Just the Facts, Ma'am: Sacred Heart rode a strong second quarter to a 50-46 win. Candice Leatherwood led the Pioneers with a game-high 21 points, while Abigail Kangudie had 15 rebounds. Denisha Petty-Evans led LIU with 10 points.
For minor injury concerns, youth cheerleaders, terrible passing, and other embarrassments, join your intrepid blogger after the jump, as long as you remembered to bring a bottle of Lethe.
Note to self: always lie to mom about tip-off time. We just barely made it in the door in time.
It's halftime of LIU-Sacred Heart as I type, and the Pioneers are up 30-21. The Blackbirds are taking some of the dumbest shots I've ever seen (and I've seen this team take a lot of dumb shots in their time, believe you me). I think having the two seniors, Stylz Sanders and DeAngelique Waithe, off the floor with foul trouble hasn't helped- they really don't have anyone to bail them out. And Angel took that second foul badly- she got stompy, and then there was a water bottle on the floor and everyone but her cleaning it up. Be an adult. Seneca shouldn't have to literally clean up your mess.
We had two youth groups cheering at half. Unfortunately, I went for soda and missed the Diamonds but saw the younger, less talented group.
Jeydah Johnson hasn't played. I wonder if she's still in concussion protocol. At least she seems to have lost the light/noise sensitivity.
Denisha Petty-Evans's family, or at least the people who cheered loudest when she was introduced, is out in force and making noise. That's good, because I'm still getting over crud and can't sustain my usual noise levels.
That was not good. That was, in fact, very bad. I don't think either team could have been happy with that performance, though I suspect Coach Del Preore was far more vocal and more profane in her opinion than Sacred Heart's coach was. There was no sustained energy, no real desire to fight back against the brief pushes of momentum that Sacred Heart occasionally, somehow, managed to put together. It seemed like we were going through the motions, and that's not really something you can get away with when you're a middling to bad team in a bad conference. The one thing we have going for us is our hustle. When we don't that, hoo boy are we going to have a bad time.
I can't tell you as much as I'd like about Sacred Heart's substitution patterns, because our PA guy was asleep at the wheel and could barely be bothered to announce when people were coming in. Since the Pioneers don't have names on their jerseys, half the time I only noticed someone new was in because she scored or committed a foul. Y'all. This is not acceptable, I don't care if this is "only" the NEC. Either get better PA guys or put names on your jerseys, okay?
In any case, sorry about the disgression. Olivia Dabney was part of Sacred Heart's constant trapping and pressing, a defense that kept LIU on their heelsl and never let them get into a rhythm. Jayla Davis gave the Pioneers a quick spurt of offense when she first came into the game in the first half. Asia McCray got inside a bit to help deflect rebounds.
Erin Storck has a strange looking shot. I'm not surprised that it often took strange angles off the heel of the rim. She wasn't afraid to put it up, even when she was contested. Sacred Heart as a team was prone to travels, but she was especially guilty with shuffling the extra step on the drive to the lane. Tykera Carter was quick, and came up with a couple of baskets late in the game to help the Pioneers put it away. Candice Leatherwood is a little bit scary on defense- she's got a very effective mean mug. We kept fouling her at the end of the game, and she kept hitting free throws. (I may be a tiny bit salty that she took more free throws than my entire team did. But we'll cover that more later.) The Sacred Heart fans behind us kept calling her Candy, and it just doesn't seem to fit her. Maybe she's one of those people who looks tough but she's really a sweetheart.
I'm really trying to get a clear picture of Adrianne Hagood out there, and I'm failing miserably, though part of it is most likely my desire to burn all the tapes of this game, even the ones inside my head. Abigail Kangudie did a really nice job of keeping DeAngelique Waithe off her game. She might not have had much of an impact on the score line, but she killed it on the glass, and she made sure that LIU couldn't get too much going off rebounds.I don't know if defense is usually her role, but she did yeoman's work bodying up on Angel.
If Tia Montagne doesn't figure out what's wrong with her shot, someone's hair is getting torn out, and I don't know if it's going to be mine, Coach's, or hers. She's both too hesitant and too willing to shoot, which is paradoxical and probably indicates just how much is wrong with this team. I do like her heart, but she just didn't have it today. Paris Jones gave spot minutes at point, but she didn't seem to be meshing with the other personnel on the floor. I think she was expecting something from them, and none of them knew what she wanted of them. That's actually pretty close to how everyone was behaving towards everyone, but Paris was especially spanner-in-the-works like there.
Destoni Willock was actually pretty solid on the boards. I'm surprised Coach didn't go back to her more in the second half, given the foul trouble on everyone whose number ended in 0 and happened to be sort of tall. She scrambled for balls on the baseline and came up with a lay-up off a steal. Ella Vaatanen looked a little lost, and still seems to be ranging her shot, but for the first time I saw this season seemed more confident in her height and her body, using them both to her advantage defensively on the perimeter.
I don't normally ask this about my favorite, but I found myself wondering by the end of the game exactly how DeAngelique Waithe had gotten that stick wedged in such an uncomfortable position, and just how long it was going to take her to dislodge it. She spent most of the day looking like she had run out of damns to give. There were flashes of her usual self, especially in the third quarter, when she flashed into the lane for boards or shots, and she kept her shot-blocking game on point. But her usual energy was missing, and that makes me sad. Stylz Sanders picked up the slack in the first half, which is a refreshing sort of look, but couldn't keep up the energy level through the fouls. Y'all know Stylz can't defend everyone at once, right? I still maintain she's going to end up a coach one of these days. She just seems to have that awareness of all the things. Seneca Richards got the start for Jeydah Johnson, and while she's still much more perimeter-oriented than I usually like my players, she's at least trying to be more of a forward inside on defense. Her teammates need to understand what her angles are, though. She's usually better from the corner than from the middle of the floor.
Drew Winter does fancy tricks with the ball, but breaking the opponent's ankles does no good if you can't hit the shot. And I love her offensive rebounding, but it doesn't help if no one can hit the shot. She's got to be smarter with the ball. If Denisha Petty-Evans doesn't stop launching threes from somewhere in the vicinity of Bridgewater Commons, and if she doesn’t start following those shots in the event of her taking them, someone's going to lose their mind and it might not even be me. As it turns out, her family has opinions about as strong as mine regarding the importance of offensive rebounding, especially on long shots. I like them.
Coach Del Preore spent most of the game looking like she was in desperate need of a strong drink. I don't really blame her. I don't know if the team just didn't care, or if they were engaged in the fine art of Not Running The Expletive Deleted Play (a well-known St. John's Strategy) or what. But there were a lot of teaching moments called for. That being said, Coach, if one of your players goes down in front of you, can't get back on defense, and is visibly limping when she does get up? It may be time to call for the deliberate foul or call a time out. Just saying.
(By the way, Sacred Heart did not score 5-on-4.)
The officiating was a terrible hot mess. Lots of contact that went uncalled, with bodies sprawled all around. I'm pretty sure one ref actually mistook the ball for someone's head. Pretty much no part of the NEC covered itself in glory in this game.
They must have been expecting quite the crowd for the double-header- LIU actually set up a souvenir stand and an orderly queue for the concession stand.
We didn't stay for the men's game. I was unprepared (I thought they were playing Sacred Heart as well) and wanted to get the taste of failure out of my mouth. (As it turned out, the men beat Central Connecticut in OT.)
Besides, a tall, handsome gentleman wants to take me on a date to Iona tomorrow! How can I possibly resist?
Saturday, January 27, 2018
January 27th, 2018: Sacred Heart at LIU
Sunday, March 19, 2017
March 17th, 2017: Sacred Heart at St. John's
Just the Facts, Ma’am: St. John’s erupted for 29 points in the third quarter to take control over Sacred Heart, winning their first-round WNIT game 72-43. Jade Walker and Akina Wellere each had 18 points to lead the Red Storm. Hannah Kimmel had 13 points and 14 rebounds to pace the Pioneers.
For lateness, similar colors, inappropriate drumrolls, and finding another gear, join your intrepid blogger after the jump.
Good evening, everyone! So we didn’t make the Big Dance. You blow your chance to win big games, that’s what happens. So we’re in the WNIT, what I like to call the Medium Dance. It’s Sacred Heart tonight; let’s hope the box score doesn’t mix them up with that other SHU like they did last year.
Buses are terrible evil things, so I missed the entire first quarter. All I know is that St. John’s is up 27-25 at the half, and Jade Walker needs help with that recto-cranial inversion again, and I love Maya Singleton so much.
Someone needs to remind the Sacred Heart drummer that you’re not supposed to be active during play. Lay off the drumroll after every basket.
What exactly makes visiting fans look at a section, see the home band, and look across at the home bench, and decide this would be a great place to settle down? Honest question. I see it more and more, and it is super annoying.
I see you behind the bench, Shenneika Smith. Don’t think I don’t remember. I’m not sure who the woman behind her who looks vaguely like Cappie is, but she looks familiar too (though maybe because, y’know, she looks vaguely like Cappie).
These kids in the biddy game are hitting the floor for loose balls harder than half our starters. Someone needs to have a pointed talk with Jade about hustling for boards.
So after halftime, St. John’s decided to start taking the game seriously, and the offense roared to life. Sacred Heart couldn’t contain the shooters, and the defense of St. John’s firmed up.
We saw a lot of the deep Pioneer reserves in the fourth quarter. Madison Cheatham looks like she can be a very interesting player for Sacred Heart if she settles into her body and maybe tones up a bit. She seems awkward, but she’s a freshman post- that’s always a tough combination. Allyson Murphy had a cheering section in front of us, so I couldn’t be mad when she got to the line. Kiana Ye was last off the bench, and unmemorable. Tykera Carter brought speed and on-ball defense- she had a beautiful steal for a fast break lay-up. I guess I shouldn’t feel so bad that she did it to both STJ and LIU. Erin Storck got blocked a lot. She hustled hard after loose balls- there was a save she almost made that turned out to be a turnover that was still really tough.
Hannah Kimmel saved the day for the Pioneers. She was everywhere on the glass, and solid on the inside. She was the star of the show. We threw a few different looks at her (my favorite was when Aaliyah Lewis was on her). I feel like I should remember more about Adaysha Williams- she was out there a lot, and I remember seeing a lot of the back of her jersey, but I don’t remember anything particular she did. Katherine Haines brought good interior offense, at least after I showed up. She got good post position and took advantage of it.
Kelcey Castro wasn’t afraid of contact, and with her build she’s pretty good at taking it. She drove headlong into the St. John’s defense, which did not always work out well for her. Driving directly into Jade Walker is not a good plan. Shelby Hickey was active, but unmemorable. I think I mixed her up with Kimmel a few times.
I have a hard time wrapping my mind around this game, because I missed the first quarter and because it took such a sudden turn in the third quarter. I never really got a grasp on the Pioneers. They relied on their seniors to carry them, and I think they’re going to change their style a good bit with the personnel they have returning next year.
We also saw the deep Red Storm reserves in the fourth quarter. I will miss the sheer joy Kendyl Nunn plays with. Her shot is quick, but not necessarily accurate. Jordan Agustus, still rocking the goggles, pulled down a rebound, almost by accident, and brought the hustle. The starters chilling out on the bench really wanted to see the reserves score, but especially Shamachya Duncan, and they were disappointed when her three fell short. I also still heart Tamesha Alexander, even if she’s over-aggressive on defense in blowout games. The kids aren’t ready for primetime, but I think Machi will be next year.
I do not like the plan of trying to turn Andrayah Adams into a point guard. She’s not a distributor. Her strength is in her scoring. Yes, her shot is inconsistent. She needs to work on that. But the solution is not to take that decision out of her hands. She doesn’t look comfortable as a distributor. Crystal Simmons was a one-woman fast-break destroyer. She blocked shots like no one’s business and was extremely disruptive on defense, even more so than usual.
Jade Walker was really frustrated for much of the first half. She was missing both inside and out, even during the halftime warm-ups. Akina Wellere had to try to take her in hand. Whatever Akina said, it worked. Jade came out much more confident and much more physical in the second half, going hard to the basket and all but abandoning the jumper. (I am okay with her abandoning the jumper until after she establishes her paint game.) Maya Singleton was fierce on the boards. I love her defense, and her rebounding, and her toughness, and her strength. She blocked shots with authority. Akina Wellere found her offense in the third quarter- nothing flashy, but steady and efficient. She’s got to be more careful with the ball, though.
Alisha Kebbe does a little bit of everything, and does it all well. I’m so looking forward to three more years of her. She’s not spectacular. She’s not necessarily going to do anything that’s going to make your eyes pop or make you gasp. She’s just going to do everything. Aaliyah Lewis hit big threes in the third quarter, but for a change she was more the recipient of pretty passes than the provider of them. She ran the offense effectively and kept the speed and pressure up so that Sacred Heart couldn’t keep up. (Also, Aaliyah as a screener is perhaps not the most effective option.)
I love the defense of this team. I love the players who go to the floor for loose balls. I love the leadership some of the young’uns are showing, as they realize they’re not going to have Aaliyah to rely on for that next year.
I had no real issues with the officiating. The Sacred Heart fan behind me did, and there were a couple of times when I thought he might have a point.
I don’t know how I feel about pep band Ricky Martin; on the other hand, “The Cup of Life” is certainly appropriate for a sporting event. I still don’t think I like this bit where other teams are sending their band and cheer to our house. It certainly threw off our cheer squad.
There will be no arriving late for the next game. And maybe the GNoD will actually be on time? Sorry, guys.
Sunday, February 19, 2017
February 18th, 2017: Sacred Heart at LIU
Just the Facts, Ma’am: Sacred Heart used long-range shooting and clutch defense in the fourth quarter to erase a seven-point deficit and come away with a 51-41 win to spoil LIU’s Senior Day. Hannah Kimmel had 15 points to lead three Pioneers in double figures. Shanovia Dove had 18 points in the losing effort for the Blackbirds, with Aja Boyd adding 10 points and 13 rebounds.
For seniors doing all the things, collages, small children, signs, balloons, the efficient use of personnel, and absolutely no sense of urgency, join your intrepid and transiting blogger after the jump.
It's entirely too gorgeous a day for mid-February in New York City. I'll take it, but at the same time I'll worry about it as the harbinger of climate change that it surely is. In either case, it's almost too nice a day to spend inside. But I did say almost, and it's game day, and it's Senior Day in Brooklyn. The Blackbirds of LIU Brooklyn are hosting their last home game of the year, taking on the Pioneers of Sacred Heart.
We didn't realize until this morning that it was a double-header with the men, and frankly, I was not leaving the house for a noon tip for a game I don't really care about. We got in early enough to catch the very exciting end of the men's win over Sacred Heart. I'd be hoping that some of the magic could rub off on the women, but since about 80% of the crowd has left, I'm not taking any bets on that. It looks like it was Senior Day for the men, too, judging from the large framed photo collage of Iverson Fleming that one older couple (presumably Mr. Fleming's parents) carried out with them.
Making your injured players useful: Paris Jones and Mackenzie Freeman were deputized to put into position the silver number balloons for the three seniors.
Looks like Stylz Sanders will be wearing a mask for this game- she's got it tilted up on her forehead, but I would think she'll be wearing it for the game itself.
The victorious dudes have emerged from the locker room. Bring your mojo! We need all the help we can get.
It’s a little confusing, but the clock on the center-hung scoreboard is counting down to about quarter to three. So Senior Day festivities are definitely before the game.
Fans from the state of Connecticut travel fairly well, and the Sacred Heart contingent is no exception. I think we might end up being outnumbered by the time the game tips off, which is not okay.
NEC basketball at its finest: the table for the Senior Day presentations was the table that the summer camp literature was on when we came in.
As befits an acolyte of Tony Bozzella, LIU opens Senior Day ceremonies by acknowledging the opposing seniors, though LIU doesn’t have flowers for the Pioneers. They do, however, get the opportunity to give flowers to the senior members of the dance team before the game.
It’s kind of hard to keep a straight face at the listed accolades of a player who’s only been here for one year.
Okay, cool, the photo collages are the same for the women as they are for the men. I mean, font and everything, not just equivalent. Though now I’m wondering if they’re in stead of framed jerseys...
I kind of feel either bad or confused for Shanovia Dove, who has a cousin with her but not her parents (Dionne Coe and Brianna Farris both have their parents with them). D’awww, Brianna’s dad has one of those “Most people never get the chance to meet their favorite athlete; I raised mine” shirts.
Heh. Someone tried to start a noise war with the LIU band. You can’t win a noise war with the LIU band. The only people who win those are the people who make hearing aids.
At halftime, LIU is up 27-18. Aja Boyd and Shanovia Dove have both been solid for the Blackbirds, and Brianna Farris has brought the energy. For Sacred Heart, their seniors have done all the scoring. They seem rather more reliant on the three than today’s shooting indicates that they should be.
There’s someone sitting in the endcourt nearest the opposing bench who looks an awful lot like one of last year’s seniors, Shanice “so what I sprained my ankle, y’all need me” Vaughn.
The kids sitting near us have been pretty cool, but I’m worried that they’ve moved over to set up camp right next to the Sacred Heart contingent. They’ve brought the noise, and it seems like that might not be a good idea near the opposing fans.
There’s a hook from my college years that seems to be making a comeback as part of a remix, and I am totally okay with this. Sugar, how you get so fly, indeed. I expect this to be a new Cheesy Musical Hook for Sugar Rodgers this summer.
Still getting used to this new computer and this new version of Word. Not sure how I feel yet. I think this computer is slower than Jocelyn, my Envy, but I’m only asking this one to be a mobile typewriter that can access the Internet. (Jocelyn’s casing is falling apart, her hinges are so-so, and if I touch her without properly grounding myself I electrocute her.)
Well, that was a thing that happened, and it’s a thing I very much do not approve of. Saying that LIU fell apart in the fourth quarter might be an exaggeration, but they definitely showed that they’d been to the Herman Edwards school of clock management. There was no sense of urgency late in the game; it’s as if they not only ran out of gas, but ran out of give-a-damn in the last five minutes.
Sacred Heart didn’t go very deep on their bench. Erin Storck didn’t exactly make a great impression when she compounded a missed free throw with a foul on the rebound. She brought decent physicality off the bench from the guard spot. Tykera Carter is very fast, and she is not a good player to make bad passes around. Unfortunately for LIU, they showed a tendency to pass a little further ahead of where the recipient was going to be, and Carter read those passes for fast break opportunities.
Katherine Haines was a big body down low. While she absorbed a lot of fouls, she also made life more and more difficult for Aja Boyd as the game went on, and she was good at setting screens. The fans across from us got very excited when Shelby Hickey scored her one basket, so I guess that’s not a thing that happens very often?
Adaysha Williams didn’t seem afraid to pull the trigger from deep, and did not get the rolls on the rim inside. Some days you’re the windshield, some days you’re the bug. I think the fans across the aisle from us were Kelcey Castro’s family, or at least knew her and/or her family well enough to cheer loud and long for her. She hit a couple of big threes in the fourth quarter to put SHU in front. Hannah Kimmel is dangerous from all over the floor, and she creates an interesting match-up with her size.
Sacred Heart’s zone really did a number on LIU. That, combined with the doubles on Aja Boyd and Shanovia Dove at appropriate times, shut down any semblance of offense that LIU could muster. They forced LIU to think too much and fed into their tendency to slow the game up.
Seneca Richards is not good at defense. She got into foul trouble quickly and seemed very grouchy about the calls. She came in at the end to provide a distance threat, but she didn’t seem to be seeking her shot, nor did her teammates look to get her the ball. That rather defeats the purpose of a three-point specialist, I would think. Autumn Ashe shows promise as a defensive post, but you can't run the exact same plays to her that you would to Aja Boyd for the simple reason that she's not Aja, and she's not as tall as Aja and she doesn't catch passes the same way. Victoria Powell moved the offense slightly faster than Dionne Coe did, but got in her own teammates' way as much as she did her opponents.
Dionne. We need to have a talk about the bit where you launch threes from the general direction of Gravesend. And we need to have a talk about these stretches where you dribble the ball on the perimeter for six or seven seconds at a time, especially when it's a two or three possession game and time is running out. I don't know if she doesn't have passing vision or she has no faith in her teammates, but she holds the ball for way too long and it kills anything that looks like momentum. Shanovia Dove got fired up on offense, but for much of the game, it looked like her teammates weren't even thinking about taking shots for themselves, instead force-feeding her or Aja. Brianna Farris started the game with great energy on both ends of the floor, and I love everything she did in the first quarter, but she wasn't able to sustain that kind of intensity through the whole game.
Aja Boyd showed great moves on the inside, and if/when she can finish consistently at the rim and from the weak side, she'll be an unstoppable powerhouse. As it was, too ofen she got phenomenal position inside and then took a bad shot. Her rebounding was fantastic. I feel like she has the potential to be something truly special for LIU if she can keep developing. Gabrielle Caponegro has talent, and shows it in flashes on the glass, but she's still scared, and she still holds the ball way too long, allowing the defense to bottle her up and promptly freaking out when they accept that invitation. I'm sure a lot of this will come with time, but I'm worried about what happens if it doesn't.
The lack of urgency at the end of the game really killed me. You have to understand that you can't just be passing the ball around the perimeter and take twenty seconds to get into your offense when you're down two or three possessions in the final two minutes. You have to do something different from what you usually do, and LIU kept doing what they always do. That’s not going to work when time is short. Even Coach Oliver seemed to be urging them to speed it up, though without her usual acidic sarcasm. (Which is good. Acidic sarcasm should be saved for the stands and for those moments behind closed doors. You never let outsiders see anything that might be division.)
Officiating was the usual mess of what is this I don’t even. I do think they did a good job managing the game at the end (as compared to the Sacred Heart fans who were baying for a travel while they were up 10 with less than a full possession to go). And calling the technical on Sacred Heart’s coach had the effect of calming both coaches down somewhat.
I somehow suspect LIU won’t be sorry to see the end of this season- but there’s promise for the future, if Coach Oliver can get through to this class and instill confidence in them. Someone’s going to have to show the ability to score with Shanovia graduating. Everyone’s going to have to step their game up.
Thursday, December 3, 2015
December 3rd, 2015: Sacred Heart at St. John's
Just the Facts, Ma'am: Aliyyah Handford finished the third quarter on a personal run to spur St. John's to a 67-54 win over Sacred Heart. Handford led all scorers with 24. Danaejah Grant and Akina Wellere each chipped in 17 for the Red Storm. Shelby Hickey led the Pioneers with 12.
For camo, ambushes, sawing noises, Aliyyah Handford being awesome, hot heads, cool moves, and warm pizza, join your intrepid and time-challenged blogger after the jump.
Hi, everybody!
"Hi, Dr. Nick!"
It's another day, another round of basketball. This time we're back at Carnesecca Arena for the Red Storm's match-up with the Pioneers of Sacred Heart.
You already know how much I hate the Q59; I shouldn't still be on the train at 6:20.
Fortunately for the office dress code, STJ put some golf shirts on sale last year, so I have a lovely collared shirt under my jersey and scarf. One must always dress in style, you know.
Well, this is not going well. Sacred Heart is up at the half, 31-30. St. John's does not slog well. We're also committing stupid fouls- that charge by Aliyyah at the end of the half was textbook "player-control" fail. Sacred Heart is slowing the game down, and shooting threes, and those both work against our strengths. (Of course, having our three top forwards out with foul trouble doesn't help.)
That's right, Marines don't need any damn microphones, especially not ones that scream like tortured souls. There's a military swearing-in at halftime, as half a dozen volunteers get ready to join the Army. And we've got a second one with the ROTC, too. I'm going to just leave that here with no political comment.
I thought the point of Military Night and Greek-mandatory events was to get some goddamn noise in the building. There's no point to frats showing up if they just sit there and stay quiet. Since when do frat boys stay quiet anyway?
And then Aliyyah Handford said, "naaaaaaaaaah," and took over the game, because she's Aliyyah and that's how she rolls.
Sacred Heart seemed to be playing a lot of zone and clogging the middle of the lane. Lots of collapsing on penetrators. They read the scouting report. They watched the film. Their coach has a good head on her shoulders.
Kiana Ye was last off the bench, when the game was well decided, and the one shot she took was very, very far off the mark. Danielle Durjan showed some athleticism on defense and on the boards. Kelcey Castro made some big plays in the second quarter, hitting threes to keep Sacred Heart in the game and even leading for long stretches. She's a physical guard who can use her build to knock smaller players off their feet. She had some wardrobe issues in the third quarter, where the Sacred on her jersey got rolled up in her bra or something. It was unreadable. Erin Storck looked to be running the offense when she was in, but she didn't take the Red Storm pressure well.
Lerae Ettienne is tough, and physical, and intimidating with that buzzed silver hair. That's a woman I would not want to meet in a dark alley. She made space for herself and got boards. Cleo Polyzou's brace is in the running with Rebecca Lobo's for the title of Creature from the Black Lagoon. She hit a pretty little midrange shot. I kind of have to like the Greek girls- there aren't too many of us out there.
Tykera Carter left no real impression, and I think Sacred Heart liked what they were getting out of Castro better. Adaysha Williams got into the middle of a lot of plays and made things happen for the Pioneers, but I think we got into her head a little bit at the free throw line.
Hannah Kimmel is a very smooth player. Her shot got a little more hassled in the second half, but she still found ways to help her teammates. She carries herself well on the floor. Shelby Hickey kept coming up with threes from the corner, and quickly became the darling and favorite of the frat in front of us. They kept it clean, but just in case they didn't, I'm sorry. Alissa Tarsi is a load in the middle, and not someone to be trifled with. She wasn't necessarily fast, but she knew where to be, and Kimmel knew where to find her.
Yay, minutes for Tamesha Alexander! Or at least A minute. Poor Sox. Crystal Simmons got some minutes in relief of Akina Wellere. She made some defensive plays, but I often got distracted by her bad decision to roll her shorts up until she looked like she was wearing saddlebags. It's not a good look.
Akina Wellere, have yourself a day! We needed someone to be an outside shooter to answer the threes that Sacred Heart was putting up, and she answered the bell. She needs more space than I'm comfortable with to put up her shots, but hopefully that's something she'll grow out of as she matures. She's still hesitant, but again, she's a freshman. Jordan Agustus and her goggles got a few minutes in the first half due to the foul trouble all the forwards were in. She's got some slick moves, but she needs to learn to be aggressive and finish. Jade Walker keeps forgetting that she's 6-1 and solidly built. She spends way too much time on the perimeter, and we need her to be tough inside. To be fair, she's rebounding well. I would just like to see more hook shots and fewer deep twos. Hook shots are sexy.
Imani Littleton got into quick foul trouble, which was why Jade started the second half. She looks like she's severely lacking confidence out there, and I'm worried about her. Sandra Udobi was willing to sacrifice her body on defense, but her mobility is very limited, and so are her minutes- she started the second half on the bike, which was why Akina started the second half. Bailing in the paint when there are three defenders and Aliyyah does not end well for Aliyyah. I love Sandie as a human being, but her best basketball days seem to be behind her.
Aaliyah Lewis ran the offense like the maestra she is, and made defensive plays that would make a Giants corner jealous. She got called for a lot of little procedural turnovers, the kind of things refs don't usually pay attention to unless they're haunted by the spectre of Bonita Spence. Except for losing her temper and getting a technical for okay I don't even know what, Danaejah Grant had a fantastic game. She came up with some big boards and was hitting shots from all over the floor (okay, except beyond the arc, but we have 'Kina for that). She's really dedicated herself to improving her all-around game. But the show-stopper, the one who makes 'em all gasp and who can make magic happen, is Aliyyah Handford. She believes she can fly. Sometimes she's even right- why yes, that is Liyyah pulling off the alley-oop. She gambles too much and she takes too many hits. But when she gets that look on her face and she drives the lane, you'd be a fool to get in her way. She took over the end of the third quarter to put St. John's right back in the game, and Nae took it from there.
I'd like to see more of the press from St. John's- it looks like it can be very effective.
Can we maybe do some free throw drills? And not have Da'Shena run them? I love me some Da', but it was happy fun adventure time when she was at the line.
Officiating was not good overall. Lots of ticky-tack procedural calls, lots of missed calls on both sides, I have no idea why Nae got the technical, and Sacred Heart got screwed on a missed kicked ball that led to a turnover.
Things we have learned today: we don't slog well. We can't let other teams force us into a slog.
Sunday, November 16, 2014
November 16th, 2014: Sacred Heart at Iona
Just the Facts, Ma'am: Iona's two stars hit milestones, but Sacred Heart hit 12 threes to spoil the Gaels' home opener, 82-80. Kelcey Castro, Shelby Hickey, Hannah Kimmel, and Adaysha Williams each had 14 points to pace a balanced Pioneer attack. Damika Martinez poured in a game-high 37 points for Iona in the loss, while Joy Adams added 16 points and 12 rebounds.
For many trains, leaping bleachers in a single bound, not learning from mistakes, culinary disappointment, shiny screens, and lots of points, join your intrepid and strongly psyched blogger after the jump.
And here we are once more into the breach, or something like that, as your intrepid blogger finally gets to see a home game for one of her teams. Iona opens up at home against Sacred Heart.
I am a little disappointed in New Rochelle. I'd been jonesing for the last few days for blackout fries and a sandwich over at the Blackboard, only to discover that the Blackboard is under new ownership and is apparently now a pizza joint. Breaks my heart- that was some of the best pregame eats anywhere in my travels; the only ones who had them beat were LIU, and that's because if you go to an LIU game, you're a fool for not going to Junior's. We're going to investigate a couple of other places in that area, but I still want my blackout fries. :(
Speaking of boards, though, Iona has installed two huge, new, shiny boards, equipped with constant stats for all players on the roster. I approve this message so hard, you have no idea.
We're sitting with Damika's family, which promises to be loud and epic, since Damika is two points away from breaking the Iona scoring record, which is pretty much a certainty unless something unspeakably awful happens. Please don't let something unspeakably awful happen.
Someone on Sacred Heart's team, either an assistant or an injured player, is rocking a jacket straight out of the '80s Coaches' Collection. I think it's more Kim Mulkey, my husband thinks it's more Andy Landers. But it's a bilious green with a pattern that looks almost like camo. I do not approve in any way, shape, or form.
Sacred Heart, we need to have a talk about your roster and why at least three of your players are wearing jerseys that don't match the roster on your website. It's very confusing.
It's a day of milestones here at the Hynes Athletics Center, as Joy Adams joins the 1000 point club and Damika Martinez has made a club all of her own, taking over the Iona career scoring record. And given that she's at 1905 right now, the odds of her hitting 2000 are pretty good. But Iona's only up two at the half. Hannah Kimmel's been big for the Pioneers, and so have the four triples of Shelby Hickey.
Despite my love for the Syracuse zone as run by Jim Boeheim, I am really starting to develop a distaste for it, mostly because coaches that fall in love with it won't get out of it, no matter how badly they're getting sliced up. If you allow six threes in the first half because Sacred Heart is driving and dishing and getting open looks and hitting open looks, it might be time to reconsider your game plan. Instead, Iona stuck to the zone and gave up six more threes in the second half. Give up 12 triples in a game, and you're probably going to lose.
Lerae Ettienne makes quite the first impression- tall, broad-shouldered, copper-haired- and she did an excellent job of getting inside for the Pioneers. (I know that at least once in the game I yelled something along the lines of "How can you miss her?!" after she got the baseline and went up for a lay-up. Kelcey Castro brought offense off the bench, coming up with big threes in the second half. Tykera Carter and her giant pouf of hair got good looks from the outside, though she wasn't able to hit them, and I think she was also part of the roving defensive brigade on Damika Martinez. (Well, pretty much everyone defended Damika Martinez at one point or another. She's the Gaels' primary and secondary offensive options.) Katherine Haines was the first player in off the bench for Sacred Heart, but she didn't play much.
Katie Shepard is a nice little point guard- did more of her distributing in the first half, then started hitting shots in the second, when her team needed a little bit of an offensive boost. She was also pesky on defense. Hannah Kimmel did a little bit of everything- rebounding, inside lay-ups, outside jumpers, defense. I think the disconnect between her academic age and her calendar age- she's a redshirt sophomore who spent two seasons injured- is interesting, as she has a lot more experience and maturity than you would see from a regular sophomore, and that might be a big help to them in the next year or two. Shelby Hickey killed us in the first half beyond the arc, then she started taking the baseline too, just when everyone else was starting to set up outside. Adaysha Williams took a lot of shots. They were not all good shots. Alissa Tarsi seemed like a non-factor until the second half, when she was committing fouls- I think Ettienne got a lot of her minutes in the first half.
We got our first look at Ashley Murray in this one. I like her size, but like every freshman post before her, she has to learn to use her body without committing fouls. (Though she does apper to be of the school that if you're going to commit a foul, you might as well go for it with gusto- her second foul almost had her opponent in a half nelson.) Kristin Mahoney spelled Damika in the first half and seemed very nervous. There was no excuse other than nerves for that fumble. Karynda DuPree had a nice block in the first half, but was otherwise very passive, and she was parked on the bench for the second half. I like Philecia Gilmore's instincts, and I like her hustle, but she's got deplorable foot speed. I'm not going to harp on her conditioning in every set of game notes, because I am the last person who has any right to comment on that. I assume she's going to work on that at some point. Aaliyah Robinson found her shot again and was all over the boards. I love her heart and her hustle, and if Damika weren't a phenomenon, Aaliyah would be my favorite Gael.
But Damika Martinez is a phenomenon, a scoring force of nature the likes of which I have never had the chance to root for before, a near certainty to join the 2000-point club and making a good run at the MAAC career scoring record. She looked at the situation in the second half, where Iona wasn't scoring anything from anywhere, and basically took matters into her own hands, with 25 of her 37 in the second half. She wasn't asked to run point in this one, which she has occasionally been asked to do (this is not a good plan). I just wish she'd looked at the clock before taking the last shot after the buzzer. It didn't go in, but it's the point of the matter. Cassidee Ranger did a lot of running around to create screens and try to get looks, being more successful with the former than with the latter. Joy Adams missed makeable shots, but I love how she works on the boards. I'm just not sure what her position is. Marina Lizarazu moved the ball to the right people, but still seemed a little hesitant- we got luck on at least one play that should have been a five-second call. Aurellia Cammock had trouble holding on to rebounds- I'm pretty sure she would have had at least three more boards if she'd been able to maintain control. I love her hustle- she just needs to work on her hands. (And on getting people to spell her name correctly. She's been showing up as Auriella in some parts of the roster, and while Auriella is a beautiful name, it's not hers.)
Some bad calls in this game on both ends of the floor- I thought there was going to be an incident when Damika was called for her second foul on a bad, bad charge call, but in the second half, the scales were balanced with a bad fourth foul charge on Hannah Kimmel. I thought there was a key non-call late in the game when Joy went to the basket, but you can't put an entire game on that.
Defense matters. We can score all we want, but scoring 80 points doesn't matter if your opponent puts up 82. And looking at this team- maybe it's just early in the season, but no one on Iona seems really sure that they can trust each other. It's not reassuring.