Just the Facts, Ma'am: 28 points from Jaleesa Ross and 21 from Rosie Moult led Fresno State over Southern Miss, 88-51. Rachel Vigers led Southern Miss with 18 points and 9 rebounds.
For line changes, accolades, three-point shooting, and random acts of St. John's fans, join your intrepid and ardent blogger after the jump.
Noon is too early for a basketball game to tip off. Of course, I'm biased, because I like to be there when the gates open, which means that I'm in my seat a little after eleven if it's a noon tip. And we left the house a little early, so we were at St. John's by 10:30, which gave us a chance to wish Fresno State good luck against Southern Miss. (Their coaching staff agreed that that game was rough. They also said we were the fans of the game, which I thought was a magnanimous gesture. So we decided to root for them.)
The place was deserted even at the first tip. Have I mentioned that noon is too early for basketball? Because St. John's wasn't in the first game, the cheerleaders and band and whatnot weren't in, so we got a recorded anthem and canned music. For noise, it was the two benches, the two of us, and a couple of band guys who came in early and joined us in cheering for Fresno State and against Southern Miss.
Adrian Wiggins was prepared for the Golden Eagles' physicality. Of course, he had more options than we did, but he was still willing to sub liberally, especially in the second half. Veronica Wilson set the tone by going toe to toe with Tanisha Washington and making it clear that if Washington wanted to play, she was going to find herself tangling with someone who used to practice against Carolyn Swords and Stefanie Murphy on a regular basis. She couldn't hit a bunny for love nor money, but she didn't need to. Emma Andrews showed a lot of nerve trying to guard Rachel Vigers, who has four inches and a lot of weight on her. Marnique Arnold showed no fear of anybody on her back-to-back and-ones. They got some decent minutes out of Bree Farley at guard. We got to see a few younger players, like Jeanna Furst, who put up a big block; Alex Furr, who showed impressive range from beyond the arc; and Blakely Goldberg, who played well inside. Wiggins kept his players fresh with wholesale subs in the second half- we're talking hockey style line changes.
Rosie Moult did a couple of things well. Her hands were active and her defense had bright spots. But the thing she did best was camp out on the wing and put up threes. She didn't make any of her own shots, but she didn't need to. Hayley Munro did a nice job of cleaning up on the offensive boards. Taylor Thompson's release continues to be funky, but her range is impressive, and her defensive intensity is unmatched. When a little bitty guard is defending big physical centers, and doing it well, that says a lot. Taja Edwards was in and out for Wilson a lot, and she wasn't much of a factor. Jaleesa Ross had the game that I thought she was going to have yesterday. Her shots were falling, her teammates were catching her passes, her hands were more active- all of that. I'm not sure I was thrilled with her taking threes late in the game with Washington on her- I thought for sure she was going to be targeted, and if I were Adrian Wiggins, that's a risk I wouldn't have wanted to take.
Fresno runs a couple of drills that I really like. One is a rapid change of direction drill, where the leader shouts out which way they're going and changes it on a dime, including diving forwards and backwards for loose balls. Another is a defensive drill, where the pass comes in low, and as the "offensive" player scoops it up, the "defensive" player is suddenly all up in her face, hands up and going "Ball, ball, ball, ball!" That one looks like a good way to show players how to put on pressure, and how to take it.
Southern Miss behaved themselves for the first half of the game, and then as the lead ballooned for Fresno, some of the misbehavior that reared its ugly head yesterday showed up today. Elbows came out a little more. Hips protruded. Players went flying for no good reason. Other such charming things. And over it all, the hoarse, high-pitched, heavily accented screech of the Southern Miss coach. Oh, it was glorious finally yelling "SHUT UP ALREADY!" at her near the end of the game.
She went a little deeper into her bench this time, but not as much as she could have. I really do think it would have made more sense to go deep into the bench on the second consecutive day of getting beat down like a redheaded stepchild, but no one pays me for this. Nia Bradford continued to overdo it, looking very much like a player who was looking for playing time by any means possible, and if that meant falling into line with what the coach wanted, then that was what she would do. Fresno did a good job of keeping Ewa Urbanowska from being much of a factor on the inside. Danielle Johnson continued to shoot and miss.
The diving by Washington and Geneshia Dunbar was hilarious. I'm sorry, but you're not getting any sympathy. Dunbar set a legal Screen of Death that people were screaming to be called a foul, but it was clean, it was legal, and if you're stupid enough to run into a screen after your teammate calls it out, you deserve to see stars. Brittany Johnson was mostly confusing, because she and Danielle Johnson subbed for each other. Washington continued to be overphysical, with the bonus of being able to mock her shooting. Rachel Vigers was a bit more aggressive on defense than she had been yesterday, and still very effective for her height in the paint. Jamierra Faulkner continues to impress me- she needed more shots this time, but I still like her style.
The referees had a better grip on this game than they did yesterday. I think they were aware of what happened yesterday, and what could have happened, and didn't want it to happen again. I only saw one or two Fresno players go off injured, and they were only small injuries.
Some of the St. John's players drifted in and out during the game, in various states of uniform and health. I think we scared the daylights out of Briana Brown when we were going full throttle for Fresno. We waved at a few of them, and at least on Twitter Jennifer waved back.
It was very cathartic to see Southern Miss get their comeuppance. I never said I was fair, or neutral, or anything like that.
Sunday, December 19, 2010
December 19th, 2010: Fresno State at Southern Miss (Chartwells Holiday Classic)
Saturday, December 18, 2010
December 18th, 2010: Southern Miss at St. John's (Chartwell's Holiday Classic)
Just the Facts, Ma'am: St. John's built an early cushion in the second half and used it as protection in an 81-50 win that ended with only four players on the floor for the Red Storm. Eugeneia McPherson's career-high 23 points led all scorers, with Shenneika Smith adding 19 points and 8 rebounds. Rachel Vigers led Southern Miss with 19 points and 13 rebounds.
For an accounting of the injured, carefully controlled seething rage, acts of awesomeness, and eligibility questions, join your intrepid and infuriated blogger after the jump.
It's never a good sign when one of the assistants asks you if you have eligibility left... and you're not sure if she's joking or not. It was that rough of a game. (And to be fair, I'm one of maybe three people she could ask who at least comes with her own jersey.)
I don't know how often I've told the story of the Iona game, the one where I fell in fandom love with Joy McCorvey, the one where we were down to five players in the second half due to surgeries, ineligibility, injuries, and random disappearances. It was even weirder today.
There are fourteen players listed on the Red Storm roster. Elón Sidney hasn't been seen all season. Tesia Harris and Mary the Redshirt are both sitting out their transfer year. So that brings us down to eleven active players. For whatever reason, Briana Brown was sitting out this game in street clothes. Okay, down to ten players. Still a fairly good rotation, right?
Then Da'Shena Stevens was knocked to the floor and concussed; out for the game and down to nine. Then Coco Hart twisted her ankle; out for the half. Halftime. Coco was tripped again and wrenched her ankle; out for the game and down to eight. Then Sky Lindsay twisted her ankle; out for the game and down to seven. Then Jennifer Blanding fouled out; out for the game and down to six. Then Nadirah McKenith was hit in her already-injured thumb; out for the game and down to five. Then Shenneika Smith was slide-tackled and her ankle twisted badly; out for the game and down to four.
You heard me. We played the last two minutes with only four players. And as far as I'm concerned, Eugeneia McPherson, Amanda Burakoski, Keylantra Langley, and Zakiyyah Shahid-Martin are now certified BAMFs.
No, I am really not amused by Southern Mississippi right now, whatever gave you that idea? It might have been the bit where Tanisha Washington was gooning like she had a checklist. Or the bit where they were fouling hard down 30. Or the part where the coach sent the aforementioned Washington back in with forty-odd seconds left, who started the game, when we were down to four players. Or the bit where they were trying to throw down with Eugeneia and Key at the four-player mark. Or the part where they were rolling the ball with nine seconds left and down 30.
Started out nice, too. We were in good voice, the band was on their game (a marching band version of Barenaked Ladies' "Brian Wilson"? MADE OF WIN!), the anthem was good, it was a nice if cold day, we got our Christmas tree (and named it Katharen for its height and awkward looming ability), certified BAMF Eugeneia was on the poster... and then five minutes in, Da'Shena hit the floor and it all went downhill from there.
Nia Bradford looked like a woman desperate for playing time, and she was overzealous in her play almost to the point of cheap shots. It's one thing never to give up, it's another thing to throw hip checks down 30. Ewa Urbanowska showed reasonable physicality for a Euro, but her shooting form could use a little work. I'm assuming that Danielle Johnson hits more of her shots on most days, because she seemed like a jump shooter who was just off her game. I know Niesha Pierce and Bianco Heard played, but I don't remember what they did.
I'll be nice. I really like this freshman they've got, Jamierra Faulkner. I like her spirit, I like her instincts, and I like that she's classier than most of her teammates. She's got moves, she's got smarts, and she's got good hands. Some of her passes were a bit off, but I started to wonder if those were apologies for her teammates- and I thought it was interesting that she touched the ball early when they were trying to roll it. I also like Rachel Vigers. She's rough, but she's clean. She works hard on the boards and knows how to get her points in the paint. She's got a funky free throw routine that involves throwing the ball so high in the air that it could be a false shot. Geneshia Dunbar's foul trouble kept her from being much of a factor. I don't even remember the existence of Brittany Johnson. And then there was Tanisha Washington, who hooks arms like Plenette Pierson, throws elbows like DeLisha Milton-Jones or Lisa Leslie, and would probably have felt right at home with Bill Laimbeer's Bad Girls. The part where she was swaggering back down the court after Coco went down the first time was sickening (and there was insult to that injury, but to be fair, I don't think she could have known that Coco's family flew in from Memphis). She took shots at all of our post players, plus Keylantra and Shenneika. And it was almost like she had a checklist: "okay, Stevens is out, go after Hart; okay, Hart is out, go after Blanding; Hart is back, go after Hart; Hart's out again, go after Blanding; got a hit in on Blanding, go after Shahid-Martin".
And their coach allowed all this to happen- and from her play-calling and sub patterns, encouraged it. Sickening. Obscene. Embarrassing. Unprofessional.
Because of her thumb, Nadirah was coming off the bench anyway, and she did a nice job of setting things up and making the plays she needed to make. Jennifer played reasonably well, and for the first time in the year and change she's been here, really threw her weight around and made it clear that she and her team were not to be trifled with. She still can't hit a bunny to save her life (or without hopping- one basket was wiped off the board for a fairly blatant travel), but I liked that she didn't let us get pushed around. Zakiyyah played well, especially when she had to step up and be a certified BAMF- needs to work on her ballhandling and grip, especially under pressure, but she's a freshman, and you can let that pass to an extent with the last player off the bench. Keylantra also really impressed me, and if you've been following the Game Notes of Doom for any length of time, you know that I've been very hard on her. Her defense was better than I've seen it all year, and she made it clear that she wasn't taking crap from anyone. Buzz had an amazing tip-in at the first-half buzzer (which I thought came after the buzzer, but I'll take it) and had very active hands. She also stepped up her shooting when our numbers really began to dwindle. I like that kind of leadership out of a sophomore.
Da'Shena hardly played- her concussion came less than three minutes into the game! If this were Twitter, I'd have hashtagged that #cmonson. Coco was overdoing it in the first half, trying too hard to look good for her family, and she was knocking away a lot of stuff she could probably have gotten her hands on, but she looked a little better before the first trip and shortly after halftime. Sky's shot selection was a bit more questionable than usual, but her defense was pretty good. Shenneika went for style points on a few too many shots (I wonder if she thought there were scouts). Her work on the boards was great- there was one play where Sky got the steal and blew the fast break- but Shenneika was there with the putback.
Eugeneia gets her own paragraph, because she was just that awesome. Her shots were falling, her defense was good, her hands were active, she took no crap from anyone, and she made all the plays she needed to make. As much as Buzz's tip-in would normally have been the play of the game, her hoop-and-harm after Shenneika went out to bring us down to four was just what the doctor ordered. She was the rock that steadied us when everyone was falling. This game, and especially that second half, really showed her mettle. Buzz, Zakiyyah, and Keylantra showed what they were made of too, but Eugeneia especially proved that she can be a leader if she's called upon.
I'm not happy with this officiating crew. They let things get out of hand, and didn't steady it until after half our team was out with injuries. If players are tripping, slue footing, undercutting, elbowing, and hooking, perhaps it should be called before the last regular starter leaves the floor? Just as a thought?
In case it was not clear from other game notes, the young Aricos very much take after their mother. Trevor was lecturing the referees from his seat in the bleachers after Coco was injured. "I'm not talking to you, I'm talking to them."
Monique McLean sighting! By the end of the game, I thought Kim was going to ask her to grab a jersey. (And we had a spare white one, too. Sure, it was meant for a broad-shouldered post player, but we can work with that.)
I love my team far more than is healthy. They were amazing today.