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.
Tuesday, March 20, 2018
March 19th, 2018: Penn at St. John's (WNIT)
Saturday, March 19, 2016
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.
Monday, April 14, 2008
January 12th, 2008: Penn at Princeton
The New Jersey rivalry weekend continues on the campus that time forgot. Meagan Cowher is her father's daughter, Addie Micir is a pleasant surprise, and there's nothing quite as pathetic as watching a guy try to get to his feet with a full bass on top of him.
So for part two of our Jersey Rivalry Weekend, we headed southish to Princeton, where the Tigers were to host the Quakers of Penn. An hour's drive or thereabouts from the RAC brought us to the picturesque town and the stunning campus that shapes its aura. In the beginnings of dusk, it was quite beautiful; I'm sure it's even more lovely in daylight, but since Ivy League conference games are all on Friday and Saturday nights so as to not interfere with academics, I doubt I'll have the chance to see the exquisite work during the day. Construction on campus cut off the normal routes to Jadwin Gym, so- with help from a very nice band member- we cut through the concourse of Princeton Stadium and across the track, past an ivy-covered wall, through a wrought-iron gate, to the arena (which looks more like an opera house or an independent theatre than it does a place where sports occur).
No food in the bleachers. This is a wonderful idea and I wish more schools would adopt it. For those who wanted to snack during the game, the upstairs balcony allowed food in the seats. Jadwin Gym is intriguingly set up, for the facility is primarily used for indoor track; basketball and the like are afterthoughts, so while the court is set up properly, on three sides here are gray screens that cut off the vast bulk of the building; looking over the screens, you can see men's and women's track banners, and at the foot of the screen behind the benches, a couple of lanes of track are visible. Seating was only available on one side of the court, facing the benches- bleachers on the lower level, seats on the upper. Quaint, old-fashioned digital scoreboard with quirky graphics.
Signs that you might be at an Ivy League game, #1: the pep band has a bass. They were wonderful and we ended up buying their album.
Penn brought a lot of power in the paint- perhaps not surprising, considering their coach is the former Georgetown coach who was there for Rebekkah Brunson's tenure. Perhaps they recognized that this was a weakness in Princeton's game- especially with Meagan Cowher very much off her game in the first half- or perhaps it's Knapp's style. I don't know enough about him to judge, only that Penn beat Princeton in the paint for the entire game, and the differential was most noticeable in the first half. I was most impressed with the junior Maggie Burgess, who provided a lot of that power as the first Quaker off the bench- she's big, surprisingly mobile for her size, and actually got stuff done. But Penn seemed very discombobulated, as a lot of their passes went out of bounds, off players' hands, or over anywhere they could be caught. I was surprised nothing went over the screens, to be honest. Whether it was a bad game by Penn's distributors or well-played defense by the Princeton guards, the Penn offense was pretty much choked off right where it would normally have started up.
Signs that you might be at an Ivy League game, #2: the only individual award that's prominently placed so that it can be clearly read is the Academic All-American award.
I admit that one of the reasons I wanted to see Princeton this year was because of Meagan Cowher. With her sports bloodline, and with Princeton pretty much scheduling a suicide slate for their out-of-conference part of the season, I figured she'd blow me out of the water. Not so much. Maybe she wasn’t up for this game. Maybe she came down with something. We all have off nights. But I was not impressed with her. Yeah, she hit her averages, but most of her points came after her teammates had built the lead. She had some deplorable defensive lapses and way too many turnovers, plus the mind-numbingly stupid foulout with twenty seconds left on a pointless offensive foul. She's aggressive, and when she showed her moves she showed that she does have them, but I think it's going to take an attitude adjustment for her to make it in the WNBA, and with a coaching pedigree and a Princeton degree, I can't see her bothering to make it. No, the player who really impressed me for Princeton was Addie Micir- a beautiful stroke, enough aggressiveness to both hit the boards and play solid defense, and only a freshman, so little flaws like questionable footwork can be improved upon. Again, for all I know, I've seen the best game she'll ever play in her life, but I liked what I saw out of her. I also liked Whitney Downs, a junior forward with great instincts. Running backwards to properly get back on defense seems to be a lost art, but she has it. Princeton got a lot of their points from the line, some of which were the result of incredibly stupid or blatant fouls by Penn. Most of the rest came from outside the arc- they bombed eight threes. They were also very good at taking advantage of Penn's mistakes, though a faster team would probably have converted more of the fast breaks that were potentially there.
Signs that you might be at an Ivy League game, #3: point guard Jessica Berry impressed both me and the boy with her great handle and court vision; true points are rare today in basketball, but she had an air about her that, if she walked onto a court anywhere, you'd know she was a point guard without her saying a word. We were surprised to find that she'd only played in two games this year, and this was her first start. We thought she might have been injured, or perhaps hadn't lived up to the school's academic standards for the first semester. I happened to be reading a game recap on the Princeton site while compiling these notes… turns out that she was fine and her grades were fine- she was unavailable because she was doing her fall semester at Oxford.
The band did a postgame show, which was also awesome, although there's nothing quite as pathetic as watching a guy with a full bass on top of him trying to get back up from lying (and playing his instrument) on his back.
To quote eBay lingo: A+ viewing experience, would attend again. Perhaps next year, when Micir's matured a little more.