Just the Facts, Ma'am: UCLA scored the first nine points of the game and never looked back in their 67-30 win over Fordham. Jordin Canada had 16 points and six assists to lead the Bruins, with Monique Billings adding a 10-point, 10-rebound double-double. Bre Cavanaugh's nine points led Fordham.
For terrible shot selection, travel issues, cookies, a lack of signage, and being overmatched, join your intrepid blogger after the jump.
Good evening, folks! It's the last unique stop on this crazy ride, as UCLA finishes their East Coast road trip with a visit to the Rams of Fordham.
For various and sundry reasons, I am not thrilled with the MTA right now, even less than usual.
Solid anthem, though I thought for a second dude lost track of the words.
At halftime, it's 37-12 UCLA, which is only slightly worse than I expected, to be honest. Fordham doesn't match up well with the Bruins, and the disparity is enhanced by Fordham missing open shots. If Bre Cavanaugh takes one more quick three I may scream and not in the fun kind of way.
Sir, I don't want to doubt your word that this row is reserved, but unlike every other reserved row in the section, there doesn't seem to be a sign to that effect.
Kid, I don't want to hit you in the head with my laptop, but can you meet me halfway and stop throwing your head back?
Well, I can say without the shadow of a doubt that this was most definitely a thing that happened. I don't necessarily like the thing that happened, but it happened.
Lauryn Miller is not a person one should run headlong into. She establishes her spot in the middle, and if you want to move her, good luck. I know one of the fouls she committed was essentially checking a guard into the non-existent boards on the sideline. Chrissy Baird is not ready for primetime. She's a junior, so I don't know if she'll ever be, but stranger things have happened. Her teammates were rooting so hard for her to get that basket. Ally Rosenblum is tall. That's just about all I've got on her.
After the game she had at Seton Hall, I was surprised Michaela Onyenwere started this game on the bench. Her shooting was not as solid as it was on Sunday, though she had a couple of gorgeous cuts to the basket. The AAU coach next to me was admiring her form and determination. She doesn't have quite the physical gifts that Billings has, but I don't know that the Bruins are going to lose much once she slides into that slot. Chantel Horvat got extended run and got off a couple of quick threes. She has potential, but I don't know if she's realized what it is or where she fits on the floor. (I liked the sequence after an unnecessary defensive foul- Coach Close called her over and talked to her, miming out proper defensive positioning.) I realize this wasn't the best game for Japreece Dean, and I don't agree with playing her next to Canada (fun-size backcourts are not my thing no matter how much Tony is trying to sell them). There was a play where she sort of bunny-hopped onto the sideline, and in almost slow motion realized that she was out of bounds- we're not sure if she was deliberately playing it up (since it was near the end of the game) or if the ref caught her before she could sneak back into play.
For some reason I got the sense that Jordin Canada might have been a tiny bit disappointed in how she played at Seton Hall. She was quick as lightning out there, including one steal so slick I'm pretty sure she took Mary Goulding's lunch money with it. The layup to end the half was disheartening, to say the least. She's the kind of player who makes an offense better because she understands how it flows. I really like what I've seen out of Kelli Hayes. She's incredibly versatile defensively, equally comfortable on the perimeter or inside, and has a nice outside shot. She's stepping up as a senior, which is another thing I love. Sometimes it's the small things- late in the game, she called for the ball, wide open in the right corner... and then decided against the three, instead setting up Baird (who was scoreless) inside. Classy and selfless. Kennedy Burke had a quiet night, but her size at guard anchored the defense inside and out. I think she might have been on Bre for stretches, which would explain a lot of Bre's curious offensive decisions.
All things considered, I do not understand why Lajahna Drummer starts. She rebounds well, but her shooting needs work- and that's saying something, given that most of her shots came right at the basket. If she could hit consistently, she'd be a force to be reckoned with. Monique Billings got off to a bit of a slow start, but gradually she started to impose her will on the game. I think it sank in that she was taller than everyone else on the floor, could get up higher, and get more done. That's when she pulled out the hook shot and the high bank shot and all the other things we get jealous of tall people for. I thought she stayed in the game too long, but it looked like UCLA was just trying to get her a double-double before sitting her. I understand that even if I don't necessarily approve of it.
UCLA's tendency to play faster than they could reasonably manage was actually tempered by Fordham's slower pace and strict zone. Seton Hall was able to force the Bruins into mistakes; in this game, they had time to consider their life and their choices. They held on to the ball instead of coughing it up.
For once, Fordham went deep into the bench. I think this is the first time I've seen Lauren Murphy play. I don't think I've missed much by it. Ditto for Kristen Ryan. This is not the first time I've seen Katie McLoughlin play, but I'm still not impressed. I'm not sure about playing Ralene Kwiatkowski next to Lauren Holden- they seem too similar, and I think Ralene is supposed to be Lauren's understudy.
The fact that we only had two reserves play double-digit minutes in this steaming pile of hot garbage game is a problem all by itself. Zara Jillings brought defense and a good lay-up, but that was about it. Kendell Heremaia ran more point than I was expecting, and couldn't get her three-point shot working.
Lauren Holden took her time finding her shot, and the one deep make didn't make up for the dubious decision-making she demonstrated all day. I have to admire her tenacity in defending larger players and sort of making it work by prising away insufficiently secured balls, but that's about it for her in this game. Bre Cavanaugh played without the fearlessness that marked her in the big wins over Pittsburgh and St. John's. She spent most of the night being the exception to the rule that Fordham runs a slow offense, instead chucking up quick threes without rhyme or reason. She kept the chip on her shoulder, but something was off.
G'mrice Davis rebounded well, all things considered with the players around her, but struggled against UCLA's interior players on both ends of the floor- she couldn't get off good shots and she couldn't stop UCLA from hitting theirs. Mary Goulding brought the hustle plays, but her carelessness with the ball canceled out a lot of the good that she did. I'm not sure which missed shots got me more upset, the close ones right at the basket that should have been makeable, or the long twos that might have been threes but we'll never know because she couldn't hit them. That's not her strength, and we went too quickly from "still in the game if we don't screw it up too badly" to "welp, this is a thing that has happened, let's get ready for Hartford and not do anything stupid in the meantime" for that to be a viable offensive option. The only really strong impression left on me by Johanna Klug was the feeling that she should not have committed the fouls she did.
Y'all. If you're going to foul the shooter, the leas you could do is make sure she doesn't actually hit the shot. I think we gave UCLA four and-1s on cheap fouls. Do or do not. There is no try. I know we already did Star Wars Night, but let's go with it.
A lot of weaksauce fouls called, but they were letting us travel all night, so I'll take it. I think the double foul was an abrogation of responsibility, but at the same time, I saw the elbow by Drummer and my husband swears that he saw G'mrice commit a foul, so I guess that was the right call.
I recognize that we were in over our heads here, but I don't think we helped ourselves with the missed free throws and the blown chippies. Maybe it was nerves- there was a lot of odd spin on those shots. I don't think we were ready for the size and speed of UCLA, no matter how much we told ourselves we were.
We have a black Santa. Your argument is invalid. I love how Fordham embraces the international flavor of their team- the Happy Holidays message was given in the multiple languages the team speaks. (Though I don't know all the languages, since I looked up in the middle of the video, I know we have a German, a Latvian, a Fijian, and a Pole.) (And a couple of Kiwis, and I think maybe Kendell was speaking Maori or another indigenous language of the area?)
Nice suit on the bandleader. Very maroon.
Fordham called in all their chips to pack the house. I hope it was worth it.
Wednesday, December 20, 2017
December 20th, 2017: UCLA at Fordham
Sunday, December 17, 2017
December 17th, 2017: UCLA at Seton Hall
Just the Facts, Ma'am: Seton Hall kept coming back, but UCLA kept pulling away in their 77-68 win at Walsh Gymnasium. Monique Billings had 17 points and six blocks to lead five Bruins in double figures, with Jordin Canada adding 11 points and 10 assists. Donnaizha Fountain had 23 points to lead the Pirates.
For blinking lights, Christmas decorating, tall people, banging the clipboard, gym drop-offs, guests, and moral victories, join your intrepid and packed blogger after the jump.
Good afternoon! Or good morning if you're of the West Coast persuasion, which I imagine more of you than usual are. It's game day at Walsh Gymnasium, and the Pirates are hosting nationally-ranked UCLA.
Pretty much exactly as I type these words, UCLA has entered the gym and started stretching. The blue seems darker than I remember. They have lights or sensors or something in the little rolly things they use to stretch.
Seton Hall's pre-game warm-up clothes range from undershirts (Kaela Hilaire and Taylor Brown) to standard jerseys (most of the team) to hoodies (Shadeen Samuels and Deja Winters). I didn't think there was that much of a temperature swing in here.
A lot of the usual suspects have arrived earlier than usual to stake out their usual seats- in fact, we got here about quarter past twelve and our regular spot was occupied.
Miscommunication between the band and the color guard. You're not supposed to start the anthem until the color guard is on the floor and the flags are in position, right?
Just for the record, it is poor form to complain about the officials when you're up double digits, and to then make unsubstantiated allegations against a player. Just saying.
Exciting game- UCLA is up 39-32, after being up as much as 13. Seton Hall's defense is there, but the offense is tentative, and UCLA's size is giving us all kinds of problems. Michaela Onyenwere got off to a very hot start for the Bruins and leads them with 10 points. Donnaizha Fountain has 12 points to lead the Pirates. Great defensive minutes from Kimi Evans and Deja Winters off the bench.
Well, I can't say we didn't have chances. I can't also say that UCLA didn't answer every single time. There's a reason they're nationally ranked, after all.
According to the ESPN box score, Chrissy Baird played, but I don’t even remember seeing her. The solid seal that allowed Japreece Dean to get to the bucket came from the big body of Lauryn Miller, no matter what my personal stat sheet said. (Poor kid kept getting misidentified in those stats- accidentally gave her the foul that Selena Philoxy committed. I should be used to my own formatting by now...) Chantel Horvat is tall for her position, like many of UCLA's players, but unlike her more experienced teammates she doesn't seem entirely used to it yet.
I can see why UCLA picked up Japreece Dean on the transfer- she's similar to Jordin Canada in build and spewed, though at least in this game she seemed to have more of a jumper and less inclination to drive. I think she's a good pickup for them. I don't know why Monique Billings didn't start, but she played most of the game. Something about her reminds me of Candace Parker- maybe it's just the build and the face. She was a shot-blocking machine in this one, with some spectacular ones to get the Bruins going in the first quarter. When she goes up above everyone else, she's unstoppable. But I don't know how much she relies on her physical advantages and how much she relies on skill and talent. I'm not sure how she'll produce against players of similar size to her on the next level. But I'm impressed with her play at the basket.
I don't know what I expected to see out of Jordin Canada. I'm still not sure I saw it, whatever it was. She's definitely super quick, offensively and defensively. When she drives to the rack, the only winning play is to get out of the way lest ye be run over. She's got fantastic court vision. But I see why people bring up her lack of a reliable jump shot. She had one or two that were very short, and I'm not sure they were just the three-pointers. She's also very slight (which is an amusing contrast to the rest of the UCLA squad). I see her strengths, but now I also see her possible downsides. Kelli Hayes was the backbreaker- whenever we got on a run, she'd hit a three and UCLA would find new life from it. That's the thing seniors are supposed to do, and she did it. When she got into foul trouble in the fourth quarter, Kennedy Burke stepped up in that role. Burke had a solid defensive game- she extends the defense, making sure the other team has no chance to get comfortable in the frontcourt. Most of the time, we can at least make the side-to-side passes that indicate a dithering offense, one that isn't sure what it wants to do. Burke's length on defense ensured that we couldn't even be indecisive comfortably.
Lajahna Drummer got the start in place of Billings. I... do not think the three-point shot is among her strengths. Judging by how quickly Drummer got pulled out of the game after that feeble attempt, I don't think Cori Close thinks it's one of her strengths either. She did not have a good game in the few minutes she got. On the other hand, I ws very impressed with Michaela Onyenwere, who seemed to be doing her best to make up for Billings being benched all by herself in the first half. I think she had the first six points for the Bruins. She cuts into the lane like a hot knife through butter. She's got a whole lot of potential- I can't believe she's only a freshman.
UCLA needs to work on ball security, or at least how to handle a swarm of smaller defenders. They could use some polish on offense, as well. They'll stop a lot of people who can't deal with their length and speed, but they're not necessarily going to win a shootout.
Coach tried inserting Selena Philoxy briefly in the second quarter, since our posts were either in foul trouble or really, really having trouble with UCLA's ability to sky for rebounds. She's more physical than most of our posts, but that still didn't help, so I'm not surprised she didn't play again in the second half. We actually got good minutes from Jayla Jones-Pack and the streak of Pirate blue in her hair- probably one of the better games I've seen her have. She seemed to be in her element amongst the tall trees of Westwood, even if the one shot she hit was mostly sheer dumb luck. She had a fantastic block on Jordin Canada. Kimi Evans showed flashes of defensive potential in her minutes.
Big offensive game from Nicole Jimenez. She hit the shots when it counted in order to keep Seton Hall in the game. Her insistence on slowing down the offense is going to drive me to drink one of these days (and I'm already on my second Diet Coke of the day). She's got to get a sense of urgency late in games. I mean, I shouldn't be riding her as hard as I am, given that she was the main reason we stayed in this game as long as we did, but her late-game clock management left something to be desired. I was very impressed with the day that Deja Winters had on both ends of th efloor. She, at least, seemed to have some understanding of time and score at the end of the game. She was ferocious on defense and timely on offense, and at least once combined the two with a steal and fast break lay-up. I love seeing her diversify her offense, and she did that in this one.
Now this is going to be the fun part, in the sense that repeatedly poking a bruise is fun. Kaela Hilaire's head was not in the game. I don't know where it was, but it was not in Walsh Gym. She gave up twice in a row on drives by Canada, which I think is when Tony lost his patience with her. Her defense was generally slipshod, and I can't even think of where she was on offense. JaQuan Jackson's shot briefly deigned to join us in the third quarter, then left again. I think it was a combination of Quanny being on a bad streak and UCLA's defense keying on her that shut her down, but boy howdy was she ever shut down. Donnaizha Fountain put up big numbers, much of them on volume. Sometimes I think she gets into her own head too much when she misses one or two shots, and that's pretty much a guarantee she'll miss at least one or two more. She seems to have become more offensive-minded than defensive-minded.
I disagreed strongly with the second foul on Shadeen Samuels, and that set the tone for the rest of her day. She played limited minutes and was hindered in those minutes. I love her pursuit of loose balls, but in everything else she was outclassed today. Taylor Brown played good defense and rebounded well, but couldn't hit water falling out of a boat. At least two of those misses were on the same sequence. I appreciate her toughness, but her inability to put the ball in the basket was a problem I just can't look past.
Time and score, y'all. If there are two or three minutes left in the game, and y'all are down nine, you've got to shoot fast. You can't blow ten-fifteen seconds of the clock dribbling on the wing because you're not sure what you want to do. Situational awareness didn't kill us in this game, but it killed any chance we had to have a chance.
Officiating was at the usual level of terrible. Counting is difficult, scrums are okay, and no one cares about contact. (On both sides. Don't think I didn't see you whack Laj Drummer in the head, Taylor.) I thought UCLA was being allowed to get away with more contact; a UCLA fan I was corresponding with during the game thought Seton Hall was getting all the calls. Clearly we can't both be right.
I've seen communication breakdowns between players and coaches, and between players on the floor, but I think this is the first time I've ever seen it happen with two cheerleaders- the one who was supposed to be lifted was on the wrong side of the floor, and one of the cheerleaders who was supposed to be lifting her let her have it.
Pretty full house. I would have liked for it to be a sellout, but I'll take what we got, especially since the side of the upper deck I couldn't see was apparently very full. Turned out that the people sitting in front of us had also sat next to us at a Liberty game, so they've survived the experience twice now. Bless them.
There was a dude at the media table who I swear was either Eric Thibault or his doppelganger.
Everything is a learning experience. We went up against one of the best teams in the country, and we had far from our best game, especially from our star players, and we gave them a fight. Credit where credit is due.
Sunday, December 16, 2012
December 16th, 2012: UCLA at St. John's
Just the Facts, Ma'am: Jasmine Dixon's lay-up off Markel Walker's inbounds gave UCLA a 53-52 overtime win over St. John's. Alyssia Brewer's 14 points and 15 rebounds led the Bruins. Walker added eight points, 11 rebounds, and eight assists. Shenneika Smith had 25 points to lead St. John's.
For frustration, sore vocal cords, pretty colors, winterwear, and unwanted softness, join your intrepid and sweltering blogger after the jump.
Second game will be starting in a few minutes. UCLA is still in their road blue, while St. John’s has busted out the black jerseys. They know this is serious business.
Mallory Jones is still AWOL. If she transfers, I wouldn’t be surprised. She’s got good academics; St. John’s might not be the right place for her.
Aww, Eugeneia McPherson on crutches and still working with the kids. :( for Gina. Why are you making a woman on crutches climb stairs? Come on, man! (Okay, it was to get to the bleachers and get some space for her, but still.)
The Conn-tingent appears to have been evicted from their normal seats. Will have to be careful how I criticize Key and Bri today. Good thing they’ve both matured so much this year. It’s harder to yell at them. (Conn-tingent=Connecticut Contingent, the families of Keylantra Langley and Briana Brown; Ashley Perez’s family sits elsewhere or would also be included in the Conn-tingent)
At half, UCLA is up 22-17, and it was a lot worse- it was 22-6 at one point. Then they got angry. I do have to mention that I am not thrilled with Jasmine Dixon checking Aliyyah Handford into the boards, since we don’t have boards. We can’t shoot for beans. The good news is that Mary Nwachukwu is having the game of the season for her. The bad news is that equals four points and two rebounds. And she starts. :/ We’re letting UCLA control the pace of the game. We need to speed it up and make those big posts with bad knees run. But I am loving Briana Brown’s valiant defense on Markel Walker. She’s out of her weight class, but she’s putting up a fight.
All-tournament team: Markel Walker, Jasmine Dixon, Aliyyah Handford, Shenneika Smith, Danielle Mauldin, with Alyssia Brewer as MVP. No love for Jala Harris, huh? Unsurprisingly, there was little applause for the UCLA players from the St. John’s fans, and less applause for the St. John’s players from the UCLA fans. (Which doesn’t surprise me. You sing your fight song on the road, I don’t expect you to be polite to the home team.)
Cori Close tightened up her rotation for this game. Kari Korver got some brief minutes when Thea Lemberger got in foul trouble. Mariah Williams came in for defense, and her quick hands got in the way of a lot of passes. That more than made up for her lack of height, which was something that we didn’t take nearly enough advantage of. Seriously, she’s shorter than everyone on the roster, including the coaches, we should have posted her up repeatedly. Jasmine Dixon, who claimed the game-winning shot, banged in the post on both ends of the floor. She got a little too physical for my liking a couple of times; see above regarding Aliyyah’s reintroduction to the bench for more on that. I think her knee’s still bothering her, but I’m not sure. There are flashes of the player she was before the injury, but I don’t know if she’ll be that player again.
Nirra Fields was good in regulation. Solid, good- not unimpressive, not outstanding. Atonye Nyingifa had some trouble holding on to the ball, but got in great position on the boards. Her timing on her leaps was good. Thea Lemberger had issues with her shot, but they didn’t really need her to be a shooter, and the one field goal she had was at a crucial time (part of the Conn-tingent was screaming about it because Keylantra Langley, our defensive specialist, had just come out of the game and they felt she would have stopped it). Markel Walker had the shots, and they went awry. Not all of them were contested, but some of them were. She used her height to her advantage to get the boards and make the good passes. She has all the tools. I’m still not sold on her as the fourth pick, if only because she seems more like a tweener than a swingman, and I think she has to sort that out if she’s going to be a serious WNBA player. Alyssia Brewer bodied up strong in the paint and was a crucial part of what got UCLA going at the start of the game and at the end of the game.
Sandra Udobi actually saw a fair stretch of time in the first half. She wasn’t spectacular, but she didn’t look too much like a freshman. Depressingly, she might have been one of our better posts today, because Amber Thompson could barely catch anything. She even fumbled the towel she was supposed to catch at one point. She got a little better in the second half, but then fell apart in the OT. Keylantra Langley played less than I’m used to- maybe Coach T didn’t like the way she drove the lane, maybe he was trying too hard to play UCLA’s game, maybe he just woke up on the wrong side of the bed, but I think the Conn-tingent might have been on to something.
Aliyyah Handford has matured light years over the last two days. She looked really good today, except when she was on the free throw line. She was making plays at both ends of the floor and driving hard to the basket, taking a lot of contact. I’ve been wondering why she starts; now I understand. Something was off about Nadirah McKenith’s shot for most of the day, though she got her feet under her in the second half. She worked the boards hard and had some ups on her. So did Briana Brown, who was brutalized by the rim. She should have had at least two shots go in. What impressed me most about her today was her defense. She kept ending up on Markel Walker, who’s five inches taller than her and long-limbed to boot, and worked her over hard on D. As always, if there was a loose ball, she was on it like white on rice. Shenneika Smith had an uneven game- some flashes of brilliance and huge shots and big swats, some floaters that she left short a lot and fumbles she should have caught. I think she won the head-to-head with Walker, for what that’s worth, but I didn’t see any scouts, either. (Then again, I think there’s a total of 2 scouts employed on the eastern seaboard right now, so that doesn’t prove much.) Mary Nwachukwu got her blocks, and had that not-awful first half. And then she decided to stop playing post defense, which is a bit of a problem when you are a team’s only starting post, and even more of a problem when you back off coverage on the GAME-WINNING SHOT. She backed off Brewer repeatedly in the second half when Brewer had four fouls; Mary had three at the time and acted like the situation was reversed. It sickened me. Now, one of the girls in the band wondered if she was nursing a hip injury, so if that’s the case, I’m sort of sorry.
There was a point in the game where Shenneika drove the lane and hit a bucket, and Dee Kantner looked exceedingly irked. She made a signal I don’t recognize a couple of times- it looked like a football ref’s call of a juggled ball, no catch- and looked to be arguing with Bonita Spence as UCLA came back down the floor. Briana ended up getting hammered with no call about three whistles later; I assumed that was a make-up call. We got to the line plenty, but there were about five calls in the lane I think got missed. The previously mentioned shot on Aliyyah was the worst.
Part of me appreciates the passion of the UCLA fans as the game got tight, especially as it spurred section 2 to get louder. And we get pretty loud, if I do say so myself. I think my husband and I went through two bottles of soda when we got back. On the other hand, I think it’s a bit less than classy to sing the fight song on the road. Or to clap your hands to disconcert the shooter, Cori Close. It’s one thing for fans, but I’m pretty sure the coach is not allowed to do that nonsense.
We played fourteen minutes of mind-numbingly awful basketball. We played thirty-one minutes of good basketball. It bums me out that playing two seconds of lousy defense made the difference.
Saturday, December 15, 2012
December 15th, 2012: St. Mary's at UCLA
Just the Facts, Ma'am: Behind the double-doubles of Markel Walker and Alyssia Brewer, as well as the second-half offense of Jasmine Dixon, UCLA fought off St. Mary's 76-62. Walker had 15 points and 12 rebounds; Brewer added 12 points and 10 boards. For St. Mary's, Danielle Mauldin led the way with 26 points and 9 rebounds.
For bad first impressions, rough halftimes, laundry mishaps, and raw tools, join your intrepid and less-than-coherent blogger after the jump.
On to game 2, which is pretty much everyone's cue to leave for some reason. Come on, guys, there's another game, you paid for it, you might as well stick around for it.
Johnnies, or at least Jennifer Blanding, are starting to circulate, though I think it'll take longer for people who actually played to come into the bleachers. There'll be plenty of room for them when they get here.
St. Mary's has very depressing gray/off-white home jerseys. Like someone accidentally put them in the same wash with Raiders gear or something. Iona definitely have my favorite Gaels.
Spotted between games: former St. John's star Da'Shena Stevens. I think they're giving her the grand tour of the redecorated areas. She's kind of a big deal.
At halftime, UCLA is up 35-28, and I can't figure out why it's not more. St. Mary's has rarely been able to buy a bucket. When you have a possession with five offensive rebounds followed by a deflection and side-out, you should be able to score on it. I also keep thinking St. Mary's needs to hit a weight room or something. Maybe that's just the type of player their coach recruits because they slip through the cracks, but it's sort of amusing to see all these blocky, solid players- and then Jackie Nared looking like a willow tree.
This didn't turn into anything vaguely like a rout until about the six-minute mark. I think the Gaels just ran out of gas and UCLA got inspired. Somehow.
Please note: St. Mary's wore whiteish and UCLA wore blue, but UCLA sat on the home bench and was announced as the home team. Assuming this was to allow each team to only carry one set of jerseys. Ordering is assuming UCLA as the road team.
Kari Korver took both her shots from somewhere in the vicinity of Suffolk County which really seemed to be unnecessary. Mariah Williams needs to hang out with Shakena Richardson from Rutgers, because seeing the two of them on back to back weekends was like instant replay. Williams has a knack for the flashy pass and the quick play, but needs to get some of her fundamentals down pat. Jasmine Dixon was in and out so often that I was starting to get seasickness. The physiotape on and around her knee is interesting, but I don't know if having enough tape on to build your own basketball net (and even criss-crossing it to look like a net) is a good sign for one's future. She was solid in the second half; she looked like she had gained confidence at halftime and was more willing to go into the paint. I'd just like for her to be healthy.
Thea Lemberger looked good early with her jumper. As UCLA went more to their forwards, she became less of a factor. Nirra Fields made some pretty plays. Atonye Nyingifa started to get it going in the second half close to the basket. Alyssia Brewer was a physical presence in the post, but a very slow one. They found her a little more in the second half, though not as much as I think they will tomorrow. Markel Walker started out the game with a rather dumb turnover, but righted the ship and made a nice showing. I like the way she uses her long arms on defense and the way she cuts into the lane. I don't know if she's a guard or a forward yet, though I think she needs to lean more forward if she wants to make it at the same level. I'm looking forward to getting a better look at her tomorrow.
Regrettably, Kate Gaze did not hit a three, so I had no excuse to break out the "AUSSIE AUSSIE AUSSIE OI OI OI", and that makes me sad. It's St. Mary's, after all. Amanda Arter had the unenviable task of guarding Walker and Brewer at different points in the game. Fouls ensued. Shannon Mauldin got in at the end of the game and did not look comfortable. I don't have any clear recollection of the other St. Mary's reserves, which makes me sad.
For most of the first half, the plan seemed to be to run the old Southwest Missouri State offense- give the ball to Jackie and get out of the way. The fact that it was Jackie Nared instead of Jackie Stiles didn't seem relevant. She was arguably the only St. Mary's player to pass the eye test, which just goes to show what kind of bullhockey the eye test can be. She had a nice outside shots and fired off passes quite rapidly. Then Danielle Mauldin happened, reminding me very much of a young Le'Coe Willingham with her build and willingness to take the ball into the paint, coupled with a nice little midrange shot, adding some rebounding to boot. I like her. Morgan Hatten didn't have a lot of great plays, but I like that she always had a hand up when UCLA went on the fast break. Mia Greco- huh, I wonder if she's related to Michelle Greco- got tangled up in a couple of stupid plays. Carli Rosenthal cleaned up the glass fairly well.
Some screwball officiating in this one, but I've learned not to be surprised by that anymore. At least one of the guys reversed a blatantly bad out of bounds call.
St. Mary's fans were very enthusiastic. It was a pleasant surprise to hear that kind of support for a team on the other side of the country from home.