[81alum]

Overview:

Both offense and defense seemed very rough, even for this early in the season.  The fact that UCSD was competitive tells me that we are going to lose quite a  few games while we learn and improve.  I am very concerned about McPhee, by far our best offensive player, who left with ice on her ankle.  She had the ice off by the end of the game and was walking around the bench area, but with a noticeable limp.

As for the new offense and the "Warriorization" of the team, you can't make it work when you go 4/25 from three point range.    It also doesn't help when a short, inferior team rebounds almost as well as we do.  We have a lot to fix and improve if we are going to have a decent season.

Performances:

Tara started her seniors and juniors--Johnson, Smith, McPhee, Sniezek, and Romano.  Four of those could have been expected but the new face was Romano.  Romano has shown hints of her capabilities in prior years, but Tara seems to be giving her a chance to play significant minutes in her junior year.  Her defense always seemed good to me and she did hustle today.  She probably helped her cause by going 3/6 from three point range and doing well with the rest of her stat line.  So Romano was the main surprise today to me.

Tara rotated many players, but the number of minutes played is probably a pretty good indication of who she thinks have the best chances of contributing this season.  Smith Sniezek and Romano were the only three with more than 20--McPhee would probably have joined them but left with the injury.  Dodson and Carrington each had 19 minutes.  Dodson didn't score a point but had 7 rebounds and 3 blocks.  Carrington's shot was off today but she finished with 8 points. 

Smith seemed quiet to me in the first half, but gradually asserted herself and wound up with 13 points and a developed stat line.

Johnson was 2/3 but played just 11 minutes.  Fingall also had only 11 minutes, and Fingall did not look much better than Dodson or Johnson to me.  They all have potential, but Dodson may have the most physical talent. 

Moschkau and Jerome got a little time but they won't be ready for serious college minutes for a while, I think.  Jerome had 11 minutes, hit a couple of free throws and snagged 4 rebounds.  Physically they remind me a little of Bonnie as a freshman--except they are not just three point specialists.  It took Bonnie a while to give significant help.

Wilson looked fully healthy to me but she did not have enough time to make a big mark--11 minutes.  She stroked one nice trey.  This is one of the few times we have seen her playing healthy.  I hope she continues to develop.

Williams moved like a really good athlete and got 14 minutes.  Clearly Tara is watching her.  But she was 1/6 with 2 turnovers and 0 assists.  You could tell that her physical skills were superior to many on the team, but she is not yet integrated into the team in an effective way.

We should not count Sniezek out.  Her lack of offense in prior years had me wondering if Williams or Wilson would be our starting PG this year.  Sniezek, however, had 7 assists, 1 turnover, and 4 steals.  She seemed a bit more aggressive about taking shots--but she only made one, sadly.  Meanwhile, it did not seem to me that Williams or Wilson are ready to run the offense, yet. 

Takeaways:

The first half was dreadful--we scored only 21 points against a small, overmatched team.  The offense did better in the second half--scoring almost twice as much at 39.  There was visibly more cutting and movement.  I have a hunch, though, that our offense is not going to be ready for prime time 6 days from now against Ohio State, or 8 days from now against UConn. 

Defense also was not so great--we gave up 20 points in the fourth quarter.  I think it is clear that our frosh and sophomores are not up to college level defense as yet, which is why Tara is sticking with her seniors and juniors to start the season.  Some of the youngsters will come along.  It seems that Tara is giving Dodson, Carrington, and Williams minutes and hopes they will develop in time to help this season, and she has already decided that junior Romano is her strongest fifth player for now.

[81alum]

Overview:

Both offense and defense seemed very rough, even for this early in the season.  The fact that UCSD was competitive tells me that we are going to lose quite a  few games while we learn and improve.  I am very concerned about McPhee, by far our best offensive player, who left with ice on her ankle.  She had the ice off by the end of the game and was walking around the bench area, but with a noticeable limp.

As for the new offense and the "Warriorization" of the team, you can't make it work when you go 4/25 from three point range.    It also doesn't help when a short, inferior team rebounds almost as well as we do.  We have a lot to fix and improve if we are going to have a decent season.

Performances:

Tara started her seniors and juniors--Johnson, Smith, McPhee, Sniezek, and Romano.  Four of those could have been expected but the new face was Romano.  Romano has shown hints of her capabilities in prior years, but Tara seems to be giving her a chance to play significant minutes in her junior year.  Her defense always seemed good to me and she did hustle today.  She probably helped her cause by going 3/6 from three point range and doing well with the rest of her stat line.  So Romano was the main surprise today to me.

Tara rotated many players, but the number of minutes played is probably a pretty good indication of who she thinks have the best chances of contributing this season.  Smith Sniezek and Romano were the only three with more than 20--McPhee would probably have joined them but left with the injury.  Dodson and Carrington each had 19 minutes.  Dodson didn't score a point but had 7 rebounds and 3 blocks.  Carrington's shot was off today but she finished with 8 points. 

Smith seemed quiet to me in the first half, but gradually asserted herself and wound up with 13 points and a developed stat line.

Johnson was 2/3 but played just 11 minutes.  Fingall also had only 11 minutes, and Fingall did not look much better than Dodson or Johnson to me.  They all have potential, but Dodson may have the most physical talent. 

Moschkau and Jerome got a little time but they won't be ready for serious college minutes for a while, I think.  Jerome had 11 minutes, hit a couple of free throws and snagged 4 rebounds.  Physically they remind me a little of Bonnie as a freshman--except they are not just three point specialists.  It took Bonnie a while to give significant help.

Wilson looked fully healthy to me but she did not have enough time to make a big mark--11 minutes.  She stroked one nice trey.  This is one of the few times we have seen her playing healthy.  I hope she continues to develop.

Williams moved like a really good athlete and got 14 minutes.  Clearly Tara is watching her.  But she was 1/6 with 2 turnovers and 0 assists.  You could tell that her physical skills were superior to many on the team, but she is not yet integrated into the team in an effective way.

We should not count Sniezek out.  Her lack of offense in prior years had me wondering if Williams or Wilson would be our starting PG this year.  Sniezek, however, had 7 assists, 1 turnover, and 4 steals.  She seemed a bit more aggressive about taking shots--but she only made one, sadly.  Meanwhile, it did not seem to me that Williams or Wilson are ready to run the offense, yet. 

Takeaways:

The first half was dreadful--we scored only 21 points against a small, overmatched team.  The offense did better in the second half--scoring almost twice as much at 39.  There was visibly more cutting and movement.  I have a hunch, though, that our offense is not going to be ready for prime time 6 days from now against Ohio State, or 8 days from now against UConn. 

Defense also was not so great--we gave up 20 points in the fourth quarter.  I think it is clear that our frosh and sophomores are not up to college level defense as yet, which is why Tara is sticking with her seniors and juniors to start the season.  Some of the youngsters will come along.  It seems that Tara is giving Dodson, Carrington, and Williams minutes and hopes they will develop in time to help this season, and she has already decided that junior Romano is her strongest fifth player for now.