02-21-2016, 07:01 AM
Overview:
Chalk this win up to our posts--both their defense and offense, as McCall with 18 points and 7 blocks provided the highlights. But our perimeter offense looked anemic--1/11 from three point range won't get it done against the tough competition that is on the way.
Preliminary
Utah is a quality team, but like Washington State, they have never beaten Stanford. We can win our 999th game as a program today. Emily Potter is a superb forward, but we doubled her and held her to 9 points in the game at Maples. They will be ready for that doubling today, which will mean Potter passing to someone who is open. That could be Paige Crozen, who was 4/5 from three point range against us last time. Utah is the 104th offensive team and the 243rd defensive team in the country--making it an above average Division 1 team. Its leading stats are mostly about rebounding and also free throws made. They don't force a lot of bad shots, but they don't give up many offensive rebounds. Their best win this year was probably beating Washington. They have swept C.al, Arizona, and Colorado but lost to the top half of the conference.
Flow of the Game
I am trying to remember the last time we took an early first quarter lead and kept it....it was not this game. We started slow in the first half but eventually tied it at 9 when Lili made a layup-and-one. From that point forward we held our own but have not been able to decisively break away. Erica McCall has hit some notable jumpers, including one from nearly the three point line. Kaylee showed a wonderful counter-spin move for a back to the basket layup off the block. Lili, alas, has only made that one basket and continues cold, Karlie is 1/4 from three and that is our only trey. Utah's offense is evenly distributed so hard to key just on Potter, who has been held to 7. We have shot 38% to their 33%, but most of the other stats are about even. I noticed Kaylee was gulping air during the first half--although she is from Wyoming I fear she has Palo Alto lungs now.Â
In the second half, we held Utah scoreless from 2:09 in the third quarter until 6:26 in the fourth--an great defensive performance complete with 11 blocks and 8 steals for the game. Utah's second half shooting sank like a stone and pulled them to 26% for the game. Our offense performed reasonably well despite stone cold guard play from Bri, who was 0-1, and Lili, who came up with 10 points but most of them not until long after the game was decided. Marta drove 9 times and got 4 layups--a welcome sight. But after Emily Potter was called for a flagrant 1 early in the fourth quarter, the life seemed to go out of Utah.Â
Performances
Erica McCall set a personal record with 7 blocks today. Add to that 18 points on 8/13 shooting, and 9 rebounds. Particularly impressive to me was her jump shot--she was extending her range nearly to the arc, and most of her jump shots hit only net. Her accuracy was impressive today. Erica is a bit short to play the 5, so it is wonderful to see that jump shot developing.
Kaylee started and showed why today. She had 13 points on 5/13 shooting and 8 rebounds. She had one fast break layup and also showed how far she has come in a year with a superb back-to-the-basket counter move off the low block.Â
Karlie was 1-5 from three point range but rarely had open shots. Bri took only one shot. Lili, as mentioned, was cold until late in the game. We did not get a lot of help from guards today on offense. Bri and Karlie each had 3 assists, though, and Karlie impressively had 3 steals. The best guard on offense, perhaps, was Marta, who showed the willingness to take it to the rim repeatedly. A few of them were hopeless, and she never did get the foul. But she made 4 baskets.
Alanna Smith got quite a lot of time today, especially when McCall rested with multiple fouls. Alanna was inconsistent at 3/10 but showed her talents. She missed a few in-close layups--she needed a softer touch--but then she made one or two very difficult ones. Her jumper just needs to start falling the way Erica's has begun to fall--one swooshed net but most of her jumpers clanked iron.Â
Britt only had 1 basket but her aggressive play was rewarded with 3 free throws and six rebounds. She has to be one of our best rebounders, inch for inch, on the team. And somehow she got a couple of blocks.
Conclusion:
This weekend brought good results, although we have yet to have a game when all of our offensive threats are active at the same time. The next two games are going to be far more competitive and difficult, even though they are at Maples. OSU is plain good, but this time at least we get to face them on the Friday. Oregon for our last home game could turn out to be critical. If we beat OSU there may be a tendency to let down against the second team, especially since we prepare less well for Sundays. But if we lose to OSU than it will be critical to beat Oregon to keep our NCAA host argument alive. I hope that everyone is able to get to Maples for our final two home games.
Chalk this win up to our posts--both their defense and offense, as McCall with 18 points and 7 blocks provided the highlights. But our perimeter offense looked anemic--1/11 from three point range won't get it done against the tough competition that is on the way.
Preliminary
Utah is a quality team, but like Washington State, they have never beaten Stanford. We can win our 999th game as a program today. Emily Potter is a superb forward, but we doubled her and held her to 9 points in the game at Maples. They will be ready for that doubling today, which will mean Potter passing to someone who is open. That could be Paige Crozen, who was 4/5 from three point range against us last time. Utah is the 104th offensive team and the 243rd defensive team in the country--making it an above average Division 1 team. Its leading stats are mostly about rebounding and also free throws made. They don't force a lot of bad shots, but they don't give up many offensive rebounds. Their best win this year was probably beating Washington. They have swept C.al, Arizona, and Colorado but lost to the top half of the conference.
Flow of the Game
I am trying to remember the last time we took an early first quarter lead and kept it....it was not this game. We started slow in the first half but eventually tied it at 9 when Lili made a layup-and-one. From that point forward we held our own but have not been able to decisively break away. Erica McCall has hit some notable jumpers, including one from nearly the three point line. Kaylee showed a wonderful counter-spin move for a back to the basket layup off the block. Lili, alas, has only made that one basket and continues cold, Karlie is 1/4 from three and that is our only trey. Utah's offense is evenly distributed so hard to key just on Potter, who has been held to 7. We have shot 38% to their 33%, but most of the other stats are about even. I noticed Kaylee was gulping air during the first half--although she is from Wyoming I fear she has Palo Alto lungs now.Â
In the second half, we held Utah scoreless from 2:09 in the third quarter until 6:26 in the fourth--an great defensive performance complete with 11 blocks and 8 steals for the game. Utah's second half shooting sank like a stone and pulled them to 26% for the game. Our offense performed reasonably well despite stone cold guard play from Bri, who was 0-1, and Lili, who came up with 10 points but most of them not until long after the game was decided. Marta drove 9 times and got 4 layups--a welcome sight. But after Emily Potter was called for a flagrant 1 early in the fourth quarter, the life seemed to go out of Utah.Â
Performances
Erica McCall set a personal record with 7 blocks today. Add to that 18 points on 8/13 shooting, and 9 rebounds. Particularly impressive to me was her jump shot--she was extending her range nearly to the arc, and most of her jump shots hit only net. Her accuracy was impressive today. Erica is a bit short to play the 5, so it is wonderful to see that jump shot developing.
Kaylee started and showed why today. She had 13 points on 5/13 shooting and 8 rebounds. She had one fast break layup and also showed how far she has come in a year with a superb back-to-the-basket counter move off the low block.Â
Karlie was 1-5 from three point range but rarely had open shots. Bri took only one shot. Lili, as mentioned, was cold until late in the game. We did not get a lot of help from guards today on offense. Bri and Karlie each had 3 assists, though, and Karlie impressively had 3 steals. The best guard on offense, perhaps, was Marta, who showed the willingness to take it to the rim repeatedly. A few of them were hopeless, and she never did get the foul. But she made 4 baskets.
Alanna Smith got quite a lot of time today, especially when McCall rested with multiple fouls. Alanna was inconsistent at 3/10 but showed her talents. She missed a few in-close layups--she needed a softer touch--but then she made one or two very difficult ones. Her jumper just needs to start falling the way Erica's has begun to fall--one swooshed net but most of her jumpers clanked iron.Â
Britt only had 1 basket but her aggressive play was rewarded with 3 free throws and six rebounds. She has to be one of our best rebounders, inch for inch, on the team. And somehow she got a couple of blocks.
Conclusion:
This weekend brought good results, although we have yet to have a game when all of our offensive threats are active at the same time. The next two games are going to be far more competitive and difficult, even though they are at Maples. OSU is plain good, but this time at least we get to face them on the Friday. Oregon for our last home game could turn out to be critical. If we beat OSU there may be a tendency to let down against the second team, especially since we prepare less well for Sundays. But if we lose to OSU than it will be critical to beat Oregon to keep our NCAA host argument alive. I hope that everyone is able to get to Maples for our final two home games.
