WBB: Stanford 69 Colorado 66 on Williams' 39' buzzer beater

WBB: Stanford 69 Colorado 66 on Williams' 39' buzzer beater - Printable Version

+- The CardBoard (https://thecardboard.org/board)
+-- Forum: C-House! (https://thecardboard.org/board/forum-4.html)
+--- Forum: The CardBoard (https://thecardboard.org/board/forum-5.html)
+--- Thread: WBB: Stanford 69 Colorado 66 on Williams' 39' buzzer beater (/thread-18974.html)

Pages: 1 2 3 4 5

WBB: Stanford 69 Colorado 66 on Williams' 39' buzzer beater - 81alum - 02-15-2020

Preview:

This is a very dangerous game. Remember that Colorado took us to overtime and could well have beaten us in Maples:
https://thecardboard.org/board/showthread.php?tid=18895&highlight=colorado
If we play comparably to how we played in that game, we will lose at altitude. None of our players can go 40 minutes in Boulder. Key in this game will be getting and keeping an early lead, and bench play. Colorado is 63 in RPI and 15-9.

Since we eeked out our win against Colorado at Maples, Colorado has not done as well as Utah. They beat Cal, then lost at home against the two Oregon schools, and unlike Utah they lost on the road against both Washington schools. On Friday they did beat Cal again, with 5 players scoring 9 points or more.

Colorado is a tough match-up for us. They discombobulated Williams, and we could not guard their freshman phenom Sherrod. We also got badly outrebounded by them. Our offense slowed to a crawl at times. Ultimately we went to a zone and that helped our defense, and then the offenses on both teams opened up in the 4th as players got tired. Let's hope Tara has an alternative game plan this time around.

Overview:

The full Colorado defense focused on shutting down Lexie, and succeeded, but Williams made up for it with a career 29 point day, capped by a trey at 14 seconds, a steal at 4 seconds, and a half court trey as time expired to snatch a victory from the jaws of defeat.

Flow of the game:

The game started wonderfully, with four made treys in a row, and we zipped out to 15-6 lead halfway through the first quarter. But Colorado's defense began to clamp down and aided by a lot of non-calls they were able to discombobulate Lexie and render her offense inert. Multiple players scored a basket or two on our side, but there was no reliable offense apart from Williams as we took a 37-29 lead into halftime.

Colorado outplayed us in the third quarter. Their defense continue to focus on Lexie, and she was visibly struggling. We knew from the pregame interview that Tara had instructed the team to drive on the basket--you cannot defeat the Colorado defense by taking jumpshots alone. Lexie was trying, and repeatedly drove, but was bodied and hacked and only rarely got the benefit of a foul call. She wound up 1/14 for the game, and more importantly 0/10 from in close, going 0/7 for layups. With 2:50 in the third Colorado tied the game with two of their ample free throws, and we were lucky to finish up the quarter ahead 51-50 after a Prechtel layup.

The fourth also did not start well for us. We missed our first five shots, and Colorado took a 54-51 lead before Lacie tied the game with a trey--her only points of the game. Fingall and their Emma Clarke exchanged treys, then Tuitele gave Colorado a 62-59 lead on her own trey--and we sat on that score until at 3:06 Colorado scored on a layup to take a 5 point lead. At this point in the game there was really no indication that we were going to be able to reverse the Colorado momentum. We had been outscored 14-8 in the first 7 minutes of the quarter and nothing was coming easily.

With all the offensive heroics that were to come, we should note that we did not give up a field goal to Colorado the rest of the way. Williams and Fingall both managed layups to cut the lead to 1, and at 30 seconds we started fouling. Colorado made only 2 of 6 freethrows down the stretch to give Colorado a 3 point lead, although it looked very bleak when they got the defensive rebound off of one of those misses. With 14 seconds left, Williams hit a trey to tie the game. Then, as time was winding down, Williams cut between two Colorado players to steal the ball and she let it fly, with a big, high arcing shot from a few feet over the half court line. The buzzer went off while the ball was in the air, and it swooshed through the net for the win. The team mobbed Kiana Williams on the floor, and we survived another cardiac game with Colorado.

Performances:

As a team, we should have won the game fairly easily, except we scored 5 points off of free throws while Colorado scored 17. Rebounds, turnovers, blocks were all about even. We shot 39% to their 41%--we were shooting much better than Colorado in the first half but our shooting dramatically fell off in the second, as their defense took hold. But we made 14 treys to their 7.

On defense we were mediocre. Hollingshed is their leading scorer and she managed 19 points. Sherrod torched us at Stanford, and we held her down 10 points. Colorado had 4 players in double digits--meaning they were able to defeat the scouting report by asking other players to step up and score.

Williams was far and away our offensive star today, with a career high 29 points, making 7/13 treys, and taking not a single free throw.

Fingall was the only other player in double digits with 13, but not as one might expect--she made 3/4 from long range and was 1/2 with her layups.

Our remaining points were scatterd widely with no one with more than 6. Most disconcerting was Lexie, who was 1/14 and missed 7 layups. My impression is that she was the focus of the Colorado defense and was also hurt by the way the refs called the game. But having been thrown off, she began to take some poor shots and miss some easy ones--as she did with a fast break layup.

Dodson played 15 minutes, scored 6, but picked up 3 quick fouls.

Conclusion:

Did we deserve to win this game? Given the lopsided officiating, I would say we did. However, it is disconcerting that after Colorado took us to overtime at home, that we were not prepared to put them away early--especially considering we had Dodson back to help. Hopefully this will extirpate any remnants of complacency before the toughest home stand of the year.

RE: WBB: Stanford @ Colorado Sunday 11am - 81alum - 02-16-2020

Notes from the radio pregame interview with Tara:

Tara's Mom and brother are in attendance.

Tara liked the pace and aggressive defense against Utah. Excited to see Maya back in the game. Tara hopes she can play even more today.

In the last game against Colorado, we were out rebounded, and we came 1.2 seconds away from being defeated. Today we must rebound and not turn the ball over while being more aggressive than Colorado.

Tara noted that a lot for us depends on our ability to run our offense against their aggressive defense. We need good spacing and need to be able to attack the basket and not chuck up wild shots, but finish at the rim. Tara mentioned Jenna Brown as someone who can do that, so I would expect to see more of her than usual today.

Starting lineup: Williams Lexie Lacie Jerome Fingall no changes

RE: WBB: Stanford @ Colorado Sunday 11am - BobK - 02-16-2020

Tara’s mom has been a long time season ticket holder.

We start out with 4 threes

RE: WBB: Stanford @ Colorado Sunday 11am - 81alum - 02-16-2020

Starting off 4/4 from three point range is nice :)

But we go cold for the rest of the quarter and wind up leading only 20-15. The TV announcers are deeply pro-Colorado. A bit annoying.

Lexie is 1/7. Williams is 3/3, all treys.

5 turnovers. We are outrebounding Colorado, which helps.

RE: WBB: Stanford @ Colorado Sunday 11am - M T - 02-16-2020

What HORRIBLE officiating. One official has made 3 bad calls by himself (one was so bad it was overturned) but the most blatant call was when one Colorado player knocked into another, and the foul was called on Stanford. That beat out the call against Stanford when the Colorado player swung her elbows and knocked a Stanford player back.

RE: WBB: Stanford @ Colorado Sunday 11am - 81alum - 02-16-2020

Well, if we clobber them a big enough margin the bad officiating won't matter.

Williams is on fire. Beautiful slashing to the rim and 3/5 treys as well. Jenna Brown also looked good taking it inside, and Dodson has looked terrific. A lot to like compares with the last game vs. Colorado. Hopefully we can keep this up.

At the half we are up 37 29. Not a comfortable lead.

We have held Sherrod to 1/5. We need to do a better job on Hollingshed, who is 4/8. Not sure who is/should be guarding her. Probably Dodson or Fingall. Hollingshed is a lithe and quick 6'3".

On offense it has been the Kiana Williams show, with 16 points. Dodson has 2 baskets and no one else more than 1.

Rebounds, steals, blocks, and turnovers all sort of evened out.

We lead because we are shooting 44% while Colorado is shooting 32%, and we have taken 33 shots to their 29.

RE: WBB: Stanford @ Colorado Sunday 11am - M T - 02-16-2020

(02-16-2020, 12:41 PM)81alum Wrote: We lead because we are shooting 44% while Colorado is shooting 32%, and we have taken 33 shots to their 29.

We DON'T lead so much because we are down 9-1 in FT (10-2 in FTA)

RE: WBB: Stanford @ Colorado Sunday 11am - 81alum - 02-16-2020

UConn is behind South Florida 29-25 at halftime!

(02-16-2020, 01:00 PM)M T Wrote:
(02-16-2020, 12:41 PM)81alum Wrote: We lead because we are shooting 44% while Colorado is shooting 32%, and we have taken 33 shots to their 29.

We DON'T lead so much because we are down 9-1 in FT (10-2 in FTA)

You are right MT. And as I watch them shoving and hacking at Lexie whenever she drives, I am beginning to see their strategy. Lexie is 1/12 and should have gone to the line a whole lot more than she has. She is 1/4 from the line, so that doesn't help either.

It all has taken a toll on her. She seems off, and a few shots have seemed desperate from her.

RE: WBB: Stanford @ Colorado Sunday 11am - mbdude - 02-16-2020

With the Ft's and lexie struggling big time colorado in game

We just keep reaching in and fouling!

RE: WBB: Stanford @ Colorado Sunday 11am - 81alum - 02-16-2020

This is too much like the first game. And since it is at their place, it makes the fourth quarter all that more difficult.

We need to turn up our intensity on both ends--we just seemed a little flat defensively in the 3rd quarter. And our offense cooled off in the 3rd.

Ugh. Even with their best two players sitting with 4 fouls, they manage to hit two treys in a row to take a 62-59 lead. Lexie going 1/14 so far is certainly not good.

The officiating really is a problem. When we take it to the rim we are not getting the calls. When they do, they are. And taking it to the rim was our strategy for dealing with their style of defense. The refs are neutralizing it.

RE: WBB: Stanford @ Colorado Sunday 11am - mbdude - 02-16-2020

No blockout.
Our fouls just seemed to me to be more obvious. Colorado at least tried to keep their hands up

Holy ****

RE: WBB: Stanford @ Colorado Sunday 11am - JJJ - 02-16-2020

OMFG!!!!! Williams for the win!!!

RE: WBB: Stanford @ Colorado Sunday 11am - biketoc - 02-16-2020

Unfricking believable finish.

RE: WBB: Stanford @ Colorado Sunday 11am - 81alum - 02-16-2020

Oh my God.

RE: WBB: Stanford @ Colorado Sunday 11am - BostonCard - 02-16-2020

No f-ing way!

What a finish!

BC

RE: WBB: Stanford @ Colorado Sunday 11am - Madera86 - 02-16-2020

OMG!

All RIGHT NOW!!!

RE: WBB: Stanford @ Colorado Sunday 11am - Lorcan - 02-16-2020

The Great Escape, Part II. Wow. What a game to be at!

RE: WBB: Stanford @ Colorado Sunday 11am - JJJ - 02-16-2020

6-0 run in the last 14 seconds. Amazing!!!
And nothing but the bottom of the net!

RE: WBB: Stanford @ Colorado Sunday 11am - 81alum - 02-16-2020

And with that desperation heave that hit all net, Williams passes Suminski for 5th most threes in Stanford history, and she also sets a career high with 29 points.

That has to be the most exciting basketball game I have watched since Adam Keefe did his magic.

Let's hope we don't draw Colorado in the Pac 12 tourney.

RE: WBB: Stanford @ Colorado Sunday 11am - martyup - 02-16-2020

Didn't watch, but sounds like the refs really tried to steal this one from us. Williams just says no. Hits a 3 to tie it, steals the ball on the next possession and hits a 3 to win it. Wow.