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?
Friday, November 17, 2017
November 16th, 2017: Princeton at Seton Hall
Sunday, December 6, 2015
December 6th, 2015: Michigan at Princeton
Just the Facts, Ma'am: Michigan rallied for brief stretches, but Princeton controlled the game in their 74-57 win. Michelle Miller led the Tigers with 21 points and eight rebounds. Katelynn Flaherty led Michigan with 33 points, but no other Wolverine had more than 8.
For t-shirts, broken promises, hard bleachers, plaid, free things, a lack of hustle, matching grays, sore quads, and let-downs, join your intrepid and sore blogger after the jump.
Greetings, readers both loyal and disloyal! Your intrepid blogger is on the road again with her favorite allies, headed down to Princeton for the Tigers' game against Michigan. As always when an Ivy League institution takes the court, I will attempt to elevate the level of my discourse, to better suit the academic reputation of both Princeton and Michigan.
I'm currently writing from the back of a Suburban Trailways bus on the approach to the Lincoln Tunnel. It's a more fiscally sensible alternative to taking the train, costing less than sixty dollars, as compared to approximately seventy-five dollars in train fare. The bus was very slightly late, but well within normal parameters. Given that the Giants and the Jets kicked off at 1, this may prove to be a poor choice, but we'll see how the traffic flows.
Even if we didn't already have a source for tickets, we'd be able to get in free anyway; Princeton's holding a food drive today. We're bringing non-perishable food items anyway, because we can. It's what we do. (Today is also the post-game autograph session! Wee, another poster for the fancave! In other news, we're going to need a bigger fancave.)
We have arrived! We have a t-shirt! There are a lot of Michigan people here so far. We might very well end up filling the allocated seating, and there are additional Michigan supporters across from the benches.
Coach Joy coming through with the swag! Did not expect more t-shirts, but will totally take them.
My Sharpie and my spare pen are on loan to a family who's making a sign. I don't normally approve of signs on the road, but you know what? It's totally worth it.
I see the Guru is in the house.
All right, this is serious business. One of the Michigan staffers is going around with 3 cards and rolly-signs. We're going to make some noise up in here. (And apparently there will not, in fact, be noise. Everyone is ridiculously quiet. What's the point of showing up to support your team if you don't cheer for them?)
At halftime, Princeton is up 33-24, and it hasn't been pretty. I think they might have gussied the place up too much for ESPN- the floor is extremely shiny, and we've seen a lot of slipping and sliding, especially in front of the Princeton bench. I would greatly appreciate if someone other than Katelynn Flaherty could score, though.
There's a lot of work to be done for both of these teams. Michigan's overall youth showed up in this one, while Princeton still has work to do on their fundamentals. I really expected far better decision-making from two schools as academically inclined as Princeton and Michigan, though.
I think I have a new favorite Wolverine to replace the graduated Cyesha Goree, and her name is Danielle Williams. She needs to be a little more offensive-minded, but I love her work on defense, and I love how vocal she is on the floor. Michigan is looking for a leader, and she seems like someone who can at least lead by example. Boogie Brozoski did not make a good first impression, missing her first two shots very badly, but I like her spirit. She doesn't always know where she needs to be yet, but I think she can learn. Nicole Munger did not always make smart decisions with the ball.
Kelsey Mitchell, who I'm sure has considered the possibility of trolling that school in Ohio, had a solid few minutes, cleaning up on the glass from ill-advisd Michigan shots. Maria Backman showed a little spark on the offensive end, but definitely didn't look like she knew her place in the schemes yet. There was one play where the ball bounced off her hands because she wasn't ready for the pass. Sam Trammel gave a few good minutes on the board, and finished the half with a sweet putback.
I'm sure Madison Ristovski is a lovely person, but I have the strong feeling that if I were a regular attendee of Michigan games, she would drive me up the wall. She's timid with the ball, and every time I see her make a move, I fully expect it to be a turnover, whether on a bad pass, a careless dribble, a slip, a fumble- something will go wrong. Siera Thompson's attitude on the court disturbed me. Maybe it was just this game, but she didn't seem involved with the game or with her teammates, and like she was perpetually smelling something sour (which, granted, might have been Michigan's shooting). Near the end of the game, she was dominating the ball, which I can understand since she and Katelynn were the only ones making any reasonable attempt to score, but I don't have to like it, and I don't have to think that it's a good idea, and I don't have to think that she's not going to do it in situations where it's uncalled for. Katelynn Flaherty was the Michigan offense today. She has a beautiful stroke and some sweet handles, and she knows how to make space for herself. There were times when she tried to get her teammates involved, and that was when Princeton's defense was best able to strike. It was starting to wear on her by the end- she was tired, she was making mistakes on defense, she was getting sloppy.
Somebody needs to train Hallie Thome out of bringing the ball down. She's 6-5- there's no reason for her to equalize the playing field by bringing the ball back down to where the guards can get at it. She's very tentative right now, and that needs to get smacked out of her in practice right quick. (So much for my plans to elevate my diction.) Jillian Dunston doesn't seem to have a position, or if she does, she's not fully sure of what it is. She's got a very solid, thick build that seems to indicate she should be hitting people with it, but she spent too much time for my liking floating around on the perimeter. When she did shoot close to the basket, the results were ugly.
I think Michigan is in dire need of some ballhandling drills- too many fumbles.
Courtney Banghart really didn't go into her bench for long stretches- it was almost as if she were trying on different looks with most of her guards (although, to be fair, the way Michelle Miller was playing, I wouldn't have wanted to take her out). We saw Tia Weledji first in the first half and last in the second half, just to give you some idea of the shift in rotations. Taylor Brown gave the impression of small quickness. I really didn't get a strong sense of Qalea Ismail's play in her brief minutes.
Leslie Robinson came off the bench for the first time in the second half, and she lit a fire under Princeton. She had a nifty steal for a fast break lay-up, she had a sweet pass for a basket- in a short burst of time, she got a lot done. And her teammates were loving it- they gave her the kind of cheers you usually only see when the last player off the bench scores her first basket in a meaningless fourth quarter shift. Taylor Williams saw the bulk of the bench minutes and produced some strong rebounds and stifling interior defense, using her length to ruin people's shots.
Amanda Berntsen has some slick, sneaky moves. She knows how to get to the ball, and how to get the ball to the basket. She's a little reckless, and her gambling started to get her in trouble in the fourth quarter, when she started racking up the fouls. I like her flair, though. Vanessa Smith started off well, and she was all up on the ball like white on rice. Princeton's defense was tough, and she was a big part of it. Michelle Miller was feeling it, both from deep and down low. It felt like she couldn't miss, though I know she did. She had the shot of the game for Princeton, an absolute back-breaker at the shot clock buzzer that was so ridiculous that it'll get its own little bitty paragraph.
Alex Wheatley has one of the most unusual free throw wind-ups I've ever seen- it's like she studied part of Rick Barry's routine at the line, but not the whole thing. She has some nice left-handed moves near the basket, including one nice reverse that I still don't know how she got into the basket. Annie Tarakchian looked more out of place than I've ever seen her in a Princeton offense. Her shots were off, and badly off- way too strong. She hustled on the boards, as did all of the Tigers, but it was strange to see her so out of place. I guess that's one thing we can at least partially credit the Michigan defense for.
Princeton stayed on loose balls. They were aggressive on both ends of the floor. They were the ones who never gave up on plays.
Play of the game: beyond the shadow of a doubt, Michelle Miller throwing up a three-pointer over her shoulder as the shot clock expired and hitting nothing but net. The Michiganders around me made a reasonable argument that Boogie had played stifling enough defense that five-seconds-closely-guarded would have been the right call, but that shot was so awesome I can't take it away.
Officiating was the usual round of inconsistency. Film at eleven.
The post-game autograph session was fun. They had little bitty autograph books for the kids- I almost snagged one for the collection, but they'd been in the box too long and the covers were starting to wear off. So we got a poster instead. Unlike most teams, almost every Tiger signed with her first name only, or even a nickname (apparently Alex Wheatley is "Wheaties", which is apropos and funny at the same time). Tarakchian recognized us from the trip to Seton Hall last year, which was a bit awkward, but you shouldn't give clues to an Ivy League brain. The aforementioned poster was for all Princeton winter sports; Taylor Williams (I think) made a point of checking off which event this was. Tarakchian was the first to sign, and she signed on the little sliver that was devoted to WBB. So periodically, as the poster went down the line, there was a laugh and an exclamation of "Annie signed on Meesh!" (I, uh. It was funnier in real time. I swear.)
Then, of course, the bus broke down in New Brunswick. My life, loyal readers. To be fair, it was a pretty quick turnaround to get a new bus out, but stiiiiiiiiill.
Saturday, March 7, 2015
March 7th, 2015: Princeton at Columbia
Just the Facts, Ma'am: The Princeton Tigers kept rolling towards perfection and clinched the Ivy League title with a 63-44 win at Columbia. Blake Dietrick led Princeton with 17 points, while Annie Tarakchian came up just shy of a double-double with 9 points and 9 rebounds. Tori Oliver led all scorers with 18.
For the end of all things, a look at history, tracking rebounds, too many stairs, badly designed stations, friendly strangers, and big cats, join your intrepid and gimpy blogger after the jump.
Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, and of course all our readers who eschew the gender binary!
We're wrapping up the regular season here in New York with an evening visit to Levien Gymnasium on the grounds of Columbia University, where the Lions hope to spoil the heretofore undefeated season of the Princeton Tigers. As is customary when chronicling the athletic endeavors of the Ancient Eight, your intrepid blogger will attempt to elevate the level of her writing to suit the academic excellence of these two schools.
We're up in row Q at Levien, having been assigned to the Princeton side of the court. It's already bustling half an hour before tip. There are a lot of people in orange and black, and a lot of alumni showing their pride.
I believe several members of Leslie Robinson's family, including her father, have joined us this evening. Since security hasn't been amped up and I haven't been strip-searched, I'm assuming Aunt Michelle will not be coming.
The Columbia band has chosen to wear their most formal gear for this game. I suppose that makes sense. You dress up for Saturday night, right? I don't understand the pink foam whales people are wearing on their heads, though.
Columbia's Senior Day preparations include balloons in the shape of the seniors' numbers. For some reason, the jerseys are also reversed. Perhaps that reflects Columbia's awareness that Princeton fans are likely to outnumber Columbia fans.
I love the faded shadow effect of the inlaid center court logo, though the giant trademark symbol detracts from the effect.
There is a young woman in a Harvard sweatshirt in the Princetonian section. Lost, related, or just trolling?
After a short disappearance, the Columbia band has marched into the gym. Bonus points for the violin.
Very sweet of the announcer to take the time to introduce each member of the color guard.
At halftime, Princeton is up 36-23, but the Tigers have underwhelmed against a Lions team that's in transition from Nixon's seniors to Glance's recruits. Blake Dietrick leads the Tigers with 11, while Tori Oliver leads the Lions with 10.
The Princeton fans have flags, but have mostly been quiet, except for the older gentleman next to us who's enjoying the game quite a bit.
Princeton turned up the defense in the second half, but they did not look like a team that could threaten in the NCAA tournament tonight, nor did they look like a team that's undefeated. Ominous for the road ahead.
The Tigers went deep into their bench in the second half, so we got to see a fair number of their reserves. Leslie Robinson was physical, as well as foul-prone (though in her defense, one of those calls was a very poor one). Vanessa Smith showed some pretty moves on the inside and facilitated the fast break. Taylor Williams played long stretches in the second half and couldn't quite take that next step in the post- lots of foul trouble, especially on the defensive end. Mariah Smith made some nice defensive plays.
I love, love, love the way Michelle Miller reads the ball off the rim on missed jumpers. She tracked long rebounds really well. Amanda Berntsen is super fast- she accelerated and attacked beautifully. Annie Tarakchian came through with threes at the right time and smashed a second half block so fierce that one of the Princetonians behind me was impelled to scream, "NOT IN MY HOUSE!" (I did have to remind him that this was, in fact, not his house.) She's sneaky good on the glass, too. Alex Wheatley had shots on the inside that she should have hit, but she was solid down low overall. Blake Dietrick was very impressive, showing speed and solid game management. I suspect she was in with the deep reserves to keep them from running up the score- Princeton was looking to keep scoring until the last few seconds, though they did run clock. I like her all-around game.
Princeton ran a motion offense that showed flashes of pure beauty, and was sticky on defense, switching between a tight man and a zone.
Jillian Borreson's brief appearance was at the end of the first half- I think Stephanie Glance was using her for a little height. Camille Zimmerman showed speed and mobility for a big player- the guy behind us (who I think was a youth coach) was really impressed with her. I question her ball security, though. Columbia got unremarkable minutes from their bench, for the most part- better than I would have expected from their record, but not statistically relevant.
Campbell Mobley got the start because it was Senior Day, and that's pretty much all we saw of her. Miwa Tachibana also didn't start the second half after starting the game- the tiny guard was hot from the field, but couldn't keep up with Princeton's speed. Sara Mead found ways to get to the line and was solid for the Lions. Amara Mbionwu hit the boards, but I don't know if she was looking to shoot, or if any shots she intended to take were off offensive rebounds that she never grabbed. Tori Olvier showed some fantastic moves and was the bright light for Columbia.
Actually, that's a pretty harsh assessment. The upperclassmen on this team, for the most part, are not up to the par of Princeton or Penn, or even Yale. The underclassmen, on the other hand, show a lot of potential and stood their ground against the Tigers. I'm looking forward to a resurgence in Manhattan.
Lousy, lousy refs. No game-changing calls, but lots of bad procedural calls and no-calls. I expect refs doing Ivy games to be able to count to two.
I think Princeton was looking ahead to Penn and to the tournament. In a year or two, Columbia will make them regret that kind of attitude.
Sunday, March 23, 2014
March 23rd, 2014: Princeton at Seton hall
Just the Facts, Ma'am: Sidney Cook converted a three-point play with nine seconds left, and Seton Hall made two defensive stands to stave off Princeton, 75-74. Michellle Miller led all scorers with 34 points on 11-13 shooting, while Alex Wheatley added 15. For Seton Hall, Ka-Deidre Simmons dropped 17 of her 23 points in the second half. Bra'Shey Ali just missed a double-double with nine points and 12 rebounds.
For tactical errors, hustle, passion, inciting the crowd, Greek myths, outgeeking the geeks, the repelling the boarding party, join your intrepid and sleep-deprived blogger after the jump.
Good afternoon, or evening, as you prefer! It's a battle for New Jersey at historic Walsh Gymnasium on the campus of Seton Hall University, as the Pirates take on the Tigers of Princeton on this chill spring day.
The Princeton band will be in attendance today, as are a passel of Princeton fans and family. We're expecting Walsh to get loud. Student Activities has attempted to bribe students into attending with one of their favorite things: free pizza. So far it's having a minimal effect, but I'm hopeful.
The Princeton band has arrived, in their orange plaid jackets and black pants. Even the drums are plaid, except for the bits with tigers on. Some of the band members are even wearing tails, and I don't mean the excessively formal jacket kind of tails. I mean tiger tails, curling long and low from their backs. I still think Cal rocks the hats better.
The folks who know us also know that we're St. John's fans, so we're hearing a lot about Briana Brown's three from the corner against USC. Not that I ever get tired of hearing about Briana Brown's three from the corner against USC.
Princeton, we're going to make you tear down that "Play Like Champions" banner and eat it with salt and barbeque sauce.
At halftime, Seton Hall is up by two, 38-36, and it's been a great, back-and-forth game. Michelle Miller has 22 for Princeton; Tabatha Richardson-Smith has 13 for Seton Hall. The bands have been going at it, back and forth, Princeton testing the bounds of artificial noisemakers with their drumsticks at the edges of their drums. Place is loud. I love it. That's what college basketball is about: the fire of competition and the energy of the crowd.
What a game. What a finish. Heart and hustle and passion and Ka-Deidre Simmons having brass ones the size of Jupiter and Tara Inman having ice water in her veins and nerves of steel and Bra'Shey Ali deciding that ALL the rebounds were hers. Melissa Miller unable to miss and Princeton finding the open man. Scrambling and scrapping and scraping and clawing, everyone wanting the ball, everyone wanting the game, everyone wanting the season. This is why the WNIT exists; in a way, this is why basketball itself exists. It's not all for one shining moment- it's for the next moment, and the next, and if it shines that's because there's sweat on it and the lights are hitting it just right.
I was surprised Nicole Hung was playing so little. I remember her being a firestarter for them in the last couple of years, but she only played in the second half, and only briefly. Vanessa Smith came in at the ends of halves- I think she might be a three-point specialist, but I don't know about Princeton to judge. Taylor Williams made a nuisance of herself on defense, committing a lot of fouls (really, just ask Janee next time before you start grabbing her, she's friendly) and being annoying. Kristen Helmstetter was a big body in the middle, with nice touch and utter determination to claim things around her rim- not necessarily the opposing rim, mind you, but the offensive glass was hers.
Oh my God, Michelle Miller. Seriously. Oh my God. I don't know if I've ever seen an offensive performance like that. She couldn't miss. I've seen huge offensive performances by the greatest in the game, but I don't know if I've ever seen one quite so efficient. We couldn't stop her. We couldn't get close to her. She fired off shots and nailed them clean. I swear one of those threes was from the general vicinity of Atlantic City. They didn't ask her to do much else, but what she did was almost enough to win them the game. Annie Tarakchian was a big body on the inside- they list her as a guard, but with those broad shoulders, she's definitely more of a forward. She fouled out of the game late, and I think that was a turning point- she was helping make the space that Miller needed. Alex Wheatley very quietly took care of business on the inside, stretching a little every so often to the midrange. Pretty much any performance gets lost behind 34 points on highly efficient shooting, but Wheatley was excellent. Amanda Berntsen didn't play much and didn't make much of an impression. Blake Dietrick seemed to be the facilitator and the decider, but Seton Hall's defense forced her into bad passes.
In general, Princeton seemed to be a little sloppy, a little unfocused- throwing passes to players who were nowhere near the destination of the pass, throwing passes low, throwing up bad shots (though those might have been for the sake of rebounds). Not the kind of execution I've come to expect from Princeton. They moved well without the ball.
Tara Inman is a good on-ball defender. She needs to stay on her man, though, and keep her feet moving. She sank the free throws after subbing for Ka-Deidre Simmons, her only points of the game, cool as a cucumber and clean as a whistle. Sidney Cook's shot selection left something to be desired, right until the end of the game when she hit the three-point play. She rebounded hard, though. (But seriously, Sid, the one-foot fallaway doesn't work for Cappie Pondexter, it's sure not going to work for you.)
Bra'Shey Ali had no luck with the rim, but she was determined that ALL the rebounds were going to be hers. She was tough on the inside, taking care of business. Janee Johnson went after loose balls ferociously- her shot choices were a bit questionable, but you put Janee in the game because you want hustle, and if you take her out it's because she's got her head stuck somewhere it shouldn't be. Tabatha Richardson-Smith had her three-point mojo going today, and they were falling soft and sweet. She did a nice job on the boards, too, tough and determined. Alexis Brown had a lot of shots fall off the rim, but she was all over everything and carrying her team. She's got such a nice first step. Fun to watch. Ka-Deidre Simmons took over the game in the second half. She decided that Seton Hall wasn't going to lose that game, and she made sure that her team was in position to win when Sidney Cook hit that shot for the three-point play. She took hard hits into the stanchion and got back up, though that second time scared us whens he couldn't put weight on her leg initially. But she was our heart and soul tonight, with jumpers that were perfectly on line and her free throws going down.
The Pirates fed off the crowd, I think, and they fed the crowd. Alexis and Janee both got the crowd going, and those of us in the lower deck followed their lead and Breanna Jones's to raise the noise level. The official attendance has something like 620, but we were all a loud 620, even the Princeton fans.
There were stretches of the game where I agreed with the Princeton band's assessment of the officials having the visual acuity of a blind Cyclops, but I suspect it was for different reasons. We did have an interesting moment at one point where two different fouls were called on two different plays at the same time- a flagrant on Alex Wheatley off the ball for smacking Sidney Cook, and an on-ball foul on Seton Hall. The officials eventually determined that the flagrant superseded the common foul, and Sid proceeded to miss the free throws, because this is how every single damn one of my teams rolls.
They were not losing. Plain and simple. Seton Hall wasn't letting it end that night. Ka-Deidre Simmons would not permit it and she would not permit her teammates to allow it.
20 wins. 20 wins in a season for the first time in 19 years for Seton Hall. It's a magic number. Let's keep the magic alive.
Saturday, February 18, 2012
February 17th, 2012: Princeton at Columbia
Just the Facts, Ma'am: The Columbia Lions scored the first basket- then never led again as the Princeton Tigers rolled to an 86-46 win. Lauren Edwards led four Tigers in double figures with 13 points, while Niveen Rasheed narrowly missed a double-double with 10 points and nine rebounds. Tyler Simpson was the only Lion in doubles with 10. Princeton dominated the boards 52-27, including 23 offensive rebounds.
For ennui, a distressing lack of dorkiness, a studied lack of Wizard of Oz puns, and lots of tapped-around rebounds, join your intrepid and tardy blogger after the jump.
I'm not sure, but I may be a masochist. This is my third venue in six days, with two more to come.
I've been curious about Princeton all year, but Princeton Junction is a fair piece away from where I live in Queens, and Hofstra played their home game against Princeton in the middle of the afternoon (as the Guest Notes of Doom can attest to). Their home visit to Columbia was the only shot I had to get a look at the Tigers
Of course, Columbia is a fair piece away from where I am in Queens too, so I only made it to my seat at tip. Columbia's band is not in attendance, which makes me a sad fan. No Korobeiniki for us tonight.
At half, Princeton is up 45-23, and it could easily be more if Princeton could hit their free throws. The Tigers' rebounding has been astonishing, and they've hit some ridiculously long threes- Lauren Edwards ended the half with one that was approximately from Princeton Junction.
The scary part is that Niveen Rasheed can't shoot straight tonight.
So it was the whipping we expected, but that's okay, because we didn't come to see a competitive game, and we didn't expect a competitive game. It's a little sad to see how far Columbia's fallen since they were contending with Judie Lomax, but these things come in cycles.
We got to see lots of bench players today- Princeton carries thirteen, all of whom played; Columbia carries seventeen, twelve of whom played. That's a lot of players.
Princeton's deep reserves seem to be three-point specialists. There were a lot of long shots being hoisted in the second half. Blake Dietrick looked like she was scoring for playing time- she came off the bench in the third wave and just kept firing away, even when the original plan was clearly to get it to the one player who hadn't yet scored. Jess Shivers never did get to score, but she got a couple of blocks and a rebound, and did nice work on the defensive end. Mariah Smith, wearing a different number than the one on the program, for reasons that even the Princeton folks next to us didn't understand (as she was apparently in the proper uniform the last time they wore the road orange) had a beautiful steal and fast break lay-up in the first half, but showed a disturbing propensity to commit stupid fouls. They were not the stupidest fouls on the floor, but they were not of the caliber that would be expected of an Ivy League student. Kristen Helmstetter got on the board late, but was working hard on the boards. It's actually a fairly safe assumption that if a player was wearing the orange and black, they were working hard on the boards. Megan Bowen was first off the bench and established herself as a defensive presence in the middle. Nicole Hung shows the signs of being able to run this offense when Princeton runs out of Laurens- good, solid player who stil needs some of the rough edges taken off her. She gambles a lot on defense; against a team like Columbia, it works, but against better teams, I'm not sure it will.
It's nice to have a big solid post in the middle who presents herself as a target when all the fancy passing is said and done. Devona Allgood was that player for the Tigers in the first half- at least two of her baskets were wide open and uncontested because the Columbia defense couldn't chase the ball around any longer. Niveen Rasheed handles better than I expected from someone who had previously been doing a lot of her play inside; I wonder if she's trying to transition to the three for a longer pro career. Lauren Edwards showed off her range a little bit and got things done when her team needed her to. Lauren Polansky ran the show, though the numbers won't show it because of all the offensive rebounding. Kate Miller was solid but unremarkable.
I suspect, though without adequate data or ways of finding that data, that a lot of the Princeton players also played volleyball. Their offensive rebounding, especially backtaps, was amazing. Their passing was also exceptionally crisp at times- sometimes they tried too hard and the extra pass got picked off, but they did a great job finding the open player.
Taylor Ball, breathe. Two fouls, and both of them rough fouls- the first an intentional after a steal by Polansky, the second a trip on Rasheed near the end of the game. It's only a basketball game. No need for all of that. Campbell Mobley reminds me a little of Kristen Mann around the eyes. I like her communication on the floor. Miwa Tachibana has the same dynamo energy as Sara Yee, who we used to call 'ten pounds of crazy in a five pound bag', though with a good bit less terrifying intensity. Nicole Santucci got things done in the second half- her batles with Rasheed were interesting. Amara Mbionwu reminds me a little of Judie Lomax in build- unfortunately, not in rebounding skill or shooting ability. Taylor Ward played good defense, helping set up a nice steal by Agata Jankova in the first half.
I love Tyler Simpson's defense! Hands everywhere! Agata Jankova had some passing issues, but otherwise had a solid game for the Lions. Melissa Shafer scored her points early, but then got in foul trouble and was pretty much a non-factor from the second quarter on. Courtney Bradford established herself well in the post in the second half, but got into foul trouble trying to deal with the Princeton posts. I was impressed with Jazmin Fuller, but I can't necessarily put my finger on statistically why, though that might be because it's been a while and I was a bit sleep deprived last night. She gave off a general sense of 'gets things done'.
The box score says that one of the officials in this game was Cynthia Brook, but she looked an awful lot like Denise Brooks, so either the GNoD's favorite ref has a sister, or someone screwed things up in the box score. I rather liked how the crew ran the game- crisp communication, everything clear and precise- but there were a lot of what our colleague Ray has referred to as “game management” calls. Columbia received the advantage on most fifty-fifty calls and a couple of other ones besides. Not that it made a difference in the game, but it was a good close-up look at how officials try to handle a game that's wildly unbalanced between two teams who don't necessarily like each other.
Columbia was almost actively dissuading students from going to this game. I'm not sure what to think about that. I mean, yes, it probably doesn't do a lot for school spirit to watch your team get crushed like bugs, but at the same time, you shouldn't be telling people not to go to games.
It might have been a bad sign that Roar-ee was out of uniform, wearing instead a referee's stripes. When even the mascot doesn't support you, you might have a problem.
It hurts to see how far Columbia's fallen since they were at least a middling team in the Ivy a couple of years ago. On the other hand, it's good to see the promise of Princeton, in both its stars and its freshmen waiting their turn- but how long will a coach as good and well-rounded as Courtney Banghart stay in a one-bid league, even if that league is the Ivy?
Friday, February 12, 2010
February 12th, 2010: Princeton at Columbia
Comments are closed on this post- please direct any comments to the mirror post on Swish Appeal.
We went to Levien Gym figuring we had a chance to see the battle for the Ivy crown. It might only be February, but having seen Columbia play a lot of BCS schools tough, and hearing about Princeton's out-of-conference success, we figured this would show who was the cream of the crop. It did, but not in the way we were expecting.
Levien Gym is one of my favorite intimate arenas to visit for a game. Tickets are reasonably priced, the arena is comfortably sized, the cheerleaders and dance team aren't completely incompetent, and the band never ceases to come up with some novel way of amusing the crowd. (Tonight it was one of the band members miming the shapes of Tetris pieces while the band played the Tetris music. AWESOME. My nerdy heart goes boom.)
Excellent rendition of the anthem, too. We happened to be sitting next to a friend who goes to a lot of Columbia games, and she said that this was the first time this guy was lucky enough to get through the whole song without the mic going out on him. He deserved better than those previous occasions.
A friendly hello to our colleagues at SportsPage Magazine. I'm sure Tracy and Tara covered this game as professionally and thoroughly as they've covered many other women's basketball events.
Because the game turned out to be such a blowout, we got to see the deep ends of both benches. I'm not sure I like Krystal Hill cranking a three with seven seconds left in a twenty-point game when she had already scored and she had scoreless teammates out there with her. Laura Johnson did a good job keeping the pressure on Columbia while she spelled Polansky. Kate Miller also gave them good minutes as a freshman off the bench. Their seniors didn't play very much, which tells me the coach who's only been there for three years is recruiting far superior talent to what was there before.
I've been on the Addie Micir bandwagon since I saw her light up Penn a couple of years ago when she was just a freshman. She's still bringing it, but I think she's better suited to the Robin role that she can step into with a post like Niveen Rasheed around. Rasheed was... she completely dominated Columbia tonight. She's not afraid to mix it up, which is a critical element of success anywhere, but especially in the Ivy League, where having a banger makes a very big difference. She's also got good hands, which allowed her to tip a lot of balls- what I didn't realize until I got home and looked at the box score was that she led the team in assists tonight as well. Devona Allgood also took advantage of Columbia's weakness in the paint to pounce early- she and Rasheed were almost taking turns scoring for the Tigers. Polansky did a good job running the offense and keeping things on an even keel- she didn't look to score, but they didn't need her to score.
I like some of the freshmen- sorry, first-years- for Columbia. Tyler Simpson doesn't seem to be daunted by the transition from high school to Division I. And while announcers may not be thrilled at the prospect, I think we'll be seeing more of Bhavna Chadalavada in the next couple of years- I like her instinct to go towards the basket, though she could do with being a little less tentative about it. Do or do not; there is no try. Diana Lee plays like someone who was slightly taller than her classmates and was able to use her height to her advantage then. Unfortunately, she's only 5-6, and that style of play's not going to do anyone good at that size. Of course, my perspective may be skewed, because her first couple of plays were pretty boneheaded- a bad shot and a blatant hit on a Princeton player. Mary Beato canned one ridiculously long three that was well beyond the men's line, and she really was trying on defense, but she lacked a certain grace, or any grace at all. She was blowing her nose during most of the time she was on the bench, so perhaps that's a pass for her. I'm not quite sure what Caitlin Stachon's excuse was for not staying on her woman when the Tiger post players had been abusing Columbia, but whatever it was, it was unacceptable, and she didn't do enough on the offensive end to make up for it.
As beat-up and worn-down as the Columbia starters looked, perhaps Paul Nixon needs to go to his bench more often. Danielle Browne's got a brace and a hand wrap, Judie Lomax seems to be having hand problems... I'm wondering if this is why Columbia started off so well and then seemed to start running out of gas in the Ivy season. And it couldn't have helped that Kathleen Barry, who's one of the key parts of the Lions' offense, was out injured or sick. Melissa Shafer got the start for Barry, and I think she was in over her head a little. There were times she looked scared to shoot when she had good looks; there were times when she took shots she had no business attempting. She got dinged up a bit too- there was a stretch where she had to sit because she got scratched and they couldn't stop the blood. Lomax wasn't herself- she wasn't holding on to the ball when she got it, and she was taking far too many shots away from the basket. I've seen her a few times. She doesn’t have a jump shot. For some reason, tonight she thought she was an outside shooter. Though she got rebounds, she probably should have had more, or at least kept Rasheed from getting a double-double with stronger boxouts. Browne was really forcing things, especially in the second half. On the other hand, I was surprised that Lauren Dwyer didn't assert herself more, especially in Barry's absence. I recognize this probably had a lot to do with the physical post play of Princeton, but she's got a decent midrange shot. It says something about the way Columbia was playing that, arguably, their best rebounder on the night was Sara Yee- you might recall her from other Game Notes of Doom as the player fondly referred to as "Ten Pounds of Crazy in a Two Pound Bag" for her tenacity and 5-1 stature. But she was boxing out far taller and stronger players and fighting for loose balls like nobody's business. Her offensive choices left a bit to be desired.
Just as a general note, the Columbia players didn't look like they actually knew each other, or that basketball is played with the assistance of other people who are wearing clothes similarly colored to one's own. In mid-February, twenty games into the season, this is really not good.
I'm normally not one to blame the referees, and you can't blame officiating for a twenty-point margin, and I'll also admit that sitting behind the Columbia bench would have colored my opinion of any calls I didn't see. But it seemed like Columbia was being called for a lot of things that Princeton was getting away with, that Princeton fouls were not being called, (which led to fouls that were called on Columbia), and that loose balls were going to Princeton at an inordinate rate. It also seemed like one particular ref made most of the more inexplicable calls, a brown-haired woman with a tan. From the box score, I would guess that she was Michelle Ross. (She might have been Michele St. Pierre, but she didn't look French enough to carry a name like that off, and I am certain that she wasn't Kenneth Kelly.)
On the other hand, while I do love hearing fans get loud and involved in the game, not every call is going to go your way, and sometimes your team does commit the foul in the questionable play. Please stop complaining, especially if you're sitting in the row behind me.
This didn't seem like the same team that gave St. John's all kinds of trouble when they played in December. That's why they play the games, I know, but it's still jarring to see a team go from scrapping for every loose ball to not contesting lay-ups in the paint, from playing a BCS school within twelve points to going down twenty-five to an Ivy League team. I'd like to think it's just the grind of the season and the absence of Barry that made this game such an aberration for the Lions, and that they'll bounce back tomorrow night against the winless Quakers.
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.