[pefloresjr]

We win 86-65.

Somfai was close to a triple double with 15 points, 23 rebounds, and 8 assists.  

Clardy finished with 26 points and 6-11 from 3.

Ogden had 23 points and 7 assists.

We finished the game with 5 turnovers.  That's a good job protecting the ball.


We had 21 assists on 36 made baskets.  That's team play.

Good job team.  Good job coach Paye.

With all the respect in the world (and as an outsider), I saw the game differently.  Coach Paye is choosing to over-rely on the 3-ball rather than designing a more balanced attack.  At one point, Pitt cut it down to perhaps 6 points or less because the 3-ball was not going in and Pitt was running plays.  Stanford (at best) is a streaky 3-point shooting team and today they were fortunate that the long ball was going in.

With that said, kudos to Clardy, Ogden and Swain who provided much of the firepower and Shay's defense was great.

Only 4 trips to the line, which is indicative of the game Coach Paye elected to play. That might be OK for teams like Pitt, but it will not get it done against many other ACC foes. The short leash is back- only 11 minutes for Eschmeyer who (despite the sizable lead), barely played in the 2nd. half.  Her presence at the beginning of the game (and 4 quick points) was doubly nice because her teammates were looking for her.  Once she went out, the offensive flow and playmaking seemed to stop.

I was delighted to see Somfai back in form and her stat line was awesome.  I hope this performance boosts her confidence.

A good win to snap Stanford's 4 game losing streak.  Georgia Tech will be a lot tougher.  I'm hoping for a win.

You know BB and I always read your posts, BUT, could it be that Kate wanted Chloe and Ogden to gain more confidence in their outside shots, that we were likely to win this game and thus a good time to give MAS alot of playing time, that Somfai had a poor game last time out, and she was dominating play in the paint and looked like she might get a pr in rebounds, and we need "good" Lara to have a chance without Nunu, etc. 

Btw, I listened on KZSU and Lara was interviewed after the game. She was excited, and when asked what Kate said to her after the last game, she replied the coaches emphasized she was rushing herself. She agreed and thinks it made a difference. She had never had 22 rebounds before, nor 8 assists, and was delighted.

Coach Paye certainly wanted our outside shooters to gain confidence in shooting the three because she knows the team will not go far without a credible three point threat.  If the three is falling, you ride the hot hand.  There are not a lot of options at the post right now with Nunu out, Eschmeyer not being a major scoring threat yet, and Somfai a little undersized for major post up points (I know she was great today, but we already went to her a lot today).  We also don't have guards with great ball handling and driving talent, so we have to do the best we can with the team's abilities.  

Additionally, without the three point threat, we have seen most teams play off of our shooters and cheat toward the key so they can clog the driving/passing lanes and double team any post players.  In other words, there is no "balanced" offense without a legitimate three point threat from multiple players.  I think that, given our current talent level, the offense works and the players perform well against teams that are not elite.  Against elite teams, it's convenient to blame the coaching, but I think the team's struggles have a lot more to do with our talent level and youth.  I'm going to enjoy this win and hope we see similar results over the weekend.  

Cheers,
Pete F.

[pefloresjr]

We win 86-65.

Somfai was close to a triple double with 15 points, 23 rebounds, and 8 assists.  

Clardy finished with 26 points and 6-11 from 3.

Ogden had 23 points and 7 assists.

We finished the game with 5 turnovers.  That's a good job protecting the ball.


We had 21 assists on 36 made baskets.  That's team play.

Good job team.  Good job coach Paye.

With all the respect in the world (and as an outsider), I saw the game differently.  Coach Paye is choosing to over-rely on the 3-ball rather than designing a more balanced attack.  At one point, Pitt cut it down to perhaps 6 points or less because the 3-ball was not going in and Pitt was running plays.  Stanford (at best) is a streaky 3-point shooting team and today they were fortunate that the long ball was going in.

With that said, kudos to Clardy, Ogden and Swain who provided much of the firepower and Shay's defense was great.

Only 4 trips to the line, which is indicative of the game Coach Paye elected to play. That might be OK for teams like Pitt, but it will not get it done against many other ACC foes. The short leash is back- only 11 minutes for Eschmeyer who (despite the sizable lead), barely played in the 2nd. half.  Her presence at the beginning of the game (and 4 quick points) was doubly nice because her teammates were looking for her.  Once she went out, the offensive flow and playmaking seemed to stop.

I was delighted to see Somfai back in form and her stat line was awesome.  I hope this performance boosts her confidence.

A good win to snap Stanford's 4 game losing streak.  Georgia Tech will be a lot tougher.  I'm hoping for a win.

You know BB and I always read your posts, BUT, could it be that Kate wanted Chloe and Ogden to gain more confidence in their outside shots, that we were likely to win this game and thus a good time to give MAS alot of playing time, that Somfai had a poor game last time out, and she was dominating play in the paint and looked like she might get a pr in rebounds, and we need "good" Lara to have a chance without Nunu, etc. 

Btw, I listened on KZSU and Lara was interviewed after the game. She was excited, and when asked what Kate said to her after the last game, she replied the coaches emphasized she was rushing herself. She agreed and thinks it made a difference. She had never had 22 rebounds before, nor 8 assists, and was delighted.

Coach Paye certainly wanted our outside shooters to gain confidence in shooting the three because she knows the team will not go far without a credible three point threat.  If the three is falling, you ride the hot hand.  There are not a lot of options at the post right now with Nunu out, Eschmeyer not being a major scoring threat yet, and Somfai a little undersized for major post up points (I know she was great today, but we already went to her a lot today).  We also don't have guards with great ball handling and driving talent, so we have to do the best we can with the team's abilities.  

Additionally, without the three point threat, we have seen most teams play off of our shooters and cheat toward the key so they can clog the driving/passing lanes and double team any post players.  In other words, there is no "balanced" offense without a legitimate three point threat from multiple players.  I think that, given our current talent level, the offense works and the players perform well against teams that are not elite.  Against elite teams, it's convenient to blame the coaching, but I think the team's struggles have a lot more to do with our talent level and youth.  I'm going to enjoy this win and hope we see similar results over the weekend.  

Cheers,
Pete F.