussion is going to be: THIS. This is why you carry at least ten active players and preferably twelve. You need to have a full second unit. You need to be prepared for the worst that can happen, because if you don't, that's when it will. Now we have eight players, only one of whom is over six feet tall. Now we have to rely on 5-10 forwards to do our defending inside, and while I love Alisha and Akina to death, I do not see this working out well against Kiah Gillespie. Or Kimi Evans. Or Tori Schickel. Maybe against Erika Davenport, but even then, Davenport has more experience down low at that size than they do. With a lack of size, you'd want to play fast; with a lack of players, you'd want to play slow. So what do we do now? I harp on "what is Seton Hall going to do to us?" because I know their personnel, but I am imagining all those guards and a roster that goes 11 deep on the regular, and then their bigs inside. And I'm trying to imagine us having the energy to keep up with Marquette's seniors for forty minutes. DePaul's constant ball movement. Georgetown's defensive pressure. Creighton's shooting. I don't see any of this working out well for us with the roster that we have.

I'm not going to blame Joe for injuries. I'm going to blame him for not being properly prepared for disaster, and for not having either depth or balance to compensate for things going dramatically wrong. Recruiting is on the head coach. And if he's being told he can't carry enough players by the administration, Val Ackerman needs to get over there and tell the administration to knock it off. I'm not saying we need to go to the full fifteen, because that's too far the other way, but this is ridiculous.

Also, the officials in this game were terrible and let way too much contact go. We're lucky there weren't more injuries.

This is my team, and I love them, and I love these kids, but the decisions that are made over their heads are making it harder and harder to take pride in the name on the front. It's going to be a long season, and I'll still be here for it, so if you think I'm going to let up on the terrible decision-making, nope, that is not a thing that is going to happen.

Read More...

Summary only...

November 18th, 2018: Columbia at Fordham

Just the Facts, Ma'am: Jalen Cobb sank a floater at the buzzer to give Fordham a 70-69 win over Columbia and a tournament win in the Johnny Bach Classic. Nick Honor scored 12 of his 17 points in the second half to lead Fordham. Mike Smith had a team-high 15 points for Columbia in the loss.

For drama, guards, epic hair, charge bugles, and changing seats, join your intrepid and hyped blogger after the jump.

Basketball never stops here at Rose Hill, and it's time for the Fordham men to play some basketball, as they take on the Columbia Lions.

There was a bit of a communication breakdown regarding how far out of the gym we had to go. In order to avoid any unnecessary confusion, we've returned to the baseline bleachers we occupied during the neutral game. Honestly, we should probably be at the other end of the court, where the band is, but I don't like being by the opposing bench and I don't feel like walking anyway.

Good Lord, Columbia has a lot of players. I should not be distracted by the cute guy using the railing by our section to stretch. I'm twice his age and it's a very depressing thought.

Dance team's mismatched denim jackets look even less uniform from the back. It's not a good look. It also blocks my view of the baseline, which is not okay. I'm here for basketball, not dancing girls.

Fordham's staff is very sharply dressed. Those are some nice suits. They're the only team whose staff bothered to dress up for this tournament.

At halftime of a very competitive game, Columbia is up 34-33 on Fordham. It might help if we could keep Jake Killingsworth from hitting threes- he has three of them for a team-high nine points. We're having trouble keeping them from driving as well. Antwon Portley has three threes to lead Fordham.

Musical chairs is sort of bootleg when you don't actually have chairs. I'm just saying.

I already told you I could get my wrist and twist it like a stir-fry, find a new song. And, uh, okay, I just looked up the lyrics and while I have made stir-fry, I have never cooked crack.

What a finish! Just when you think it's over, it's not over! Five points in eight seconds! Never give up and never surrender. I'll be fair- Columbia outplayed Fordham for most of the game, but all that mattered was the fight and the spark.

So Jake Killingsworth can shoot a little bit from outside. I wasn't sure if anyone noticed, since Fordham let him keep doing it. I'm not okay with this, for the record. Nice shot. The Lions also got a little bit of that from Peter Barba in the second half and a whole lot of that from Quinton Adlesh all through the game. Maka Ellis made a good hustle play to get a bucket, and also drove your intrepid blogger to despair regarding that age difference.

Patrick Tapé was called upon for a lot of minutes in the frontcourt, thanks to foul trouble from the starters- he came in almost immediately in the first half, after two fouls on Ike Nweke. Randy Brumant pulled down offensive rebounds and put down dunks. You'll pardon me for not getting excited about that, both because I'm not the biggest dunking fan and because I was rooting for Fordham.

Ike Nweke couldn't stay out of his own way. You get two fouls to start the game, within the first three minutes or so, you're going to have a bad time of it. He's got size, and he's got good touch at the basket, but none of that helps if you can't stay on the floor. Rodney Hunter started, but didn't play a lot- they were getting a lot of offense off the bench from their shooters, so I guess it makes sense.

Mike Smith has amazing hair. It is a truly epic 'frohawk. Columbia's second half approach mostly consisted of him dribbling until he found a lane, then driving and either scoring, passing, or getting fouled and going to the line. He had a couple of really nice passes to Nweke in the low post. Gabe Stefanini gave them good cuts to the basket and good size at the guard slot. Tai Bibbs seemed to almost be getting a courtesy start.

In the early going, Columbia's offensive rebounding was ridiculously good. We were able to buckle down in the second half and defend the boards better.

The answer to "who was that masked man?" is David Pekarek, who was able ot body up inside for the Rams. The real star in the post was Chuba Ohams, who appears to be approximately 96% arms and legs and who slapped a couple of monster blocks, in addition to getting on the glass. He needs to finish better at the rim, but I'll take what we got.

Onyi Eyisi had a nifty offensive rebound in the first half. I kept thinking of him more as a forward than as a guard, but I'll admit that the size in the men's game often throws me off. It's all a matter of perspective, you know? Ty Perry was part of a lot of three-guard sets- Fordham seemed to be going with that a lot down the stretch. I can't say I'm surprised, to be honest.

Jesse Bunting is tough and physical, but after a couple of foul calls he disagreed with, I was surprised he didn't do something stupid, to be honest. He looked ready to. Ivan Raut's three set up the big quick comeback to finish the game. I have to admit, I wasn't expecting him to have that kind of touch from the outside.

Nick Honor kicked it up a notch in the second half, getting to the rack and hitting the midrange shots. That is also an amazing name, I'm just saying. Jalen Cobb has a nice shot, though his freshman-ness was showing during one possession when multiple people had to remind him of what position he was assigned to on that play. Game-winning shots are best shots, though. Antwon Portley fired up a lot of shots and gave some good hustle.

The men at Fordham play a faster and more open style of play than the women. That's not commentary on men versus women, but on different coaching styles. And for all the talk some purported basketball fans like to blather on about, there were very few dunks in this game. Maybe two worth mentioning? (There was also a little one from Brumant that would better be described as a dink.)

Block/charge confusion was the overall theme of the day.

Fordham's band has an impressive repertoire. They didn't dig into repeating songs until late into the second game. The "Charge!" horn at charge calls, or at what they believe should be charge calls, was fun.

That finish was definitely worth staying for. I thought it was over when Columbia hit the fast break dunk, but it just goes to show you.

Read More...

Summary only...

March 19th, 2018: Penn at St. John's (WNIT)

Just the Facts, Ma'am: Strong defense and balanced scoring powered St. John's to a 53-48 win over Penn in the second round of the postseason WNIT. Qadashah Hoppie had a team-high 12 points off the bench for the Red Storm. Lauren Whitlatch had 12 of her 15 in the first half to spur the Quakers, who were led overall by the 15 points and 11 rebounds of Eleah Parker.

For senior warriors, superstitious whispering, nifty posters, defensive stands, injury added to insult, and the chance for vengeance, join your intrepid and squishy blogger after the jump.


Second round, here we go! This time St. John's is hosting the best the Ivy League has left to offer, the Quakers of Penn. I'm a bit nervous about their size. I don't know how well we match up with them. But let's see how it shakes out on the court.

The Penn warm-up shirts with the Palestra on the back are even cooler in person than they were on TV. They seem to have a lot of inactive players, which might bode well-ish for us? But goodness, there are a lot of them.

There's a Philadelphia team playing, so of course we have a Mel Greenberg sighting.

Curteeona, you are a sweetheart and your taste in jersey numbers is impeccable, but please don't ever wear that pink sweater with those moss-green slacks again. You look like an upside-down Hoppip.

Getting the gang back together: Sky Lindsay chilling on the bench with Da'Shena Stevens and Shenneika Smith. I'm squeeing right now. (Not squeezing, autocarrot. NOBODY ASKED YOU.)

Would it kill one of these Ivy League schools with their millions in endowments to put their band on the bus for a WNIT game? Pretty please with sugar on top? Half the fun of seeing an Ivy team is seeing their band.

Lost Quinnipiac fan is lost. Someone did not want to see UConn open up a can of whoop-ass on their squad, I see.

What is it about the row behind us that attracts fans of the opposing team? Is it my jersey? The St. John's flag I wave? My loud and vocal support for the home team? STOP IT. GO AWAY. There is an entire side of the arena closer to your bench.

It's 24-22 Penn at halftime. It could be worse. It could be better- we had a 16-8 lead- but Imani Littleton has been attached to Michelle Nwokedi like someone hit her with super glue. Penn's mostly beating us on three-point shooting- Lauren Whitlatch has 12 on four treys to lead everyone. We look terrified to shoot, which is where I think Penn's greater height is kicking in. Imani has gone all out. I love it.

We have enough alumnae for a starting five- I see you, Briana Brown and Kendyl Nunn. (Don't worry, Neika's used to playing stretch four.)

Penn's going to lose a lot with Nwokedi and Ross graduating. I think they'll take a step back next year. But Eleah Parker's got game, and once she learns to have better touch around the basket she'll be an anchor for them down low.

Tori Crawford got two very quick fouls in the first half, one defensive and one offensive, and that forced Penn to shorten their rotation more than I think they wanted to, at least in the first half. They did get good minutes out of Princess Aghayere, who was physical down low to tear away rebounds from our posts, especially in the second half when it was a bit less convenient for us to put up resistance to such handling. Phoebe Sterba lists as a guard, but I'm pretty sure she's taller than most of our posts, so that's a thing. I don't remember if she came in in the second half or not- I know she played briefly in the first.

Kendall Grasela had family in the stands, unless there was an unrelated reason why that one dude was wearing a #11 jersey. She was scrappy to a fault on defense (I, personally, object to defenders humping their assigned players, at least without asking politely and maybe bringing a nice bouquet of flowers) and seemed to get an awful lot of benefit of the doubt from the refs (but not the rim). I can't fault her motor, but I can question her judgment. Katie Kinum got herself a bucket late, on a wild putback in the lane if I recall correctly (which I may not). Beth Brzozowski saw brief minutes in both halves, and in a less contested game I would have liked to see her come back in at the end to get a proper senior send-off. I know it wasn't a home game for Penn and that's not always a thing you do on the road, but seniors deserve respect no matter who they play for.

Anna Ross played defense in the second half like her life depended on the ball not being in the hands of a St. John's player. She was everywhere on deflections, breaking up fast breaks and tipping passes like she decided to start moonlighting at cornerback. I remembered her being more of a shooter, but she concentrated her energy on defense, and it was spectacular. I think in the third quarter alone she had three big deflections. So much energy. Lauren Whitlatch decided to remind us all about the stereotype of guards from Indiana being three-point specialists by launching a whole bunch of threes- she killed us in the first half, and when she fired one off in the second half I started to get real nervous. Ashley Russell also got in on the... oh, I'm feeling polite, let's call it overambitious... Penn defensive rebounding.

I love what Michelle Nwokedi brings to the floor for Penn. She was held in check offensively for most of the night, but she rebounded well, and she does a lot of really heady things out there- there was one play that stuck out to me where she made a very precise save at the midline to prevent a backcourt violation. She's got a nice mix of power and shooting touch for her size. Shutting her down for most of the game was one of the biggest keys to the game; the times she scored were mostly when either we got caught on the switch, or when both of our starting posts were in foul trouble and it was time for Improv with Akina. Eleah Parker got off to a rough start on the inside, missing chippies, but was better able to take advantage of our defense in the fourth quarter (though I again note that our two bigs were both in foul trouble, so we ended up with a lot of Improv with Akina and Q, or with Imani backing away rapidly). She's got great size, and when she's able to take advantage of it she gets good position down low. She's not so good at dealing with people her own height yet, but she's a freshman. That's something that'll come with time. She's got incredible potential.

Very impressed with Penn's defense in this one. They made us very scared to shoot. I mean, that doesn't always take a lot, but they exploited our tendencies better than most teams do. I shouldn't be surprised that an Ivy League team plays smart, though, right?

I'm not exactly sure why Joe inserted Shamachya Duncan in the first half, though it did almost pay dividends at the buzzer. I thought answering a three-point shooter with a three-point shooter was not a good plan; I thought we needed more defense, and that's not Machi's strength. Kayla Charles gave some goot spot minutes in the post, though you can definitely still tell she's a freshman. There's a lot of work to be done with her, especially on defense, but I see the potential.

This was probably one of the best defensive games I've seen out of Qadashah Hoppie this year. For the first time I got the sense that she realizes she's tall for a guard and used it to her advantage. She was doing work out on the perimeter, and had an emphatic block on a Kinum drive. If she can get that defense working regularly, she'll be a terror out there, and I want it. I want it bad. Someone with her clutch shooting coupled with clutch defense... yes, please. Andrayah Adams got buckets, but more and more with her I'm getting the sense that her offense is not necessarily what the play calls for. Sometimes that's a good thing- someone on this team has to want to shoot- but seeing everything break down when she decides she's going up is not always fun.

Alisha Kebbe was all over the floor and the glass. Her shots weren't necessarily going down, but they were clutch when they did. She made big defensive plays and big plays on the boards. She's streaky on offense, but I'll take every ounce of the defense that she brings. Tiana England had some slick passes, but her willingness to slow the offense down played right into Penn's hands. She spent way too much time dribbling the clock away, and her hesitation at the timeline cost her in turnovers. She's got to look at the clock more and be aware that sometimes she needs to be the shooter. Akina Wellere got put into the unenviable position of having to guard Penn's posts for stretches, which is not her forte. Her lack of speed and mobility definitely shows there. She hasn't done well with teams keying on her, and last night she was a wee tiny bit too three-happy for my liking.

Maya Singleton got caught helping on defense one time too many- that was the source of a lot of her foul trouble, plus an ill-advised attempt to drive that fouled her out of the game. You can't realistically expect to get the benefit of the doubt when the player is that set and the play's not really that close. She was tough on the glass and hit a clutch midrange jumper. Stat lines be damned, though, Imani Littleton took over the night once again. Someone does not want her college career to end any time soon, and I love what I'm seeing out of her. This WNIT run really seems like the first time she's using her height to its full effect, deflecting passes and making monster blocks. Her defense has been the reason we've been in every game. She's going all out, and even when she loses the gamble on the swat, she gets back up and she does it again. She's got nothing left to lose.

I'm sorry if I'm a bit incoherent. The heart Imani has shown these last two games is making my heart all squishy.

I don't want to say we were getting the short end of the stick when it came to calls and physical contact, but even the refs were smacking us around with no consequences. No, seriously. Late in the game, one of the officials popped Akina Wellere in the mouth while making a call. I missed the entire sequence, but I saw him make the call, and then I saw Akina holding her mouth with a very confused expression on her face. Someone in the crowd was baying for a technical, which makes me wonder if they thought Akina initiated contact somehow. Either that, or she had the reaction that is to be expected when the ref hits you in the mouth and someone had the vapors over her language.

We've been a team that prides ourselves on our defense for a very long time. It's really stepped up in this postseason. Let's keep it going against Duquesne. Duquesne must suffer, after all. I still hold a grudge or two against them.

We're going to need a bigger crowd, though. I'm tired of being the loudest person in the arena. I don't know how much more of this my diaphragm can take.

Parting shot- Sky Lindsay doing small Rockette kicks as the band played the team out to "New York, New York". Never change, Sky.

Read More...

Summary only...

March 16th, 2018: Harvard at Fordham (WNIT)

Just the Facts, Ma'am: Bre Cavanaugh scored 19 of her 26 points in the second half to power Fordham to a 65-47 comeback win over Harvard in the first round of the WNIT. G'mrice Davis added 12 points and 12 rebounds. Taylor Rooks had 18 to lead the Crimson, but she was the only Harvard player to break double figures.

For traveling in the Bronx at rush hour, traveling in the Bronx after rush hour, hotshot freshmen, loud fans, free food, and the important questions in life, join your intrepid and hoops-satiated blogger after the jump.

All right, now the Big Dance is upon us. But no one's playing nearby, so I don't care. Instead, it's off to Fordham for their first-round WNIT match-up with Harvard. If yesterday's example is anything to judge by, we should be in for some fun from the Harvard band.

Fortunately, the police action at Tremont Road didn't hold us up for too long. Still made it around quarter past six.

Bre Cavanaugh's hair is still normal. I'm sort of disappointed. She must be planning something spectacular for deep into the postseason. The longer she keeps color out of it, the more epic I expect it to be when she does go for it.

Harvard seems to have traveled some fans, but I don't even see Fordham's band, much less Harvard's. I guess the husband and I will have to provide all the noise. We're used to that sort of thing.

At halftime it's 33-24 Harvard, and that's honestly an improvement. Harvard's passing has been phenomenal, faster and more accurate than our defense has been able to hang with. We're not fast and we're not deep, and without Zara Jillings in the first half we have as much depth as a tabloid headline. Taylor Rooks put up 10 in the first quarter and 12 overall to lead Harvard. Fordham seems unwilling to shoot the ball- we already have two shot clock violations and another couple of possessions that have been dangerously close. Bre Cavanaugh's seven points is the team high.

Well, Bre Cavanaugh looked at that halftime deficit and basically went, "Nope. Nope, nope, nope." Cold-blooded assassin that she is, she took over the game in the third quarter and turned the tide in Fordham's favor. More people need to be talking about her nationally. She does not get the love or respect that she deserves.

Nota bene: no matter how much time pressure you're under, no matter how good of an idea it seems at the time, attempting to type on a laptop while racing along the Bruckner on the Q44 bus will result mostly in friction burns, motion sickness, and putting the A's in Cavanaugh in all the wrong places. It is not a good plan.

So, Harvard. When they took jump shots, their offense did not look terrible. Their passing was crisp and quick, outpacing the defense. But anything that wasn't a jump shot seemed to be a risky floater in the lane or a wild heave that hit anything and everything except the bottom of the net. Glass, rim, side of the backboard- that ball was going all over the place. Late in the game, they broke out a chaotic backcourt defense that might have rewarded them with turnovers at a different point of the game, instead of the cheap foul calls they got under the assumption that they were trying to foul.

Jadyn Bush got the unenviable job of defending the interior against G'mrice Davis (and to a lesser extent, Johanna Klug and Mary Goulding, plus whoever was inclined to drive). She ended up fouling out, and I'm not terribly surprised. I wasn't impressed with her positioning on the floor. I wouldn't have believed Nani Redford played 10 minutes if I didn't see it in the box score, so you can tell how impressed with her I was. Sydney Skinner played most of the game- it looked almost like senior privilege was invoked on this starting lineup, but that would be a fatalistic approach to take in a single-elimination tournament. Skinner's sort of a tweener- big body and isn't afraid to knock people over, but also likes to shoot from the outside. If I remember her year correctly, she's not a senior, so she's going to be big for them next season.

Someone else at the game compared Katie Benzan to Leilani Mitchell, and I can sort of see where they were going with this. She's very tiny (I'm not used to people being shorter than Lauren Holden) and very fast. Her jumper's pretty nice and she pulls up in the lane. But I don't see the same kind of passing eye from her on the break that I did from Mitchell. Benzan seems more ball dominant than Mitchell. I wouldn't be surprised if she considered Becky Hammon a role model. Taylor Rooks did a great job of getting open and staying open- we switched an awful lot to try and keep up with their passing. She's another odd-sized tweener, but she's got a nice jumper.

Kirby Porter didn't play much, and since she was inserted back into the game at the end when Fordham made the line change, I'm going to assume she started out of courtesy. Senior privilege is a thing. I think she was part of the frenetic end-game defense Harvard threw up as in desperation. I will save you all the bad graphic design/printing industry puns about rastering versus vector artwork, and merely say that Madeline Raster shoots well and had a solid all-around game. Jeannie Boehm was big on the inside, but had trouble handling passes.

I'm starting to think Harvard is used to getting the foul calls when they throw up those wild shots at the rim. There's no other reason for players as smart as Harvard students should be to do such stupid things on the floor.

Fordham got the chance to clear the bench in the final twenty seconds, to the point where one of the subs got delayed because you can't sub for the free throw shooter. The deep bench didn't get much of a chance to shine in those twenty seconds or so, so no, you're not getting individualized analyses, guys. Sorry. I don't know what Zara Jillings did to get benched in the first half, during a stretch when we could have used her defense, but I trust Coach Gaitley's judgment. She had a gorgeous pass to G'mrice on the inside, just when we thought she needed to shoot the damn ball. Kendell Heremaia made a nifty defensive play to recover a loose ball, then really started feeling her oats and launched a three. (Poor Kenny. Had to clean up all the balls from shootaround, and G kept firing them at her.)

Why, yes, I am worried about the fact that our starters played such heavy minutes that I can sum up the contributions of our bench in one not-huge paragraph.

I love the hustle Mary Goulding brings to the floor. She had one putback that I can only describe as utterly ridiculous, but if I did attempt to describe it, might sound something like "so the ball bounced off the rim, and Mary and another player were going up for it, and I think there were three hands on the ball and two of them were Mary's, and it sort of ended up being set into the basket". She brought a lot of grit on the glass, so I can forgive some of the moments I can only describe as derpy. I've never heard G'mrice Davis be so loud demanding the ball before- she was letting out the kind of whoops I usually make when the other team is at the free throw line. She went hard to the rack and met with heavy opposition, so she was putting up a lot of contested shots. She was bound and determined to get those rebounds, though. Johanna Klug looked slow all night. I think she ran into the freshman wall and never did figure out how to climb over it- when the offseason hits, she needs to get her act together.

I'm not used to Lauren Holden being taller than anyone on the floor, but she was bigger and taller than Benzan. She does tend to argue fouls, even when it's obvious she's pushing. There were a couple of moments when I thought she was starting to indulge her propensity to start chucking deep threes for the fun of it, but she restrained herself and ran more clock. I still have no idea how she managed to set an illegal screen, though. Not used to itty bitty guards setting screens. And then there was Bre Cavanaugh, who showed once again that the blood in her veins is as cold as ice. She took the game over in the third quarter, driving the lane and draining threes, and she was the one who put the game away at the end of the fourth. She saw that everyone was terrified to shoot and decided that she was going to take over. I just love what she already brings to the floor- and she's only a freshman, folks. Redshirt, but a freshman nevertheless.

I know Fordham likes to run a very deliberate offense, but there comes a point when you do have to shoot, and we lost sight of that in the second quarter. G'mrice getting caught with the ball to draw a shot clock violation right after she had a putback disallowed on not beating the buzzer was... yes, well, that summed up much of our offense at that point. And just when we got some momentum near the end of the second quarter, Harvard clamped down on defense and we started losing the ball. I really thought we were goners. But then Bre.

I think Fordham definitely got the benefit of the doubt from the officials, who were not good at procedural calls and let an awful lot of contact go.

Shoutout to the family in front of us, who led cheers with glorious enthusiasm (and later totally tried to pin the yelling on their kids). We needed them, and they answered the bell.

There was free pizza and apple pie, but the apple pie was from McDonalds, so I'm glad I passed. (Also, the new wraps at Subway are delicious.)

If Robert Morris had beaten Drexel, I'd have had an impetus to get these notes done sooner, because Fordham would have hosted the Colonials. But Drexel gets the homecourt advantage against the Rams, and I just don't have it in me to head to Philadelphia this weekend.

If this was the last time I ever got to see G'mrice Davis, then it was worth it. I hope it isn't, of course; I hope we beat the scales off Drexel and get homecourt advantage in the next round. But I love what we showed in this game, and I think it'll be important to carry forward both through the WNIT and into next year.

Read More...

Summary only...

December 28th, 2017: UC Davis at Yale (Fordham Holiday Classic)

Just the Facts, Ma'am: The Aggies of UC Davis used their speed to their advantage in a 71-61 win over Yale at Fordham's holiday tournament. Rachel Nagel led the Aggies with 17 points, while Cierra Hall chipped in 15 points and a team high nine rebounds off the bench. Tamara Simpson had 18 points in a losing cause for Yale, with Jen Berkowitz notching a double-double of 13 points and 15 rebounds.

For seniors, coincidences of nomenclature, tempo changes, a lack of musical accompaniment, fancy fleeces, disconnects, and the power of speed, join your intrepid and groovy blogger after the jump.


On to the next one, as the saying goes, and the second half of our double-header features the Aggies of UC Davis and the Bulldogs of Yale. Since the first game ended rather earlier than I think the organizers were expecting, these two teams have extra time to warm up. (And in Yale's case, perhaps find the rest of the team, since I doubt they only brought six players with them to the Bronx.)

Look, I know I'm probably the only person in this section who cares about the second game, but y'all are either going to have to sit down or leave in the near future, because y'all are clogging the aisle and blocking the view. (It looks like they're choosing to leave. Hey, your loss. I'd think you'd want to scout the team y'all are playing tomorrow, but maybe that's just me.)

Meanwhile, the Rams are putting in overtime, signing posters in a cramped row behind the VIP seats across from the visitors' bench. (Normally they use the media table, but that's not practical in a double-header.) Dead serious, I think G'mrice Davis is actually sitting on the aisle stairs because there isn't quite enough room to make this whole thing work.

(Update: Yale has found all the players. But also, UC Davis has quite a lot of players.)

It's nice to get to see family for the holidays- it looks like Johanna Klug has folks in from Germany, and our North Carolina gals Halei and Ralene were talking to someone who looks like a slightly older Halei around the face.

Y'all. I know your butts probably hurt, but if you are standing in front of me in twenty-five minutes, we are going to fight. (Again, they left.)

The seats in front of me and around me have been filled with Tamara Simpson's family, both nuclear and extended. They're enthusiastic, but not obnoxious like the Hartford fans were, so it's cool. (Also, the Yale family gets some nifty swag- Patagonia fleece with logo and number? Swanky.)

At halftime, UC Davis is up 38-33. Rachel Nagel has 11 points and three boards to lead the Aggies, who have also gotten timely points from Cierra Hall. Tamara Simpson is putting on a show for her family and folks, with 15 points, three rebounds, and three steals.

Fordham scouted the first half, and bailed for a while, but they're wandering back now. I think they get to relax now.

Yale's coaching staff has some snappy dressers on it, whether it's the head coach's tailored suit or the young person in the black jacket and gray shirt with matching bowtie. And if that's Melissa D'Amico in the Irish green skirt- well done, I saw what you did there.

UC Davis did a better job of controlling the pace of the game and getting Yale to play at their faster tempo. That might be a problem for Fordham tomorrow, so it's a good thing I'll be in Brooklyn. The Aggies seemed to like longer passes and uptempo play.

(Huh. The work at 121st Street is done.)

Sophia Song has one of my favorite names in college hoops right now, and some instincts around the basket. Kaitlyn Hsu came in at the very end of the game, with just a few seconds left (almost to the point where you wonder what the point is, but I guess it makes sense if you're trying to keep someone higher in the rotation from getting hurt in garbage time). I think Karley Eaton was mostly in as an accurate free throw shooter, especially at the end of the game.

Cierra Hall reminds me a little of Cierra Burdick (not just because of the name, she looks a little like her around the face), but she more reminds me of Jackie Nared from St. Mary's. She rebounded ferociously and showed a knack for being in the right place in the right time. I love her moves, and I love her potential as a freshman. Marly Anderson is not terribly mobile, but she gets good position and I'm sure she'll get some of those shots to go down in other games. She laid a couple of monster blocks on the Yale guards. Nina Bessolo is quick, especially on defense.

Morgan Bertsch rebounded well close to the basket. She made herself available down low and finished at the rim. I thought the Aggies did a good job of managing her fouls. I'm still not sure how you pronounce Nafekh, but I think it might sound like three-pointer, because Dani Nafekh came up with two threes in the second half. She's an interesting match-up. Pele Gianotti is long and lanky, and I think she thinks she has an elbow jumper, but it's not a reliable shot.

Have yourself a day, Rachel Nagel! She sliced her way into the lane like nobody's business, going to the basket with authority and without fear. The play of hers I actually remember most is watching her leap after an offensive rebound on a missed three- I'm not sure she didn't move before the shot actually went off. I love that kind of rebounding focus. Kourtney Eaton had a great deflection in the third quarter that broke up a Yale possession and hit a couple of threes. She's a steady hand, good for them.

The pace of play seemed really important to the Aggies. When they were able to make it work, they took over the game; the times when Yale was able to bottle them up and either deflect passes or just stop them on defense were the times the Bulldogs were able to get back into the game. (Except for that mind-numbingly stupid over and back, there was no excuse for that, I don't know what that even was.)

I get the feeling Yale's coach might need ot learn to trust her bench a little more. I think part of why they started to fade in the second half was the virtual lack of substitutions. I know exactly what that can do to a team, having survived both the St. John's and Fordham experiences. I also get the sense there might be a torch-passing in progress, but it's definitely a work in progress, and the underclassfolk might not be as ready as the coach wants them to be.

The only reason I noticed that Alex Cade was in the game was that she committed a foul. Either I need to get the wax out of my ears or the PA guy needs to do a better job of announcing substitutions. People, if y'all don't have names on your jerseys, it's that much harder to tell y'all apart. Bronwyn Davies gave the Bulldogs a little relief in the first half, but I don't know if she knew where she was supposed to be on the floor. In her case, I can understand why Yale didn't go back to her in the second half.

I did like the energy that Alexandra Maund brought, both on and off the floor (when the ref had an issue with the players gathering behind the bench during timeouts, she proceeded to leap over the chairs to get in the official-approved spot). She wasn't necessarily able to get it corralled into a useful form, but I get the sense that this might not have been her best day. Mary Ann Santucci started the game on the bench, though she started the second half, and I can't help but wonder if that's part of that "my underclassfolk should be readier than this" sense I'm getting off Yale. She set up Jen Berkowitz with a nifty feed down low and came up with a couple of threes, but it looked like she was missing easy shots when they counted. That's a problem for a senior.

Tamara Simpson started the game on fire, and though she cooled down somewhat in the second on offense, she remained ruthless in the passing lanes, intercepting balls and returning them on fast breaks. I love the leadership she showed on the floor, and I'm a sucker for a steals specialist. The folks around me seemed extremely fond of Roxy Barahman, despairing when the looks she got at the basket in the first half didn't go down and exulting when she started to get the shots in the second half (especially the three-pointers, they were super hyped about those). (Also, I love when player families show vocal support for their kid's teammates and not just their own kid.) She made a great defensive play in the fourth that ended up leading to one of her threes. Hard worker, and that's always rewarded in the end.

Jen Berkowitz stepped up big time in the second half. She started getting better rebounding position and making more plays on the inside. She had a couple of monster blocks, one on Gianotti and one on Kourtney Eaton that was a very poor life choice on Eaton's part. I don't know if it was the Aggies' tight man defense or the original Yale game plan that made her less of a factor, but it seemed like they should have maybe gone more to her sooner. Megan Gorman got the start, but didn't play much in favor of Santucci, and left no real impression when she did. Ellen Margaret Andrews is carrying around a lot of name, and I can see the potential Yale sees in her (she had one nifty play on an offensive rebound and putback that was especially nice) but there's a lot of work to be done with her. Her shot is almost embarrassingly not sound.

There were stretches when Yale seemed very disorganized; there were stretches when they had their act together and were able to get a run going. But there's a disconnect they're going to need to get past if they're going to succeed in the Ivy- and given the phenomenal individual talents they'll be facing, even that might not be enough.

Officials were fantastically lax on travels, to the point where I got to break out the "counting is hard" line, which is always a fun one when you're sitting with folks from an academically inclined school.

There will be interesting clashes of styles tomorrow (or, technically today but I haven't slept yet because sleep is of the weak). I'd like Yale to shut up the Hartford fans.

Read More...

Summary only...

November 29th, 2017: Boston College at Columbia

Just the Facts, Ma’am: Rebounding and defense keyed a second half comeback for Columbia in their matinee win against Boston College, 68-60. Camille Zimmerman had 14 points and seven assists in the win for the Lions. Georgia Pineau led all scorers with 22 for Boston College.

For missed chances, going the long way around, a lack of creativity, cranky coaches, undisciplined fouls, showcases, and restraining children, join your intrepid and curious blogger after the jump.

Good morning, folks! Your intrepid blogger, two apple cakes later, is back on the basketball grind, doing the twi-night doubleheader, as you do. First it’s off to Columbia for their game against Boston College.

Note to self: stop trying to walk from the C train, it’s not a good plan. Too many hills and my feet already hurt from being on them so much of the day yesterday. Ended up going around the hilly side of the campus and losing track of avenues. I’ve lived in New York all my life, but named avenues still throw me off when I go uptown.

So far this appears to be one of the better-organized kids’ day games I’ve ever been to. They’re loading the groups efficiently, and there are actually seats reserved for those few adults brave enough to dare the screaming. Also, we have band. I am pleased by this turn of events. Now, if the wi-fi would cooperate, we’d really be on a roll.

There was a pregame presentation to honor Camille Zimmerman becoming Columbia’s all-time leading scorer, which is very cool. Records are made to be broken, after all.

This has not exactly been inspiring basketball. At halftime, BC is up 29-27, and it would be more if they could hit a free throw. It’s a miracle that Columbia is this close, given that Camille Zimmerman got called for three straight fouls in the second quarter, cutting her minutes. But BC has been turning the ball over and not capitalizing when they manage to hold on to it. I don’t know how much longer Columbia’s luck can hold, and I feel like it’s going to depend on when Zimmerman picks up the fourth foul.

There’s being agnostic about ticket sales, and then there’s selling tickets behind the home bench to two vocal BC fans. This is not a good plan.

To the kids behind me: I get what you’re saying, and I’m not saying you’re necessarily wrong, but could you find something more creative than “You suck!” to yell whenever Columbia makes a stupid mistake? Thanks.

I want a drink so badly, but I don’t think daring the concession stand is a good idea, especially since Columbia has apparently switched to being a Pepsi place. Booooooo.

At LIU, before the home team takes free throws, the band yells in chorus, “FREE THROWS WIN BALL GAMES!” I feel like BC’s coach is going to be doing the same thing as soon as they get into the locker room... and on the bus... and off the bus... and back to Chestnut Hill. For most of the game, the Eagles outplayed the Lions- but they choked at the line, and I think that made all the difference.

Katie Quandt is a load down low, not afraid to muscle her way to the basket for offensive rebounds and either putbacks or free throws. I can imagine how she got the injury that led to the facemask. Milan Bolden-Morris wears her shorts just a little bit too tight for my liking- not short like booty shorts, but tight like they look uncomfortable. She had a good fourth quarter- big shots, big defensive plays. They list her as a guard, but she takes on some of the frontcourt duties when she has to. Martina Mosetti was busy on defense.

Sydney Lowery’s a gunner, or at least she was in this game. But I still like her potential. She definitely had her freshman moments, but I think she can learn from those and develop her judgment. That head fake she threw was sweet. Andie Anastos got most of her points driving the lane, with the Columbia defense parting before her. I don’t get that either. Taylor Ortlepp was out there, but she didn’t distinguish herself. I think she might have been the one who committed the lane violation that sealed BC’s fate, but I’m not sure.

Georgia Pineau was big on the inside, barreling into the paint for lay-ups and pulling down boards. She had quite a few blocks, with especially spectacular ones on Josie Little and Maya Sampleton. Her conditioning needs work- there was a point in the third quarter where she was pulling on her jersey in the time-honored signal of “I need a break”. But when she came down the lane, Columbia defenders either got out of the way or fouled her. Emma Guy was equally tough (I suppose a “tough Guy” joke is expected here), with a nice offensive rebound and putback on a missed free throw. I thought the fourth foul call on her was dubious. They aren’t the best, or the most physical, post tandem I’ve ever seen from BC, but bear in mind we used to get the Carolyn Swords/Stefanie Murphy combo visiting St. John’s. That’s a high standard to live up to. She needs to be more careful with her footwork.

Appropriately enough for a hockey school, Boston College used line changes in the final minute or so. I’m used to single-player offense/defense substitution, but BC’s coach was calling on entire three-person units.

It’s a good thing Columbia isn’t one of my usual teams. I’d spend an awful lot of time confused, since the Lions have a guard named Maya Sampleton. She did not get off to an inspiring start (I think she was the player who let a pass hit her in the face and go out of bounds) but came up with some big threes in the third quarter to help Columbia seize the lead. Andrea McCormick saw time very briefly in the second quarter, right around the time when Columbia’s coach was yelling at her bench that someone else had to score and was throwing in pretty much anyone. The three probably calmed the coach’s nerves slightly. Janiya Clemmons was a shot in the arm of offense, hitting floaters in the lane. She played well enough that she got the second half start.

Imani Whittington did not cover herself in glory in her brief time. Ill-advised fouls have a tendency to do that. I barely noticed she was there until she started committing the fouls. Abby Lee was solid rebounding, and hit a three in the second quarter that helped pull Columbia closer. She got the second half start for Madison Pack, but that was due to injury. Not that she didn’t play well, but this was a case where it wasn’t that one player had clearly outplayed another.

Riley Casey started the game, but she was the one benched for Clemmons. I understand the move- she was very hesitant at point guard, holding the ball too long and missing open shooters in the corners. Going to the bench seemed to enliven her, as she scored almost all of her points in the fourth quarter. When her three goes down, it’s a pretty shot, high-arcing. Paige Tippet shut the door with her free throws at the end of the game. Good hustle player.

Why, yes, I did pretty much bury the lede. It’s my standard procedure, build to the good stuff. In this case, the good stuff is Camille Zimmerman, the Lions’ star utility forward. She plays the game at a different level from her teammates. She’s looking for angles they don’t see. She’s making plays before they are. There were at least two occasions where she collided with a teammate on a rebound or a loose ball when her teammate was the one in position to make the play. I recognize that Columbia is a fantastic option for one’s future, but I believe with all my heart that she’d be a far better basketball player at another school, with more talented teammates and a better coach. (And it’s not like there aren’t academic schools out there with strong women’s hoops programs. God, what VanDerveer could do with her.) There are limits to her game- she didn’t seem to have a strong perimeter shot, and she can’t get into foul trouble the way she did in this one. But I love her vision on the floor and her versatility inside the arc. Madison Pack was shot happy from outside, and she rebounded well. I didn’t see the play where she injured her ankle, only that she came off the court limping and didn’t play in the second half (she didn’t even return to the bench until midway through the third quarter). Josie Little was strong on the inside, with a couple of monster blocks, one on Guy, one on Pineau, and she seemed to pick up steam as the game went on. She helped make her team and her teammates better.

Columbia’s coach appears to be very frustrated with her lot in life. She is of the “if I yell at the bench after the players on the floor screw up, magic will happen” school, though slightly less caustic than Coach Del Preore. (Stephanie, if you’re reading this, I really do like you and would love to sit in the stands with you at a game. It’s just that if I played for you I’d try to punch you in the face.)

If Camille Zimmerman’s third foul had been allocated to Madison Pack the way I thought it should have been, this might have been an entirely different game. The officials were lax on three-second calls and got looser on travels as the game went on.

I don’t know if this falls under the referees’ or some other officials’ purview, but there were long delays before tipoff and before the start of the second half. I know the game was on SNY, but the red-hatting seemed excessive.

I expected more out of an Ivy League band. Columbia’s band was very disappointing- competent, but not innovative.

I understand why Columbia scheduled up this year- Camille Zimmerman deserves a showcase. But I don’t think the rest of this team, including its staff, is on the same level. And I don’t know how much room for improvement there is.

Read More...

Summary only...

November 16th, 2017: Princeton at Seton Hall

Just the Facts, Ma’am: A three-point barrage early in the fourth quarter gave Princeton a lead they would hold, though barely, in their 85-83 win at Seton Hall. Bella Alarie had 22 points and 12 rebounds to lead the Tigers, who put five players in double figures. The Pirates got 21 points from Donnaizha Fountain and a 13-point/11-rebound double-double from Taylor Brown in the loss.

For whining, cough drops, officiating issues, short jokes, and mass confusion, join your intrepid and pressed blogger after the jump.

Basketball never stops. Sometimes I wish it would. I really shouldn’t be in South Orange right now. I have a cold or something that makes my throat hurt at even the thought of yelling at my usual volume. There’s a St. John’s game tomorrow with an early start. It’s a long-ass haul to South Orange, and not one I’m really thrilled about doing in the dark. But Tony wouldn’t get off our asses until one of us committed to going to this game. So here I am in the wrong spot in the bleachers at Walsh, watching as Seton Hall takes on Princeton.

Tony, if you ever happen to be reading these: never again. Ask Kaela or Selena just how far it is from Queens to South Orange without a car, okay?

Three Princeton players knelt for the anthem. I didn’t catch all the numbers, but I could see that Sydney Jordan and Qalea Ismail were two of them. I think the third had a #2 in her number, but I don’t want to throw out names without being certain. There was a bit of muttering behind me when they did it, but nothing I was going to need to start a fight for.

(I support protests. I wish more student-athletes had the wherewithal and political awareness to do so. You can disagree if you want. That is, in fact, the entire damn point.)

I have to find out where Seton Hall gets their pizza for events so I can make sure to never, ever, ever accidentally inflict their inferior product on myself. Don’t look free pizza in the mouth, but dear God that is bad pizza. When you’re hoping that it tasted weird because it was bad and not because the cheese had gone bad, it is bad pizza.

At halftime, Seton Hall is up 40-35 on Princeton. Balanced scoring, lots of flashy defensive plays. Neither team seems thrilled when the other one brings pressure. It’s entertaining when the officials don’t get involved.

I feel guilty about not being loud enough, but my throat hurts so much. I have a backpack full of Ricola, and it still might not be enough.

Tony’s already feeling himself- he got a warning from the ref in the first quarter. Seriously, amigo, have you considered switching to decaf occasionally?

Someone on the Princeton bench is wearing a very unfortunate plaid top. The sleeves are a little too long and the blousy fit doesn’t suit her figure.

Look, guys, if y’all are going to forget how to cover the corner three in the fourth quarter, could y’all maybe send an advance memo so I’m not hiking around South Orange Avenue in the dark? Because South Orange doesn’t really believe in streetlights, at least along that stretch.

You dance with the one that brought you, and Princeton’s starters played well, so Courtney Banghart didn’t really need to use her depth. (The Ivies do tend to depth, I’ve noticed; if you don’t have athletic scholarships anyway, it seems like it’s easier to carry a large roster.) I’m not sure why Kenya Holland got the second half start over Sydney Jordan, or if it was a matter of Sydney Jordan starting over Kenya Holland. Holland got physical, enough that she fouled out in her limited minutes. Gabrielle Rush killed us from the near-side corner- she had two of the three threes that opened the fourth quarter for Princeton and really tolled the death knell for the Hall. Taylor Baur always seemed to be mixed up in loose balls and scrambles for the ball. I thought she used her height very well to be disruptive.

As I said before, I have no idea what the story was with Sydney Jordan and Kenya Holland- who the regular starter is, whether someone was undergoing a disciplinary benching or Banghart was experimenting with her lineup. I do know she committed two very early fouls, and I think that put her in the coach’s doghouse. I don’t know if I’d have Leslie Robinson bringing the ball up on a regular basis- she doesn’t look confident in her dribble, though she at least had the vision to pass the ball off when she got into too much trouble. (On the flip side of that, I’m a little annoyed at our defense for not pressuring her more.) Her offense has really developed since the last time I got a good look at Princeton. She’s no longer the secret weapon she was back then. She still makes the kind of hustle plays and smart plays you expect from a coach’s kid, but she’s backed it up with physical drives in the lane. Bella Alarie is the real deal. Granted, she had a height advantage on pretty much everyone out there, but she’s mobile, she’s got range, and she rebounds very well. Her free throw stroke is pretty, and she goes to the basket with the quickness. I can’t believe she’s only a sophomore.

Listing Tia Weledji as a guard just isn’t right. She’s way more physical than any guard has a right to be. She has a jumper, but overall I’d say she plays more like a forward- if you’re going to make a comparison, maybe a very young Le’Coe Willingham, the one who was move and countermove with DeTrina White back in the day. She never gave up on a rebound. Carlie Littlefield’s quick first step took me by surprise. She took advantage of very small lanes very fast. Her passing game needs some work- we jumped the passing lanes on her pretty well. I’d also want to get a look at the play-by-play to see how many of her turnovers came in the last couple of minutes, when the Seton Hall defense made the last doomed stand.

Can I say how not thrilled I was with Princeton’s tripping? Because I was not thrilled with Princeton’s tripping.

Kaity Healy had one job: foul the designated victim and do so as quickly as possible. She did so. Smart move; Kaity had a fresh set of fouls and absolutely no other relevance to the game. Kimi Evans saw some extended time with the foul trouble on our post players, and because at least she’s taller than everyone else (except for Jayla Jones-Pack, who I’m assuming is hurt {again} because otherwise I think she would have been in the rotation). Her shot needs work. Her mobility needs work. I continue to love Selena Philoxy’s hustle and the work she does on the glass, and I continue to be frustrated with her free throw shooting. Shooting in general seems to be a problem with the squad this year, but we’ll get to that in a little while.

Inja Butina needs to look for her shot a lot more often and a lot earlier in the clock. Normally I am all about the selfless, distributing, facilitating guard. And I love what she brings to the floor on defense, with her pressure and her ability to disrupt the ballhandler. But it got to the point where we were practically playing 4 on 5 on offense. That’s a problem, especially when the big guns are firing blanks, as they were tonight. I don’t know why Kaela Hilaire’s minutes were limited in this one- she didn’t have a great game, but it wasn’t terrible either. Deja Winters had streaky shooting- when she got hot, she got us back in the game, but when she was cold, that made it a lot harder for us to answer Princeton’s shooting. Her defense in the fourth quarter was top-notch- she kept us in it that way.

So now I’ve seen Donnaizha Fountain have a bad shooting game. I suppose it was inevitable. I suppose many things in life are inevitable. It seemed like she was relying too heavily on puck luck, on the lucky bounces high off the rim that didn’t go in this time. There wasn’t as much offensive discipline in her game as I might have liked, and I’m not sure whether that was because of Princeton’s defense or because she was panicking for whatever reason. I still absolutely love her energy- she supports her team even when she’s not on the floor, which to me is a sign of the best teammates. I’ve come to the conclusion that Shadeen Samuels is my current favorite Pirate. (I’ve also come to the conclusion that I have a type when it comes to favorites.) I swear she’s gotten taller. She was fierce on the glass, though she’s got to finish better at the rim- she had a lot of good looks, and she couldn’t get them to go down. I love the vibe she brings to the floor so very much. (That fifth foul on her was a lie. A lie, I tell you. FIGHT ME FATOU CISSOKO-STEPHENS.)

Missing at the rim was the theme of the night, as Taylor Brown couldn’t put it in down low for love nor money. She found her stroke near the end of the game, but it was too little, too late. She had the toughest defender on the floor on her in Leslie Robinson, who pushed her around a lot. They got tangled up quite a bit on both ends of the floor, and usually Taylor got the calls against her. She did get one fantastic block on Robinson, though. It was very satisfying. Nicole Jimenez was unremarkable, except that I don’t know if she was on the same page as Coach Bozzella much of the time. The body language seemed to indicate that there was some kind of failure to communicate going on. (I could be wrong, though.) JaQuan Jackson at least managed to get her points at the line, but I’m still worried about her shooting. We need her offense, and we need her to be an effective outside threat. That doesn’t mean she should stop going to the rack, though.

Guys, we need to have a talk about clock management, and I’m not sure if I should be having this talk with Tony, or with the entire squad. I noticed it originally when we still had LaTecia Smith, but it seems to be a team-wide problem, whether it’s Kaela, Inja, or anyone else with the ball. Y’all have got to know time and score. The play-calling at the end of the half was crap in both halves, culminating in Inja hitting the meaningless three at the end of the game that might have had more meaning if she had taken pretty much the same shot fifteen seconds earlier. I’m starting to think this is a coaching issue.

I am also somewhat confused as to why Kaela Hilaire didn’t play much in the fourth quarter. She’s a better defender than Nicole and more of an offensive threat than Inja. I’m not going to say that any one decision cost us the game, but I don’t think we countered them well.

(I am also starting to think Tony recruits his point guards on the basis of not having to look up at them, but that’s petty and unkind of me.) (And so is pressuring people to make four-hour round trips. I’m not saying, I’m just saying.)

Officials let a lot of contact go early, and were generally inconsistent on the contact they called. I can understand why Tony got the warning and the technical. The fifth foul on Shadeen was the worst, because from where I was sitting, it didn’t look like she was even involved in the play- if there was a foul, it would have been on Taylor Brown, and I genuinely wonder if someone threw up the wrong number of fingers- Taylor wears #23, Shadeen wears #24- and the ref didn’t want to back down from the decision because it would make the officials look weak.

Not a big crowd, but a noisy one. The DayQuil, the Ricola, and the hydration didn’t kick in for me until the third quarter, so for the first half I was limited to banging the clipboard and making wild gesticulations. But unlike some fan bases, Seton Hall fans at least recognize simple percussive cues to get a “DE-FENSE” or “Let’s Go Pirates!” chant going. Apparently I was audible on the stream, though that might have been as much to do with positioning as volume.

I would have enjoyed the game a lot more if it weren’t such a pain in the ass to get to. I’m still exhausted, and I’m finishing these up about an hour before I have to leave for St. John’s. Basketball never stops, but sometimes a blogger has to sleep, you know?

Read More...

Summary only...

March 19th, 2017: Harvard at St. John's

Just the Facts, Ma’am: Clutch free throws and critical stops helped St. John’s hold off Harvard, 62-57. Aaliyah Lewis of St. John’s posted game-highs of 16 points and eight assists, with Maya Singleton adding 13 points and nine rebounds. Katie Benzan led the Crimson with 13 points and seven rebounds; classmate Jeannie Boehm notched 11 points and seven boards before fouling out.

For tortured puns, alumna assistance, promising underclassmen, an unfortunate silence, going for broke in senior year, and teams not wearing colors they’re named after, join your intrepid and mildly confused blogger after the jump.

Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls! We’re coming to you on the usual delay, though hopefully not as protracted a one as last game. It’s the second round of the WNIT, and this time the Red Storm play host to the Crimson of Harvard.

It’s a nice touch that Harvard has their school’s academic motto on the back of their warm-up shirts. Something about the material or the printing is rubbing me the wrong way, though that might just be a Nike thing. Nike’s equipment doesn’t usually match up to Adidas or Under Armour.

Harvard gives off this air of going through the motions, like they don’t want to be in the WNIT but feel honor-bound to represent the Ivy League and their institution.

Hi, Sky! Oooh, that’s a faux pas, you are not supposed to wear team colors if you’re broadcasting the game, and that sleeveless top is perfect Johnny red. Don’t get me wrong, Sky’s making it look good, but I don’t think this is supposed to be a home team broadcast.

So far it appears that Harvard has not brought any spirit groups. Given the propensity for Ivy League bands to gravely offend opponents, I’m not completely sure that this was willingly.

At halftime St. John’s is up 32-26, after Harvard went on a second quarter run. Scoring is fairly balanced on both sides. Lots of people have five points each. Early foul trouble on Maya Singleton and Jade Walker led to a lot of small ball.

I don’t think I like Kendyl Nunn as a first option on offense for four straight possessions. It’s not even like you’re planning for next year doing that. She was channeling Amber Thompson for a while on the inside, though.

Joe. Do not ever wear blue plaid pants again. Burn them or sell them to a vintage store.

Shoutout to Shenneika Smith still helping the squad by trying to sweet-talk the ref into reversing an out-of-bounds call.

I think we’ve got some of Jade’s family behind us. They’ve been on the refs, especially when the First Rule of STJWBB comes into play.

I’m not feeling this remix/cover/mash-up of “It Takes Two”.

That was closer than I felt it needed to be. Every time we made a run, Harvard was ready with a long-range jumper or a good find in the paint. They never gave up. I’d like to appreciate that about them, but I don’t think I like them enough to do that. I think they’ve got a lot of potential for the next couple of years, though; they have some very good freshmen.

Somewhere, there is a joke buried about Taylor Rooks transferring from Stanford to Harvard- wanted to be on the winning side? not challenged enough by the academics?- but I am too tired to find it properly. She gave them some good minutes off the bench. I didn’t even realize Mackenzie Barta played, and now I’m curious if she’s related to the Barta at Gonzaga. Nani Redford was an offensive spark in the first half. I really liked the sophomore guard Sydney Skinner. She might need to trim down a little bit (though she does know how to throw her weight around) but she’s got a really good head for the game, and spent a lot of time being in the right place at the right time. She’s going to be big for them, if this game is anything like her regular play. She put together a nice defensive takeback after Akina Wellere got a rebound, one that led to a trey for the Crimson.

I work in print production, which means I do a lot of work with graphics. Somewhere, there is a convoluted joke involving raster art versus vector art that I could cleverly apply to Madeline Raster. But I can’t quite get there. She set up outside quite a bit. Kirby Porter got on the board early, but she did most of her work in the first quarter. I think she was the player shuffled out to get Skinner and Rooks more minutes, especially in the second half. Katie Benzan is fearless, and tiny. These are not necessarily well combined when a a 5-6 guard attempts to go against post players. She has incredible speed- she was driving our players nuts most of the day. Her release is really fast too, and she showed good range. If this game wasn’t the outlier, she’s going to be something special for them.

Destiny Nunley had a nifty deflection late in the game, and set a good pick to open up Redford for a three. I’m not okay with her taunting after a bad out-of-bounds call went Harvard’s way, though. The petty part of me wants to tell her to pull her shorts down, and the really petty part of me wants to say, “well, she just played her last game, so her shorts don’t matter”, but I recognize that this is exceptionally petty. She’s good, and she was pretty solid for them. Jeannie Boehm has a lot of potential. They posted her up well, and she took advantage of her height. She has better body control than I would expect from a long freshman forward- she contorted her way around the defense multiple times. She was very physical, to the point where our players were getting frustrated at the non-calls.

I’m not sure why Joe has suddenly started trusting Kendyl Nunn in the last few games of the season. Is he making up for lost time or something? I’m happy to see her getting time, I’m just surprised and a little confused. It worked the first two times, and then she started taking jumpers. This did not go well. Jordan Agustus got early runin the first quarter. It was a little awkward, but she looked a lot better going to the basket than she had earlier in the season. She actually passed up a bad shot and fired off a good pass to Aaliyah (who promptly missed the shot). Crystal Simmons brought the defense, and I feel like maybe she’s starting to feel more confident in her offense? That would be cool. I’m worried about Andrayah Adams, though. She looks like she’s taken a step back.

After Jade Walker picked up the second foul in the first quarter, Joe sat her for the rest of the first half. Harvard sent the defense at her and never really let her get comfortable. She had a couple of strong post moves, but this wasn’t her day. It didn’t really need to be, though. Maya Singleton was efficient, though it was painfully clear that she doesn’t have a jump shot. That rather limits her offensive effectiveness if she can’t get at the basket. She makes so many great plays with her strength, though. Do not mess with Miss Maya.

I think I said this on Friday, and I’m going to say it again: Alisha Kebbe’s not going to take your breath away. She’s not going to be the star of the show. But she does everything, and she does it well. I especially love her nose for loose balls. The only thing I really worry about for her is durability- she’s been injured, and she seems to cramp up easily. (Da’Shena Stevens had similar problems, if I recall correctly- maybe now that Day is Coach Stevens, she can provide advice?) Aaliyah Lewis got a little jumper-happy, and I’m not sure how I feel about her becoming a primary offensive option this late in the game. You take what the defense gives you and all that, but I get the sense that she’s trying to go out with a bang. The season is finite; its absolute end is determined, and it can be cut even shorter at a moment’s notice. Akina Wellere has to work on her inside game, and on her handle, but she was great on help defense. That’s good to see out of her; much of her game has been, or at least has seemed to be, focused on the offensive side of the ball. I love when offensive catalysts find that second gear on defense. (See: Crystal Robinson.)

We were just stalwart enough against Harvard. The decision to go small for stretches was interesting. I think it gave Harvard too much momentum at the end of the first half. But Harvard in turn committed a grave error late in the game by having someone with four fouls marking Aaliyah; they lost about twenty seconds because they didn’t dare have Benzan foul and foul out.

Officiating was a pile of hot garbage, though I think Jade’s family might have influenced my perceptions slightly. On the other hand, I’m fairly certain booty-bouncing one’s opponent is supposed to be frowned upon. I was uncomfortable with the type of physicality that was being allowed- trips and elbows are not cool. And I don’t know what Destiny Nunley did that had Aaliyah riled up, but when Aaliyah looks like she’s about to slap the taste out of someone’s mouth, something has gone wrong.

Survive and advance. That’s the name of the game. Survive and advance. On the road we go now, to see familiar faces in unfamiliar places, and thank the sweet hypothetical baby Jesus I don’t have to choose in person between the team I love and the friends I’ve made. (No, I’m not going to Ann Arbor. Not at this point.)

Read More...

Summary only...

March 19th, 2016: Penn at Washington (NCAA tournament)

Just the Facts, Ma'am: Washington broke open a close game in the fourth quarter to beat Penn 65-53. Kelsey Plum had 24 points and seven assists to pace the Huskies, while Talia Walton had 18 points, 11 in the second half. Sydney Stipanovich led Penn with 16 points and 13 rebounds.

For purple, changing shirts, chasing loose balls, maroon versus gold, rigging the shooting contest, and the star y'all already knew about, join your intrepid and parched blogger after the jump.
I don't always root for Huskies, but when I do, I root for UW. Stay purple and bow down to Washington, my friends.

Seriously, did you think I was going to travel four and a half hours for a single game? We're staying for UW and Penn. So far it's definitely more competitive than the 2-15 game was, and with a three at the buzzer Penn has a 25-24 lead. Kelsey Plum has 11 for the Huskies, while Penn has spread the scoring out a bit more.

We're right behind the scout table, so Brenda Frese is a few seats over from us, greeting the adoring public. One of the assistants is still in scouting position, though.

Any band that plays "Fat Bottomed Girls" is all right by me, Penn. UW, of course, has to go to Nirvana. UW gets the edge on cheer, though I admit I had a better view of them. Love the daps amongst them with Harry. Band brought extra people who couldn't be in the pit during the game because of NCAA regulations, but they whipped out their instruments and got into the empty seats behind their bandmates as soon as the game was over. Excellent rendition of "Celebration" after the game!

It was close for a while, with both teams notching threes at the end of quarters, but UW came up with the big shots in the fourth quarter to pull away. What really impressed me about the Huskies was the trust they have in each other to pick each other up, whether it's on loose balls or no-look passes. I guess that's the advantage to playing an iron five.

Penn really only played one sub, Beth Brzozowski- they cleared the bench late in the game, when they were down big and were waving the white flag. That way, everyone got a chance to be in the tournament, which is nice. Brzozowski didn't really have much of an impact backing up the three starting guards.

Kasey Chambers must catch so much flak from opposing Ivy League bands because of her name. We're talking serenades of "Not Pretty Enough" here. She hit the big three that put Penn up at the half. She's a little bitty thing, or at least a medium-sized slight thing, and maybe that's why she sets up beyond the arc so much. Lauren Whitlach (whose name I kept hearing as "whiplash") was also firing away early and often from deep. Anna Ross had a nifty steal in the third quarter, and kept Penn fighting when they got down late.

Sydney Stipanovich showed moxie on the inside- she looks awkward, like she's a 5-4 woman who woke up in a 6-4 body and isn't 100% sure how it functions, but the shots go in and the rebounds stay grabbed. She lit up in the third quarter. It was fun to watch. Michelle Nwokedi was a defensive beast- she had a couple of spectacular blocks, one on Gilling and one on Plum, and I can't remember which on it was she managed to keep inbounds. I think it was the one on Gilling. Penn came up empty the next possession, though, which is a shame- you can't waste plays like that. The three-pointer is not her shot, and she definitely has to refine her offense, but thre's a lot of potential there. She's a player I'd be excited about if I were an Ivy fan.

It may be a conscious stylistic choice by Penn's coach, but I can't shake the feeling that they need to hit the weight room a little bit. Lots of very slight players there.

Mathilde Gilling came in briefly in the first half to spell Katie Collier; those minutes were unremarkable. I was surprised when it was Collier who came out, as Chantel Osahor had just gotten in a little bit of foul trouble. She started getting ready to come in in the third quarter, but ultimately Mike Neighbors decided to wait until the very end of the game to bring in all the subs. Subs for everyone! Everyone gets a sub! Their time wasn't very impactful, but I liked the defense that Deja Strother brought down low, and I thought it was nice for Kelli Kingma to have the chance to bring the ball up. When does Jenna Moser get to have her name on her jersey?

Chantel Osahor is an interesting player. She's got a big body, and she looks like she's going to get gassed if you run her for more than five minutes, but she's very quietly a critical part of the offense with her screens (even the illegal ones) and her passing. I don't know why she considers the three-point shot part of her offensive arsenal, because she doesn't have enough arc on it to gt it over. I've heard that that weird flat shot of her goes in more than it should, but I saw no evidence of that today. Katie Collier picked up nifty passes from her teammates and sometimes finished the shots at the rim. Sometimes, not so much. She was horrendous at the line, though; I think she might have been trying too hard to overcorrect for the previous misses (she was off to the right on one, off to the left on the next, for example). Talia Walton came up big in the second half, hitting threes from the strong side and beating the buzzer- she was the one who ended the third quarter with the big three for UW.

Alexus Atchley made some great defensive plays along the sidelines and hit a couple of big threes in the fourth quarter to stretch the lead. But we all know who the star of the show is for the Dawgs- the woman who wears #10 and the diamond braid, the Husky so purple even her name is purple, Washington's all-time leading scorer and a strong candidate to break 3000, the one and only Kelsey Plum. She has some soft touch, and she loves to use the glass. She has range and versatility. But don't let the shooting line fool you. She's more than a volume scorer. She had some beautiful passes to her teammates, including at least one no-look to set up a three. What first drew our attention as the game started was her hustle on defense- she was making smart deflections and playing tough. I really like her all-around game. She's a star, and she's going to be a superstar.

Officiating got pretty tight in the second half. The people behind us were yelling at the refs to let 'em play. There were a couple of out-of-bounds calls I disagreed with, but nothing really major.

It wasn't the crispest game in the world, but it was competitive until very late. I think the faith the Huskies had in each other was the key- you can make riskier plays if you know your teammates are going to be there to clean it up.

Questionable decision-making by both sides at one point late in the game. UW has an eight-point lead. They inbound to Collier. If I'm Washington, why do I have 0-4 from the line Collier in position to catch that ball? If I'm Penn, why am I not fouling her? Ultimatly, Penn chose to play out those last few seconds and give the subs time in the game, but I'm surprised they didn't go at it a little more aggressively.

Read More...

Summary only...