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WBB: Stanford 89 Xavier 52 - Viking_Guy - 12-28-2010

Well, that was not what I was expecting.

#4 Xavier?  Not #4.  Stanford absolutely shellacked the Musketeers, 89-52, behind a dominant performance by Nneka Ogwumike backed up by great games from her sister Chiney, Jeanette Pohlen and Kayla Pedersen in a big bounce-back game from the frustration of missing the Depaul Debacle and a tough game at Tennessee.  Xavier only really got production from one player, PF Amber Harris.

What was strange was that Harris didn\'t start the game.  Don\'t know if it was a tactical or motivational benching, but when Stanford scored the opening 7 points, she headed to the scorer\'s table.  But early offensive struggles from the XWomen were not an anamoly; the Cardinal\'s defense and the Musketeers\' sorry excuse for an offensive gameplan were present throughout.

The entirety of the Xavier offense seems to consist of "throw the ball inside to Harris/Phillips" and "let Special Jennings drive."  Against a squad that plays team defense like Stanford, that just won\'t cut it; time and again Phillips was double-teamed and was not quick enough to react; time and again Special Jennings got the ball at the top of the arc and tried to drive the lane only to have it poked away.  Team offense?  Hitting the cutter out of the double-team, or even having a cutter when the double team comes?  Putting the ball up early before the double collapses and going for the o-board?  Not so much in Xavier\'s gameplan.

Combine that with an utter lack of outside shooting (for the game: Xavier 2-18 from 3 pt range, and they really never attempted many inside-the-arc jumpers; it was either point-blank or heave it up from 3), and you can see where this account is heading.

The real question was Stanford\'s offense.  Xavier\'s twin towers of 6\'5" Ta\'Shia Phillips and 6\'6" Amber Harris effectively shut down the Cardinal post-game last March in the Elite Eight, with Nneka especially having a tough time giving up 3-4 inches in the post, and Stanford also had a horrendous outside shooting night playing against the awful shooting background at Arco Arena.  But this year Phillips doesn\'t appear to be in very good condition, and while she played 35 minutes, often times she trailed the play badly coming down the court offensively and defensively.  Which let Nneka and Chiney get good position down in the post, and they made the most of it.

Early on, Stanford got the ball inside successfully, had a number of nice drives from Pohlen and Pedersen, and if it weren\'t for some early issues shooting from outside, would\'ve blown the game open early.  But Xavier got enough from Special Jennings (driving against an out-quicked Jeanette) and Harris (receiving the ball outside and driving, for the most part) to stay in it early.  When Harris hit a 3 around the 10-minute mark, it was 14-10.  That was also the last 3 Xavier hit for the game.

Stanford played some zone, but mostly simply tightened up their defense, got some offensive rebounds, and then Jeanette hit a 3, and all of a sudden it was 21-10.  

There was never any real turning point:  the Cardinal simply kept putting more distance between themselves and Xavier.  An 11-point lead got as big as 15 when Nneka hit a spectacular one-handed rebound follow-shot late in the first half before going into halftime up 13, 37-24.

If there was a key stretch, it was the opening 5 minutes or so of the second half.  Pohlen and Pedersen both hit 3 pointers, Nneka and Chiney were working inside, and when Lindy LaRocque (who again started) finally hit a three about 5 minutes in, the lead had ballooned to 26, and it was time to start working on different rotations.

How can you tell Xavier had no real offensive gameplan?  Because against our subs from about the 10 minute mark in the second half on, their starters... managed to cut into the lead not at all.  When their coach finally pulled the starters with about 3 minutes left, Xavier trailed by 29, and a couple of late threes by Grace Mashore and Ashley Cimino (!) pushed it out to the eventual final margin.

It\'s a nice win, but I\'m not sure how much to take away from it:  the Musketeers were simply overmatched, and only really had hope if they could keep Stanford under 60 points.  The Cardinal passed that mark on LaRocque\'s second 3 with about 12 minutes left.

Gameball to Nneka - 25 pts, 11 boards in 30 minutes, not including several spectacular near-misses.  But mostly, gameball to team defense - Xavier struggled offensively, but Stanford also turned them over 17 times, including 13 steals, anticipating the entry pass time and again.  And remember that point about no passing?  The Musketeers finished with a grand total of FOUR assists.

Next up: the Evil Empire (Blue Edition).  Hoping for a big and loud crowd on Thursday night.

One note: I\'m hoping to see Sarah Boothe for more minutes - Nneka did well tonight, but she often struggles trying to hold down the 5 against taller players.  She\'s the best 4 in the country - needs to play there.

VG

Re: WBB: Stanford 89 Xavier 52 - Viking_Guy - 12-28-2010

Oh, one fun moment:

Early in the second half, Pohlen picks up a loose ball off the defensive boards near Xavier\'s bench.  Turns and sprints down the middle of the court - and the Musketeers\' defense parts like the Red Sea.  Special Jennings was standing on the left side of the lane under the hoop, and never made a move to get in the way, as Jeanette drives past two other players to score an easy right handed layup about 5 seconds after picking up the ball.

Prompting me to ask "Coach, didn\'t you learn anything last year?"

VG


Re: WBB: Stanford 89 Xavier 52 - Card Fan in OR - 12-28-2010

Great report, VG--and a most surprising outcome. I\'m wondering if Toni Kokenis played and, if so, how she looked.

Anyone know if Thursday\'s game is televised?

Re: WBB: Stanford 89 Xavier 52 - Viking_Guy - 12-28-2010

Ah, ESPN writeup explains that Harris didn\'t start after getting a knock in the Duke game (Xavier started 10-0 before losing 46-45 to the Devils), and suffering from concussion-like symptoms.

Take away her 6-11 performance, and the rest of the Musketeers shot an Antarctic 12-49 from the field.  And the only other player to hit a 3, Rutan, basically picked up a fortuitous bounce and had a wide-open look after a loose-ball scramble left several players on the deck under Xavier\'s hoop early in the game.

VG


Re: WBB: Stanford 89 Xavier 52 - Kathy - 12-28-2010

Quote:Anyone know if Thursday\'s game is televised?

According to the e-mail Stanford sent out on Monday, the UConn game will be on ESPN2:
Quote:Thursday, December 30 @ 6:00 PM
It\'s the most anticipated game of the year when the Connecticut Huskies visit the Farm in a nationally televised (ESPN2) matchup.  The Cardinal were the last team to beat UCONN, back in the 2008 NCAA tournament, and will look to end the Huskies\' historic streak, which currently stands at 89 straight victories with a game scheduled against Pacific on Tuesday, Dec. 28.


Re: WBB: Stanford 89 Xavier 52 - Viking_Guy - 12-28-2010

CFiO-

Toni played, but not a brobdingnagian role.  15 minutes, 1-2 from the field, 4 rebounds and a couple of assists.  Really, Xavier was getting so little on the perimeter that the primary role off the ball was to drop down and double-team for most of the players.

She did log some minutes, and did a little better than Jeanette in staying in front of Special Jennings.  Of course, the refs bailed out Jennings a few time on her "special" drives to the basket, where she put her shoulder into the defender and initiated contact, then either lost the ball, cleared out with her inside arm, or got to the line.

A couple of tactical notes-

Xavier had some success with a 1-3-1 zone, with Harris up top and Phillips manning the middle of the lane.  But when Stanford adjusted, they got a lot of good looks at weak side offensive rebounds, and also some good baseline cutting.  Would\'ve like to have seen a few more spot up 12 foot baseline jumpers (a.k.a. the Kate Starbird shot).

Stanford played some 2-3 zone, but given the constant effort to double team Phillips down low didn\'t stay in it very long.  



Re: WBB: Stanford 89 Xavier 52 - terry - 12-28-2010

Special Jennings?

Are you making that up?

I really hope so.

Re: WBB: Stanford 89 Xavier 52 - CompSci87 - 12-28-2010

Quote:Special Jennings?

Are you making that up?

I really hope so.

Nope. And she has sisters named Treasure and Wonderful.

http://www.goxavier.com/sports/w-baskbl/mtt/jennings_special00.html

Re: WBB: Stanford 89 Xavier 52 - Leftcoast - 12-28-2010

Nope.

http://www.goxavier.com/sports/w-baskbl/mtt/jennings_special00.html

Re: WBB: Stanford 89 Xavier 52 - meos - 12-29-2010

A great effort and nice response to prior weeks of challenge.
Just the kind of win you need before a "big"er game vs UConn.

Many nice improvements. Enjoyed most the attention to details. Few turnovers. Automatic defensive responses. A LOT less hesitation.
Taking advantages of mis-matches, real-time ("playing the game") -- Pohlen posting 5\'3" Jennings and more of Kayla flashing into the middle.

Very nice to see.