December 31st, 2016: Bryant at LIU

Just the Facts, Ma'am: LIU fought hard, but never got over the hump in their 62-53 loss to Bryant. Shanovia Dove came off the bench for 21 points and 10 rebounds for LIU. Kierra Palmer led Bryant with 18 points, with Alex Klein contributing 15 points and 10 rebounds.

For ending the year, travels, class dynamics, a conveniently placed Pokestop, fundamentals, and hustle, join your intrepid and off-cycle blogger after the jump.

We close out 2016 much as we started it- in conference play with one of our chosen teams. It's Bryant. It's LIU. It's the NEC, coming to you on tape delay on the Game Notes of Doom!

Part of me thinks it's a crying shame Paris Jones has spent so much time injured. Part of me is like, "Damn, girl, you lookin' good out there." At least if we get stuck with a chronically injured player, we get one with phenomenal fashion sense.

This game is a double-header. I don't know if we'll stay for the men's game, though. I don't have a roster card or anything. We didn't. New Year's Eve plans with the family trumped that. I have serious pennies to win at the card game tonight, after all.

Bryant did a good job of keeping our shooters out of their preferred spots (though sometimes it's hard to tell with our shooting) and was much more aggressive on loose balls for much of the game. That's not a good sign. LIU's not going to beat teams on talent; they have to beat them on heart and hustle.

Chanel Ramcharran is adorably tiny. She ran point briefly in the third quarter. Sydney Holloway was very aggressive on both ends of the floor, driving the paint offensively and working hard on defense- a little too hard at points. I think she was one of the many players who had trouble with her footwork today. Haley Connors finished well at the rim.

Morgan Olander's minutes were limited by foul trouble. Her height was extremely advantageous for the Bulldogs. She was able to deflect a lot of passes and shots. Alex Klein looks like a player who watched a lot of Tim Duncan growing up. She was very fond of going high off the glass for bank shots, with mixed success. She has to get better with her off hand- the contortions she was putting her body through to get to the strong side were rather spectacular.

I don't remember much about Stephanie Lesko, though I am wondering if she's related to Tori Lesko over at Iona. Naomi Ashley was limited by foul trouble, but made a couple of solid defensive plays. I really enjoyed watching Kierra Palmer, both defensively for the work she did keeping Shanovia Dove out of her sweet spot and offensively for her ball movement and scoring at the basket.

This is really more of a pregame note, but good Lord the bulldog head on the Bryant shorts is huge.

I don't know why Coach Oliver didn't go back to Drew Winter in the second half. Sure, she had one truly awful pass that demonstrated why LIU doesn't sponsor football, but I don't think she was so much worse than Dionne that she shouldn't have gotten a couple of more minutes. Autumn Ashe soaked up a couple of minutes at the end of the first half and took a really bad shot underneath. Stylz Sanders brought defensive hustle, but she needs to not box out her own teammates. You know these people, Stylz.

I'm not sure how this dynamic with Coach Oliver and Shanovia Dove is going to play out. On one hand, Shanovia has been the only consistent scorer I've seen us have, so it makes a negative amount of sense to have her come off the bench (though she started the second half). On the other hand, I think a lot of her points are coming off freelancing, and she's certainly been very shot-happy. There were several possessions where she jacked a three early in the shot clock and Coach Oliver did not approve. Brianna Farris has really regressed, and it's really sad. Her three-point shot (which was always streakier than a Windex knockoff) has gone very wild, and her defense has gone from tight to overly physical. She used to be better, I know it. DeAngelique Waithe is proof that I am cursed to love defensive posts whose shot leaves something to be desired. Her rebounding is good, her defense is good, and I love to watch her defending inbounds passes. But her shooting form is not good, and she needs to finish better at the rim.

Dionne, we need to have a talk about your shooting. You can't take the second-most shots on the team in a game and not make any of them. I honestly thought she took more threes than the box score would indicate, and a replay might show some long twos out there. I thought Dionne Coe was calling her own number way too often, possibly because she didn't see better options. And better options were out there. I'm worried about Seneca Richards- if a player is brought in to be a three-point specialist, her three-point shot has to be somewhat more reliable. And if her shot isn't being reliable, then she's not bringing anything else to the table. Maybe I'm being too hard on her, since she is a freshman, but I haven't seen anything out of her that impressed me. Victoria Powell had a three that got the Blackbirds back in the game during one of the runs, but otherwise seemed to be playing a little tentatively.

I really like Aja Boyd, but I would like her a whole lot better if she could finish at the rim, and if she could hold on to the ball. I'm impressed with her strength, and she's got the right instincts, but she needs work on her fundamentals. She's a freshman, though; there's time for that, if she's got a coach that's willing and patient enough to work on that with her. Gabrielle Caponegro needs to stop being scared out there. Go up strong with the ball! Don't back out of a good shot! She passed out of way too many opportunities. She has to get stronger and she has to be less afraid. I detect a trend with these freshmen.

I'm kind of weirded out by starting four freshmen and a grad student when much of the productivity I've seen has come from the upperclassmen. Maybe the games I'm seeing are the anomalies and the freshmen are playing better in games I haven't seen. I don't know.

The officials got travel-happy in the first quarter- I think there were five travels called in the first five minutes- and a little inconsistent about contact in the second half. Either I was really off on out of bounds calls or they were really missing a lot of players going out of bounds.

I wish I knew what LIU was missing. Maybe it's just the difference in skill level among my conferences, and I should stop expecting more from LIU than they can ever provide. But is it wrong for me to want them to be better?

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December 30th, 2016: St. John's at Seton Hall

Just the Facts, Ma'am: Two teams both alike in dignity dug down deep in the fourth quarter for defensive stops, but in the end, Seton Hall came out on top of St. John's, 64-59. JaQuan Jackson had 18 points to lead the Pirates. Jade Walker of St. John's led all scorers with 21.

For a key reserve, alumnae, heart-meltingly adorable kidlets, the student and the teacher, rocking the red, being among the family, and defensive stops, join your intrepid and Shakespearean blogger after the jump.

Big East conference season is underway, and you know what that means. It's round one of the Awkward Bowl, as St. John's pays a visit to Seton Hall.

So far, only a couple of double-takes, but I'm trying really hard not to make eye contact with Lubirdia Gordon. I don't like having post players angry at me, and Bird is... loyal to her team to an extreme.

The husband, as always when we visit Walsh, is on the Seton Hall side in SHU colors. I'm behind the St. John's bench in my red.

Aria, when did you get so tall? Weren't you, like, itty bitty a second ago? Her playmate is adorable, stretching with the team and everything. (Her playmate is Tasha Pointer's kidlet, who promptly glomped Brady Tartamella as soon as the family arrived. Kidlets everywhere!)

Also, judging from the interactions between Tiana England's family and Da'Shena, everyone in Connecticut is within two degrees of separation from each other, so maybe this wearing 3 thing will work out okay. (No, wait. That still leaves All-Big East Angela Clark and all-time program scoring leader Aliyyah Handford. Seriously, why did we hand out the most decorated number in team history to a freshman with Aliyyah barely out the door?)

So far we have Conn-tingent 2.0 and Aaliyah's family. (For heaven's sake, Aaliyah, put on some clothes, stop running around in your undershirt, there are cameras everywhere.)

At least one member of the SHU Sign Mafia is here. That's good; they’ve been flaking on big games. Of course, I haven't actually seen any of the signs in action.

This is going to be so awkward. It always is. There are people who get the split thing, and people who don't, and never the twain shall meet. Though so far the awkwardness has been minimal, mostly because I'm trying not to make eye contact with too many people.

Nadirah. Look. You're one of my all time favorites. I will fight every Prahalis stan on the Internet to protect your honor. But I cannot and will not defend the dreadlocks you have so inexpertly woven into your hair. No. No on so many levels of does not fit you.

She's not the only alumna in the house. Embarrassingly, I only recognized Aliyyah Handford because I saw her mom first. Seton Hall also has a couple of former players in the house, and the Awkward Bowl could end up being suuuuuper awkward if Janee Johnson actually recognizes me. I think she was with one of the Simmonses (Simmonii?).

At halftime, it's 31-31. It's been competitive. It's been tight. It's been a little chippy. There's been some psychological gamesmanship. You know. The usual. Jade Walker has 10 for St. John's; Lubirdia Gordon has 8 for Seton Hall. I suspect one or both will finish this game disqualified.

Akina, dear, Tony doesn't play for us. Passing him the ball is not a good plan. Akina, dear, Claire doesn't play for us. Akina, dear, Deja doesn't play for us. Akina, stop passing Seton Hall the fardling ball.

That was emotionally wrenching and draining. My hands hurt and I never got my drink at halftime because the line was ridiculous. My throat hurts, my hands hurt, and my feet hurt, and it still wasn't enough. Now I have to buy my husband dinner. :/

Plans that involve Aaliyah Lewis not being on the floor are bad plans, Joe. Everyone knows that as soon as Aaliyah comes off the floor, it's time to bring the pressure, because we have one ballhandler and her name is Aaliyah.

O HAI Iona DOBO. If Stephanie or Ang show up, I think we have bingo. Or maybe Yahtzee.

D'awwww, Shadeen and girlfriend and kidlet of some variety. I like kids as long as they're either well-behaved or far away from me.

We need a reliable bench. And we need another ballhandler, but I brought that up already. So far it's not Andrayah Adams, who's a solid shooter but needs to be a little more fearless. (And is also not Danaejah Grant, who is also at the game. I'm still not used to the casual hugging thing.) So far it's also not Crystal Simmons, whose shooting has actually regressed- I swear she's trying to shoot a right-handed free throw with her left hand. I love Crystal's defense, and she's our best weapon against Seton Hall's backcourt, but offensively she's a liability.

We went three-guard set a lot, because our reserve forwards were... not helpful. Jordan Agustus got a very short stretch in the first half, proved nothing, and sat down. Maya Singleton missed bunnies and let rebounds go through her hands. Neither of these are conducive to earning additional playing time, nor are they conducive to winning.

Alisha Kebbe's shot must have been waiting for the 31 bus, because it didn't show up until the fourth quarter. She stepped up defensively as well. She's got to be more consistent on her shot through contact, and somehow she needs to get some of the spin out of it. It's a strange thing to say for someone who was one board shy of a double-double, but Akina Wellere was playing scared out there. She was repeatedly backing off three-point shots that she could have taken. Part of that was the Seton Hall defense making sure she couldn't get the exact spot she wanted, and she kept hesitating. What worried me more was her passing- she was consistently throwing the ball to the other team, which tells me she's either telegraphing her passes or she's not putting enough mustard on them. Aaliyah Lewis was fearless driving into the lane, but she can't be both the facilitator and the secondary scoring option at the same time. She was ruthless on defense, as well. Freshmen should not attempt to cross over seniors.

Imani Littleton slipped back into that mode she has sometimes where she doesn't seem to give a damn. It happens sometimes. She gets lackadaisical and she doesn't go hard for rebounds. She had a really nice one in the first half that turned into a basket, but for the most part, she seemed way too comfortable letting the game come to her instead of seizing control. Jade Walker was bound and determined to put on a show in her final game in New Jersey, and so she did. The big girl took a lot of smart shots and hit them, and she took way too much contact from Lubirdia Gordon. I'm sorry, Bird, but I really don't like you right now. Please to not be trying to elbow Jade in the face.

Seton Hall still has trouble with the press- the guards can do fancy stuff with the ball, but they can't maintain control of it consistently when they face pressure. Their matchup zone was great- really slowed down our offense and forced us to do too much thinking.

Coach Bozzella threw some spaghetti at the wall in the first half with Kaity Healy and Martha Kuderer. Martha looked very lost on defense. Kaity was ineffective. Jayla Jones-Pack got some extended run, but didn't do very much with it.

Jordan Molyneaux gave good minutes in the post, but defensively she wasn't a good match for Jade. Tall and slim doesn't work against a more substantial build. She rebounded well, but missing at the rim isn't a good look. Same for Shadeen Samuels, though apparently her knee was bothering her. She had a couple of brilliant open looks and blew them. Her strength in the post impresses me, and if her knee ever recovers properly she'll be amazing. Deja Winters had a strong game, especially beyond the arc- she's a streaky shooter, but when she's on, oh boy is she on. She made a couple of big defensive plays in the fourth as well, intercepting passes and hustling.

Dear St. John's: I don't know if you've noticed this, but Claire Lundberg shoots threes real good. It's her strongest skill. Leaving her open, or leaving poor Tiny Aaliyah alone to cover her, is not the world's greatest plan, and I suspect that the four-point play was the real turning point of the game. She also had one really nice rebound, but overall, anyone who's scouted SHU knows that she's out there to shoot. Lubirdia Gordon got good position down low, both offensively for putbacks and defensively for rebounds. She and Jade really mixed it up. Jade did not approve, though to be fair, most people do not approve of other people's elbows approaching their face. (Not that Jade didn't give almost as good as she got.)

I was looking forward to seeing Kaela Hilaire trying to take on Aaliyah Lewis. I was not disappointed. Their styles are very similar, as are their on-court demeanors, and fast-moving guards with swagger are very fun to see take each other on. The difference was experience. KK wasn't ready for Aaliyah, but I think she knows who she wants to be when she grows up now. Kaela dished well, but when she tried to do fancy dribbling, that ball was gone. Don't break your own ankles. LaTecia Smith was quick in the passing lanes and fearless on the drive. She didn't call her own number as much as she normally does, which is a good thing. Sometimes TT and KK both get too much into their own heads. Good things happen for Seton Hall when JaQuan Jackson gets open, and we gave her way too much space too often. She made her own offense too, off steals and fast breaks.

Who does the "stomp around with arms out and an incredulous expression, daring the official to call a tech" routine after a dubious foul? Quanny or Tiny Aaliyah? There's more of JaQuan to emote with, but Aaliyah might be louder. As always, there were a few dubious calls, but ultimately they didn't affect the course of the game, unless they affected someone's headspace.

The crowd really got into it when it got close and Seton Hall was making moves. We need more of that at Walsh. It has the potential to be an insane noise box, and the fans don't live up to that potential nearly often enough. (Hey, man, I try, especially when I'm rocking the blue.)

This rivalry should be very interesting this year, and you know I'll be keeping an eye on both of my teams.

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December 21st, 2016: UMBC at LIU

Just the Facts, Ma'am: After an offensively challenged first half for both teams, UMBC came out strong in the second half to knock off LIU at the Barclays Center, 57-45. Tyler Moore had 17 of her team-high points in the second half to lead the Retrievers. Shanovia Dove came off the bench to lead LIU with 19 points and 10 rebounds, but no other Blackbird cracked double digits.

For clarinets, accordions, mediocre guitarists, excellent Diet Coke, so much dribbling, bad passes, biting the hand that feeds you, and deep concerns about interpersonal relationships, join your intrepid and pensive blogger after the jump.

On the road again, this time off to the Barclays Center for half of a double-header- we'll be watching the Blackbirds of LIU take on UMBC.

(Why only half the double-header? Because I don't care enough about men's basketball to get home at 11:30 when I have a meeting early the next morning.)

We've had fantastic music on this long R ride from Continental to DeKalb. First there was a clarinet player who did beautiful work on some Christmas tunes, then an accordion player who was really good. I love my city sometimes. Most of the time.

We're at T-minus 24 minutes, and there are maybe twenty to twenty-five people in the stands. And I think about a quarter of them are LIU band members. It's weird having a little bit of distance from the team, but I like having some perspective.

Lost Albany fan is lost. The women are playing UMBC; the men are playing Niagara. So think I can ask him for any tips on Imani Tate?

I don't think I like the Nets making all their banners black and white, even from the times when they were red, white, and blue. It just looks wrong somehow. At least the Isles are still rocking the city colors. (White, blue, and orange are kind of a thing with New York teams- see also the Mets and the Knicks. It's a flag thing.)

Looks like we weren't the only ones who made the trip out to Brooklyn from Queens. Hi, Veronica!

At halftime, it's 15-13 LIU. This... has not been an inspiring half of basketball in the name of Brooklyn hoops and the women's game. Six points and five boards for Aja Boyd for LIU; Taylor McCarley has eight out of 13 for UMBC.

The guy across the aisle from us knows his stuff. He agrees that LIU needs to be way more aggressive on offense. There's way too much passing the ball around, not enough attacking. And then Aja drops the ball.

It's kind of cool to have an entrance/intro video for once. LIU's normal scoreboard doesn't allow for one. The whole team was watching in fascination, including the staff.

So, uh. That was a thing that happened. The easy way out would be to say, "Look, I don't want to revisit this game, you don't want me to revisit this game, and Coach Oliver definitely doesn't want me to revisit this game. Let's just talk about the band and the arena and the overpriced but delicious Diet Coke." But I don't take the easy way out in GNoD, so you're going to get the cold hard truth as I see it from the stands.

UMBC's coach is kinda loud and seems fond of using his timeouts. I know you don't get to take them home with you for the next game, but if you're up eight with 11 seconds to go, it might be okay to leave one on the table.

Carly Harris and Kayla Hinderlee only came in at the very end- I think there were 11 seconds left. Come to think of it, that might have been why he called the timeout, which is kinda sweet, but at the same time, is eleven seconds really a reasonable amount of playing time? Hinderlee was so unprepared that she had to be called back to the bench to get her earrings off. Lucrezia Costa was awkward in the middle, picking up three very quick fouls in the second quarter. UMBC's coach went back to her in the second half, with slightly better results.

I honestly didn't notice Emily Russo in the game until the second half, so I don't really have much to say about her. She was probably scrappy on the ball, though- most of the Retrievers were. Taylor McCarley started off like a house on fire- she was pretty much the sole source of offense for UMBC in the first half. She's long and lanky, and used her length and speed to press ahead on fast breaks, slicing through LIU's defense like a hot knife through butter. She started the second half.

McCarley got that start over the other McRetriever, Allison McGrath. I liked McGrath on defense. I'm wondering if she got hurt; she didn't play at all in the second half, and I didn't think she had done anything worthy of being buried on the bench. I didn't see an injury, though. Amanda Hagaman should really have been much more effective- she had good looks at the basket and blew them. She made life difficult on the inside for LIU, though.

Laura Castaldo took her turn as the star of the UMBC offense in the early part of the third quarter, hitting from range. She was a demon defensively, leaping on the slow and telegraphed passes of LIU. (There were a lot of those, but we'll get to that.) When she cooled off slightly, there was Tyler Moore, hitting corner threes and scoring on the break. Te'yjah Oliver quietly ran the point and took contact. (There was one play where I thought LIU was backing off under the mistaken impression that Coach Oliver was somehow related to the Retriever guard and thus fouling her would be a Very Bad Idea.)

LIU, I can't even with the extra passing and the bad passing and the telegraphed passing. More importantly, I can't even with the endless dribbling, the cold-blooded murder by strangulation of a perfectly innocent shot clock, and the utter lack of urgency.

I don't know what Brianna Farris did to get buried at the end of the bench, only dredged up in the fourth quarter to take corner threes off the heel of the rim and devour fouls when the Blackbirds tried to extend the game. On the other hand, the way she played would not indicate that further minutes were deserved. DeAngelique Waithe remains my favorite, despite her occasional bouts of offensive ineptitude. I still like watching her play defense, especially when she drops monster blocks.

Shanovia Dove was unafraid to shoot, which was a marked contrast to the rest of her teammates. She was hitting from deep, as well as from the lane. She's always been streaky, and this was a good day for her. Coach Oliver rode her hot hand for most of the game. Stylz Sanders was extremely active on defense, especially early on. She deflected a lot of balls. Drew Winter, when she took her shot, had a good shot, but like many Blackbirds, she was tentative with it and took too much time to even work up the nerve to shoot.

I don't know if there are drills that a player can practice to improve their hands- their ability to catch passes and hold rebounds. If there are, someone please send a link to Aja Boyd so she can start doing them. She had good passes and fumbled them; she had rebounds and lost them. And she has to finish better in the lane. I think the latter is easier for a freshman to fix than the former. Gabrielle Caponegro was playing scared, and this isn't just my assessment- the guy across the aisle from us was talking about how she wasn't like this in high school. She was hesitant to shoot and unsure of her place in the scheme. I think she has a lot of potential. I don't know if she has the makeup to tap that potential at LIU.

Dionne Coe is going to drive me crazy if she doesn't either start hitting shots or stop dribbling. So much dribbling. So much wasted time dribbling, dribbling, dribbling. The problem was that either she would dribble herself right into a steal or throw the ball right to UMBC because the pass was telegraphed. She's not the answer at point- obviously not for the future, since she's a grad transfer, but I don't think she's even the answer right now, despite her experience. Victoria Powell was just as timid, but slightly more accurate, and at least you can excuse a freshman for being timid. Seneca Richards was in to shoot threes, and while her shot was pretty, it was all she brought to the floor. I'm not sure that a single-dimensional player is a luxury this team can afford to have in the starting lineup.

So, this team. We're in the NEC here. This isn't the Big East; this isn't even the higher echelons of the MAAC. You're not going to get players with full skill sets. If you do, or if you get a player who's only missing one piece, she's probably going to climb the ladder. Witness Jasmine Nwajei going from Wagner to Syracuse, or Sofia Roma going from Wagner to Duke. For that matter, LIU has a history of feeding the BCS, with Kim Mac Millan going to St. John's and Valerie Nainima going to South Carolina. At this level, there has to be a lot more teaching of the game. I'm not sure that's being done. Now, I'm only seeing things from the stands, so I'm not even getting one side of the story. I don't know if the coach isn't coaching, or if the players aren't listening, or if there's some other gap that's not being bridged. But there's a fundamental disconnect between what's being said and what's being done on the court. There's a stark difference between what the flow of the game might dictate and what's actually happening.

I want to get behind them. I really do. The game day experience at LIU is great- cheer is enthusiastic, the band's interesting, and nobody brings the noise like LIU's spirit squad. But I feel like the joy is being squeezed out of everyone once the ball goes up. It's hard to keep your own spirits up that way.

So, uh, Merry Christmas? Happy Hanukkah? Joyous Festivus?

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December 21st, 2016: James Madison at St. John's

Just the Facts, Ma'am: Down 10 at the half, St. John's stormed back in the fourth quarter to beat James Madison, 74-63. Jade Walker had a team-high 16 points, supported by the 14 points and 13 rebounds of Imani Littleton. Precious Hall had a game-high 22 points for JMU.

For ugly sweaters, foam fingers, point guard energy, defensive lapses, offensive sparks, battening down the hatches, and the hot hand with the Cali chill, join your intrepid and proud blogger after the jump.

Good morning, for lack of a better phrase. It's time for the annual exercise in masochism and team pride: Field Trip Day. Yes, surround the childfree people with thousands of screaming children. This is a good idea.

(Why don't I skip them? Because there is a game and my team is playing. Honestly, ask a stupid question.)

At halftime, James Madison is up 36-26. Precious Hall went off in the second quarter for all 14 of her points. We are not being coached well. The offensive game plan has been stagnant; the defensive game plan went from brilliant to WTF in the course of a single substitution. Joe does know that he can't jake it for the old alma mater, right?

Seriously, though. Precious Hall had 0 points in the first quarter, mostly being guarded by much larger players. She had 14 in the second, mostly being guarded by our more skillful defenders. Gee, what do you think was working?

I can't believe the grit of this team in the fourth quarter. It's night and day from how we started the year against Duquesne, and I'm up for a rematch.

Shout out to the JMU fans, even when their nearest local connection is a Connecticut yankee. (And also to the JMU bus. That is a nice bus.)

Coach O'Regan was working with a fairly short bench, and it got steadily shorter as the game wound down. Lexie Barrier has the perfect name for a defensive player, so I wasn't necessarily surprised when she missed her first two shots badly. She was pretty solid on the glass. Devon Merritt was the first sub for the Dukes in the first half and the last sub in the second half. She was unremarkable.

I will say, Hailee Barron looks to have diversified her skill set. The last time I watched JMU play, she was a straight-up three-point specialist with no thought to any other part of her game. Now she's a three-point specialist who gets up close and personal on defense and can force the occasional turnover. Aneah Young brought physical defense and an absolutely monstrous fourth-quarter block on Alisha Kebbe.

I really like the knack Kamiah Smalls has for being in the right place at the right time. I'll probably like it better if/when I go see them at Hofstra, when I get to cheer for them (and not just for our RPI/SOS, or because of Ashley Perez- I like the program and want to see them do well). She was the most effective offensive player at the beginning of the game, not Hall. I was expecting rather more out of the Syracuse transfer, Tasia Butler. It's not like she hit foul trouble until the fourth quarter. She's strong- physically so, I mean. Amber Porter grabbed some strong boards in the middle- she, like many JMU players, spent much of the second half in foul trouble.

I know who you're probably here to read about, if you're not here for St. John's, but you know me, I like to build to a point. So let's talk about the point guard Logan Reynolds a little bit (whose last name is not Richards, no matter what the PA guy thought that one time). Offensively, she looks like the new version of Barron, but with better passing skills. Her first reaction when she takes a shot is a three, though, and I don't know how confident she is- which means we really don't know how confident she'll be without the magnificent security blanket known as Precious Hall. And Hall is one heck of a first option to have. She's not afraid to shoot, nor should she be. She's got a nice-looking shot, too, though she was more successful on the drive than from the perimeter in this one. She's fast, and she's aggressive, and you basically have to beat her on sheer physical tools to beat her. You match her with skill, she beats you. You match her with speed, she beats you. In this case, size matters.

JMU swarms when they spot weakness. They're not afraid to get down low and grab loose balls, or the occasional ankle.

Oh, Maya. Bless her heart, but in the first quarter Maya Singleton came in and immediately turned the game into a dumpster fire. Her head was not in the game, which made me sad. She recovered somewhat in the second half, showing her fire and her strength, but this missing bunnies at the rim thing needs to stop. She and Crystal Simmons were the defensive half of the platoon subbing Joe spent much of the fourth quarter playing around with. But she was so bad early that Joe went to Sandra Udobi almost immediately in the first. Sandie was unremarkable. Foul trouble and decreased effectiveness forced Joe to give Jordan Agustus early run, and it was clear that she wasn't ready.

Crystal Simmons brought close on-ball defense, and I love to watch her with the quick hands, but she has got to do something about the long wind-up on her shot to be anything more than a defensive specialist. I don't know- maybe that's what she's focusing on, and her offense can go to hell for all she cares. Andrayah Adams came in to shoot, but was unsuccessful at that. She really looked lost.

What a day for Imani Littleton! This was the kind of game we were waiting for from her, and I'm so happy we got it. She was efficient inside, taking advantage of defensive lapses by JMU, and she was absolutely vicious on the boards. All the rebounds were hers, especially in the first half. I love to see her playing with urgency, especially when she combines it with that Cali chill expression. Jade Walker hit the lane like a freight train and scored well, but she always seemed upset at the calls she wasn't getting and the plays she wasn't making. I do love to see Jade work inside, though. Smite them!

Akina Wellere's developing a disturbing habit of getting into foul trouble late in games. I don't know if it's a conditioning thing and she can't keep up, or if she's never going to be as good defensively as she is offensively, or if she hasn't picked up the finer points of defense yet. She had a huge trey in the fourth quarter to really key the St. John's run. Alisha Kebbe had really rough puck luck with the rim- I'm thinking she might need to soften up her shot a little bit to stop getting some of the weird bounces. Her defense on Precious Hall was great, both straight up and help. Aaliyah Lewis won the hearts of some of the kids behind us (by the end of the game, there was a scattering of "Let's go, number 4!" cheers, and I don't think they were for Tasia Butler) with her speed, her daredevil drives into the lane in the fourth quarter, and her dribbling skills. Ankle-breaking has universal appeal. I don't know if she feeds off the team, or the team feeds off her, but she has that synergy with her team's energy that good point guards always have. I don’t know if she has the control of it that elite guards have, or if she's as susceptible to it dragging her down as she is to riding the wave up.

Usual complaints about the officiating: they call the ticky-tack stuff and ignore the three-player pile-up. There was one sequence near the end of the game where my heart was in my throat because Jade was down and still very vulnerable to being stepped on. No breaking our seniors, people!

Ugly sweaters plus cheerleaders equals awkward, terrible idea. Pretty much everyone affiliated with the team in any significant capacity had an ugly sweater, except for Tasha Pointer (because say what you will about Stringer, but when her players leave her system, they will have dignity whether they want it or not). Why are ugly holiday sweaters a thing? This is a cultural question, I genuinely don't get it.

Shoutout to the school group across the aisle from us, who had awesome signs and an adult willing to get them cheering in big moments.

Ms. Kelly, while I'm flattered you recognized us, trust me, we never saw you play unless it was in an alumnae game.

We needed a comeback win like that. It gives the youngsters some confidence.

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December 18th, 2016: Rider at Seton Hall

Just the Facts, Ma'am: Seton Hall built up an 11-point halftime lead, watched it all dissipate in the third quarter, and recovered in the fourth to claim an 89-81 win over Rider. JaQuan Jackson and Kaela Hilaire each had 19 points to pace the Pirates. Kamila Hoskova had 14 to lead the Broncs.

For train travails, passive posts, classic movie film references, unity, earnest ROTC cadets, troublemaking kids, and long passes, join your intrepid and sated blogger after the jump.

Good morning, South Orange! It is too early for this, but here we are anyway, despite the best efforts of the Port Authority's Trans-Hudson train service.

Seriously, I am not joking, we waited 20 minutes at Journal Square for the Newark train and then the conductor took the train out of the station in the wrong direction for a good thousand feet. Much WTF was had by all. We ended up dodging wildcatting freelancers to catch a cab at Newark-Penn Station.

Shoutout to the Rider player with the ferociously magenta hair that almost matches her team colors. (Yeliz Dogan, for the record.)

The ROTC team presenting colors today is working very diligently, but they need a bit of work on their synchronization.

Is it a bad sign that the strength coach is injured?

Wonderful anthem. I approve this message. Rider did what seemed to be a hybrid of the linked arms for solidarity and the raised fist, which is very cool.

At halftime, Seton Hall is up 51-40, but Rider kep it tight for the first sixteen minutes or so. The polar vortex must have been the harbinger of the Minnesota kids' shots' arrival. Claire Lundberg has 14 points, including four threes, in the first half, and would have had a fifth if Jordan Molyneaux hadn't committed an unnecessary offensive foul. Rider has a couple of really good freshmen that I'm impressed with.

Rider also has a large contingent of fans, which makes sense- it's not that far, even by train.

The band gauntlet has been thrown down. Seton Hall's band did "The Pretender"- one of the Mighty Sound of the Red Storm's signature pieces.

As Seton Hall comes out of rthe second half, they're doing their stretches all over again. This is unusual. I don't think Tony was happy with them, and their response coming out of the half was... less than promising.

We shouldn't have to scrap and fight and come back multiple times against a team like Rider. Rider is a very good MAAC team, and this might even be their year to be MAAC mommas, but we have the talent. What we don't seem to have is the offensive execution, and that worries me. It's the middle of December; people should be at least somewhat familiar with the plays by now, and yet there are too many possessions where it looks like either the play broke down or players are falling into the habit of calling their own number.

I was really surprised that Tracey Goodman and Johnnah Johnson didn't see time in the second half. I thought they both did well in their roles. Johnson was solid on the glass and efficient in the paint. Goodman had a sweet outside jumper that we couldn't defend, and got very physical with Lubirdia Gordon. Yeliz Dogan cut well to the basket, and she'll be even more effective for the Broncs when she stops giving in to the temptation to help on defense and thus leave her man open.

Lexi Posset got the second half start over Taylor Wentzel, and in a reversal of the usual way these things go, set a nice pick for the center Duggan for a midrange jumper. She took a lot of shots, but they weren't necessarily the best shots for the situation. Safie Tolusso mostly came in as a situational shooter, especially near the end of the game; her subbing became less situational when the foul trouble started to hit the Broncs.

Kamila Hoskova had a knack for hitting shots near the end of the shot clock. She drove aggressively. Taylor Wentzel was good defensively- her defensive stance with her hands out wide was almost textbook. Robin Perkins was unafraid to shoot- she was their primary distance threat. There was a foul she disagreed with rather strenuously.

I was very impressed with Stella Johnson. Somehow I managed to resist the urge to belt out "STELLAAAAAA!" while she was at the free throw line, so take a moment to applaud my newfound maturity. She moves really well both with and without the ball, and she pounced on sloppy Pirate passes. I can't believe she's only a freshman- she's great. (And ooooh, I want to see her against Alexis Lewis from Iona. Dis gun be gud.) (The perils of following all the conferences.) Julia Duggan was solid for the Broncs, finishing inside and making space for her teammates.

Rider is a lot better than I was expecting. They've brought in good talent that works well together. If they gel even a little bit more, they'll be very dangerous. The coach just has to trust in her freshmen a little bit more.

In her brief appearances, Skyler Snider did some serious work on the glass. Her offense still needs some refinement, but I love the work she does rebounding and on defense. I'd like to see her get some more minutes, and there were opportunities (Shadeen Samuels and Jayla Jones-Pack were both unavailable due to injuries). Jordan Molyneaux was surprisingly effective at the line; she needs to work on her angle of approach to the basket to stop hitting the bottom of the backboard, and gain more confidence in her off hand, though. But a really good game for her overall. Lubirdia Gordon was big inside- driving into her is not a good life decision if you're an offensive player- and hit baskets when we needed them.

Kaity Healy stabilized the team on both ends of the floor- I can't put my finger on it, but it seemed like things were calmer when she was running point than when Kaela or TT were. Deja Winters was quiet- looked for her shot and had one nice defensive play- but we could have used more out of her.

Kaela Hilaire drove hard, but the free throw numbers aren't related to that- she was the person with the ball at the end of the game when Rider was fouling to extend the game. I feel like she made the choice to call her own number more than was perhaps called for by the flow of the offense- she was forcing a lot of her shots. So was JaQuan Jackson. Maybe I'm bad luck for Quanny- every time I've seen her, she's had a game of questionable shot selection. She was hitting late, which fueled her rebounding and her willingness to hit the passing lanes. I find it fascinating how she comes together as a complete player when her shot starts falling, and is otherwise an offensive disaster. LaTecia Smith was really forcing her offense. Do not shoot into three players. This is a bad plan. I do love her rebounding, though. Somehow she has the length and the ups to do things on the glass no guard of her size should be able to do.

Claire Lundberg spent the first half on fire and the second half playing scared. Seton Hall started in a small lineup and went bigger in the second half; strangely enough, that didn't benefit her. She was exploiting mismatches and defensive switches that she wasn't getting in the second half. Martha Kuderer had a couple of nice plays, including a nifty basket off a sweet pass from Kaela, but she seemed to be playing back a little. She took what she was given, but she didn't seem to want to do more.

LOL of the day: TT throws a pass. It is not an accurate pass. It goes out of bounds and smacks Kat Egan right in the head. Cue up, "Oh, come on, TT, hasn't Kat suffered enough?"

Tony, I understand your passion, and I understand the urge to yell at everyone for being in a dogfight with Rider. I'm just saying, yelling at the person actively shooting free throws is maybe not the best game plan.

I don't know what happened, or who said what to whom, but there was a kid next to the passageway to/from the locker rooms, on the Seton Hall side, booing every Pirate free throw. He and his mother were not getting along with the Seton Hall fans there, and near the end of the game they were escorted out of the gym by security.

Today was an autograph day, so since we were waiting for our ride anyway, we said hi to the ladies. I have to play nice. Next game is Awkward Bowl I of the year. I don't think either team wanted Seton Hall to go into it on a low note. We'll see how STJ goes into it.

Survive. Advance. That's how we roll.

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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.

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December 13th, 2016: St. John's at Fordham

Just the Facts, Ma'am: St. John's broke open a close game late in the fourth behind strong defense and cold Fordham shooting to win 59-45 at Rose Hill Gymnasium. Jade Walker had 18 points and eight rebounds to lead the Red Storm, with Alisha Kebbe adding 16 points and seven rebounds. Danielle Burns had 13 points for Fordham.

For buses, trains, terrible shots, hands on hips, family affairs, tiny guards, loud guards, and an Onix that might not suck, join your intrepid and peripatetic blogger after the jump.
Road trip! Fordham's a pain in the whatsit to get to on a weeknight, but a bus and three trains later, here I am at Rose Hill. Missed the first few minutes and the pregame, so no grading on that point.

At halftime, St. John's is up 27-22. Alisha Kebbe and Jade Walker each have 8 points. Danielle Burns has 5 to lead a scattershot Fordham offense. Both teams have a key player in early foul trouble, with Akina Wellere picking up two first quarter fouls for St. John's and G'mrice Davis picking up her third in the second quarter for Fordham.

I think Jordan Agustus's family made it out; at least, there's someone here in a Jordan jersey, there's a woman here who kind of looks like her around the eyes, and they seem very excited when she does something.

It hasn't been a pretty game, what I've seen of it. Four subs on the floor with Aaliyah Lewis is not working. And just to make things worse, we have an Enterline officiating, so you know there are going to be an awful lot of bad calls; in this case, it's a phenomenal lack of calls under the basket. Someone's going to get hurt.

So far Fordham is my favorite campus for playing Pokémon Go. Lots of stops, lots of spawns. Mama needed an Onix that didn't suck.

We must be doing something wrong. Kathy Meehan was surprised I was here instead of at Rutgers (where Seton Hall is playing). For God's sake. I'm a Johnnie. I'm very often a Pirate, a Gael when I can be, a Wolverine when I can, occasionally a Blackbird, and sometimes even a Ram, but first and foremost I'm a Johnnie. This is my team, until such time as either I move out of range or the school moves out of range, along with a plethora of other potential factors (and let's face it, while Joe is not my favorite coach, I don't think he has the CVS level of crazy in him to warrant a ship-jumping).

Well, I can't say that was a great game, or a game that advanced the cause of women's basketball in New York City, or much of a rallying point for anybody. But as the saying goes, a win is a win, and at least the torturously twisted journey to and from Fordham isn't completely for naught. (One bus, three trains in; two buses and a train back, but one of the bus rides home can be summed up as "hella long".) (And at least I didn't go to Piscataway. Yeeeeeesh.)

Maya Singleton brought fight off the bench tonight, but for the most part, I don't think it was properly directed. She was physical, but not careful with that physicality, which led to fouls. Fordham knocked her off her spot on the glass, and she wasn't effective in getting back. Jordan Agustus threw up one shot that needed either bent knees or something vaguely resembling a follow-through; calling it a line drive might be an insult to baseball players. She had a really nice board on the baseline, though. I know Sandra Udobi went in, because I was sitting behind the bench and I watched her check into the game, and I can't remember a single thing she did on the floor. I'm sorry, Sandy.

As always, Crystal Simmons brought the defense- she had one great play at halfcourt that stands out in my mind, and she was very active. Offensively, she struggled- not just her shooting or an unwillingness to shoot, but as a passer as well. Andrayah Adams was her offensive counterpart, getting decent looks from the outside and hitting a couple of them (though upon further review, I think one of them was a lay-up in the paint). She also seemed to be running more of the offense when Aaliyah couldn't immediately take the reins. I feel like that might be promising?

We didn't get to see a lot of Akina Wellere due to the foul trouble, and she didn't look like herself- her shots weren't falling and she didn't seem like she was getting good looks. I thought her defensive game and her boxing out were stronger than usual, though; more of a forward than a guard, as it were. Imani Littleton seemed really checked out for most of the game- very passive, very careless, almost indifferent to what was happening on the floor. She asserted herself more in the fourth quarter, though I suspect that might have been through some of Coach's... ah, encouragement and attention. Let's just call it that. She's always had that Zen expression, SoCal chill attitude on the floor, but it seemed more pronounced today. Fortunately for all parties involved, except for Fordham, we had Jade Walker on hand, and this was a night when Jade was bound and determined to make her presence felt in the lane. She took contact and dished a fair amount of it out. She hit jumpers, but she was more impressive spinning in the lane. Do not taunt happy fun Jade. Jade will make you regret it.

Fortunately, we also had Alisha Kebbe on hand to drive to the rack and hit the hard shots in the lane. I'm a little worried about her defensively, because it looked like she was biting on fakes a lot, or really missing first steps, or something- one minute she'd be in front of her woman and the next she was two steps behind watching a lay-up. I hope she'll learn to not get faked, or she'll work on her lateral quickness, or something to fix that problem, because I'm not a big fan of offensive players who net out to zero because they give up as many points as they score. (I'm not objecting to Alisha's scoring output tonight, though!) Aaliyah Lewis ran the offense with her usual deft hand, but the thing I noticed most when I was this close in this small an arena is how loud she is. St. John's has long had a tendency to be a quiet team, but Aaliyah is most definitely an exception to that. She signals, she calls for players' attention. She also seems to take glee in tricky dribbling and metaphorical ankle injuries to opponents. She had a really nice takeaway at halfcourt that led to a scoring chance.

(That being said, either Andrayah or Crystal or Shamachya or someone has to step up next year, because otherwise we'll be the St. John's Headless Chickens. Everyone looks to Aaliyah.)

Fordham relied on a more balanced bench for much of the game, partially occasioned by the foul trouble of G'mrice Davis. I liked what I saw out of Anna Kelly in the first half- she strikes me as feisty, quick, and reasonably bright on the court- but clearly Coach Gaitley and I weren't looking at the same things, since Kelly didn't play in the second half (at least not that I noticed). Tiffany Suarez was unremarkable- she might have transferred in from a Power 5 school, but I think she was in over her head at this level of competition. She didn't look ready for the defense. Asnate Fomina came in looking like she was supposed to be an offensive option, but never really got a shot off.

Mary Goulding has a lot of potential. Her shot needs a little work, but all the pieces are there for her to be really great for them. Danielle Padovano is a good option to have on offense- she isn't quite as capable from beyond the arc as many of Fordham's forwards are (or have thought they were- I'm looking at you, Samantha Clark) but she's enough of a threat that you have to take her seriously. That being said, they needed better shots from her down low to take the place of the foul-plagued G'mrice Davis.

Lauren Holden is a firecracker, and sheer fun to watch. To quote Jim Butcher (so now you know the source of the line): "Tiny, but fierce!" She's fast, and she's fearless (one of her fouls was on a play where she was defending the daylights out of Jade Walker). Her shot is fast and has a sweet follow-through. And you can't question her confidence on the court. She makes an interesting contrast to Hannah Missry, who seems to have lost her confidence, or at least her shot, which is a bit of a problem for a player best known as a shooter. She rebounded well off long shots, including her own, though, so she's diversified her game a bit. It almost looks like she's moved to the point and Holden is playing more of an offensive role, though I don't know hwo sustainable that is. We'll see who's available next year.

Danielle Burns is really adaptable- gets it done all over the court, on both ends. She's not spectacular, but she's solid. Kate Kreslina has a pretty jumper, but relied on it a little too much. With our height, and often lack thereof, she might have been more effective going to the basket. I didn't see a lot of G'mrice Davis, because of the fouls- she was already out of the game when I arrived at the gym. When she was in, she was a powerful force inside, but a reckless one. The fifth foul was a great example of that- after bumping Jade, she then proceeded to smack her in the head with a forearm, which is not a terribly good idea. She's got to be more disciplined if Fordham is going to get anywhere.

And the shooting has to be consistent. This goes for both teams, really. For St. John's, they have to not look to shoot for the foul instead of the shot. There were too many undisciplined heaves in the paint thrown up in the hope that one of the officials would call a foul. And we had an Enterline on the court, so you know that wasn't going to end well. For Fordham, their offense fell apart completely in the fourth quarter. They were getting looks, and they were getting boards, but nothing went down. There are two plays that stand out in my mind in that regard: in the first, Lauren Holden had a wide open breakaway lay-up after a fumble by Aaliyah, and bricked it; in the second, Fordham had no less than five chances on a single possession, and came away with no points. The fourth quarter was nothing short of a disaster for the Rams, and I'm not sure whether it was fatigue or an inability to adjust to the defense.

The officiating was extremely unsatisfying. Let's just leave it at that.

The Fordham band, or at least a couple of guys in the Fordham band, took Joe Tartamella as the target of their taunts, which I guess is better than picking on the players (and yeah, Aaliyah had that "OH-FOR-THREE! OH-FOR-THREE!" chant coming), but seemed a little bit petty. I was also under the impression that the "right, left, right, left, SIT DOWN!" game was only for when players fouled out, not when they were subbing in and out.

All in all, it was good to get back on the road with the Red Storm. The disadvantage of playing a stronger schedule is that so much of it is out of the area, and I miss the days when we played at local schools.

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December 7th, 2016: Rutgers at St. John's

Just the Facts, Ma'am: Rutgers scored the first basket of the game, but St. John's answered with a 20-0 run and never looked back in their 65-39 win. Akina Wellere had 19 points, 12 in the first quarter, to lead St. John's. Kandiss Barber had 11 points to lead Rutgers.

For fail fonts, defensive pressure, seeing all the players, indifference from the top, Cagers, and keeping the pressure on, join your intrepid and slightly confused blogger after the jump.
Once upon a time this was my Awkward Bowl, back in the days of Essence Carson and Joy McCorvey, of Kia Vaughn and Kia Wright. Rutgers was my first college team, for my dad and for Suuuuuuue, and every so often I get a little sentimental about them.

This usually wears off around the first time I spot Coach Stringer and the absolute lack of give-a-damn she's been evincing lately.

Moment of silence before the anthem in memoriam of Pearl Harbor. It still lives in infamy.

At halftime, St. John's is up 42-17, and we were 54 seconds from holding the Scarlet Knights without a field goal in the second quarter. Akina Wellere got the party started with four threes in the first quarter, and the Red Storm have kept the pressure on. Rutgers does not look like a Big Ten team right now. To be honest, they don't look like a Big East team, either.

The Cagers brought a group; about two dozen RU boosters are in the section behind the visiting bench. One may hope that their bus ride was without incident. They are... displeased with the state of Rutgers women's basketball, and well they should be. I think there were points in that game where we as St. John's fans cared more about the success of RU than the woman who's paid seven figures to work with them.

Victoria Harris was physical, and reckless, and that's why she managed to foul out before the end of the third quarter. Jordan Wallace was also very physical- there was a point in the fourth quarter where Maya Singleton was talking to the ref about something, and it might have been Wallace's relentless use of wild forearms. She mixed it up down low but couldn't hit the bunnies in the lane. Jazlynd Rollins was called upon to sub for Aliyah Jeune whenever Jeune was in foul trouble, and gave off the impression of great speed. She had a nice steal that led to a fast break lay-up. It looked like they were trying to set up Alex Alfano for shots, and she wasn't taking them.

Aliyah Jeune seemed to be on the shortest leash of all the sstarters, and not just because of foul trouble. I don't know if Coach Stringer just doesn't have faith in her, or if she's the less talented half of a package deal (no, seriously, I know nothing about her, this is what happens when RU goes to the Big Ten), or if this wasn't her night, but she never really found her groove. Shrita Parker seems to have regressed since the last time I saw Rutgers- she had a nice defensie play in the second quarter, but any semblance of fundamentals had long since left the building. No handle, no head for the game, no judgment. Khadaizha Sanders was okay defensively- my goodness, but Coach Stringer seems to have gone in for the tiny guards. (Part of me is also grateful I didn't have to hunt down RU's pronunciation guide for her first name- she goes by KK.) (I feel like I've been harping on pronunciation guides lately, but if I'm presented with unfamiliar names, and I'm not 100% sure of what vowel sound I should be applying, I would like further information. It's only polite to get someone's name right.)

Desiree Keeling is powerful at the basket, but dear Lord, the woman cannot shoot. 1-11 from the field is completely unacceptable from a center. She had multiple chances on multiple occasions, and came away empty. Given a little bit of time, she can turn into a big solid pivot in the middle for RU the way Ariel Butts or Kia Vaughn was- the person who brought the pain so everyone else could score around her. But someone has to work with her. Kandiss Barber was unafraid to shoot, and I liked that about her. Something about her sinewy build reminds me of Kahleah Copper, but she has no speed- she was getting beaten consistently on defense, not able to move around with the rotations.

I don't normally call out opposing coaches with this level of vigor, and I think it's because Rutgers was my entrée into WCBB. But if you had told a complete stranger that a Hall of Famer was coaching one of these teams, that complete stranger would have probably asked you where to procure the unquestionably excellent illicit substances you had been ingesting. Rutgers was sloppy. They were careless. They were technically and fundamentally unsound. My impression was that Coach Stringer prided herself on being a teacher- if that's the case, then why does it seem like she's given up on teaching this group? She looked like she had fallen asleep on the bench at one point. I'm not even a Rutgers fan anymore and I'm embarrassed by their performance.

So on to the Johnnies, who all got to play, yay! I'm glad Jordan Agustus is back with the team- she was AWOL last game, or at least hiding. She's got the power dribble down to an art, but she's got to work on ball security. I'm surprised she only got tagged with two turnovers, but I think there were a couple of possessions where she got down on the ground and she or one of her teammates saved the ball for St. John's. Shamachya Duncan brought hustle and defensive pressure. I get the feeling she's going to step right into Aaliyah's shoes in the "awwww, adorable small guard!" role that warms mothers' hearts. Kendyl Nunn looked like she was out there to have fun, and she definitely did that with the little behind the back flip to Sox. She's got a good head for the game; I'm sorry we only get her for one year. Tamesha Alexander was scrappy, and got herself a little bucket in the lane, which is always nice.

Quietly, Sandra Udobi had herself a nice little game. She doesn't have ups, or her rebounding numbers would probably have doubled, if not more. She was very active inside, deflecting rebounds and finishing on the other end, but she couldn't get up to finish plays and pull down those boards. I'm still thrilled to see her looking like her old self, and I hope that's a sign for the future. In some hypothetical alternate universe, somewhere nearby, Maya Singleton is on a collegiate wrestling team and succeeding admirably at it. She got down for loose balls and she fought hard. She did not commit the smartest fouls, and there comes a point when you have to realize that you committed a stupid foul and accept it. Andrayah Adams still needs work, but I'm starting to see that it's a matter of time with her- she seems like the kind of player who can break out her junior year, once she's gotten all the rough edges smoothed out and worked on her shot a little bit more. And now I understand the deal with the devil that Crystal Simmons made for that three-pointer to be so sweet- her free throws are atrocious. I'm kind of tempted to ask if she trained at a Pop-a-Shot machine at an arcade. She was great defensively and ran offense on the fast break well.

(Tangential thought: are there free throw drills out there that more accurately reflect game action? Are there coaches who have their players practice FTs with visual and audio distraction? If not, why?)

I don't know if someone on RU said something about Akina Wellere's mother, or if someone from the staff blew her off during recruiting, or if RU's defense wasn't prepared for the three pointer, or she just found their uniforms personally offensive, but she went off like a firecracker in the first quarter, dropping threes like she'd been OD'ing on Golden State game tape. She finished the first and the third in style. She put in a lot of work. Aaliyah Lewis broke out the ankle-breakers, getting her trick dribbling on in style. I think she might even have been talking trash. It was nice to see her get some rest- Joe has a tendency to run her into the ground. It looked like she had free rein to get things going and rack up the score in the first quarter, then ratchet it down in the second quarter.

Alisha Kebbe read the boards really well. She went hard to the basket, but her shot selection when she got into the paint was questionable. Just because you're getting the calls, that's no reason to chuck random crap at the basket. Jade Walker saw vulnerability inside the defense and attacked it- she took a lot of contact, but they weren't the worst shots in the world. That being said, I may lose my temper if she continues to jack straight-away threes. Those are not good shots for her; if she's working on them in practice, I commend her, but she's got to know when it's game-ready and when it's not. Imani Littleton continues to impress me with her movement on defense. She needs a little more vertical to pull down those rebounds she and Sandy were tipping around, but she was really assertive inside. I love it. I feel like she's starting to come into her own, both as a player and as a person, and the second part is just as important as the first.

The best thing: Imani and Crystal trapping in the backcourt, with Aaliyah in coverage downfield and whoever else is on the floor denying as appropriate by their position on the floor. Rutgers looked like they never saw a defense before.

We turned down the volume slightly at a 30-point margin, but never really let up where we were. Whether RU takes it seriously or not, we take this rivalry seriously, for local bragging rights. I broke a pen in the first quarter, before we broke out the 20-0 run.

But at the same time, I have to be realistic about one thing: we got the benefit of the doubt from the officials. We got away with travels and push-offs, and Akina committed an over-and-back that was missed. If Rutgers was upset about the officiating, they had a right to be- but I don't think it exactly made a difference.

I love that our reserves all got a healthy share of minutes, and I love that we were able to execute on defense. I'm almost sad for Rutgers, because I know what they were and what they can be.

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December 4th, 2016: Wake Forest at Seton Hall

Just the Facts, Ma'am: Wake Forest raced out to a 16-point lead in the first half, but Seton Hall clamped down on defense in a 23-6 third quarter and rode out a wild fourth for the 70-63 comeback win. LaTecia Smith had 19 points to lead Seton Hall, while Lubirdia Gordon shone with 15 points, 13 rebounds, and five blocks. Elisa Penna led Wake Forest with 15 points.

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And here it goes, here it goes, here it goes again. I'm too tired for this, but here we are in South Orange anyway, getting ready to see Seton Hall take on Wake Forest.

We figured out where the secret-ish seating area is in the lobby, which allowed me to finish yesterday's notes with some semblance of back support. I'm getting too old for this, but not old enough to be anyone's mother.

Great anthem by the band, which has been rocking some great material. The emphasis on flute has set them apart, and gives the anthem a bit of a retro feel.

At halftime, Wake Forest is up 32-21 on Seton Hall, and it should honestly be more. This game has been full of brain farts. It has not been good to watch, for either team. At least we're at full strength, though that might be false now (Jayla Jones-Pack took a hit to the back of the head midgame and eventually came out). Officiating has been a hot, reckless mess, more fixated on procedural mistakes than people getting hit.

How the worm turns, or some other similar expression. Seton Hall laid the smackdown defensively in the third quarter, and at the same time we found our offensive mojo. The offensive mojo stayed, even as Wake Forest found their own way on offense late in the fourth. It got pretty wild and it got pretty loud.

The Demon Deacons were pretty short-handed, between one thing and another- it looked like half their roster was either ineligible or injured. They only brought three players off the bench, and those not for very long. Clarisse Berranger's stint was so short and so unmemorable that ESPN doesn't even bother mentioning her in the box score; I had to get validation of my sanity from the SHU box score to confirm that I hadn't hallucinated her. Ona Udoh got tangled up with players a lot and ended up committing fouls in a hurry- when Wake Forest wasn't getting called for fouls she was still picking them up, which is pretty impressive in the wrong kind of way. Tyra Whitehead brought a lot of size in reserve too, and did her damage late, at the basket.

Milan Quinn has one of the weirdest free throw wind-ups I've ever seen, and there are a lot of very strange free throws out there. She actually goes up on tiptoe, almost leaving her feet, before coming down to release it. In a live-ball situation, I think that might actually be a travel. She's very smooth when she's not at the line, and has a pretty nice sweeping sort-of hook. Elisa Penna was killing us in the first half with midrange jumpers. Like a lot of European posts, or at least players who are assigned to the post by coaches, she has a very nice jumper, but she's willing to go to the rack as well. Alex Sharp was very physical, and did not make herself the most popular person in South Orange with her hard hit on Kaela Hilaire. Ariel Stephenson found her shot late in the fourth to pull Wake Forest back into the game, and had a nice steal to go along with it. Amber Campbell dropped a most righteous block on a Deja Winters corner three and played the passing lanes well.

Wake Forest has some of the worst passing and ballhandling I've ever seen out of a major conference team. They whipped a lot of passes past their intended recipients, out of bounds. I think they might still be a year away from really contending.

It's good to see Martha Kuderer back on the floor for the Pirates- she's a little ahead of schedule. She's still very tentative, passing up shots that are in her wheelhouse and causing turnovers because of that, but I'm glad to have her back- especially since we might have lost Jayla Jones-Pack for the near future. She took a tumble in the first quarter, hit the back of her head, tried to stay in the game despite the official's suggestions otherwise, left the game a few possessions later, and didn't return to the game, though she did stay on the bench. Shadeen Samuels played briefly in the first half, but I think her knee was bothering her- she wasn't as aggressive as she usually is. Jordan Molyneaux played like a bit of a klutz, but finished at the basket on a pretty pass from Kaela. If Jayla's injured ofr any length of time, we're going to need her.

Claire, we need to have a talk about your shot selection. If the game is winding down, the team is trying to run clock, and there are 16 seconds on the shot clock, the situation does not call for Claire Lundberg to take a somewhat contested three from two feet behind the line. Claire baffles me. There are days when all she seems to be is a spot-up shooter who can deflect passes just by being taller than the person she's assigned to defend. And there are days when she goes into the lane and takes lay-ups like the tall person she is. Today was a shooter day. Skyler Snider brought solid defense in her short minutes. Kaity Healy brought vocal leadership and direction.

Kaela Hilaire's another player who might need a talk about shot selection. I feel like her reaction under pressure is to take the shot herself instead of looking for other options, and that led to a lot of really bad shots, both in the sense of timing and in the sense of being nowhere near going in the basket. I love the intensity and the passion she brings on the defensive end- watching her play the press with TT or Quanny is a thing of terrifying beauty. I also love watching LaTecia Smith regularly rebound like she's about six to nine inches taller than she actually is. She has ups and she has moxie. Clock awareness is still an issue for her, though. But she picked her moments well on offense.

JaQuan Jackson did not have her shot until very late in the game, and it seemed to throw her off on both ends of the floor. She scrambled after loose balls, and came up with her defensive plays that way, instead of playing the passing lanes with her usual effectiveness. She was the recipient of a lot of her teammates' hustle. Deja Winters got three-point happy, and I don't know whether that was part of the game plan or just Deja's preference. Other than her shooting, I thought she played well. But the unquestioned star of the game was Lubirdia Gordon. Bird had herself a day, and it was glorious. She took down rebounds and secured them, which had been a problem for her. She hit her lay-ups, and the ones she didn't hit, she rebounded. She hit her free throws, and after all the years I've spent raging about post players not hitting free throws, this is a glorious and blessed relief. She shut things down on the inside for Wake Forest. I think we can dub this beast mode. It's been a rough start of the year for Bird, so I'm so happy for her that she had a day like this.

Officiating was uneven and fixated more on procedural calls than contact. On the other hand, they didn't throw Tony out for being extremely angry and somewhat overcaffeinated. I didn't see the exact moment he lost the jacket, but at some point in the second quarter it was gone. I don't know if he Reeved it or just tossed it to the side in disgust. It went back on eventually, when the Hall had taken control back.

By the way: Tony, you know how much we love you, but you looked at all that height Wake Forest was throwing at us and you went small in the starting lineup? I think the diplomatic way to address that is, "I find your decision highly unusual and would greatly appreciate hearing the logic behind it, because it appears to have evaded my grasp."

But let me tell you something. In that third quarter, when the defense picked up and the offense picked up and the gap started closing, there's no place I would have rather been than in the middle of that crowd, husband to the right of me, band to the left of me, managers and boosters across from me, Tony waving his arms, the bench players clapping the rhythm. It got loud in a hurry, and it was amazing. We were stomping the bleachers (or, in my case, slamming the clipboard against the bleachers) and screaming at the top of our lungs. When it gets like that, there's no time for the complex chants. You can't get that many people that organized that fast. You have to stick with the classics. "DE-FENSE!" *clap-clap* "LET'S GO PIRATES!" *clap clap clap-clap-clap* (or insert your team) Sometimes you can't even do that, and it's time for sheer, raw, noise, anything that gets into the other team's head and jams their signals. Walsh whips into that kind of focused fury faster than any of my other homecourt.

So that turned out to be pretty fun, though if we have to do that much more often I may end up breaking the bleachers, but hey, they need to be replaced anyway.

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December 3rd, 2016: Lafayette at St. John's

Just the Facts, Ma'am: The Red Storm clamped down on defense, holding Lafayette to 27.8% shooting from the field, to claim a 64-46 win. Jade Walker had 13 points to lead St. John's, adding six rebounds. Olivia Gumbs led Lafayette with 14 points.

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Game day at Carnesecca! It's St. John's and Lafayette in Queens on a pleasant autumn day.

At halftime, St. John's is up 28-15, with pretty balanced scoring all around. We're watching the dance campers doing their halftime routine, and it's actually not bad. Better than they usually manage.

Substitute announcer today, and he is not on his game. You should be giving more than name and number during intros, even for the opponent.

The group in front of us brought a bunch of kids to the dance camp. It's a mild inconvenience, but nto much more, and at least they haven't looked at us too funny for being loud. (And no one has asked me {yet} if my daughter is on the team. It happened again in the Miami game. Next time I'm telling them I'm Imani's long lost twin sister.)

The boss lady is behind us. If it weren't for doom, I'd be asking her some pointed questions right now. Kathy, you got saved.

I don't remember Lafayette's colors being this cherry before. I think that's why Coach Grentz has the leopard-print scarf- that maroon/cherry color would very much not suit her complexion, but leopard-print allows her to still sort of be in team colors.

Officiating has mostly been in our favor so far. I fear what will happen in the second half. (I mean, they broke the first rule! Jade pushed off on an early possession and they didn't call her for a foul!)

Joe, No-Shave November ended earlier this week. Scruffy is not your look.

We really got to see the freshmen shine in this one- for both teams, for both good and for ill.

Theresa Grentz either wasn't happy with a couple of her starters, or they weren't actually starters and someone else was in trouble. She swapped in Sarah Agnello and Olivia Gumbs to start the second half. Agnello really didn't have much of an impact. Olivia Gumbs was a solid offensive option, but as the game went on, she got more physical and more flat-out dirty. You don't usually see a ref call tripping, especially with the signal for it (often another signal takes precedence). She's got a nice shot and good strength- there are ways to use that in basketball that don't involve deliberately hurting your opponent. They were swapped in at the start of the second half for Harriet Ottewill-Soulsby and Alex Cantwell. Ottewill-Soulsby used her length to block shots, but her hand-eye coordination is not very good. Cantwell had a lot of family, friends, and/or other supporters in the building, some even with signs. They were not pleased with the cut in her playing time.

I don't know whether Grentz was in "throw everything at the wall and see what sticks" mode or if there was a rhyme or reason to her subs that I wasn't getting, or if she's a more situational subber than a rotation subber. So, for example, Nia Holland was the first bench player in the game for Lafayette in the first half, and then didn't appear again until the fourth quarter. (Unless she was there and I just didn't notice her- our PA guy was not on the ball with sub calls.) They've actually got some pretty decent size, or at least some decently physical size, in Ashley Lutz, Angela Ribarich, and Alexis Santarelli. Santarelli was especially impressive getting boards close to the basket. Their bigs, in general, did a nice job of setting screens for their guards, and we did a lousy job of calling them out.

Anna Ptasinski got shut down. It seems we learned from the Albany game to stay somewhat closer to the opponent's most notable player. She's got realy good instincts, and you can see that she knows how to play the game. Maia Hood is a little bit of a mismatch because of her size, but I think she saw more offensive opportunities for herself than might have been called for in the game plan. Sammy Stipa seemed to be running the offense, and was one of those invisible point guards ho doesn't really get herself noticed. There's a place for that role, but I don't know if it's here and now.

I think there's a disconnect between the players that Lafayette has, the coach that Lafayette has, what Coach Grentz expects from those players, and the current state of women's basketball on the college level. Old school can definitely be a thing, but I get the feeling the game has moved past Grentz.

We got to see all the reserves again! I like this pattern. I like it very much. Shamachya Duncan actually got some extended run in the fourth quarter after a cameo in the third. (And after all the time we spent wondering how to pronounce Shamachya, it turns out she goes by Machi.) It would be easy to dismiss her as Aaliyah 2.0- a slightly built guard from Staten Island with some moves- but she's a little more offensive-minded and not as inclined to set up the offense. She may need to move to point in future just because of her build, though. (On the other hand, I'm not entirely sure she's done with her growth spurt- her head seems a touch too big for the rest of her body.) Everyone was rooting so hard for her to get that first bucket, it was adorable. Kendyl Nunn went hard after loose balls and rebounds. Tamesha Alexander was last off the bench and coughed up the ball pretty much the first time she brought it up. Her handle isn't as good as she thinks it is. And like many Johnnies, she's got to put in more work at the free throw line.

One of these days, the universe is going to figure out that Crystal Simmons's shot may actually break the laws of physics as we know them, and that day may possibly bring about the end of the world as we know it. But until then, I'll continue to wonder how a follow-through that goes across the path of the ball somehow manages to direct it forward. I talk about how much I love her defense, but you're going to have to keep hearing it, because she does so much that doesn't show up in the box score. Andrayah Adams is coming along nicely. I still have some doubts about her, and I still question why she was so cavalierly handed #15, but she's doing all right. I thought it was interesting that she was directing the offense late in the game. Maya Singleton came up with big offensive boards and physical defense- the latter to a fault. No, Maya, you can't have a piggyback ride, and you can't just reach in for the ball. Sandra Udobi made herself available in the paint for offense, but wasn't moving as well on defense as I'd like (but I have to remember what to expect).

Jade Walker had the jumper working, but more importantly, she was going hard in the paint along the baseline. She and Gumbs were going at it in the second half, and by the end Jade looked ready to start a fight (or at least finish one). It's not a beast stat line, so you'll have to trust me when I say that this was one of Jade's best games so far this year. Imani Littleton was quietly efficient- she has a knack for getting to the right place at the right time. Fun to watch is the wrong phrase, but fun to pay attention to might be closer (if somewhat creepier).

Aaliyah Lewis is trying to do too much with the ball, trying too hard to succeed by needless misdirection. She kept the drama to a minimum this time. She drove hard in the lane, and those were fun to watch. I'm not saying there isn't a place for misdirection in her game, or that she doesn't use it effectively, but sometimes I get the feeling she crosses people over for the sake of crossing people over. Akina Wellere has been having the worst puck luck lately- lots of shots have been rimming out. I think she'll get through it, and she's picked up the nifty habit of making up for it at the defensive end. Somehow, the last couple of games she's been the one to make the big defensive stops near the end. Alisha Kebbe needs to put a little more oomph in her shot, and to work on her ball security. If the speed of the college game is catching up to her against Albany and Lafayette, it's really going to catch up to her against the Big East. Or, for that matter, against the defense of Rutgers.

Play got more physical as the game went on, and officiating got looser. There were a lot of players knocked down, mostly Johnnies. We were having some flashbacks to the infamous Southern Miss game (though unlike back in the day, we're carrying enough players that losing the entire starting five to injury and having one DQ'd wouldn't leave us with four on the court- that's actually really reassuring).

Jordan Agustus did not appear to be with the team. More on this as it develops.

There was a huge group seated in the upper deck. We don't know who they were, or what they were doing there, and they disappeared sometime in the second half. My theory is that they were a school of ninja, and they didn't actually leave- they just engaged their ninja stealth.

I'm not going to lie and say that this was a great game of basketball. But we needed a win, and we came away with a win; we needed to give minutes to our deep reserves, and they got minutes. The only thing I can complain about is being too tired to write it up properly. But it's already on to the next one. Basketball never stops, after all, no matter how much my back hurts.

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November 30th, 2016: Albany at St. John's

Just the Facts, Ma'am: After a tied third-quarter, St. John's tightened up the defense on Albany and came out with a 54-36 win. Jade Walker led the Red Storm with 13 points, with Andrayah Adams coming off the bench for 10. Imani Tate of Albany led all scorers with 18, but no other Great Dane had more than 6.

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Good evening, fellow travelers, or perhaps people hoping not to be called for travels. We're on the campus of St. John's University for an in-state battle between the Red Storm and the Great Danes of Albany.

Anthem singer was trying. Not necessarily succeeding, but trying.

Aliyyah Handford and Briana Brown are both in the house. Looks like Liyyah got her hair did. She's been spending most of the game with the strength and conditioning coach/trainer/dude who needs a beard and an axe to audition as a dwarven extra for the next Hobbit movie.

At halftime, St. John's is up 28-19, and my favorite play of the game is the volleyball-style deflection by Crystal Simmosn that led to Crystal's rebound and a lay-up by Jade Walker. Jade Walker has found some of her stroke, with 8 points, while Imani Tate has impressed for Albany with 6.

This halftime biddy game has been pretty good.

Shoutout to the loud students, possibly athletes, in the next section over.

We still have to figure out how to coordinate our chants with the cheer squad. I might need to buy pom-poms. I'd look silly with them, though.

I wasn't expecting Albany to be as one-dimensional as they turned out to be. They have a star in Imani Tate, but I'm not sure the supporting cast is up to the task, even collectively, of filling the shoes of Shereesha Richards.

Alexi Schecter played briefly, just long enough to be called for an offensive foul that Jade Walker did a remarkable dive job on, and was promptly pulled, never again to see the light of day. Cassandra Edwards played a stretch in the first half and was forgettable, which made me a little sad- I thought I remembered her being more of a factor for them. Khepera Stokes apparently did not come equipped with a pronunciation guide, because our PA guy paused noticeably pretty much every time he had to say her name. She was aggressive offensively, perhaps a bit too much.

Bailey Hixon showed some nice stroke, and great hustle on deflections defensively and on the glass. I can see why Albany's coach went to her early and often. Tiana-Jo Carter was called upon to do a lot of physical work in the post. I swear half her missed shots came on Albany's final desperate possession, when they threw everything at the basket and the rim denied everything. Very tough, but wild on offense.

I thought Heather Forster played more than the box score indicated. She made some good defensive plays on the baseline, and had a monster block on an ill-fated drive by Aaliyah Lewis. She also set a really nice screen on a three that didn't go down- but the screen was pretty sweet. I'm not sure if Jessica Féquière's name was being pronounced correctly, and there were enough opportunities for the announcer to try to get his mouth around it. She stepped her game up somewhat in the fourth quarter. Bose Aiyalogbe was very active on both ends of the floor, though not always effective. She has a pretty shot, but it wasn't going down.

Mackenzie Trpcic ran the offense with a firm hand. She's pretty quick, and stuck on defense to our ballhandlers. Her ballhandling needs some work, and I think she was pressing too much near the end of the game, but she might just turn out all right for them. Imani Tate is awesome, and a whole lot of fun to watch. Her release is so quick, and she has such a knack for creating space for herself. She jumps the passing lanes well, and she uses her reach effectively to tip balls away, both as a pass defender and as a rebounder. She has to be less reckless when driving- she got called for some offensive fouls in the second half that took her and Albany out of the game. (though I'll admit the fourth foul was a pretty cheap call) Some refs are going to catch those pushoffs and those moments where she doesn't look before she drives.

We have a bench! And we even got to see the very end of it! Shamachya Duncan, Kendyl Nunn, and Tamesha Alexander all played the last minute or so and showed a lot of hustle. Kendyl and Sox were both especially aggressive going after potential held balls. I get the feeling we're going to need a pronunciation guide soon. We also got some good defensive minutes from Sandra Udobi, though you can tell there are plays she thinks she can still make, but the flesh is weak.

Andrayah Adams showed a little more today than she did the last time I saw her. I'm not sure about running her at the point with Crystal Simmons, as Coach did to get Aaliyah a little rest- she seems more suited to being the offense instead of initiating the offense. She's still got some freshman jitters to work through- the fumbled pass at the end of the first half when she was being set up for the corner three comes to mind (as an aside, the name of that play amuses me immensely, because I understand the reference, and no, I'm not going to give you my team's signals). Crystal Simmons had an impact beyond the box score- she was everywhere on defense and kept her hands active on loose balls. She made a lot of things happen, and that's what I love about her. Her jump shot is still one of the weirdest things I've ever seen, and she needs a geological epoch to get it off, but it goes in. Maya Singleton's strength was her strength, and that's not redundant or tautological. She ripped down rebounds with sheer, raw power and tore balls away from opponents (there was one play where she basically un-held a held ball situation with {I think} Féquière). She finished strongly at the basket, and delivered resounding blocks with the dominance of a certain other Maya. (She also had a pretty hilarious flop that was rather more DeMya than Maya, if you know what I mean.)

Aaliyah Lewis has started falling into the habit of dramatically protesting pretty much every call against her, and it's not a good look on her. She gets caught palming, or reaching in, and she starts stalking around like a petulant child. I get that it's frustrating to actually be caught, but staaaaaahp. It detracts from her pinpoint passing and her defensive disruptions. Alisha Kebbe was quiet, and Joe was swapping her out frequently for more advantageous match-ups. After the good start, I think the speed of the college game is starting to catch up to her, more mentally than physically.

Akina Wellere was hobbled early by foul trouble- she picked up two fouls in the first quarter and Joe sat her for the entire first half. She never really had a chance to get her shot off- I don't know if she's adjusting to being a primary focus of defensive attention well. Near the end of the game, she was making up for lost time with steals in rapid succession- she read Albany's telegraphed passes like she was working for Western Union. Imani Littleton had a quiet game offensively, but laid the hammer down inside on the Great Danes' shots. She had a real beauty on Féquière late in the game to help seal it, and the one shot she hit was a sweet hook shot. I am, and always have been, a sucker for hook shots. Jade Walker found her shot, or at least her willingness to shoot, but I'd like to see her finish better at the basket and move back in towards the hole. Long straight-away threes are not her shot, at least not yet (and since she's a senior, I'm not holding my breath). I am also a sucker for strong play in the paint, and I feel like Jade relies too much on her jumper; the big girl's ability to shoot the sweet J becomes less of a secret weapon if it's her only weapon. (And it is a sweet jumper. Don't get me wrong.)

I don't know if the strategy was to let Tate get hers and lock everyone else down- I've seen teams use that strategy because they know the superstar will get it anyway- or if it just worked out that way. But Tate was the only Great Dane to score in the third quarter, and the only one with a second-half field goal until deep into the fourth. The defense really clamped down, and it was glorious.

I have no real beef with the officiating, which is a blessed relief. I think I want Kathleen Lynch at all the games.

It was YMCA night, but not only did there not appear to be any YMCA groups, neither the band nor the arena played "YMCA", nor did the cheer squad or the dance team do the Y-M-C-A. Theme night, you're not doing it wrong so much as you're not doing it at all.

I'm not sure if the art on the roster cards is done by an artist or an Instagram filter, but it's pretty cool-looking anyway.

Nice to get that home win. Now it's on to the next one. Lafayette, we are coming!

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