Just the Facts, Ma'am: Notre Dame used size, speed, and a 33-2 free throw differential to pull out a 60-55 win over Fordham. Sam Brunelle and Katlyn Gilbert each had 14 points to pace the Irish, with Destinee Walker adding 10 points and 10 boards. Bre Cavanaugh and Kendell Heremaia each had 14 points to lead Fordham in the loss.
For loud noises, belated election advice, mixed messages, and starting off the season with a bang, join your intrepid and enthusiastic blogger after the jump.
Good evening, fellow basketball travelers! You know what today is, right? It's Election Day! So if you didn't already get out to the polls... well, it'll probably be too late by the time I get these notes posted. But just assume I'm very disappointed in you if you didn't exercise your right and privilege as an American citizen. (If you aren't an American citizen, or are under the age of 18, or can't vote for some other reason, ignore this part.)
But more relevant to the interests of this blog, it's opening day for college basketball! Your intrepid blogger is typing blindly away on a D train headed to the Bronx, as the Fordham Rams open their season with a bang against the ACC powerhouse Notre Dame. I get the feeling my smooth transfers from train to train are about to be the highlight of the night, but who knows? Stranger things have happened, and CPTV has proof.
Our ace reporter on the scene tells me that the legendary Drums of Thunder are in the building. Given how small Rose Hill Gym is, that might be quite a sound. I'm expecting a packed house. Notre Dame alumni are everywhere, they travel well, and I believe there's a NY-area kid on the Irish roster as well. I'm not looking forward to this part. Notre Dame fans can make UConn fans look like choir members with their attitude.
End of the first quarter, and Notre Dame is up 16-14. We're playing reasonably smart basketball, but can't finish a lot of the plays. Two fouls on Anaya Peoples is a problem for Notre Dame early, but two fouls on Anna DeWolff might be a bigger one for Fordham. Even if we get cheesed later, I like what I'm seeing out of our freshmen guards.
At halftime, Notr Dame is up 36-24. All things considered, this isn't as bad as I thought it was going to be when we were scoreless for the first five or so minutes of the quarter. Sam Brunelle is putting on a show with 12 points. The freshmen guards are stealing the show for Fordham; Anna DeWolff is getting looks even if she isn't, and Sarah Karpell is making some astonishingly heady defensive plays for her first real game.
Drums of Thunder is about to get underway. Bring the noise, y'all.
There are a surprising number of split fans- Fordham jackets with Notre Dame hats, that kind of thing. I'm pleasantly surprised by how not-green it is in here, especially since the doubleheader is separate admission- in other words, it's not like people are here for the men's game and sitting on their hands.
Notre Dame's heralded freshmen are very good offensively, but they don't have the defense yet. I mean, it's their first game. I'm realistic here.
In tonight's edition of “counting is hard”: Vilisi Tavui is our starting center and wears 14. Ralene Kwiatkowski is a little-used reserve guard who wears 15. Guess what number the ref flashed when Vilisi committed her third foul (which was, IMO, a borderline call)?
47-35 Notre Dame at the end of the third. The foul differential has been instructive, to say the least. It's not a pretty game, but it was never going to be a pretty game if Fordham was going to have any chance. There have been a lot of “counting is hard”moments in this quarter, with some unusual foul calls and disagreements on who the foul should be called on. Mikayla Vaughn went down hard and stayed down for a while early in the quarter, giving us all a scare, but she was able to put weight on the ankle and came back into the game briefly. She got pulled again, though I think that might have been for blood, or possibly an illegal substitution. Come to think of it, I'm not sure she returned after that.
60-55 Notre Dame final, but honestly, I think there are a lot of positives to take away from this game for Fordham. We came back and stuck with a team that's bigger, faster, and more skilled than we are, and we took them to the last possession. A little more depth, a few less bad calls to have personnel available, and we might just have done it.
Kaitlin Cole played briefly for the Fighting Irish in the second quarter. I don't see a statistical impact for her. Danielle Cosgrove brought good height off the bench when Brunelle was in foul trouble and Vaughn was out of the game, but she's got to hit her shots close to the rim. At her height, with our relative lack of height, she should have been a more dominant force. Katlyn Gilbert impressed me more with her defense than her offense, but then I looked at the box score, and she tied for the lead in scoring. I was impressed with how closely she marked her assignment. And yes, that's it for the Notre Dame bench. McGraw didn't have the chance to go as deep into her bench as she might have liked early in the season.
I like Marta Sniezek's quick hands and her communication on the court. She was quick to call the plays and call out her assignment. I think I expected her to be more of a factor in the scorebook than she was, but maybe that's by design. When this lineup has its act together, it's going to be very offensively potent, and maybe they need her to be a facilitator rather than a scorer. Destinee Walker kept Notre Dame in the game with drives and a midrange game, and kept Fordham in the game with appalling free throw shooting. And it's not like she didn't have a chance to practice, but we'll get to that later, once I figure out how not to swear about it. Anaya Peoples has some sweet moves, but her defense needs a lot of work. She's a freshman, though. That happens with freshmen.
Sam Brunelle has a sweet stroke, especially for a big. She needs to work on her footwork, though. She got dinged for at least two travels in the second half. I can see why she's on the national watch lists, even this early. She's got an amazing amount of potential. I can see her fitting anywhere in a frontcourt and giving McGraw a lot of flexibility with her lineups. Mikayla Vaughn used her length well in the post to get rebounds and putbacks. I'm glad she was able to put weight on the ankle. When she went down I was worried it was an Achilles.
Notre Dame had more size and speed than we did, and there were a lot of plays that we might have been able to make against a typical A-10 team that got shut down against Notre Dame's size. Idon't think McGraw haqs her defense installed yet (note that the best defensive plays were mostly coming from the returning sophomore Gilbert; Sniezek made good individual plays, but not systemic plays).
I was surprised that we didn't give Zara Jillings a lot of run. I guess she falls into the undersized tweener trap against a team like Notre Dame, but she's a heady player and there were times when we could have used her communication skills on the floor, when passes went awry or players were out of position. Megan Jonassen was physical in the post, both on the glass and on putbacks. I like how she's shaping up. Sarah Karpell put in big minutes and made a lot of hustle defensive plays, getting back to stop breaks and getting in for loose balls. Her nose for the ball was fantastic. Katie McLoughlin saw time in the fourth quarter as foul trouble and long minutes took their toll on the starters, and she put up a couple of threes (I think one of them was one of the many Fordham shots that the rim rejected).
(Seriously, at one point my husband said of our shooting, "God hates us." My response, given who we were playing, was "No, God's mom hates us.")
I'm not sure how I feel about Kaitlyn Downey's love of the lookaway pass. On one hand, it's really cool when it works. On the other hand, when it doesn't work, we look stupid. There were stretches when it seemed like she had forgotten how tall she is and was leaving the heavy carrying down low to her teammates (which was not necessarily a great plan given Vilisi's foul trouble). But she had a couple of good blocks. I'd just like to see a lot less of her on the perimeter. (Somehow she snuck up on all the categories in the scoresheet. I don't know how either. I do remember the steals, though- she got into the passing lane and stepped in front of passes. She got by with a little help from her friends- those steals were usually off double or triple teams.) Vilisi Tavui shows some promise, and if nothing else, it's nice to have an actual tall post player to go up against everyone else's tall post player. She's a little more tentative than I'd like her to be, but I get it; this is really her first big action since the injury, and she's suddenly gone from the end of the bench to the starting lineup. That's a big adjustment for a kid who flat out admitted Fordham was her only recruiting opportunity.
Kendell Heremaia is rapidly taking that spot in my heart where I'm willing to fight anyone who makes a bad call against her. She's such a sweetheart. We've already had two games where the Law of Verticality was not only violated but subverted in her case (the Law of Verticality being that if a player falls down, a foul is called on the player who did not fall down, and poor Kene keeps getting the call against her, and it just doesn't seem fair). She's stepping up big for us, and I'm so proud of her. I love watching her on defense, even if it doesn't seem fair that she has to defend other teams' power forwards. I love seeing her run the offense and step into that role so easily. I love her hustle. I keep thinking she should not be taking threes that far back, and then they go in and I shut up for a while. Bre Cavanaugh was missing shots in the first half that it seemed like she should be making- and that she did, in fact, make in the second half. I'm now not sure whether she's actually more potent when she's not the first option or not; on one hand, she can explode in a good way, but on the other hand, it seems like she has her best performances when she doesn't have to be the superstar. It takes the pressure off and lets her play a more complete game. I'm sure Anna DeWolff is going to hit the freshman wall at some point, and I admit I'm worried about the length of time it takes for her to get off good shots sometimes. But until such time as she hits that wall and the shots really stop going down, I'll join the folks in the band who had the DeWolff Pack sign up. She hits shots and she plays without fear. She and Bre have a lot of the same instincts for the ball. Right now, that's a problem because they both try to be in the same place at the same time, and they end up getting in each other's way, which means we lose the possession as often as we gain it. But once they get a better sense of where each of them is on the floor, and they learn to trust each other to get the ball, our rebounding from the backcourt is going to be ridiculous.
I can't overstate the heart of this team. They gave it everything they thought they had, and then they dug deeper and gave some more. Kene was pulling the jersey with three minutes to go, and that was about a minute and a half of game time before she hit the big three. Kaitlyn was starting to register on the Kraayeveld scale. Anna's mask was slipping because of the sweat. But the team just kept coming. If we can take an ACC team to the wire like this, with one of the most lopsided free throw differentials I've ever seen working against them, I look forward to seeing what they can do against teams in their own weight class.
So, about that free throw differential, because we were going to get there eventually. I didn't really think anything of it when Sarah went to the line in the first quarter and split a pair of free throws. It's a thing that happens. We were annoyed that she didn't hit the first, but that's how life is. And then we started racking up fouls, and Notre Dame... did not. I thought there was an imbalance in how the physicality of the game was called, and I certainly objected to the allocation of some of the fouls that did seem legitimate. It just didn't hit me until I was on the train looking at the box score, and the differentials were there in black and white- 27-9 Fordham on fouls, 33-2 Notre Dame on free throws. (And really, if I'm Notre Dame, I'm not happy with my FT%, given that many cracks at it.) It gets frustrating when touch fouls are called at one end and hands to the face aren't called on the other.
I loved how raucous thecrowd was. To my surprise, the Notre Dame fans were fairly quiet during the game. They cheered during intros, but that was about it. Maybe it's different when it's non-conference? Because the ones who showed up to games at Carnesecca before the Big East imploded were real jerks, and that did a lot to color my impression of the fan base. (The Internet has done the rest.) I would like for the Fordham fans to bring this energy for the rest of the season, because these kids deserve it. I know it's not going to happen, but your intrepid blogger would like to dream.
On to the next one. Basketball never stops, and I'm going to have to type faster if I want to stay caught up.
Friday, November 8, 2019
November 5th, 2019: Notre Dame at Fordham
Monday, April 8, 2013
April 7th, 2013: UConn at Notre Dame
Just the Facts, Ma'am: UConn ended the first half on an 14-3 run to break open a close game and maintained control through the second half in their 83-65 win over Notre Dame. Breanna Stewart had 29 points, five rebounds, and four blocks for the Huskies. Kayla McBride led the Irish with 16 points, but on 5-20 shooting. Notre Dame shot 29.7% as a team.
For bricks, flurries of offensive rebounds, competitive spirit, quick exchanges, and Breanna Stewart's debutante party, join your intrepid and sore blogger after the jump. (Mama may need a chiropractor after this one.)
The second game is now settling in. The UConn and Notre Dame fans have deigned to join us for this one. They took their sweet time showing up for the first game, which is one of the things I detest about both fan bases- they both tend to make double-headers look really bad. I do love the coaching milestones they're showing here.
At halftime, UConn is up 10, and you would pretty much have to be a Boneyarder to have expected this. UConn put on a burst near the end of the first half that was reminiscent of what they did to Kentucky and Maryland. This halftime video about Louisianans giving back to the community is nice, but it's sort of funny when you realize Barbara Farris just left that high school. (But I love Barb. Anyone who considers not having an absentee ballot to be sufficient emergency to use frequent flier miles to go home and vote is awesome in my book.)
Okay, seriously, if you expected this, you are a passionate UConn fan and I salute you. UConn brought it. Bria Hartley was a little shaky, but she looked better than she had for most of the season, and she seemed to gain confidence from her teammates. Moriah Jefferson gave decent minutes, but not quite what she had been doing in the regional rounds. Morgan Tuck does seem to be possessed by the memory of Tiffany Hayes once a game, and I like her physicality in the lane. Heather Buck was the official victory cigar, along with Kiah Stokes. I was surprised that she didn't play more, but maybe her back was flaring up.
Caroline Doty got the start, but that's about it. Hartley played the starter's minutes. Stefanie Dolson got in the middle and made herself an encumbrance to the Notre Dame offense, but a lot of passes went off her hands- I think she got tagged with more than she deserved, looking at the box score. Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis was solid, in more ways than one- I've mentioned this before, but she seems to have taken it to heart that people were just tagging her as a three-point shooter and has whipped out a whole arsenal of offensive tricks. I continue to be impressed by her development (or is it re-development?). And Breanna Stewart seems to have decided that she doesn't want to be considered overrated or anything like that. She just took over all over the court. And she looked like she was enjoying herself, which is always nice to see.
Geno got mad at a couple of dumb mistakes- blown assignments, bad passes (at one point it was pretty clear how he wanted Dolson to inbound the ball, and then she blew the inbounds pass), that kind of thing. It's sort of hilarious to watch him blow his top.
A lot of Notre Dame players went into the game in the last couple of minutes, when Muffet McGraw wanted to give her star players their curtain calls. I don't remember who most of them were. Madison Cable got a lot of run in the first half, with a little offense and an eye for the three-ball (even if she didn't hit it), but she looked a little like she was in over her head. Markeisha Wright was solid off the bench, including one pretty make on a feed from Natalie Achonwa. Kaila Turner got some first half minutes, but the rotation tightened up in the second half until it was clear-the-bench time.
Kayla McBride really looked like she was pressing, as if she felt she had to live up to that tournament average she'd been putting up. Nothing was falling for her. Jewell Loyd had slightly better luck, but not much. Ariel Braker pretty much tried to sit on a UConn player's legs in the first half, and she ended up fouling out- oh, dear, I wonder why. Natalie Achonwa was solid but unremarkable. She was okay on the boards, though. Skylar Diggins couldn't get her shot to fall, but she had some beautiful passes to set her teammates up. I like how she goes after loose balls, but she needs to follow her shot more often.
Notre Dame, would you please stop with the lime green? The Cal fan on my left looked at you all when you ran out of the tunnel and said, "I'm cheering against the green team." It is an unpleasant color, it really is.
The officiating got interesting, but it got interesting on both sides, so it's hard to complain. Notre Dame got the free throws in the first half; UConn got more calls in the second half. The game got very physical at points, because these two teams don't like each other much and they know it was likely the last time they were going to play each other.
Both fan bases showed out for their game- just not the first game. The chants came thick and fast, on each other's heels, over each other's music and All-American highlights. I really don't think these teams and their fans like each other for some reason.
Right at the end of the first half, UConn went on a tear that I think was the end of the game for Notre Dame. It's the kind of haymaker that took all the air out of Kentucky, and I didn't expect Notre Dame to fall prey to the same very UConn tactic. If the Huskies are on this kind of roll, it's hard to imagine anyone but UConn cutting down the nets on Tuesday.
Saturday, April 6, 2013
April 6th, 2013: Final Four Super Saturday
Your intrepid and verbose blogger hits New Orleans, and New Orleans hits back.
I'm not used to things opening an hour and a half before things are supposed to start. The gates opened at 9:30, and it's quarter past ten, and I'm expecting things to be happening already.
The UConn autograph line is already packed, and UConn doesn't sign until after 12. Good Lord, people. Cal's line is pretty much empty.
Teams spotted so far: Monmouth, Texas, Southern Miss, Wyoming, Southern, Louisiana Tech, Drew, New Hampshire, Texas Southern, Marquette, San Diego State, UConn (of course), Illinois, Indiana, New Mexico, North Carolina State, North Carolina (and I think she might have been Charlotte Smith, but we're currently having a philosophical debate as to whether known affiliation allows for a double count for Elon), Oakland, Cal State Dominiguez Hills, Sam Houston State, East Carolina (though they were here for the combine, so maybe that doesn't count?), Boston College, LSU, Ole Miss, Allegany, Moravian, West Chester, Vermont, Washington, VCU, Virginia Tech, Tennessee, Memphis, Cal (of course), Tulane, Louisville (of course), Notre Dame (eventually, of course), Michigan, Colorado State, Maryland (who are really showing out- fear the Turtle!), Wichita State, Baruch (CUNY up in here!), Arizona State, Oregon, NYU, Georgetown, Wake Forest, Richmond, Rutgers, Stanford, Detroit Mercy, Regis, Niagara, Quinnipiac, Texas A&M, Cal State Northridge, Baylor, St. John's (not us), Buffalo, Minnesota, Michigan State, Duke, Missouri State, Syracuse, DePaul, Delaware, Navy, Tulsa, Alabama, Nebraska, Illinois State, Marist, Temple, Middle Tennessee, Texas Tech, Florida State, Rock Valley, Harvard, Wisconsin, Emory, Maryville, Georgia Tech, Kentucky, one very nifty Canberra Caps Ardossi jersey, Seattle Storm, Minnesota Lynx, and Connecticut Sun.
I love marching bands! I love traveling fans! I love the tournament atmosphere! Boom de yada! Boom de yada!
I think ESPN is doing a piece on Shoni and Angel, because, well, Angel just wandered through, hair all slicked back and pretty.
The trophy is in the building. I got a picture. I have taken many pictures. I will take many more pictures.
The Golden Bears have rolled out, and so far the practice seems fairly serious, at least until the band starts up and the tuba stands alone. They're pretty loose, though. I'm not sure what my favorite part about Cal being in the Final Four is, the pleasant surprise or the Straw Hat Band. But this is so much fun, and they have more beads! Shiny things! The Cal players were really hyped about seeing their fans- I think some of the people behind us may be serious boosters.
Louisville's band is AWOL, presumably in Atlanta with the boys, so they're borrowing part of the Tulane band. They're doing basic stretching first, and Monique Reid is biking to nowhere. Seriously, someday someone's going to hook a generator to those bikes and reduce energy bills in arenas by something like 5%. The Dark Angel herself appears to be the Cards' special guest for this. I guess she's supposed to inspire them or something. Louisville is taking this practice dead serious- one of the grad assistants is handing out a practice schedule. Good Lord, that's neurotic. And the band came out late, so they are here. A bit disorganized, but here. And rocking the heck out of "Stayin' Alive" and the Ghostbusters theme. Louisville players are helping throw the beads now. Shelby Harper has no arm. Cortnee Walton does.
WBCA All-American team about to be announced. Elena Delle Donne, Skylar Diggins, Stefanie Dolson, Chelsea Gray, Brittney Griner, Kayla McBride, Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis, Chiney Ogwumike, Odyssey Sims, Alyssa Thomas. Delle Donne gave a little speech. Pictures were taken. Plugs were made. Alyssa Thomas immediately went to find the Maryland staff and Laura Harper (who just ran off to glomp someone)
Notre Dame's turn to practice. They have names even on their practice jerseys. They are really committed to that gods awful lime green. :( Niele Ivey is gorgeous, though. Absolutely breathtaking. Jewell Loyd had a fantastic tip-in from a very defensive drill. The band started taunting declaring their intent to beat UConn. And then Diggins and McBride danced with pom-poms.
Capital One is sponsoring a contest in which all the shots have to be banked in, which is a little ridiculous, but both of the contestants managed it, which is awesome.
UConn's open practice was mostly three-shooting. I took pictures, but that's about it.
Battle of the Bands needs to stop being decided on crowd noise, because UConn fans would cheer for their band if they just farted in a vague sense of rhythm. Notre Dame's male cheerleaders did a remarkable worm stunt six deep. Cal was musically the best. Louisville was outmanned and stood no chance, though the flip on top of the pyramid was awesome. UConn's band took direct aim at Notre Dame- both of them played "When the Saints Go Marching in". UConn's was technically better, but they lost me when they decided to throw in "Who dat say dey gon' beat dem Huskies?" You do not steal the "who dat". And then they decided to take an encore they weren't entitled to. That stuff gets you thrown out of band competitions in some places. Musically, I think it was close between UConn and Cal, but Notre Dame was good and had great stunts. But UConn fans... sorry, guys, but stop with the blind loyalty and get some musical taste.
High-schoolers have taken the floor. Tamika Catchings and Swin Cash are the honorary(?) coaches. What is with the neon green on ALL the things this year? Seriously. I recognize a few more of the high schoolers this year.
Tulane band was very disappointing. I assume that's not the whole band, but they hit several sour notes.
Purple starters: Jessica Washington, Saniya Chong, Jessica Jackson, Diamond DeShields, Stephanie Mauvinga. Black starters: Kaela Davis, Alexis Brown, Kendall Cooper, Mercedes Russell, a young lady named Harper whose first name I didn't catch. (Linnae?)
I didn't really follow the game, because I wasn't interested, but it looks like Arkansas got a nice little shooter in Jackson, and maybe Rutgers fans have reason to be excited about Scaife.
Coda: after we adventured on Bourbon Street and found it not to our liking, we wound our way back to Canal and public transit through a side street. Suddenly I hear "Rebecca!" We turn around, and there's Shenneika Smith. Of all the places, and all the people, and all the times... it put a wonderful capper on the day. We chatted about Jeopardy! and the WBCA team, and it was good.
Monday, March 5, 2012
March 4th, 2012: DePaul at Notre Dame
Just the Facts, Ma'am: The Blue Demons of DePaul made a few runs, but Notre Dame held them off every time to win 69-54. Devereaux Peters led the way for the Irish with 16 points, 12 rebounds, six blocks, and three steals; Natalie Novosel also had 16 points. Katherine Harry had 14 to lead DePaul.
For footwork, cockiness, devils in blue dresses, and all of the lights, join your intrepid and drained blogger after the jump.
On to DePaul and Notre Dame, with sound issues and a cheer-off about logos. DIBS is dancing with devils in blue dresses, and only at Notre Dame does the cheer squad have to learn Irish step dancing. We're starting to see a few more Johnnies, too.
38-26 Notre Dame at the half- we have achieved offense, and it is a beautiful thing. It's sort of clear that DePaul is short-handed and getting worn down by Notre Dame's talent. McBride has 11 for the Irish, while Diggins has 10; Harry has 10 for the Blue Demons.
Of course the DePaul band performs Chicago. Of course. They seem to keep a general Chicago theme to their music- their version of Kanye West's "All of the Lights" makes me want a recording. I don't say that about bands often. They really got into their cheers, having special ones for each player. Good volume from the cheerleaders, though they need to work on their projection and pitch. Trust me, I know what it sounds like to be very loud and very shrill.
After some of the tripping by Notre Dame, I was expecting Doug Bruno to abuse a chair. I know, you do it once, you're branded for life.
The Blue Demons got good minutes off the bench from Megan Rogowski and Kelsey Reynolds, both of whom were able to put up points, though their impact was more in the second half, when Notre Dame had backed off the pedal slightly. But that gave DePaul a chance to rest their starters and try for one last run.
Katherine Harry was doing work inside. She had some pretty shots off the glass, though I don't know how many friends she was making with tough screens. She's one of those players who turns interesting colors when she's tired. Jasmine Penny was a disaster in the early going- bad passes, bad shots, stupid fouls. She got better in the second half and made a difference in the paint and the midrange. Deanna Ortiz's threes got the pro-DePaul portion of the crowd going, and her flying save on the baseline was impressive. Anna Martin was rendered into a non-factor, except that maybe Notre Dame's defense was forced to leave the post players open due to doubling and switching. Brittany Hrynko looked like she was trying to force the matter, though that might be because someone had to try and make something happen from the perimeter to give DePaul even the ghost of a chance.
Notre Dame didn't get much from their bench, but they didn't need much from their bench. Ariel Braker scored the last basket, and while from the margin at the time, it might have looked like the Irish were rubbing it in, it was a clear putback for a player who hadn't been on the board. You can't tell a player not to take that shot; it'll ruin her instincts. Natalie Achonwa came off the bench later than I was expecting, but made a little noise in the first half with a pretty bank shot. Don't remember much else about the Notre Dame bench.
Skylar Diggins tried to showboat a little in the first half, and wrenched her back doing it. In the second half, when they had a little bit more of a margin, she was more successful in her fancy passes to Peters and Novosel. She kept busy on defense, playing the lanes well. Brittany Mallory did not endear herself to us with constant tripping of her opponents. Watch your feet, Mallory, because West Virginia's better at that game than you'll ever be. Kayla McBride was red hot in the first half, but receded in the second. Natalie Novosel was solid all the way through. But the star of the show and the best player on the floor beyond a doubt was Devereaux Peters, who imposed her will on the game on both ends of the floor with powerful blocks and forceful shots. She showed a few moves, and an ability to use both hands and both sides of the basket. Honestly, the only reason I have any skepticism about her ability to play in the WNBA is her knees- she's got the skills on both ends of the floor. I like her a lot.
It's one thing to leave a blowout early if you're a neutral fan, or if your team is losing. I don't blame the UConn fans who were only there because they had all-session passes or were curious or wanted to prove that they weren't just cultists. But Notre Dame fans were leaving a game that they were winning. How spoiled is that?
I can't go much further on this without being inappropriately biased, because I like and respect Doug Bruno, and I don't necessarily like Muffet McGraw. My memory is faulty, my notes insufficient; I don't want to risk giving the wrong impression of the game because of my distaste for the top dog.
Saturday, January 28, 2012
January 28th, 2012: Notre Dame at St. John's
Just the Facts, Ma'am: Devereaux Peters had 18 points, 15 rebounds, and five blocks, and Notre Dame withstood several Red Storm runs to knock off St. John's, 71-56. Skylar Diggins led all scorers with 24. For St. John's, Shenneika Smith and Da'Shena Stevens each had ten points.
For the hand of Touchdown Jesus, shenanigans, classless behavior, and post-envy, join your intrepid and proud blogger after the jump.
Part of me cares what the scoreboard says; part of me will always care what the scoreboard says. Another part of me is full of righteous indignation and the urge to do unseemly things to Devereaux Peters's smirk at the refs. Most of me is fiercely proud of my team's heart, hustle, and effort.
I have no beef with most Notre Dame fans. (Though someone is going to have to point me to where I can get team logo earrings. Rutgers has them, Tennessee has them, Notre Dame has them, St. John's should have them.) I do have a beef with the one family who came into our section, ignored our warning that they were in a section full of Red Storm die-hards (and oh, yes, the Arico family), held up a sign and blocked people's view, kicked popcorn onto the court, stepped on people's feet, and generally acted like rude, entitled brats- both the children kicking popcorn, and the parents mildly chiding them but nothing more. You stay classy, you. I also have beef with the woman in the blue and gold shamrock shirt sitting behind the St. John's bench; she better be part of Megan Duffy's family tree to pull a stunt like that in front of the ROTC coordinator.
Fashion fail of the day: wearing gray pants, a white jacket, and a pink-and-white striped shirt is rummage-through-the-closet enough. But why in the world would you wear Seton Hall blue shoes with that ensemble?
Excellent anthem from the Metropolitones, a favorite of the Game Notes of Doom. Always good to start off on the right foot, even if the start wasn't great after that.
Ariel Braker played long enough to establish why she wasn't playing earlier in the game. That was a pretty dumb foul. Kaila Turner came in for a couple of rotations and was almost called for a foul while she was on the bench because someone couldn't count fingers. Natalie Achonwa made more of an impact in the first half; she was less of a necessity in the second half, but she still impresses me. (But do her stats only count 95% or so depending on the exchange rate?) Fraderica Miller got the bulk of the minutes off the bench and brought good on-ball defense.
Skylar Diggins is beautiful- not necessarily as a physical specimen, but with her grace and speed as a basketball player. I'd probably like watching her more if she weren't in my conference and if she didn't bitch the refs so much. (It's especially galling to watch her complain to the refs when Notre Dame hasn't been called for a foul yet in a game.) Devereaux Peters is the kind of post I wish all my teams had. She's physical, she's tough, and she's got an array of moves. This is not to say I don't appreciate Da'Shena, Amber, Mary, Zakiyyah, Jennifer, Plenette, Kia, Quanitra, Kara, or Ta'Shia. I'm just saying. Natalie Novosel knows an awful lot of football moves for a kid from a football dead zone. She also had the shot of the game, a three that bounced hiiiiiiiiiiiiigh off the rim and then dropped smoothly in. That was some Touchdown Jesus magic. Kayla McBride didn't seem to do anything, and then you look up and she's rebounding her butt off. Rebounding is one of the harder stats to track by eye; there are so many bodies going for the ball that it's hard to tell who comes out with it eventually unless someone does something remarkable. Brittany Mallory got hit with fouls pretty quickly in the second half, and she didn't have a chance to be much of a factor.
Mallory Jones tried so very hard in her twenty-three seconds, she really did, but you have to hold on to the ball. Briana Brown came in late in the game, as one of what I like to call a “throw spaghetti at the wall” move. Love her defensive hustle, but she needs to play a little smarter. I don't know what Amber Thompson is doing or not doing in practice, or saying or not saying to KBA, or what's wrong with her, but either she needs to get her head together or Kim needs to stop fighting with her, because going up against the size and strength of Notre Dame was not the day for Amber to only play eight minutes. She's the kind of player who needs to be on the floor if she's going to produce; she'll freeze up if she's on the bench too long. I think she could have been more of a factor if she had had the time. Keylantra Langley came in for defensive purposes, and she did her job.
Nadirah McKenith, whatever you may or may not have said to the refs at some point in your life, don't ever say it again. That's the only reason I can think of for two of her shots to be waved off and turned into offensive fouls. One of those was made, one didn't go in, but that's up to four points wiped off the board on reprehensibly bad calls. I can't say enough about her leadership, though. Every time they came out of the timeout, she was gathering the five on the floor together and talking to them. No matter how far down they were, she never let them get discouraged. She also showed up some ups that I hadn't expected from her on that bad knee; she was right up there with Diggins, who's taller and also has pretty damn good vertical. Shenneika Smith was all over the place today. I like when she has well-rounded games, when she's bringing both the defense and the offense, when she's scrapping for boards and going for loose balls. I think today was the first time I actually saw Mary Nwachukwu get a rebound in this calendar year. She played like someone had lit a fire under her, with some spectacular blocks and some good rebounds. I do wish she'd either step in on that long two or take the extra step back and shoot it as a three; long twos do no one a favor, especially when there's no one there to rebound. Da'Shena Stevens did her thing- got in underneath, sneaking around bigger posts and hitting her shots. I don't think it helped her that she went stretches without a break where it was obvious that she needed that break (again, those were the times Amber should have been in the game- if Day is missing short and bailing on plays, and especially if she's in foul trouble, get a sub up). I don't know where Eugeneia McPherson's head was in this one. I really don't. She just couldn't hold on to the ball. She was careless, she was sloppy, and she couldn't hit the broad side of a barn. If this had been a close game, she would have been the goat, but this wasn't a game that any one person could control.
These refs. I thought Kim Barnes Arico and Eric Brewton were going to drop the gloves. And she would have been well within her rights as a frustrated coach watching her team get hacked and shoved with no call. She let him have it two or three times. The second time was when, somehow, a second and a half was added to the end of the first half, which gave Notre Dame juuuuuuust enough time to get off a decent shot. Her inspiring speech to the refs seemed to work in the beginning of the second half... and then Notre Dame committed the seventh deadly sin and wasn't called for another foul for eight minutes. Were there calls in our favor? Of course. But it always seems like Notre Dame gets preferential treatment from the officials, and I'm sick of it. They're good enough, talented enough, skilled enough, that they don't need the officials to protect them.
There have been Red Storm teams in the past that, if they were down by 20 to the #2 team in the country, would have lost by 40. This is not one of those teams. The core of this team learned from the debacle at Stanford not to give up, not to surrender, not to let up. I'd take this team at gun-to-the-head time over half the teams in the poll.
Sunday, March 7, 2010
March 7th, 2010: Notre Dame at St. John’s (Big East tournament)
Comments are closed on this post; please direct any comments to the mirror post on Swish Appeal.
There's nothing in the world like flying down I-95 at what was probably an illegal speed with two other die-hard fans, with the windows rolled down, blasting "We Will Rock You" at 20 notches on the volume dial, on your way to the Big East tournament. There's nothing in the world.
Star-divide
I'm really trying not to think about this game, because the refereeing still makes me want to go punch people in the face, and since I thought it was inappropriate when Brittney Griner expressed her displeasure in that way, I shouldn't give in to the same temptation. I'm still proud of my team, and I still love them, and no three blind mice can make me do anything other than hold my head high and pop my Red.
By no means were we the only St. John's fans to make the trip. There were a few swaths and spots of red in that crowd. Much love for the ladies in 118 who brought the "Seeing Red" sign, because signs are important for establishing who you are.
The Notre Dame band is better than ours, but ours got to do the anthem and didn't completely mess it up. I take my victories where I can get them.
Devereaux Peters absolutely destroyed us inside in the second half. I'll give McGraw credit- she recognized that and started Peters in the second half. (Of course, she got a little help, but we'll get to that in due time.) Bruszewski wasn't as much of a factor as I thought she could have been- which I'm grateful for, mind you. Mallory was more of a factor defensively than offensively. I find it interesting that McGraw tightened her rotation even more than most coaches do in big games- there were a couple of players who I remember getting time against us last time who didn't get in this game.
Erica Williamson did what McGraw asked of her- she's a very big, physical presence inside, and I think I liked her better before her shove sent Da'Shena to the floor and out of the game for a few minutes because of a twisted ankle. Schrader started to find her rhythm in the second half, but she didn't really strike me as being as important to the Irish as I was expecting her to be. Barlow had great hands on defense, but I don't know that she's as good of a three-point shooter as she thinks she is. Diggins's game followed the same pattern as it did in our previous match-up- she was good but not great in the first half, then in the second half she got a little more aggressive and got rewarded for it with some very generous calls.
I know Eugeneia didn't score, and part of that has to do with her bad habit of trying harder to draw contact than hit the shot, but I think she played really well today. She was a key part of our defense, and I like her rapport with Coco- bodes well for next year, when both of them will have to step up with the graduation of our seniors. Coco, while she had her usual hustle plays, also had more than her share of moves that made me want to go down there and hit her upside the head with the Clipboard of Doom. Kelly was on fire beyond the arc- I suppose the luck of the Irish would be with Kelly McManmon, even if the PA guy persisted in calling her McManamon; I thought Mama McManmon was going to go down there and set him straight at some point.
Would whoever kidnapped the real Sky Lindsay please give her back? Please? The Pod Person in #1 for St. John's right now is absolutely incompetent at this whole basketball thing. She can't shoot, she can't pass, she can't catch the ball, and she can't defend. She's not even dancing like Sky. We need the real Sky back for the tournament. Da'Shena was doing great until she got hit from behind and twisted her ankle. Even twenty-something rows up, we could see her face twisted up in pain. She's a tough kid, and we would greatly appreciate it if people would stop trying to break her. Joy was really hampered by foul trouble in the first half, and I think that impeded her ability to sense the flow of the game, which she's usually really good at. She made a couple of good defensive plays to break up fast breaks, though one of them got given right back. Shenneika put the team on her back in the first half. She was determined to keep us in it, and she did a great job of that on both ends of the floor. The turnovers disturb me, but she's a high-risk/high-reward player. Nadirah... most of the time, it's hard to believe she's a freshman, because she has poise and patience beyond her years. She loves to run a high-tempo offense, but when her team's running too fast and needs to take a long, deep breath, she'll step back and slow things down. Her court vision, while I'm not sure it's in the same class as Ticha Penicheiro's or Diana Taurasi's, is exceptional. All the fuss is about Shenneika, and it's well-deserved fuss, but Nadirah's going to be the better of the two players when all is said and done.
I'm very glad I don't work for the Big East. I can say that Notre Dame's leprechaun went to his rainbow at halftime and gave out some gifts to the referees. The officiating in the second half was sharply tilted towards ND. A lot of things that went uncalled in the first half were getting whistled in the second, and there were a couple of calls on Da'Shena and Coco that were very questionable. Of course, Coco doesn't help herself by flopping blatantly enough to bring a tear of joy to DeMya Walker's eye, but sometimes there's actually a foul there, y'know? The foul differential iin the second half was 15-9, and for a long time it was 9-1 or 9-2. It was ridiculous. More than a few people in UConn gear came up to us after the game and said that they had been rooting for us and we got jobbed- even hours later, as we finished dinner in a restaurant half a mile from the arena.
A special note on the UConn fans: I've always been harsh on Husky fans, because I've rarely had a good experience with them. That really changed today. Maybe changing shades from Scarlet to Red made a difference, but all of us had UConn fans telling us that they were rooting for our team in the first game. It was disconcerting to have the Hardcores as an ally instead of an enemy. That all being said... guys, I know you love your team and all, but could you perhaps hold your applause for them until after our injured point guard stops clutching her ankle on the court? Just a thought? Because it's really not a good feeling to hear cheers and applause while Nadirah's writhing in pain.
I'm still proud of my team. I love them. And they know we love them. We arrived about forty minutes before tip, and our seats- while in the lower bowl- were fairly high up. My mother, God love her, gets to her seat, puts her hands around her mouth, and belts out, "LET'S GO, ST. JOHN'S!" Da'Shena and someone else- I want to say Jennifer?- look up at our section and we see the smiles on their faces. They did us proud. We tried to do the same for them.
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
February 16th, 2010: Notre Dame at St. John’s
Comments on this post are closed- please direct all comments to the mirror post on Swish Appeal.
I LOVE MY TEAM I LOVE MY TEAM WORDS CANNOT EXPRESS HOW MUCH I LOVE MY TEAM BUT I WILL TRY.
Mother Nature does not seem to approve of us having big games. There was yet more snow dumped on Queens right around the time people would start arriving. I was not amused, especially given the number of people whose snow I had to slog through to get there. But you don't want to hear about that. You want to hear about the biggest win in Red Storm history, right?
Gotta give credit to the student sections, who showed up in force for this huge, huge game. Special shoutout to the guy in the backwards cap, the guy in the gray hoodie, the guy in the Ellsbury jersey, and their crew, who kept the noise level up all through the game and gave us our cues to work from for chants. We also have to show much love for the group of students behind us who may have thought we were crazy, but who joined in our shouting, and to the trio of Johnnies in the section behind the visiting bench who made sure there was a chant coming from that end too. In general, the crowd was great and really into it.
I wish the anthem singer had been competent, but I'd rather have a win than a good anthem.
I assume Devereaux Peters is still working her way back from injury- not because of how she played, but because she didn't start and because she only played 28 minutes. (Yeah, only. *mocks self*) She was the best post presence Notre Dame had on both ends of the floor. I didn't like the reaching- she probably should have fouled out, but with two calls that weren't made and one that shouldn’t have been made. I was expecting Novosel to make more plays, but she was a little out of her depth, I think- I assume that she got more minutes because of Schrader's absence. Turner came in for a few minutes to be the foul magnet in the last couple, and Williamson got some time when both Peters and Bruszewski were in foul trouble- I like her size. If I'd been Muffet McGraw, I might have used her more to take advantage of the Red Storm's lack of size.
I don't think I need to tell readers of the Game Notes of Doom, or of Swish Appeal, that Skylar Diggins is the real deal. Either you know or you can guess that she's one of the best players in the conference and one of the best players in her class. She's fast, she's smart, she's athletic- did I mention she's fast?- and she can get to the basket pretty much whenever she wants. She doesn't need help from the officials. Ashley Barlow came up with a lot of big shots for them, and worked her butt off on defense. Brittany Mallory showed exceptional ability to slash to the basket and hit the long shot. I was surprised to be impressed by her. I wasn't expecting Melissa Lechlitner to be so easily shut down, but she wasn't really a factor in this game. Neither was Becca Bruzewski, though that had more to with her foul trouble than with any lack of ability- when she was in, she did a good job of getting and holding position in the lane. I really like her, though that may be a function of her name and the bright pink ribbon woven through her hair for style points.
We didn't win this game because of our bench. There were some plays Coco made that were sheer hustle that I applaud her for, but there were twice as many plays where I wanted to go down there and wham her with the Clipboard of Doom for blowing an easy play. Kelly added two more treys to her total, but really fell asleep on defense and rebounds. There's a difference between expecting her to get stuff that she doesn't normally get and expecting her to do more than stand there and be decorative. Eugeneia showed nothing. Less than nothing, even. She played one or two bursts, then sat down for the rest of the game.
We won this game because of our starters. Joy came to play- the stats might not show it, because she wasn't credited with a single block, though she had at least two. She tore it up on the boards. I'd love to see her +/- for this game, but the St. John's play-by-play doesn't have substitutions. Nadirah quarterbacked a solid game and picked up on the boards where 'Geneia usually does. She crossed over Diggins late in the game with a move that had the crowd "oooh!"ing at her. Da'Shena hit her free throws! Well, seven of them, but out of ten, that's a much better percentage than we've been getting out of her. She was victimized by some bad calls, too; she takes a lot of hits, and I'm not sure how much more she can take. Sky came up with the big shots when we needed her- the one that sticks out most in my memory is the three to beat the shot clock and extend the lead. This might have been Shenneika's breakout game the way UConn was Da'Shena's last year- it wasn't that her shooting percentage was great, but she did a little bit of everything, both in terms of mixing up her offensive repertoire and in terms of filling the stat sheet. (However, she also got blocked by Ashley Barlow. Shenneika, you are 6'1" and therefore there is no excuse for a 5'9" guard to block you.)
I have no idea what game the referees started watching in the second half, but I don't think it was the one they were supposed to be watching. They started calling phantom fouls and really questionable fouls whenever Red Storm players dared to defend Skylar Diggins. Did we commit dumb fouls? Yes, we did. This is the sort of thing that tends to happen when Coco Hart is on the floor. But some of that contact was incidental, and a lot of it was stuff they'd been letting go, and some of it was not being called at both ends of the floor. Diggins doesn't need that kind of help from the refs, and it reflects badly on her through no fault of her own. And as the game went on, it seemed like the referees were doing everything they could to keep ND in the game- plays that should have been fouls were called jump balls or not called at all, that sort of thing.
The worst was the last play of the game. St. John's was up six as Notre Dame put the ball up on their last possession. From where I was sitting, it looked like Diggins fell on Nadirah. As the clock ran out, we began to celebrate, because, well, WE BEAT NOTRE DAME. And then we saw that as the light turned red, Bonita Spence's arm was up and her whistle had blown. Somehow, that play turned into a three-shot foul against Nadirah. Ms. Spence was not Captain Popularity in the arena. Diggins stepped to the line, having hit all nine of her free throws without a quaver, and proceeded to miss two free throws off the back of the rim, the second identical to the first, before hitting the third. I'll swear on a stack of media guides that she tanked the first two shots and hit the third to avoid the rebound because she knew the foul was bogus.
And then we celebrated again because, well, WE BEAT NOTRE DAME. Yes, the absence of Schrader is a bit of an asterisk. I recognize and accept that. Notre Dame has a solid team and a lot of good players, though I don't honestly know that they're the third or fourth best team in the country. They'll do well and go far. Maybe we got lucky.
But, on the other hand, that's the third time in a row we've beaten them at Carnesecca. And maybe our bench would have risen to the occasion if we had to contend with Schrader as well as Bruzewski, Mallory, Diggins, and the rest of the Irish. What ultimately matters is this: there are no asterisks in the standings. We won, despite the referees. We won, despite the runs Notre Dame threw at us. We won, despite the differential in the rankings. We pulled it off, and we are now guaranteed to finish above .500 in one of the strongest conferences in the country.
This team doesn't give up. This team turns it up in the second half. And that's what's got me so excited. We play at Rutgers on the 24th. We play at home on the 27th. We're at Pitt March 1st. Come and see about us. We're ready to Dance.
Sunday, April 20, 2008
March 3rd, 2008: Notre Dame at St. John's
NB: This was written before the WNIT draw was announced- wasn't sure if we were even eligible at the time.
If the ride is over, then this is the perfect way for it to end- although Kia Wright does one of the dumbest things ever seen on a basketball court.
This game is designed to break your heart. It's a baseball quote, but it comes to mind for me an awful lot when it comes to college sports, because no matter what happens, there will always be heartbreak. The players have to leave you; you know that coming in. They might come back on alumnae days or as staff, but the day that they leave the court for the last time in the team colors you've come to know and love is inevitable. And that's what it was today at Carnesecca Arena. It won't be the last game for Tiina Sten and Kia Wright, not since they've clinched tenth in the BEast, but tonight was the last time that they would put on the home whites, the last time they'd hit the floor to Kanye West's "Good Life", the last time they'd play in front of the few fans who've stuck with them all these years.
Yeah, I cried. I'm not gonna lie. When they talked about Kia's accolades and her place in the record books, when they gave her the flowers and the framed photo of her blowing by Toliver, when it finally hit home that the ride's just about over, there were tears rolling down my cheeks. I think Tiina had some kinfolk there- not her parents, but sisters or something. Kia's parents went to center court with her, and her large, extended family all seemed to be in attendance somewhere in the arena. It would have been nice if they'd done the jersey thing like most schools do, and I'm not so sure that combining the male seniors and the female seniors on the same shirt is a sign of unity and not just a sign of the school being cheap-ass motherfuckers. But whatever.
I'm not so sure I like Notre Dame. Melissa D'Amico, who's from somewhere in New York, brought a large posse, and they brought signs. Maybe I'm a bit, er, parochial, but if I'm going to someone else's house for the last game of the season, for their Senior Night, I don't bring signs, and I certainly don't bring negative signs; it's one thing to have a "Go Irish" sign, but it's another thing to bring a "Stomp The Storm" sign. And I really don't like Lindsay Schrader: forearm to Coco's, er, chest, forearm to Joy, er, chest, forearm to Recee's, er, chest; the last of these was met with a ferocious elbow. Recee does not approve of people groping her teammates. We were really wondering if Notre Dame was playing all out, since they were locked into the top four and didn't look like they gave much of a damn about most of the game- their shooting in the first half was appalling. It looked like McGraw was taking a backseat to her assistants and her starters were taking a backseat to her bench- well, for the most part. Tulyah Gaines played defense as if her life and existence depended on sticking close to her woman, and Charel Allen and Ashley Barlow looked often for her shots. Barlow found them more often than Allen did. We have also come to the conclusion that the name Barlow seems to come invested with a certain sense of badassery; certainly it fits former St. John's player Greeba Barlow, Louisville Cardinal Patrika Barlow, and the aforementioned Ashley Barlow. Hmmm. Have already mentioned my disapproval of Schrader. Was not impressed with the Notre Dame bench; they all seemed to be interchangeable, although Williamson brought good size. Granted, it helps one's block totals if players on offense are stubborn and persist in driving on you, no matter how often you stuff them.
Senior Night should have been Tiina and Kia's night to shine, and Kia did have one gorgeous pass to Coco, who flew in to score the basket. Unfortunately, Tiina and Kia also showcased their fatal flaws: Tiina is a stereotypical Euro unwilling to use her size, with a habit of missing easy shots and not taking shots she should take, and Kia plays far more with her heart than with her head. In the last couple of minutes, she made an unbelievably boneheaded move in picking up her fourth foul on defense, and compounded it by saying something to the ref that caused her to pick up a technical. Remember, kids, this is college. The tech was Kia's fifth and final foul, the seventh foul on St. John's, and two additional free throws for the Irish. This is NOT the last image I wanted to have of Kia as a member of the Red Storm, damnit, and this is certainly not the last impression I wanted her to leave on the scouts who happened to be there. Sky was off and on like someone was playing with a light switch- one possession, she hit a three and completed a four-point play, then turned around and gave half of it back to Gaines. Sometimes I look at her, at her body language in shootaround and on the bench, and wonder if she really wants to be part of this team; she just doesn't look like she belongs, and I hope she does find herself here- or wherever she needs to find herself. Monique was too well covered to get anything up, and a lot of the shots she did put up had the look of desperation, but she was fierce on the boards. Seriously, she channels so many sides of Sista Christon that the resemblance is getting freaky. Joy was Joy- you could hear her and you definitely saw her. Kelly got hers, although Kelly needs to either do some serious ballhandling and passing drills, or just accept her role as a catch-and-shoot player. Kristin got good run tonight- had one very tenacious o-board and putback, and generally did the job I expect of her, which is to hold a lead, neither extending it nor letting it go. For now, she's steady. Next year, we'll need her to be, er, more. Recee brought her badassery tonight. It cannot be stated often enough: when Recee Mitchell is confident, and not worrying about various injured body parts or whatever, Recee Mitchell is a badass. She's got a big body and she enjoys using it- but she's also deceptively quick for her size. And don't fuck with her teammates. Now, if she could just hit some damn free throws.
Looking it up after the fact, this was Dee Kantner's crew, which provides no excuse for some of the rather blatant missed calls that led up to Kia's technical. There was a point during the game where I thought they were deliberately avoiding making calls in order to avoid making one that would be controversial, and the game was getting rougher and rougher. I've already described Schrader's preferred method of finding space to shoot; on the flip side, there were elbows thrown by women in white jerseys. I don't think these teams like each other. I don't think Muffet McGraw likes the tri-state area very much, either.
Kia's family really is a trip. Her immediate relatives make it clear where she gets her knowledge of the game and the leadership she often shows; her more distant relatives showcase the passion and excessive emotion that often get her in trouble. I was about ready to smack one of her aunts over the head because the woman would not stop hollering to Kia the whole damn game… including while Recee and Joy were shooting free throws, which is enough of an adventure without further distraction from the stands.
It's not technically over yet. I know that much. I know they'll play the seventh seed in Hartford, and if they win that game, it's time for me to tear my hair out again. I know this much is true. And I know this was a signature win for the program, a fitting high note for two seniors who helped revive a team that used to be a joke. But I started with a quote, so let me end with a quote that really sums up how I'm feeling tonight, after the last time I'll see Carnesecca for eight months, the last game with any emotional meaning I'll see for two months and more, the last time I'll ever see Tiina play, maybe the last time I'll ever see Kia play. This one actually is basketball-related, from Pat Summitt's book Raise the Roof:
I realized the room was virtually silent. You would never have known that we had just won a championship, much less staked a claim as the greatest women's college basketball team ever. Our players sat in front of their lockers, subdued. Semeka practically hung her head. Even Kellie had a downcast expression. No one spoke. They just looked at me.
"What's wrong with you all?" I said.
"We're sad," Semeka said, softly.
"Why?" I asked, incredulous.
Semeka gazed up at me with those moist brown eyes.
"Because it's over," she answered.
Friday, February 29, 2008
March 6th, 2005: Big East tournament
scroll down for March 6th results
The Game Notes feel like dancing, dancing the night away, in Hartford.
1st game... 41-37 Villanova over Boston College. It was like a trip to the dentist, and not one of those good ones where they tell you you're a good kid and give you a toothbrush. It grated. It went in fits and starts. I was minimally impressed.
2nd game... 69-48 Rutgers over St. John's. My two teams in the Big East, go figure. Rutgers was just too quick for St. John's, too quick and too talented. The Red Storm played with heart, but they just couldn't make any noise early. Chelsea Newton was on fiyah. I suspect she'll be a Lib pick if she makes it to their second round choice; Marianne was hanging around again, sans Patty. Ajavon was also played fabulously. For St. John's, Kia Wright had an off game (must have been the PA announcer calling her Kia White all night...) but Angela Clark picked up the slack in the second half. She's got a very soft touch and a knack for rebounds. There were some moves in there by both teams that made me think they got those refs out of the WWE.
3rd game... 70-59 Notre Dame over West Virginia. I think. I know it was ND over WVU by double digits, but at that point I was rather fried. ND really controlled that game. WVU has a couple of promising players. Yolanda Paige impressed me. She got called for a couple of BS turnovers ("they called a walk because she changed hands?!") to inflate that stat. She also had some gorgeous passes and discovered that hey, for them to play well she needed to find her offense. She showed a great knack for getting into the lane and hitting her shots. #14 for WVU (Soho?) was also wonderful, and I suspect she'll make into one of Keegan's later-class draft databases. Batteast for ND was quiet but remarkable, and you *never* leave Duffy open!
4th game... UConn whomped Syracuse. We left at the half of this one, with UConn holding an 18-point lead. We caught part of it on the radio; when we lost WHUS, it was 64-39 or something like that, as Mel Thomas canned her fourth three of the night. She was impressive, and it was nice to see Nicole Wolff getting something done as well. Syracuse... Syracuse was orange. That's really all I can think of.