02-19-2016, 11:58 AM
Overview
We shrugged off a slow first quarter and shot 49% for the game, including 7/14 from three, to bury Colorado's overmatched defense.
Preliminary:
I'd be tempted to say that every game is a "must win" for us, but at this stage it would simply be hyperbole. Probably the main thing we are fighting for now is a chance to host the first two rounds of the NCAAs--meaning we need a four seed which is equivalent to a 16 ranking--probably higher than that to be on the safe side. We are presently at 15 in both polls and a surprising 11 in Sagarin (with OSU at 6, UCLA at 10, and ASU inexplicably at 14.)  I think to be sure of our host status we MUST beat Colorado and Utah on the road this weekend, Oregon at home next weekend, and it would help a great deal to beat Oregon State at home next weekend too. If we lose to OSU next weekend, then I think we will have to win a couple of Pac 12 tournament games including one win over ASU, OSU, or UCLA to give the committee a reason to let us host. But as Tara has pointed out, we need to continue to improve over the next four games just because it will prove that we have a chance to win the Pac 12 tournament, and go deep into the NCAAs.
The biggest challenge? Altitude and simply being on the road--where our worst collapses have occurred this year. I worry about Utah on Sunday the most, but there were long stretches of our prior win over Colorado where our play was not particularly dominant.Â
Play of the Game:
In the first half we started cold and scratched our way to a 15-13 lead, after falling behind for much of the period. Two treys by Lili--each of which was a bit short, hit all iron, and bounced through--kept us close. In the second quarter the offense looked much better--another 20+ point quarter--except the 8 silly turnovers on lazy perimeter passes--which led to 16 Colorado points--kept Colorado in the game. Tara at halftime commented that Lili and Bird were doing a good job but that there were other players she did not recognize in their uniforms. Kaylee and Kailee each got into foul trouble, giving Alanna and Britt extensive time in the game. Brittany did well on offense with 3/4, but also contributed 2 turnovers. We know what Tara probably told the team in halftime--to feed McCall in the paint, where she can continue to score and hit free throws (she is 5/6 free throws thus far.) McCall is coming on strong in the last few games and is beginning to hit jump shots and bank shots to go with her layups.
The second half went all our way. Particularly heartwarming was the performance of McPhee, who had a couple of gorgeous reverse layups and became our leading scorer for the game on 6/7 shooting. Alanna Smith played extensively and was the beneficiary of a great Marta assist on a fast break for a layup-and-1. As a team we cut down the turnovers from 16 to 5 and that pretty well snuffed out any Colorado hope. By the end of the game the scout team was playing and it was playing rather well, with Coffee getting a basket.
Performances:
McPhee scored 16 and was offensively gifted, adding 7 rebounds and cutting her second half turnovers to 0. She had a couple of blocks and a couple of assists and 0 personal fouls. I'm not sure what more she could have done--Tara just has to find a way to get her and Karlie into the game at the same time. In any case, this was perhaps her best all-around performance of the year.
Lili had 15 points, but not particularly efficiently. Still, she is improving over her icy stretch. She was 5/13 and 3/3 from the line. Her 4 assists and 4 steals certainly helped too.
Kaylee had a very solid game. She started, got into a bit of foul trouble, but wound up with 12 efficient points on 4/6 shooting, 4/4 from the line. Add to that 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 steals, and a whopping four blocks and you can see she was a critical contributor in many parts of the game.
Erica had 13 points on 4/10 shooting, and like just about everybody else, 7 rebounds! At the end of the first half I thought she was slated for a monster second half, but not so much--possibly because we got a large lead and she wasn't really needed.
Karlie with 9 points and 2/5 three point shooting was her normal self. Bri shot well though not often, with 5 points on 2/3 shooting. Hopefully her glacial slump is over. Marta had 4 assists and 2 turnovers. Then there was Kailee, with a nearly empty stat line and three fouls. I think Kailee is turning into the Taylor Greenfield of the team--clearly great talent but afraid to shoot until one day she may just decide to break out. That day was not today.
The team stats show how dominant we were this game. 17 assists to their 8, shooting 49% to their 33%, and even steals were nearly even by the end of the game.Â
Conclusion:
Each remaining game gets harder. Utah is a better team than Colorado and is having a better season with better crowds. So the Sunday game will not be easy. Then home for a rapidly improving Kelly Graves' Oregon and then league leader Oregon State. Let's hope that the signs we saw tonight--that McPhee could become a major contributor, that Lili and Bri are scoring again--continue for the rest of the season.
We shrugged off a slow first quarter and shot 49% for the game, including 7/14 from three, to bury Colorado's overmatched defense.
Preliminary:
I'd be tempted to say that every game is a "must win" for us, but at this stage it would simply be hyperbole. Probably the main thing we are fighting for now is a chance to host the first two rounds of the NCAAs--meaning we need a four seed which is equivalent to a 16 ranking--probably higher than that to be on the safe side. We are presently at 15 in both polls and a surprising 11 in Sagarin (with OSU at 6, UCLA at 10, and ASU inexplicably at 14.)  I think to be sure of our host status we MUST beat Colorado and Utah on the road this weekend, Oregon at home next weekend, and it would help a great deal to beat Oregon State at home next weekend too. If we lose to OSU next weekend, then I think we will have to win a couple of Pac 12 tournament games including one win over ASU, OSU, or UCLA to give the committee a reason to let us host. But as Tara has pointed out, we need to continue to improve over the next four games just because it will prove that we have a chance to win the Pac 12 tournament, and go deep into the NCAAs.
The biggest challenge? Altitude and simply being on the road--where our worst collapses have occurred this year. I worry about Utah on Sunday the most, but there were long stretches of our prior win over Colorado where our play was not particularly dominant.Â
Play of the Game:
In the first half we started cold and scratched our way to a 15-13 lead, after falling behind for much of the period. Two treys by Lili--each of which was a bit short, hit all iron, and bounced through--kept us close. In the second quarter the offense looked much better--another 20+ point quarter--except the 8 silly turnovers on lazy perimeter passes--which led to 16 Colorado points--kept Colorado in the game. Tara at halftime commented that Lili and Bird were doing a good job but that there were other players she did not recognize in their uniforms. Kaylee and Kailee each got into foul trouble, giving Alanna and Britt extensive time in the game. Brittany did well on offense with 3/4, but also contributed 2 turnovers. We know what Tara probably told the team in halftime--to feed McCall in the paint, where she can continue to score and hit free throws (she is 5/6 free throws thus far.) McCall is coming on strong in the last few games and is beginning to hit jump shots and bank shots to go with her layups.
The second half went all our way. Particularly heartwarming was the performance of McPhee, who had a couple of gorgeous reverse layups and became our leading scorer for the game on 6/7 shooting. Alanna Smith played extensively and was the beneficiary of a great Marta assist on a fast break for a layup-and-1. As a team we cut down the turnovers from 16 to 5 and that pretty well snuffed out any Colorado hope. By the end of the game the scout team was playing and it was playing rather well, with Coffee getting a basket.
Performances:
McPhee scored 16 and was offensively gifted, adding 7 rebounds and cutting her second half turnovers to 0. She had a couple of blocks and a couple of assists and 0 personal fouls. I'm not sure what more she could have done--Tara just has to find a way to get her and Karlie into the game at the same time. In any case, this was perhaps her best all-around performance of the year.
Lili had 15 points, but not particularly efficiently. Still, she is improving over her icy stretch. She was 5/13 and 3/3 from the line. Her 4 assists and 4 steals certainly helped too.
Kaylee had a very solid game. She started, got into a bit of foul trouble, but wound up with 12 efficient points on 4/6 shooting, 4/4 from the line. Add to that 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 steals, and a whopping four blocks and you can see she was a critical contributor in many parts of the game.
Erica had 13 points on 4/10 shooting, and like just about everybody else, 7 rebounds! At the end of the first half I thought she was slated for a monster second half, but not so much--possibly because we got a large lead and she wasn't really needed.
Karlie with 9 points and 2/5 three point shooting was her normal self. Bri shot well though not often, with 5 points on 2/3 shooting. Hopefully her glacial slump is over. Marta had 4 assists and 2 turnovers. Then there was Kailee, with a nearly empty stat line and three fouls. I think Kailee is turning into the Taylor Greenfield of the team--clearly great talent but afraid to shoot until one day she may just decide to break out. That day was not today.
The team stats show how dominant we were this game. 17 assists to their 8, shooting 49% to their 33%, and even steals were nearly even by the end of the game.Â
Conclusion:
Each remaining game gets harder. Utah is a better team than Colorado and is having a better season with better crowds. So the Sunday game will not be easy. Then home for a rapidly improving Kelly Graves' Oregon and then league leader Oregon State. Let's hope that the signs we saw tonight--that McPhee could become a major contributor, that Lili and Bri are scoring again--continue for the rest of the season.
