Just the Facts, Ma'am: Victoria Cardaci stroked seven threes in the first half for a game-high 21 points, and Seton Hall was never threatened in a 95-40 pounding of Wagner. Shadeen Samuels added 18 points and eight rebounds for the Pirates. Emilija Krista Grava had 15 points and nine rebounds (seven offensive) to pace Wagner.
For exercising one's civic duty, terrible weather, terrible t-shirt aim, shooting touch, suaveness, and time concerns, join your intrepid and hyped blogger after the jump.
Good afternoon, fellow travelers! It's the most wonderful day of the year! Election Day! (If you didn't vote, we aren't friends.)
Okay, it's also the most wonderful day of the year because the season is upon us! Your intrepid blogger is currently wringing herself out at Seton Hall, as the Pirates open the season against the Seahawks of Wagner.
After further review, I've decided that I don't, in fact, want to know why Harrison station stinks horribly of dead fish.
It's raining very heavily today, and South Orange has dubious drainage. I've never seen my sneakers this shade of black before.
There is a dude who was very enthusiastic about the gates opening. Dude. You are here for the doubleheader. If you're going to be here for five and a half hours, you can wait two minutes. (I am not going to be here for five and a half hours. It's Election Day. There are returns to watch.)
Welcomed Seton Hall's new DOBO, Danaejah Grant, to the Awkward Bowl. As long as she doesn't end up with anyone trying to sic security on her at the Big East tournament, she'll be ahead of the game.
It looks like we're not playing Kimi Evans, which is a shame because I was looking forward to seeing her- I hear she's made huge strides in the offseason. But I doubt we're going to need her against Wagner, and if she has any nagging issues it's better to rest her.
This zone defense drill is really intense. I love it.
Unsurprisingly, forty minutes before tip of an early afternoon game on a rainy day where people might have other obligations, there aren't a lot of people here. If the bathroom has a hand dryer, I might actually be able to get away with trying to blow dry my sneakers. The population of the arena has not appreciably increased since that point.
We appear to be getting a Michael Jackson medley for our halftime entertainment, and I am perfectly okay with this.
At halftime, SHU is up 52-27 on Wagner, which I wasn't necessarily expecting after we gave up a 6-point hole shot. Victoria Cardaci has decided to make a sterling first impression with seven three-pointers to lead the way with 21 points. I don't know if Coach is happy with the rotation on defense, though.
There are players I expect to commit stupid fouls that put the other team over the limit with twenty-three seconds left in the half. Kaity Healy is literally the last person on Seton Hall's roster I expect this of, and I am disappointed in this.
Cheer squad might want to work on their t-shirt tosses. One of them attempted to reach the upper deck and failed so miserably she managed to drop it on someone's head. Which is bad enough when the aforementioned head is not that of a Pirate alumna. (Hi, Chiz!)
We've managed to slow count Wagner into a shot clock violation and fast count them into a rushed shot. This pleases me.
It took six seconds to have our first clock malfunction of the season. I'd say "never change", but please, please change.
There was also some foofarol a the beginning of the game having to do with Alayshia Dailey's hair. I think she had some metal decorations in it or something. Coach DiPillo seemed to be bringing it to the refs' attention during the clock reset, thus giving us delayception.
Well, that certainly didn't prove anything, but it was fun to watch. Wagner was not ready for this level of defense, or for the length we were able to bring in the post, or for Nicole Jimenez in general. Coach Jacobs has a long way to go with this team, in terms of clock awareness/management, and in terms of chemistry. (Since two of my teams are in the NEC, I'm rubbing my hands together in glee.)
Enas Ngatu gave the Seahawks some height, but she also got them in trouble with two offensive fouls (though I'll be honest and say I'm not sure about that second one). I see now that she's a freshman, and that she is one of many freshmen on Wagner's roster, so I can see why the going might be rough. Jordan Hobson didn't play in the second half until the fourth quarter, which didn't stop the PA announcer from announcing Amanda Pollard's second and third fouls as being hers. By the second one, she had a spectacularly WTF face going. I wasn't expecting her to be a three-point shooter.
Amanda Pollard has very big hair (which is another reason I was surprised the PA guy mixed up her and Hobson- other than a similarity of numbers, they look nothing alike). Neither she nor Addie Masonius, the other guard off the bench, left enough of an impression to write anything about.
There's a lot more promise with the starters (which is probably why they're starters). Nakylia Carter made a couple of great defensive plays in the first quarter, including a disruption that broke up a fast break for the Pirates. Khaleah Edwards made herself a target inside- I recall more than one possession where she was defended by Nicole Jimenez, which is just not fair in terms of height. Emilija Krista Grava made a very good first impression with eight points in the first quarter. She was another big target inside for the Seahawks, and one who could finish both inside and out. I think she's going to be big for them.
Overall, Wagner has a long way to go. But I was impressed with their offensive rebounding. They anticipated well, at least early on.
Danielle Robinson is going to spend quite a long time confusing me, isn't she? Especially if she turns into a three-point shooter. She's still a work in progress- a couple of steps slow, not sure where she's supposed to be either offensively or defensively. But she's a freshman. I've been told this is a thing with freshmen. Kaity Healy was off her game- yes, she was hitting threes and getting a big pop from the miniscule crowd for them, but she made a couple of boneheaded plays that were really out of character for her. When you're team captain, you're going to get judged more harshly for things like that. Diandra DaRosa got nto the game much later than I was expecting in both halves. I don't know if she fits in this system yet, but it's early to tell. Kaela Hilaire had only one speed, and that was full throttle. She got a lot of assists on fullcourt passes and fast breaks. I don't think Coach was happy with her going for a quick basket up 40 with less than a minute to go, though.
Selena Philoxy didn't play in the first half, but in the second half, she did work. What I like about Selena is this sense of inevitability she carries with her when she's driving into the lane. It's like she's decided that what she's going to do is what's going to happen and reality is just going to have to accept it. She finished with style and power. Desiree Elmore is well-rounded, and I think she's going to be an important piece for us- I can see why Coach was so determined to get her immediately eligible. She's still a touch slow on the defensive help, but that's a chemistry thing. Femi Funeus made a really good first impression, Tina Thompson-esque lipstick and all. While I recognize that SHU wasn't playing against Big East-caliber competition, she seemed to settle right in on the floor. She had a lot of dropped passes, but those may have been as much on the guards as they were the posts, because the problem wasn't limited to her.
Speaking of freshman posts making a really good first impression, wow, did Whitney Howell look ready for primetime. Again, I realize that Wagner was not much of a challenge, and she'll probably have more problems against higher-level opponents, but she was strong on the inside. I wouldn't have guessed that she was a freshman if I didn't know Seton Hall's roster. Oh, man, a Big East team with a real frontcourt... that would be unstoppable in conference. And Shadeen Samuels is just so fun to watch. She has this ineffable air of smooth and cool around her, whether it's during shootaround or when she flicks away the ball and bounds down the court for the layup. Foul trouble might be her biggest Achilles heel, so if she can stay on the floor she's going to be terrifying in a wonderful way.
For the record, I'm not a big fan of this three-guard set, especially with our small guards. It worked in this game, and for all I know, it's only going to last until Kimi Evans is once more available. But I don't think that's the most effective way to use Victoria Cardaci, and I don't think it's the most effective way to use Inja Butina. Not that Victoria's shooting didn't create an instant positive first impression- she got the ball and the ball went up, just as simple as that. Wagner was able to get hands up in her face in the second half, which led to her not adding more threes to that mind-boggling seven from the first half. But that seems like the kind of weapon that would be more effective situationally, off the bench, instead of in the starting lineup. Inja Butina got going in the third quarter after a slow start where she looked a little hesitant. I'd like her to speed up her decision-making on the floor, but I don't know if that's going to happen at this point in her career. Nicole Jimenez continues to do things that it doesn't look like a person her height should be able to do. She gets up so high it's crazy. Maybe a little less mustard on the passes, because it looked like the posts weren't able to handle them.
I think we need to realize that there's more than one speed possible in a game. Don't get me wrong, it's not that I don't enjoy watching the Pirates zip up and down the floor on the break, but there are times when slowing down is the better approach, and it seems like we have a surfeit of guards who just aren't into that kind of thing. I can see this being a problem with a smaller lead- the last thing we need is to run ourselves into letting teams back into the game because we give them time to come back.
Band sounds sharp. Cheer's a little shaky.
Officiating was nothing to write home about. That's usually a good sign.
I'd say I'm looking forward to the Tip-Off Classic, but I'm not looking forward to getting out of the house that early.
Wednesday, November 7, 2018
November 6th, 2018: Wagner at Seton Hall
Saturday, December 17, 2016
December 17th, 2016: Wagner at St. John's
Just the Facts, Ma'am: St. John's dominated from start to finish against an undermanned Wagner team in their 62-34 win. Jade Walker had 12 points to spearhead a balanced St. John's attack. Tanasia Russell had eight points and nine rebounds to lead Wagner.
For pity, awkward injuries, defensive specialists, questionable personnel choices, and a ride home (shoutout our awesome band peeps!) join your intrepid and discomfited blogger after the jump.
It's gross out there, I'm not even gonna lie. It snowed last night, and it rained this morning, and it's a tricky slushy mess outside. But I've got boots, and today's gameday. So here we are at Carnesecca Arena, getting ready to see St. John's take on what's left of the Wagner Seahawks.
I say "what's left" because they have 11 names on the roster, eight players present on the court during warm-ups, and six available to play (the other two are both in walking boots, one right and one left). I feel really bad for them, unless the rest of the team is on a bus somewhere or something. Which, given how hard it is to travel to/from Wagner via mass transit on a weekend, and factoring in the weather, gives me the mental image of antsy Seahawks on the S79.
DSPN, my man, I'm happy that you're doing work and getting into your field, but I wish we still had you and the noise you bring in the stands instead. Selfish, I know.
Don't drop the drums, y'all, Garfield will never let you hear the end of it.
Solid anthem.
At half, it's 28-13 St. John's, but I've got a really uncomfortable feeling. I don't think that was a clean play by Akina Wellere in response to the bump by Julia McClure; all I know is that McClure bumped Akina, Akina did not look happy, and suddenly McClure was on the floor and pounding a fist in pain.
But the thing I'm actually more uncomfortable with is Wagner's response- which was to take one of the players in a boot, take the boot off her, tape up her entire foot, spray her with anesthetic, and jersey her up. No. If she's injured, she's injured. There's no reason to risk her long-term health in this game. That's reckless. (And after a foulout, they needed her, but at least they kept her movement to a minimum. I'm still not okay with this.)
This was one of the stranger games I've been to in a long time. Here's the moment that encapsulated it just a little bit for Wagner: at the end of the third quarter, one of their players put up a three-quarters-court heave. It had the distance. It had the angle. And it nestled itself perfectly into the tiny space between the basket and the backboard.
Kellie Crouch was pressed into service near the end of the game as a substitute for the disqualified Taylor Butigan- she was the one who was in the boot, then taken out of it. To Coach Jacobs's credit, she did her best to keep Crouch from having to move too much- she only left the backcourt once. I think Crouch wanted to give it more of a go than her coach did. Corinn Baggs was the sole healthy bench player for the Seahawks. Her shot could use some work, but I love her defensive instincts- she had a great stop that turned a St. John's breakaway into a turnover.
Kerstie Phills brought physicality in the paint and on the boards. Taylor Butigan was also physical down low, and it might be a miracle that she didn't foul out earlier than she did. (Or it might have been a choice, but we'll discuss that later.) Jackie Dluhi set screens for her teammates- there was one possession where she and one of the guards were in a textbook pick and roll, except that she missed the shot.
Tanasia Russell was the focus of the offense, and while she had some moves, mixing jumpers and drives, she took a lot of shots under pressure- I don't think she was ready for the defense. As the game went on, she started to wear down. She was the only player who never got to rest. Not that Julia McClure would have wanted to play such short minutes the way she did with that ankle sprain. I'm just glad it wasn't a knee; for a moment, with the pounding the floor in pain, I thought it was.
Wagner spent a lot of time in zone, which was a pretty good idea- we're not the strongest three-point shooting team, no matter what hitting back to back threes to open might indicate. And it kept them fresher longer. Coach Jacobs used her timeouts early in each half, which I thought was strange; I would have thought she would want to stagger them. They boxed out well as a team.
If anyone knows why Crystal Simmons and Sandra Udobi didn't play today for St. John's, that would be cool. I mean, we weren't exactly in need of our super defensive specialists, but inquiring minds want to know and all that.
It's cool, though, because that gave the young guards more time to shine. I'm not sure where Kendyl Nunn falls in the guard/forward mix, though, but we list her as a guard, so she's going in this paragraph. She has a very odd, strong shot; if she can put a little less strength into it she might have more luck with it instead of having it rebound off the back of the iron as often as it does. I feel like she's starting to find her place in New York and figure out her role on this team. I'm looking forward to seeing more of her. Tamesha Alexander made a strong defensive play (we heard the basketball get slapped) and recovered a fumble for a midrange jumper. She's adorable, and really great with kids (today was an autograph day). It's like some kind of mirror universe version of Philadelphia rudeness or something. Shamachya Duncan alternated running point with Sox. I like her speed, but I don't know if I like her jacking threes early in the shot clock of a fourth-quarter blowout. One must learn discretion. I think she will, though.
Alisha Kebbe seems to have taken her removal from the starting lineup well. She looked like she had done some extra defensive drills after the Fordham game, though level of competition might also be a factor. I kinda wish she'd saved the good luck on her last two baskets for a closer game, though. We might need five points someday, and the rim and the gods of sport will say "no". Jordan Agustus has to go back to work on her fundamentals. Go hard to the basket, go strong, and forget throwing it up there like "LOL whatever". She did really well on the boards, one of the few Johnnies who controlled the rebounds she grabbed. Maya Singleton has to finish better at the basket and stop committing stupid fouls, but I absolutely love how she fights for loose balls. She has that junkyard dog mentality that every ball is hers by divine right, so if someone else has it, there's something wrong with the universe.
I don't normally swear in this blog, but I feel this needs to be said: Aaliyah Lewis makes the basketball her bitch. It comes to her when she calls it and she makes it do tricks. So what else do you call it? She is tiny and fierce and adorable and I think she relished starting the game off with a bang from three against the team from Staten Island. (I suspect she also relished a game where she got light minutes and got to watch everyone else go to work.) Andrayah Adams still needs direction on defense (Aaliyah had to yell her into position at least once) but her offense is coming along. Akina Wellere seemed to have a lot of energy pent-up from her limited minutes in the Fordham game- she was all over the boards like a demon, especially in the first quarter. I get the feeling like she thinks she's got something to prove- maybe to herself, maybe to Joe, maybe to Chicago, maybe to New York.
Jade Walker was powerful in the paint, but she's got to stop expecting that the foul is going to be called in her favor. It's not, Jade. You're never going to get the call, even when they knock you over as blatantly as they do. Stop acting like you're going to get the call and stop letting it get to you. Do you, go strong to the basket, hit those sweet jumpers, and crash the boards. I'm not sure what was up with Imani Littleton, but I agree with Joe's decision not to play her a lot. She had opportunities in the paint and blew them, and really seemed to have checked out of the game mentally. I know this time of year is rough for a kid from San Diego, but you chose this, Imani.
The fourth quarter was not what I would call a fabulous display of basketball from either team. Wagner was playing back to avoid running out of players, and St. John's was playing back because of the lead, and there were stretches where no one seemed to be too terribly interested in the outcome of the play. (Oddly enough, Maya was the biggest offender during this stretch. Maya - intensity = confused blogger.)
There were stretches when it looked like the officials were looking for excuses not to call fouls on Wagner to avoid the situation of running out of players. That was part of why Jade was in her feelings.
Cheer camp was today, and the kids were adorable and well-taught, and the parents were well-behaved. I approve.
Pants do not go on over a skirt. Please take apparel into consideration before picking dress-and-dribble contestants.
We won, and it's on to the day game against James Madison. Hi, Ashley!
Now, if you'll excuse me, I have cookies to make. The office bake-off is on Monday.
Tuesday, March 1, 2016
February 29th, 2016: Wagner at LIU
Just the Facts, Ma'am: LIU gave up a 14-point first quarter lead, then came back in the fourth quarter to beat Wagner, 71-66. Shanovia Dove led the Blackbirds with 20 points and 10 rebounds, with Shanice Vaughan adding 13 points and seven assists, and Brianna Farris scoring 11 second-half points to key the comeback. Jasmine Nwajei led Wagner with game-highs of 37 points, eight assists, and five steals.
For walking the Fulton Mall, look-away passes, living up to some of the hype, bad words, free throws not winning shootouts, the learning curve, long shots, and finishing strong, join your intrepid and conclusive blogger after the jump.
One last bit of business, I heard you ask yesterday? Well, LIU might have done their senior day Saturday, but there's one last game to go in the regular season home slate, and that's against the Seahawks of Wagner and the nation's leading scorer, Jasmine Nwajei. I'm actually a little excited to see her and see if there's anything to be said for the hype.
You know, LIU, you could probably clean up the rosters and stuff from the men's game on Saturday. I don't think that's going to be relevant.
Don't tell anyone, but I managed to sneak dinner into the arena. Mmmm, food truck halal combo.
There are signs up from Senior Day, or perhaps still signs up. They're nice.
At halftime, LIU is up 37-31, but that's after being up 23-12 at the quarter break. Jasmine Nwajei has gotten loose a little. She plays at such a different pace from the rest of her team that it's fascinating.
I'm pretty sure Stephanie Oliver is going to throttle Shanovia Dove by the end of the game. Shanovia hit a couple of threes early and now is under the impression that that gives her carte blanche to fire at will. Stephanie does not agree with this assessment of the situation.
Those kids were going hard in the biddy game! And I'm not just saying that because they're sitting in front of me.
Nwajei almost brought Wagner back by herself, but as I have often learned to my despair as a Johnnie and as a Gael, one superlative scorer does not a basketball team make. LIU came up with a couple of big stops down the stretch and hit their free throws.
Jackie Dluhi played briefly in both halves and did nothing of note other than bring a little height to the game. Tanasia Russell threw up more shots than I realized (I think I was mixing her up with Jazmine Hamlet on some plays) and got involved in some of the many loose balls that turned into jump balls. Tessa Wade definitely looked like this was her first time encountering LIU's unique homecourt features- she seemed startled in the early going at the sound of the pep squad behind her. She can shoot a little and hustle a little.
I was really impressed with Sofia Roma's muscle on the glass. She knows what she wants and she's going to make sure she gets it. If she could shoot through contact, she'd be a hell of a player, and she's only a sophomore, so she could learn. Taylor Butigian didn't make a lot of friends out there, pushing people around and hitting shots early. Julia McClure was often in the middle of things, and it felt like a lot of her fouls were being passed round to other players. She hit a three in the second quarter off an exceptionally nice look-away pass from Nwajei.
Jazmine Hamlet put up a nasty block on Shanovia Dove in the first quarter, but was pretty quiet otherwise. She kept busy on defense, though. Jasmine Nwajei is something to watch. She's as good as the numbers say she is- quick shot, super speed, not afraid to go after the ball. She had a couple of nifty steals right off the inbounds to get easy baskets, and she seems to thrive on being the star of the show. She loves her look-away passes. Everything seems to get faster when it runs through her. But she doesn't have nearly as much body control as she thinks she does- she got deked off her line twice during free throws, and she lost the ball far too easily- and her shot is not as automatic as she's convinced it is. I understand if she's being told not to waste energy on rebounding, but I loathe when players stand there and watch their shot as it bounces off the rim and falls into someone else's hands.
Wagner had a fair amount of balance in the early going, but as the game went on, it looked like they were content to watch Nwajei do her thing. And her thing is pretty impressive, but you can't get caught up in that if you're on the floor.
Stylz Sanders had her shot going in all different directions today- she was throwing it up too strong, or with too much English on it, and it was bouncing all around the rim. She made up for it by sneaking in for rebounds on both ends of the floor, jarring balls loose for her team. Brianna Farris catalyzed the comeback after they choked away the big lead- the two threes she hit were huge, she anchored the defense, and she hit her free throws down the stretch. Her shot selection could use some work, but I love the work she puts in.
Ashley Brown does not seem to have gelled with Coach Oliver. I guess when you're a grad student it doesn't matter. She did a little work at the beginning off a nice pass down low from Shanice Vaughan, and a little bit at the end, and mostly sat in the middle. Shanovia Dove hit two threes in the first quarter and seemed happy to settle for taking a lot of shots. Coach was not pleased with that, and as the game went on, I could see her stop, get ready to pop, bring the ball back down, and reset the offense, with the coach's apparent approval. Going in more seemed to help her out. Shanice Vaughan was the boss at passing from the lane to the corner for three. Beautiful play, and they ran it at least three times with different players. I don't know what she said to get that technical, but it must have been one of the seven words, because it came like lightning as soon as Ashley Brown committed her foul. She didn't even have enough time to say anything about the referee's mother!
DeAngelique Waithe was overcompensating on her shots, throwing them up way too hard to get around the big girls from Wagner. She made up for it on defense, with active hands and occasionally feet (we got to see the Dance of Inbounding Denial a couple of times). She's raw, but there's a lot that can be done with her. Jolanna Ford came up with the big boards and some really nifty cuts to the basket. I think they might have been studying film of the Liberty- that extra hot pass right under the basket to confuse the defense is a favorite of Bill Laimbeer's. They both got pushed around a lot and took a lot of contact with very little reward.
They still need to be more disciplined on offense- the end of the first half was a bit of a flustercluck, and Shanice has a tendency to throw up ridiculous shots as soon as someone even starts counting the clock down.
Officiating got tight against LIU in the fourth quarter, though that may as much have been tired players making stupid mistakes. Still, it seems odd that after committing six fouls over the first three quarters combined, we were in the penalty halfway through the fourth quarter (oh, and Wagner had zero fouls for the quarter). Wagner found themselves in the position of having too many fouls to give in the last twenty seconds or so.
Someone (I think the band director) got to experience the awkward feeling of being part of the "Free throws win ballgames!" yell, and then bombing out on the free throw portion of the shooting contest. Pep squad was in hysterics after his first airball.
That was a really good way to end the regular season. You could almost see the steps that Coach Oliver was making to get through to her players, and the steps they were taking to improve. I was starting to wonder if she was the right fit for this school, but I think she's making herself a better fit than I thought she could.
Saturday, December 1, 2012
December 1st, 2012: Iona at Wagner
Promises were kept, hills were climbed, sets were completed, and young players impressed in Iona's 74-64 win over Wagner.
If there's anything unusual about these notes, it's because I took a brief side trip to Los Angeles (for reasons which will become clear on March 28th) and within two hours of landing in the City of Angels, my laptop died and is currently awaiting diagnosis and repair in Kentucky. So I am currently borrowing my husband's Mac and typing up notes far too long after the fact for my liking.
For all of my travels throughout the metro area covering women's basketball in pretty much all the places, I still didn't technically have a full set in New York City. For whatever reason, I just never ended up at Wagner. Either it was because they had a bad team, or because they weren't playing anyone good, or because everything conflicted with something else. This time, the stars were aligned. We got an open day, we'd promised Iona's coach as much support as we could give him, and since Sheree Ledbetter graduated from Towson, we had no reason to go see them at LIU, so there were no conflicts.
Unfortunately, Wagner is way up on top of a hill. Even more unfortunately, the bus that runs through campus and connects the major transit centers of St. George and Port Richmond only runs on weekdays. By the time we reached the top of the hill, I was pretty sure that at some point I was going to die. My lungs hurt. The back of my throat is still slightly sore. And apparently that's the only way to get to Wagner on a weekend without a car.
The ticket lobby, which is separated from what appears to be the main entrance, is decorated in program history, with a huge display case devoted to Andrew Bailey. There's also a somewhat dissonant note of jingoism in there, with the emphasis on alumni who died in service. Maybe that's just the emphasis from the fraternity that sponsored most of the plaques, though. The gym is nice- it would be a top-notch high school gym, but as a college facility it leaves a bit to be desired. Well, until the game starts and it turns into a veritable cauldron of noise. The acoustics are painful. There's a Hall of Fame on the second floor, and it was open to the public, as far as I could tell, but they didn't seem to be taking as much advantage of the windows up there as they could have been. If I were a booster, I'd think that was a pretty awesome place to watch a game.
I'm pretty sure the scoreboards are older than I am. When they include the word "bout" on them, either they come from a time when boxing was a collegiate sport or they predate some changes in wrestling terminology.
The staff was a bit disorganized, no one being sure of who was working and who knew whom. When the doors opened, there was a bit of a delay because one of the doorstops got stuck behind the door. In general, it seemed like most of the people at Wagner didn't have much interest in strangers, especially those who seemed lost, or who didn't drive.
We got the time of the game wrong at our end, so that was a little awkward. But we got to spend some time in the student union and shop at the fairly awesome bookstore. We brought home a magnet.
The anthem was sung by a pair of sisters who really did some work on it. Nicely done. I think they sing in the choir or something.
Wagner wanted five bucks for a magazine with a roster. I don't have five bucks right now. That's part of the delay as well. I had to pull up rosters before I could get started. As of 10:11 PM, the box score is not yet up, either, so you're really working off my impressions.
It was 33-30 Iona at half, in a game that started out as a duel between Wagner's Stephanie Blais (10 points at half) and Iona's Joy Adams (nine early points). When Adams went to the bench with her second foul, more Iona players got involved in the offense, but the offense also broke down a little bit. It was a very physical game with some questionable calls or lack thereof. The late whistle on Sabrina Jeridore's second foul, which came after the next play was almost off, was inexcusable. Iona's ball control was atrocious and Wagner's Canadians like to throw elbows. (Though, since all four of them are from Quebec, perhaps I should call them Canadiens.)
Shonice Hawkins was the first sub in, but she didn’t make much of an impression on me. Diana Hubbard had some big shots and did some work on defense, but I think she might have been a little reckless and a little more prone to mistakes than a senior on a young team should be. Aaliyah Robinson put in good time. Cassidee Ranger, who has such a Wild West name that I half-expect her to end up at Wyoming or Oklahoma State or something, got hot late in the first half. Her first shot was a miserable failure, but then she had three threes. Her defense needs work, especially for her height (though, to be fair to her, she ended up guarding a 6-3 player a lot of the time), but that's the kind of thing that comes with time. Kadesia Johnson was in and out of the game, but I don't remember much of what she did. Jiya Dorcas-Eya was in just long enough to commit a lane violation that got Wagner an extra free throw.
Haley D'Angelo runs the offense with a fairly steady hand. I like the way she finds her teammates. She knows her role, and her role is to be a facilitator. She's almost too hesitant to shoot- it makes things harder for her teammates. Sabrina Jeridore impressed me with her length- if she didn't have at least three credited blocks in that game, the scorekeeper was either asleep or a blatant homer. Her long arms were everywhere, both for good on blocks and deflections and for ill on fouls. Aleesha Powell had a nice on-ball presence; the defense seemed to suffer when she was out of the game. Damika Martinez turned it up in the second half, which made the husband very happy- he's been talking her up a lot, and she started to show it. She also had two shots rim out, so her numbers look a little worse than they were. But the player I was most impressed with was Joy Adams. I think she won a tiny little piece of my Red Storm red heart when she went coast to coast for a lay-up off a defensive play. She's got a lot of potential. She does need to stop grabbing the net. Some ref is going to be a lot less patient than these guys were, and she's going to get a technical, and I'm pretty sure that getting technicals is Coach Bozzella's job on this team.
We got to chat briefly with Coach before the game. He seems like a really nice guy. Very energetic. And for energetic read "I'm not sure if what runs through his veins is blood or coffee".
Chanez Robinson really worked the lane and the line. She got to the line more than just about anyone. I love Ugo Nwaigwe's hustle- she was like a bloodhound going after rebounds. There's something about the set of her shoulders that tells me that she's a serious player. She came on stronger in the second half. One of her baskets came on a fourth-chance shot after she chased down three rebounds. Jordyn Peck came out of nowhere in the waning minutes of the game with a soft shot that got a lot of net and made things a lot more interesting. There was a very brief Emily Adams cameo, but I think she was just there for height.
Veronick Fournier was solid, if unremarkable. Stephanie Blais (or, as the announcer would say, Stephanie B-b-b-b-b-blais) played a great game all over the floor. She went out early in the second half, and I wonder if that threw her off a little bit- she was deferring more to her teammates later in the game. I like her shot. I don't know if I like the elbows and body checks that are somewhat more suited to hockey than basketball. (I'm sorry, Wagner, but you start four Canadians, you're going to get hockey jokes.) Jacqui Thompson seems to be more of a distributor and defender than the rest of her teammates. I don't remember much about her. Marie-Laurence Archambault showed off the long shot that I remember from when Wagner played at St. John's a couple of years ago, and she also brought length on defense. Laura Amarosa was more of a factor on both ends in the second half than in the first half.
I'm not sure what was up with these refs, but they were inconsistent with their calls and inconsistent with the timing of their calls. I don't think I've ever seen a crew both blow the whistle early and late in the same game. Of course I'm biased, since I was cheering for Iona, but it did seem like Wagner was getting the benefit of the doubt on most of the calls. I thought Coach Bozzella was going to have a conniption, at the very least. I know he tends to be demonstrative, but this was intense.
Going down the hill was easier than going up the hill. It wasn't just that it was downhill instead of uphill, but we also knew where the hill ended instead of going "are we there yet?" I'd still rather not go out to Wagner on a day that the bus isn't running, though. But promise made, promise kept, and set complete. I've now been to every D-I school in New York.
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
November 22nd, 2011: Wagner at St. John's
Just The Facts, Ma'am: Tough defense by the Red Storm gave St. John's a 54-34 win over the Wagner Seahawks. Shenneika Smith led all scorers with 16 points and added seven boards and four steals, while Nadirah McKenith put in 15 points to go with seven rebounds and five steals. Marie-Laurence Archambault led Wagner with nine points on three 3-pointers.
For rain, kvetching, nifty passes, and the scenic tour of central Queens, join your intrepid and financially imprudent blogger after the jump.
Dear St. John's: enough with the double-headers. Please. Especially when the brilliant plan involves pairing a lousy opponent for the women with a lousy opponent for the men (Wagner and St. Francis NY respectively). You can't predict the rain, but that didn't help things, either; walk-up sales had to have been pretty low, because something that was set up looking like separate ticketing ended up being a one-ticket, “sure, sit wherever until someone with the ticket shows up” affair.
We opted not to stay, because I am a somewhat responsible blogger, it's raining, and I needed to try to find a cookbook. (By the way, if you happen to own My First Baking Book by Rena Coyle, hit me up.) That, and to be honest, I don't particularly care about men's basketball. Apologies to the folks over at Rumble in the Garden.
I'm still not quite over missing the very start of the game because, hello, I work until 5:30 and it normally takes me an hour and a half to get to St. John's, and no, I couldn't leave early because I left early to go to the Hofstra game. I ended up paying $30 for a cab to get there just after tip, but I shouldn't have to do that to see the damn game on time!
To be honest, I don't remember much about the Wagner bench. Kanifa Hicks got the bulk of the minutes, and I think I remember yelling at her for some rough play. They've got a freshman center who came in late, Ugo Nwaigwe, who's tall but didn't impress. Shawn-Marie Heiliger played a lot off the bench too. I think she was their point guard.
Marie-Laurence Archambault not only has a long name, but a long shot. Her threes were the most reliable offense the Seahawks were able to find all night. Kelly Clark did a nice job of at least trying to get in on the boards... she just wasn't all that successful in grabbing the boards. Jacqui Thompson has gorgeous eyes, and doesn't run a bad offense, but her team just can't shoot straight. Chanez Robinson got a little physical, but didn't really make an impression otherwise.
Wagner, I'm very sorry that I couldn't come up with more to say about you. When you stop being easily disconcerted and start hitting shots, perhaps I will say more about you.
Hi, Mallory Jones! Welcome to Division I basketball! Please enjoy your stay! Work on that three, because all gods know we need a three-point shooter with some consistency, and tone up that stocky build, but I love the willingness to take contact. Zakiyyah Shahid-Martin brought her usual combination of hustle and boneheaded plays. The poor kid wanted to score so badly it was almost sad how her teammates ignored her when she was calling for the ball. Briana Brown at least played decent on-ball defense, but I'm starting to wonder about her range. It seems fairly narrow. Jennifer Blanding played well off the bench, which was a relief. She bodied up well and hit the floor for loose balls. Tesia Harris couldn't hit the broad side of a barn, but strangely enough, I didn't mind. Keylantra Langley's still putting too much spin on her shots, but I love her defense. Just don't commit stupid fouls, okay, Key?
Nadirah McKenith has turned it up. She knows that we need her to score with Da'Shena Stevens out, and she has answered. She's still finding her teammates, and I think she's about two assists per game under what she would be if her teammates could hit the easy shots she gives them. The through-the-opponent's-legs pass to a three on the wing that was missed comes to mind. Mary Nwachukwu needs to toughen up and go after rebounds and loose balls. My patience with her softness grows short. I continue to love Amber Thompson's rebounding ability; I think the offense will develop in time, but you can't teach those instincts. Eugeneia McPherson needs to stop talking to the refs. It's not going to get her calls, and it's not going to help. She's trying too hard to get the contact, and I think it's messing with her head. Shot of the game goes to Shenneika Smith and that nifty right hook she threw into the basket. She had a very nice game. Not feeling the hair, though.
My heart melted with squee and love for my team when I spotted a few of our former players tending to the young Aricos during the game. (Sky Lindsay is the reason we're finally getting off our tushes and going to Queens College games, and I spent the better part of four years going on about Joy McCorvey, whose #25 I wear with pride.) Stupid hormones. Stupid Our Girls Syndrome.
Um, not for nothing, but I'm fairly certain that if a player is tiptoeing along the line and is jostled out of bounds, it's a push-out, not an out-of-bounds turnover. I'd also like to see refs be a little more careful about lower body fouls. There are enough studies out there that remind us all about the increased susceptibility women's knees have to torn ACLs and other not fun things.
Many thanks to the concession folks who let us take home the bottle caps. Coke Rewards make me a happy Scribbler. (Now, if they'd just restock the good stuff...)
This is going to sound shallow, and it's the kind of thing I notice because my dad works with fabric a lot, but the ribbons for Oklahoma State are beautiful- I don't know if they're two-sided, or two-tone, or what, but they're very well done.
I don't know how much we learned about this team from playing Wagner. I do know that I'm probably not going to haul out to Staten Island and see Wagner in their home arena the way I've been saying I will for the last couple of years. They're the only New York City team I haven't visited, and I keep meaning to, but it's such a haul out to Staten Island, and Wagner has just been so awful...