Just the Facts, Ma'am: A three-pointer off the glass and high off the back rim by Hofstra's Nicole Capurso gave the Pride a 69-66 win over the Towson Tigers. Shante Evans led all players with 29 points, 21 of those in the second half, and 20 rebounds. For Towson, Deree Fooks's 20 points led four Tigers in double figures.
For exhaustion, Hail Mary shots, nip-and-tuck, boors, history, and why basketball is amazing, join your intrepid and still dazed blogger after the jump.
Good afternoon, everyone! We're coming to you once more, because you just haven't had enough of us this week, on tape delay from the Mack Sports Complex on the grounds of Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York!
We had Hofstra and Towson circled in red on our schedule even before it became a game for CAA seeding- Towson forward Sheree Ledbetter is a transfer from St. John's, and we wanted to see her off right. It helps that we like Hofstra and what Krista Kilburn-Stevesky is doing there, though it does present the awkward situation of not knowing who to root for beyond the obvious.
Hofstra's arena is one of my favorite medium-size arenas, though the passageways can get a little twisty. It's worth the three buses and the occasional dashes across traffic to get to. (The Hempstead Turnpike/Uniondale Avenue intersection is not very well handled by the lights. It also doesn't help when someone signals right and goes straight.)
Hofstra is wearing home pink, Towson road black. The pink socks do not go well with the taxicab yellow of some of the Tigers' sneakers. Trust me, guys, you can never go wrong with black.
We're wearing our St. John's gear, partially because we told Sheree we would, and partially because St. John's did notch a rather big win last night. Don't know if you heard about it.
Fairly good crowd this early, though I think a fair number of them are Bellocchios, judging from the #10s abounding among them.
We're right where I wanted to be, dead-red center, a few rows up, just to the Towson side of halfcourt. A good place to cheer both teams, assuming I don't choke to death on this damn cough I've had since St. Francis.
My thanks to Hofstra- and Columbia, belatedly, for open wireless- useful when the arena's too far underground or otherwise won't let me get a connection with my wireless.
Halftime, and we got us a game. It's 34-30 Towson, with big shots going back and forth, Candace Bond being answered by Tanisha McTiller. There's a lot of contact. It's a game that's being played like it means everything, and for two teams jostling for position in the CAA and the pipe dream of an at-large bid, maybe it does.
Hofstra's pink uniforms look good. They've got the color scheme for it, and they left out the yellow (which would clash horribly).
Balanced scoring for both teams- Fooks has 12 to lead Towson, Bond and Evans each with eight for Hofstra.
What a game. Holy Toledo Rockets, Batman, what a game and what a finish! Punch and counterpunch- almost literally, at one point, when Krystal Parnell and Candice Bellocchio almost got into it.
Excellent anthem by the Girl Scout chorus with the ceremonial unit. There was a lot of impressive fruit salad on display on those vests and sashes. I was a Girl Scout- I know what it takes to get a lot of those stars and badges.
Sheree Ledbetter was the reason we came in the first place, and she brought the infectious grin and energy that made us love her at St. John's. She played well defensively, though she's not going to have a lot of success defending the tank that is Shante Evans, and her passing has improved since her Red Storm days. I'm not sure what she was thinking with the foul with a minute left in a one-possession game, though. I have to admit, I wasn't expecting Baltimore's Ciara Webb to a) be pronounced Sierra, b) be copper-haired and porcelain-pale. Ah, to expectations. She did not make a lot of smart plays. Don't get fancy with the ball when you've got a ball hawk defending you. Nyree Williams played a lot off the bench, and I assume the only reason she's not starting right now has to do with that giant pink cast on her hand. I would not have had her in with four fouls late in the game- she could not play defense. Most sophomores don't know how to play tough D with four fouls. Destiny Shearin found herself playing more post than I think she was comfortable with.
Deree Fooks did work on the boards, and slithered herself into the paint for her shots. She was carrying Towson for fair parts of the game. Michelle Peebles started presumably because Nyree Williams wasn't for some reason- whether it was disciplinary or injury related or because Mathews likes having a threat off the bench, I can't judge properly. Krystal Parnell definitely runs her team- she has that kind of leadership and personality, but her court vision is shaky and so is her ballhandling. Not traits you want in a point guard. Krystin Fields did a nice job sneaking in for offensive rebounds and making plays in the paint. Tanisha McTiller got a beautiful and-1 in the first half, and I like her knack for making the right play at the right time.
Towson really needs an outside sniper, someone who can open things up from beyond the arc so teams can't pack it in against them.
Krista Kilburn Steveskey got a little too sub happy for my liking in the second half, blowing two timeouts to make subs. Deven Green played very briefly and proved why she shouldn't have been. Anma Onyeuku brought good defensive positioning. Andreana Thomas tried to be a spark off the bench, but I'm not sure that worked. She was trying a little too hard. Marie Malone came off the bench briefly to try and get some height in there.
But this was the starters' game, and maybe that's the Pride's Achilles heel. If they can't go deep into their bench without a significant dropoff, they're doomed. Candice Bellocchio's on-ball defense was tighter than spandex, but I might have liked it, and her, better if she hadn't been doing a lot of diving and running her mouth- and if her family hadn't been behaving boorishly in the stands. She made a lot of good plays. Katelyn Loper couldn't get her shot to fall most of the day, so she spent a lot of time as the offense/defense switch. Candace Bond made the right plays at the right time- she started the play of the first half with a baseline heaving save to Bellocchio, who set up Nicole Capurso for a three. Shante Evans ran amok in the second half, with 21 points and 15 rebounds- and as dominating as she was in that second half, she could probably have worked her way to 35 or 40 points if she didn't put the ball back down. Go up strong, Shante- you're a tank, own it. She worked Nyree Williams in the second half, especially late in the game.
And then there was Nicole Capurso, whose shot was off for most of the day, but who came up with the big shot at the end of the game. I don't know if she called glass and back rim, but it doesn't matter. That was one of the most amazing shots I've ever seen actually go down, and if I had any faith in ESPN to not be a bunch of misogynist brats, I'd suggest it as a Top Ten play, but if you can't get a game with two buzzer-beaters in over horse racing...
Sorry, I'll get off my soapbox.
Refereeing was... interesting. It looked like they were trying to get things back under control in the second half, but they took the calls to extremes- and then tried to balance them back out again. Fans, especially the Bellocchio contingent (identifiable by their #10 shirts, in case you thought I was stereotyping or assuming) were not pleased.
Hofstra honored their 1981-82 AIAW divisional championship team during the game, which was awesome. I love an appreciation of history.
Girl Scouts everywhere, and no cookies? Granted, the banner contest had as its prize the right to sell cookies at a future game, but unless they were down on the concession level, I am disappointed. MOAR THIN MINTS.
The crowd really got into the game late when it got close. And someone appears to have suggested that wiping one's crotch with one's t-shirt is not acceptable behavior when the arena is full of Girl Scouts. I also do hope that one of the Bellocchio contingent did not, in fact, call Janice Aliberti a dumb b*tch, because that is wrong and inappropriate on so many levels.
What a game. What a clutch win for Hofstra (which helps my Johnnies). What a heartbreaker for Towson.
This is why we watch. This is why we play. This is why we love the game.
Sunday, February 19, 2012
February 19th, 2012: Towson at Hofstra
Friday, December 31, 2010
December 29th, 2010: Delaware State at Towson
Just the Facts, Ma'am: A huge second half from Dovile Miliauskaite, who finished with 18 points and 14 rebounds, propelled the Towson Tigers to a win over the Delaware State Lady Hornets. Sheree Ledbetter also had 18 for the Tigers. Kianna Conner was the only player to break double digits for the Lady Hornets, with 13 points.
For harrowing adventures, really vague impressions with no backing statistics, half a game's worth of notes, the kindness of strangers, souvenirs, and the power of technology, join your intrepid and weary blogger after the jump. (Don't worry, if you're sick of me, I'm done until January 8th.)
Internet, let me tell you, the next time we get a hare-brained idea about trying to go from College Park to Towson via Maryland public transportation, you will hear us concussing ourselves to keep from doing it. I think I'm still getting the blood back into my face. What scared me was less the rows and rows of boarded up buildings we passed on the rail through downtown Baltimore- but the parts of town that they were trying to gentrify with antiques stores and art galleries that still had to roll up their sidewalks before 7PM. I always thought The Wire was an exaggeration, but I'm really thinking it isn't now. When the nice man who's helping you find your way around says that the neighborhood is safe because there's a heavy police presence, your eyebrows go up a little.
It also does not help that no one in Maryland seems to know how to give directions. “Oh, take the 3 to the 8, it puts you right by the gym.” Right. If by “right by” you mean the other side of the campus, as a 3 goes by us as we hike all around Job's barn. The game started at 7PM; we made it into the gym with five seconds left in the first half. But damn it, we were there, just like we said we'd be.
I really like Towson's arena. It's pretty much all chair-back seating, except for bleachers in the upper endcourts. I had no idea Towson had such a strong women's gymnastics tradition, either; one entire side of their banners was made up of their gymnastics wins. Their band was incredibly into the game. I want a towel now. And they had a pretty good crowd for playing a pretty bad opponent. I know Delaware State traveled well, and maybe that had something to do with it, but there were a lot of people in the black and gold.
Apparently it was not a very good first half, so I think we were all right in missing it, but I'm not sure if y'all find the trials, travails, and travels of the Game Notes of Doom to be gripping reading. We also didn't find the rosters until after the game, so the notes in my head were along the lines of “that Dominique-Canty-looking player on the bench is really vocal” or “my God, 11 has hands of stone”. I mean, I knew the name and number of one player, since the whole reason we crossed Baltimore was to go see the former St. John's player on Towson, but that was it.
But now I know that the reason why it seemed like “that Kianna what's-her-name” for Delaware State was doing so well was that they have two different starters named Kianna. Kianna Conner was the one whose shots looked awfully good and who gave me the heebie-jeebies when she got open. Deanna Harmon showed a knack for getting to the line in the second half. Delaware State's uniforms are exceptionally ugly. At least they're not wearing prison stripes anymore, but no one should be attempting to look like the Montreal Expos.
#11 for Towson turned out to be Dovile Miliauskaite, who has one of the prettiest shots I've ever seen. Once she hangs on to the ball, the ball is going into the basket- but I can't count how many times the ball bounced off her hands on passes, rebounds, or dribbles. If she could handle the ball and hang on to it, she would probably be in a BCS conference. Krystal Parnell really needs to get herself under control. She has the speed and she has the instincts, but she has no control and little common sense. And of course we were keeping an eye on Sheree Ledbetter, the transfer from St. John's who decided to head closer to home. I forgot how animated she was on the floor, and what a great personality she has. Of course, we missed pretty much all of her offensive plays, since they were in the first half and most of her second half offense came on free throws, but it was nice to see her again.
Towson does ad hoc post-game autographs- you have to be quick, and you have to know what basketball players look like when they're leaving the locker room, and you should probably bring your own Sharpie, since they can't always find theirs. But we figured we'd stick around to either say hi to Sheree or give her the distinct sense that she's befriended crazy people, and an autographed poster is a nice souvenir to add to our wall. (For those of you who have come late to the Game Notes of Doom, we decorated our apartment in Late Modern Women's Basketball- posters, bobble-heads, yearbooks, ticket stubs, basketball cards, thundersticks, signed balls... our Christmas tree is decorated with basketball cards, and named after Katie Mattera, for the awkward way it looms.)
Thanks to the kind, kind lady who gave us a lift off campus and dropped us off at the Chipotle, where we grabbed soda and burritos that traveled in stealth on Metrobus through two routes, a harrowing walk between bus stops in East Baltimore, and a hike across the entire length of White Marsh Mall. And thanks to everyone who tried to direct us, even when it was clear that people who go to basketball games are not the same people who take public transit in the area.
After our trials, travels, and tribulations, I think the thing I am most grateful to is my Virgin mobile device. I was able to whip out my computer and get directions a few times in the middle of nowhere. I like not being lost in a strange place.