[81alum]

Preliminary:

Utah has four returning starters but Emily Potter is always the big story--their 6'6" redshirt junior center who is shooting 58% and contributes to Utah's excellent defense.  Utah is 12-3 but all three losses have been in conference--to UCLA, ASU, and Arizona, and they have not beaten any ranked teams.  Still, it is at home, they are experienced, they play good defense, and anything can happen.

Overview:

This game was won by Stanford taking better shots than Utah, shooting 43% to their 34%.  Erica struggled in close against Emily Potter and still succeeded in getting around her occasionally, but we had very balanced scoring with 7 players putting in 7 or more points.  But defense was our strength again tonight, even while opposing their 6'6" center, we kept them out of the paint and outscored them there 30-16.

Flow of the Game:

In the first quarter it became clear that Utah was going to play a match-up zone—apparently something new for them.  The word has gone out--play zone against Stanford.  The announcers remarked that the weakness of the zone was that it gave up a lot of offensive rebounds, but we did not seem to take full advantage in that way.  However, Karlie had three treys and looked like a different woman than she did against the Oregon State defense.  Also, Marta poked the ball away from the Utah point guard twice and took it in for layups.  We were up 20-9 after one quarter.

Utah's zone was effective once they get us into a slow half court offense, but they were slow to get their zone set up.  Karlie would come down and be open in transition before the Utah zone got organized, and she wound up 4-6 from three point range in the first half.  Also of note in the first half was that Kaylee got quite a few minutes, and she had a couple baskets and 4 rebounds.  Her finishing touch seemed a bit rusty to me, but she moved well.  Anna Wilson came in briefly.  We played the second quarter to a draw, and wound up ahead 35-24 at the half.  The lead should have been greater given that we shot 44% to their 29% , we had 15 points off turnovers to their 2, we had 20 points in the paint to their 6, and we had 12 fast break points to their 2. 

The third quarter was our worst of the game.  We just took  low percentage shots as Utah settled in to its defense.  We were 5/15 and 0/6 from three point range.  Utah had the chance to close to 4 on one possession, but we stopped them and rebuilt the lead to 8.  This was mostly due to Alanna coming in at the end of the quarter and grabbing a couple of  baskets and making a couple of blocks.

The fourth quarter went much better, beginning with Bri and then Alanna hitting treys.  Later, DiJonai also hit a trey and Kaylee had a nice layup.  Other than that, it became a long steady grind-it-out as the life ebbed out of Utah.  Utah has never beaten Stanford, and it looked as if self-doubt afflicted them after we turned away their best shot in the third quarter.

Performances:

Karlie came out determined to get her three point shot going, and she did in the first half, winding up 4/7 and a team high 14 points.  Interestingly, she had 0 assists today which suggests that when she is left open she shoots, and when she is guarded she finds other open people to pass to.  Today she was open for a half.

Erica had 11 very hard earned points and 6 rebounds, and 4 blocks.  She was 5/12 and many of them were tough shots-trying to get through a zone with a 6'6" tower in the middle of it was not easy, but she did well enough.

Alanna had 10 points in only 12 minutes.  She seemed to me to turn the game around at the end of the third quarter and beginning of the fourth quarter.  When she came into the game our offense was stagnant and she scored all her points in this brief stretch, snagging 6 rebounds and making 3 blocks while she was at it, so by the time she left the game was well in hand.

Marta is gradually becoming more of an offensive threat, partly because she is consistently getting some steals.  Today she had 9 points on 3/5 shooting.  MUCH better was her 7 assists to 2 turnovers--particularly outstanding against a zone that made all assists difficult (we had just 15 overall.) 

Britt had 9 points on 3/9 shooting, but was 0/3 from three, and there were open three point shots she declined to take.  Her confidence from three point range is once again on the wane. 

Bri had seven points on 2/7 shooting, and had 4 assists to 0 turnovers. 

Nadia had 8 points on 3/10 shooting--it was tough inside--but she made both her free throws which is a good sign for her.  But she had only 1 rebound in 17 minutes which was odd.

Kaylee looked lithe and athletic and seemed to be fully recovered during her 20 minutes.  Her offensive moves looked somewhat rusty but she was 3/8 for six points and 7 rebounds. 

Conclusion:

This was a good confidence booster after the tough Oregon State loss.  We beat a tough defensive team which installed a zone defense just for us, and we also got Kaylee significant minutes.  Colorado is up next, and let's hope for a similar result.  And if we can score 77 points against tough defensive zones every game, I will be satisfied.

[81alum]

Preliminary:

Utah has four returning starters but Emily Potter is always the big story--their 6'6" redshirt junior center who is shooting 58% and contributes to Utah's excellent defense.  Utah is 12-3 but all three losses have been in conference--to UCLA, ASU, and Arizona, and they have not beaten any ranked teams.  Still, it is at home, they are experienced, they play good defense, and anything can happen.

Overview:

This game was won by Stanford taking better shots than Utah, shooting 43% to their 34%.  Erica struggled in close against Emily Potter and still succeeded in getting around her occasionally, but we had very balanced scoring with 7 players putting in 7 or more points.  But defense was our strength again tonight, even while opposing their 6'6" center, we kept them out of the paint and outscored them there 30-16.

Flow of the Game:

In the first quarter it became clear that Utah was going to play a match-up zone—apparently something new for them.  The word has gone out--play zone against Stanford.  The announcers remarked that the weakness of the zone was that it gave up a lot of offensive rebounds, but we did not seem to take full advantage in that way.  However, Karlie had three treys and looked like a different woman than she did against the Oregon State defense.  Also, Marta poked the ball away from the Utah point guard twice and took it in for layups.  We were up 20-9 after one quarter.

Utah's zone was effective once they get us into a slow half court offense, but they were slow to get their zone set up.  Karlie would come down and be open in transition before the Utah zone got organized, and she wound up 4-6 from three point range in the first half.  Also of note in the first half was that Kaylee got quite a few minutes, and she had a couple baskets and 4 rebounds.  Her finishing touch seemed a bit rusty to me, but she moved well.  Anna Wilson came in briefly.  We played the second quarter to a draw, and wound up ahead 35-24 at the half.  The lead should have been greater given that we shot 44% to their 29% , we had 15 points off turnovers to their 2, we had 20 points in the paint to their 6, and we had 12 fast break points to their 2. 

The third quarter was our worst of the game.  We just took  low percentage shots as Utah settled in to its defense.  We were 5/15 and 0/6 from three point range.  Utah had the chance to close to 4 on one possession, but we stopped them and rebuilt the lead to 8.  This was mostly due to Alanna coming in at the end of the quarter and grabbing a couple of  baskets and making a couple of blocks.

The fourth quarter went much better, beginning with Bri and then Alanna hitting treys.  Later, DiJonai also hit a trey and Kaylee had a nice layup.  Other than that, it became a long steady grind-it-out as the life ebbed out of Utah.  Utah has never beaten Stanford, and it looked as if self-doubt afflicted them after we turned away their best shot in the third quarter.

Performances:

Karlie came out determined to get her three point shot going, and she did in the first half, winding up 4/7 and a team high 14 points.  Interestingly, she had 0 assists today which suggests that when she is left open she shoots, and when she is guarded she finds other open people to pass to.  Today she was open for a half.

Erica had 11 very hard earned points and 6 rebounds, and 4 blocks.  She was 5/12 and many of them were tough shots-trying to get through a zone with a 6'6" tower in the middle of it was not easy, but she did well enough.

Alanna had 10 points in only 12 minutes.  She seemed to me to turn the game around at the end of the third quarter and beginning of the fourth quarter.  When she came into the game our offense was stagnant and she scored all her points in this brief stretch, snagging 6 rebounds and making 3 blocks while she was at it, so by the time she left the game was well in hand.

Marta is gradually becoming more of an offensive threat, partly because she is consistently getting some steals.  Today she had 9 points on 3/5 shooting.  MUCH better was her 7 assists to 2 turnovers--particularly outstanding against a zone that made all assists difficult (we had just 15 overall.) 

Britt had 9 points on 3/9 shooting, but was 0/3 from three, and there were open three point shots she declined to take.  Her confidence from three point range is once again on the wane. 

Bri had seven points on 2/7 shooting, and had 4 assists to 0 turnovers. 

Nadia had 8 points on 3/10 shooting--it was tough inside--but she made both her free throws which is a good sign for her.  But she had only 1 rebound in 17 minutes which was odd.

Kaylee looked lithe and athletic and seemed to be fully recovered during her 20 minutes.  Her offensive moves looked somewhat rusty but she was 3/8 for six points and 7 rebounds. 

Conclusion:

This was a good confidence booster after the tough Oregon State loss.  We beat a tough defensive team which installed a zone defense just for us, and we also got Kaylee significant minutes.  Colorado is up next, and let's hope for a similar result.  And if we can score 77 points against tough defensive zones every game, I will be satisfied.

[TheFarm07]

Yes, anything can happen, but UConn can also lose a conference game and McCaffrey could change his mind and come back for another year. Just because it could happen doesn't mean it is likely to happen.

But I can understand your less than stellar confidence in our team, especially with the unexpected losses we've suffered. I do think we will bounce back from the loss to the Beavers and our defense will limit either Potter or the rest of the team.

I strongly think we should come away with a 20+ point victory, perhaps lower scoring, like 70-50 or something along those lines.

[TheFarm07]

Yes, anything can happen, but UConn can also lose a conference game and McCaffrey could change his mind and come back for another year. Just because it could happen doesn't mean it is likely to happen.

But I can understand your less than stellar confidence in our team, especially with the unexpected losses we've suffered. I do think we will bounce back from the loss to the Beavers and our defense will limit either Potter or the rest of the team.

I strongly think we should come away with a 20+ point victory, perhaps lower scoring, like 70-50 or something along those lines.

[81alum]

Did anyone see the Washington State/Arizona State game earlier today?  Sounds like a very scary event.

Washington State guard Cameron Fernandez was injured late in the first half Friday during a women's basketball game against Arizona State at Wells Fargo Arena.  The freshman from Hawaii hit her head on the floor with 1.7 seconds left in the first quarter while taking a charge from ASU center Quinn Dornstauder.

Play was delayed for roughly 30 minutes.

Fernandez remained on the floor until EMT personnel from Tempe Fire Department arrived. She was put on a stretcher and taken to a hospital after players from both teams gathered around her in support.

Fernandez was expected to stay overnight at the hospital as a precaution and make a full recovery, according to a Washington State official.

http://www.azcentral.com/story/sports/co.../96548794/

WSU's had another freshman with a knee injury who had to be carried off the court.  What a horrible day for them.  Here is hoping that they both make speedy recoveries.

[81alum]

Did anyone see the Washington State/Arizona State game earlier today?  Sounds like a very scary event.

Washington State guard Cameron Fernandez was injured late in the first half Friday during a women's basketball game against Arizona State at Wells Fargo Arena.  The freshman from Hawaii hit her head on the floor with 1.7 seconds left in the first quarter while taking a charge from ASU center Quinn Dornstauder.

Play was delayed for roughly 30 minutes.

Fernandez remained on the floor until EMT personnel from Tempe Fire Department arrived. She was put on a stretcher and taken to a hospital after players from both teams gathered around her in support.

Fernandez was expected to stay overnight at the hospital as a precaution and make a full recovery, according to a Washington State official.

http://www.azcentral.com/story/sports/co.../96548794/

WSU's had another freshman with a knee injury who had to be carried off the court.  What a horrible day for them.  Here is hoping that they both make speedy recoveries.

[81alum]

Karlie had three treys and looked like a different woman.  Marta poked the ball away from the Utah point guard twice and took it in for layups.  Utah played zone for part of the quarter--apparently something they have very rarely done.  The word has gone out--play zone against Stanford.  Even so, we are up 20-9 after one quarter.

[81alum]

Karlie had three treys and looked like a different woman.  Marta poked the ball away from the Utah point guard twice and took it in for layups.  Utah played zone for part of the quarter--apparently something they have very rarely done.  The word has gone out--play zone against Stanford.  Even so, we are up 20-9 after one quarter.

[crackpot]

My only complaint is lack of O-boards--just standing around, or no one in the neighborhood at all.

Karl's treys are a thing of beauty.

[crackpot]

My only complaint is lack of O-boards--just standing around, or no one in the neighborhood at all.

Karl's treys are a thing of beauty.

[81alum]

We are up 35-24 at the half.  Utah's zone has been pretty effective once they get us into a slow half court offense, but they are slow to get their zone set up.  Karlie winds up open in transition fairly often before the zone gets organized, and she is 4-6 from three point range or else this game would be much closer.  Kaylee has been getting quite a few minutes and she has a couple baskets and 4 rebounds.  Her finishing touch still looks a bit rusty, but she is moving well and it is good to see her getting time.  Anna Wilson came in briefly.

We shot 44% to their 29% in the first half.  We have 15 points off turnovers to their 2.  We have 20 points in the paint to their 6.  We have 12 fast break points to their 2.  And despite all of that, we have only an 11 point lead.  Hmmm.

[81alum]

We are up 35-24 at the half.  Utah's zone has been pretty effective once they get us into a slow half court offense, but they are slow to get their zone set up.  Karlie winds up open in transition fairly often before the zone gets organized, and she is 4-6 from three point range or else this game would be much closer.  Kaylee has been getting quite a few minutes and she has a couple baskets and 4 rebounds.  Her finishing touch still looks a bit rusty, but she is moving well and it is good to see her getting time.  Anna Wilson came in briefly.

We shot 44% to their 29% in the first half.  We have 15 points off turnovers to their 2.  We have 20 points in the paint to their 6.  We have 12 fast break points to their 2.  And despite all of that, we have only an 11 point lead.  Hmmm.

[81alum]

The third quarter was our worst so far--just very low percentage shots as Utah settled in to its defense.  We were 5/15 and 0/6 from three point range.  We close out the quarter up 50 to 42.  The good news:  Alanna came in and grabbed a couple of baskets and a couple of blocks to keep the quarter respectable.

[81alum]

The third quarter was our worst so far--just very low percentage shots as Utah settled in to its defense.  We were 5/15 and 0/6 from three point range.  We close out the quarter up 50 to 42.  The good news:  Alanna came in and grabbed a couple of baskets and a couple of blocks to keep the quarter respectable.

[81alum]

The fourth quarter went much better, beginning with Bri and then Alanna hitting treys.  Later, DiJonai also hit a trey and Kaylee had a nice layup.  Other than that, a long steady grind out as the life ebbed out of Utah.

[81alum]

The fourth quarter went much better, beginning with Bri and then Alanna hitting treys.  Later, DiJonai also hit a trey and Kaylee had a nice layup.  Other than that, a long steady grind out as the life ebbed out of Utah.

[TheFarm07]

Thanks for the updates 81. Looking forward to your full recap as always.

I was worried we would add Utah to our should-have-won category after the dreadful 3rd quarter, but it seemed like we picked up in the last 10 and walked away with a deceptively 19-point victory.

[TheFarm07]

Thanks for the updates 81. Looking forward to your full recap as always.

I was worried we would add Utah to our should-have-won category after the dreadful 3rd quarter, but it seemed like we picked up in the last 10 and walked away with a deceptively 19-point victory.

[81alum]

First draft of recap is done at the top.

[81alum]

First draft of recap is done at the top.

[triangle2]

Washington State guard Cameron Fernandez was injured late in the first half Friday during a women's basketball game against Arizona State at Wells Fargo Arena.  The freshman from Hawaii hit her head on the floor with 1.7 seconds left in the first quarter while taking a charge from ASU center Quinn Dornstauder.

Play was delayed for roughly 30 minutes.

Fernandez remained on the floor until EMT personnel from Tempe Fire Department arrived. She was put on a stretcher and taken to a hospital after players from both teams gathered around her in support.

Fernandez was expected to stay overnight at the hospital as a precaution and make a full recovery, according to a Washington State official.

http://www.azcentral.com/story/sports/co.../96548794/

WSU's had another freshman with a knee injury and had to be carried off the court.  What a horrible day for them.  Her is hoping that they both make speedy recoveries.
[/quote]



Losing Chanelle Molina would be a big blow for WSU - she's been a genuine spark for them this year...

[triangle2]

Washington State guard Cameron Fernandez was injured late in the first half Friday during a women's basketball game against Arizona State at Wells Fargo Arena.  The freshman from Hawaii hit her head on the floor with 1.7 seconds left in the first quarter while taking a charge from ASU center Quinn Dornstauder.

Play was delayed for roughly 30 minutes.

Fernandez remained on the floor until EMT personnel from Tempe Fire Department arrived. She was put on a stretcher and taken to a hospital after players from both teams gathered around her in support.

Fernandez was expected to stay overnight at the hospital as a precaution and make a full recovery, according to a Washington State official.

http://www.azcentral.com/story/sports/co.../96548794/

WSU's had another freshman with a knee injury and had to be carried off the court.  What a horrible day for them.  Her is hoping that they both make speedy recoveries.
[/quote]



Losing Chanelle Molina would be a big blow for WSU - she's been a genuine spark for them this year...

[81alum]

UCLA beat Oregon State tonight 66-56.  UCLA went on a 14-4 run to close out the game.  Wiese was 2/12, Canada was 7/14.

Washington has to play Arizona State at ASU on Sunday, in what could be a critical game in the standings.  I think we should cheer for ASU.

[81alum]

UCLA beat Oregon State tonight 66-56.  UCLA went on a 14-4 run to close out the game.  Wiese was 2/12, Canada was 7/14.

Washington has to play Arizona State at ASU on Sunday, in what could be a critical game in the standings.  I think we should cheer for ASU.

[M T]

Losing Chanelle Molina would be a big blow for WSU - she's been a genuine spark for them this year...

I am not a doctor nor studied in head injuries, but I've seen what appeared to be harder collisions with the floor (IIRC, by Karlie this year) than what I see in the replays of today's incident.  But Molina's leg injury looked dreadful.  I can't imagine she will be back soon.  I hope the best for both of them.

[M T]

Losing Chanelle Molina would be a big blow for WSU - she's been a genuine spark for them this year...

I am not a doctor nor studied in head injuries, but I've seen what appeared to be harder collisions with the floor (IIRC, by Karlie this year) than what I see in the replays of today's incident.  But Molina's leg injury looked dreadful.  I can't imagine she will be back soon.  I hope the best for both of them.

[2006alum]

As always, thanks for the recap, 81. Sounds like a very balanced effort, although given Alanna's recent progress and impact in limited minutes, it'd be nice to see her get some more time on court. We're in the bizarre (and somewhat luxurious) position of having 8 or 9 players any one of whom can have a big night for us. That's great against decent teams because everyone is a threat so players off the bench may pose as much of a threat as the starting lineup. Now that Marta has upped her offensive production, Alanna is on a tear, Britt has cooled, Bri and Karlie are getting their three-point shots back, and Wilson is still adjusting, there's basically no way to predict on any given night who, other than Bird, would pose the biggest threat on the court. I imagine that's a fun puzzle for Tara and the coaching options now vs. the get-it-to-Chiney years must have multiplied by a factor of 10.

The downside, of course, is we lack a predictable player who performs big every single game. Bird is the closest, but even she has regular off nights where things just don't quite come together in a game-changing way. That seems to hurt us against the very best teams - lacking a Wiese-level clutch player is basically THE reason we lost in DOT to Oregon State. And when players appear to have breakout streaks, like Britt early this season or Alanna right now, they seem to come back down to earth. I keep waiting for one of our players to have the transformational moment but it seems like so far we just have to cycle through everyone and see who's having an on night. It's a fortunate problem to have so many potentially game-changing players, but it's also frustrating because we never seem to be able to a establish a reliable set of players or shot selections that we know will work day-in, day-out.

And best wishes to the WSU players - that's incredibly bad luck and really unfortunate given their very good start to conference play.

[2006alum]

As always, thanks for the recap, 81. Sounds like a very balanced effort, although given Alanna's recent progress and impact in limited minutes, it'd be nice to see her get some more time on court. We're in the bizarre (and somewhat luxurious) position of having 8 or 9 players any one of whom can have a big night for us. That's great against decent teams because everyone is a threat so players off the bench may pose as much of a threat as the starting lineup. Now that Marta has upped her offensive production, Alanna is on a tear, Britt has cooled, Bri and Karlie are getting their three-point shots back, and Wilson is still adjusting, there's basically no way to predict on any given night who, other than Bird, would pose the biggest threat on the court. I imagine that's a fun puzzle for Tara and the coaching options now vs. the get-it-to-Chiney years must have multiplied by a factor of 10.

The downside, of course, is we lack a predictable player who performs big every single game. Bird is the closest, but even she has regular off nights where things just don't quite come together in a game-changing way. That seems to hurt us against the very best teams - lacking a Wiese-level clutch player is basically THE reason we lost in DOT to Oregon State. And when players appear to have breakout streaks, like Britt early this season or Alanna right now, they seem to come back down to earth. I keep waiting for one of our players to have the transformational moment but it seems like so far we just have to cycle through everyone and see who's having an on night. It's a fortunate problem to have so many potentially game-changing players, but it's also frustrating because we never seem to be able to a establish a reliable set of players or shot selections that we know will work day-in, day-out.

And best wishes to the WSU players - that's incredibly bad luck and really unfortunate given their very good start to conference play.

[crackpot]

I was incredibly pleased to see Marta last night shooting a ton. That opens up so many more options.

Yes, must be a fun puzzle to figure out every night.

[crackpot]

I was incredibly pleased to see Marta last night shooting a ton. That opens up so many more options.

Yes, must be a fun puzzle to figure out every night.

[pepper1]

Great to see Kaylee showing some of her rebounding prowess again in Utah game.  Having her back in form will make a big difference.

[pepper1]

Great to see Kaylee showing some of her rebounding prowess again in Utah game.  Having her back in form will make a big difference.

[paloalto]

"That seems to hurt us against the very best teams - lacking a Wiese-level clutch player is basically THE reason we lost in DOT to Oregon State."

I agree.  Stanford WBB currently has no go-to player with the confidence to say "Give me the ball and I will win the game for you".  And we had no clutch player who wanted to win the game by shooting a 3 pointer.

[paloalto]

"That seems to hurt us against the very best teams - lacking a Wiese-level clutch player is basically THE reason we lost in DOT to Oregon State."

I agree.  Stanford WBB currently has no go-to player with the confidence to say "Give me the ball and I will win the game for you".  And we had no clutch player who wanted to win the game by shooting a 3 pointer.

[81alum]

"That seems to hurt us against the very best teams - lacking a Wiese-level clutch player is basically THE reason we lost in DOT to Oregon State."

I agree.  Stanford WBB currently has no go-to player with the confidence to say "Give me the ball and I will win the game for you".  And we had no clutch player who wanted to win the game by shooting a 3 pointer.

While I made a point similar to this in my write-up of the Oregon State game, I would not state it quite so emphatically, because McCall is pretty close to that level.  She made a trey with 2:01 left in regulation to start a comeback that gave us a chance to win it on Britt's missed free throw.  She also made a trey with 56 seconds left in the second overtime to erase Weise's trey at the other end and get us back to a three point game.  In both cases she was shooting when everyone else was reluctant.  Taking the tough shots when they count and making them--that is pretty clutch.  As it turns out, it wasn't enough and we needed more from everyone else, but Erica's performance was nearly the the equivalent of Weise's both in points and in timing.

[81alum]

"That seems to hurt us against the very best teams - lacking a Wiese-level clutch player is basically THE reason we lost in DOT to Oregon State."

I agree.  Stanford WBB currently has no go-to player with the confidence to say "Give me the ball and I will win the game for you".  And we had no clutch player who wanted to win the game by shooting a 3 pointer.

While I made a point similar to this in my write-up of the Oregon State game, I would not state it quite so emphatically, because McCall is pretty close to that level.  She made a trey with 2:01 left in regulation to start a comeback that gave us a chance to win it on Britt's missed free throw.  She also made a trey with 56 seconds left in the second overtime to erase Weise's trey at the other end and get us back to a three point game.  In both cases she was shooting when everyone else was reluctant.  Taking the tough shots when they count and making them--that is pretty clutch.  As it turns out, it wasn't enough and we needed more from everyone else, but Erica's performance was nearly the the equivalent of Weise's both in points and in timing.

[M T]

Now that Marta has upped her offensive production, Alanna is on a tear, Britt has cooled, Bri and Karlie are getting their three-point shots back,...  The downside, of course, is we lack a predictable player who performs big every single game.

Almost by definition, there is practically a one-to-one mapping between losses and having players that don't perform big.  After seeming so unstoppable against Stanford, Wiese had only 6 points on 2 of 12 shooting and 7 TO against UCLA.  Clearly Stanford focused on Wiese but she had a big second half + OTs.  I believe OSU focused on preventing Karlie from getting any 3-point shots. (BTW, I still didn't notice plays designed to get Karlie open against Utah.)

Karlie - I don't think Karlie ever lost her 3-point shot, at least not this year.  At 47.6% 3pt% (efficiency equal to a post player hitting 71% of their 2-point shots), the problem almost has to be that Stanford doesn't make enough opportunities for her.  Against OSU, you have to wonder why Tara didn't insist upon some plays to get Karlie open (or, maybe she did, but OSU broke them up).  Our big scorer, Erica, only hit 33% of her 21 shots.  Clearly, anyone's efficiency is going to be affected by how their opponents play them.  Maybe Karlie would have gone 0-8 if she'd gotten 8 shots off, but we don't know.

Brittany - I think it isn't so much that Brittany has cooled, but that it is more that defenses have adapted to her in our play.  The fact that they are having to defend against her probably helps our other players.

Marta - I think that part of the reason that Marta has been doing better relative to her former play is that she hasn't been on the opponent's defensive plan.  Hopefully, her performance recently is going to warrant the defense being spread a little more which, in turn, will allow better offensive chances for our interior players, and perhaps better offensive rebounding.  (Her penchant for driving for layups will NOT improve our rebounding performance.  Our rebounders have to give her room.)

Rebounding - I still see way too much looking up, esp. by the second team players, when a shot is taken rather than looking for someone to block out on rebounds.  My impression is that the opponents do not respect our rebounding nor our ability to fast break off a rebound, so they stay under the boards on offense, hurting our defensive rebounding.  (Part of that is whether our guards push or tend to set up after a defensive rebound.  When Brittany is in, the team pushes more.  Bri can also get to the basket quickly if she chooses to.  When  Tara says she wants the team to run more, I think better rebounding is one of the goals.)

Alanna - I had more hopes for Alanna when she first joined the team.  While she's improved on the klutzy fouls, she's not gotten to her potential on rebounding.  She seems relatively strong and I think has the potential to be a great rebounder, but she doesn't focus on getting position.  Kaylee is our best at that.

Dominant player - As for the breadth of the team, anyone else remember Tara saying something like she wasn't comfortable with one player scoring so many of the team's points?  It would be interesting to plot the ratio of top-scorer point average / team average over the history of Stanford WBB.

Officiating - Can you believe that no official saw the elbow to the head of Karlie that dropped her to the floor???? 


Future opponents - When we play Washington, we should remember that Osahor has problems with controlling her emotions.  After a blatant (& excessive, IMO) over the back foul was called on here, she complained, walked away, turned and complained, walked away, turned & complained yet again.  I didn't hear when the official called the technical.  Then later in the game, the other UW player that is built like Osahor got called on a serious elbow to the head (at eye level, IIRC) of an opponent, possibly correctly ruled a flagrant 1 personal foul (but I forgot about rule 4-19-7b at the time).)

Efficiency - If ES is your expected score per shot, and OR is your offensive rebounding percentage per shot, your expected score per possession(EP) (where offensive rebounds continue a possession, and discounting fouls, turnovers and end of quarters) is EP = ES*(1+OR + OR^2 + OR^3 + ....) = ES/(1-OR) = E/DR.  For ES=1.4 and OR = 0.33,  that's almost 2.1.  A post player hitting 50% would have expected score per possession of only 1.5.  It would be interesting to see what the rebounding percentages are for half-court offense in-the-paint shots vs 3-pt shots.  Until the last couple of years, I feel that 3-pt shots had better OR percentage than in-the-paint shots, but that is based on perception not stats.  I wish BB stats listed possessions rather than making you deduce it (which means you have to go to the play-by-play).  I'd like to see team stats show points/possession.  Ahh... sidearmstats ("live stats" on gostanford.com schedule) does list possessions, but their stats seem to be ephemeral)

[M T]

Now that Marta has upped her offensive production, Alanna is on a tear, Britt has cooled, Bri and Karlie are getting their three-point shots back,...  The downside, of course, is we lack a predictable player who performs big every single game.

Almost by definition, there is practically a one-to-one mapping between losses and having players that don't perform big.  After seeming so unstoppable against Stanford, Wiese had only 6 points on 2 of 12 shooting and 7 TO against UCLA.  Clearly Stanford focused on Wiese but she had a big second half + OTs.  I believe OSU focused on preventing Karlie from getting any 3-point shots. (BTW, I still didn't notice plays designed to get Karlie open against Utah.)

Karlie - I don't think Karlie ever lost her 3-point shot, at least not this year.  At 47.6% 3pt% (efficiency equal to a post player hitting 71% of their 2-point shots), the problem almost has to be that Stanford doesn't make enough opportunities for her.  Against OSU, you have to wonder why Tara didn't insist upon some plays to get Karlie open (or, maybe she did, but OSU broke them up).  Our big scorer, Erica, only hit 33% of her 21 shots.  Clearly, anyone's efficiency is going to be affected by how their opponents play them.  Maybe Karlie would have gone 0-8 if she'd gotten 8 shots off, but we don't know.

Brittany - I think it isn't so much that Brittany has cooled, but that it is more that defenses have adapted to her in our play.  The fact that they are having to defend against her probably helps our other players.

Marta - I think that part of the reason that Marta has been doing better relative to her former play is that she hasn't been on the opponent's defensive plan.  Hopefully, her performance recently is going to warrant the defense being spread a little more which, in turn, will allow better offensive chances for our interior players, and perhaps better offensive rebounding.  (Her penchant for driving for layups will NOT improve our rebounding performance.  Our rebounders have to give her room.)

Rebounding - I still see way too much looking up, esp. by the second team players, when a shot is taken rather than looking for someone to block out on rebounds.  My impression is that the opponents do not respect our rebounding nor our ability to fast break off a rebound, so they stay under the boards on offense, hurting our defensive rebounding.  (Part of that is whether our guards push or tend to set up after a defensive rebound.  When Brittany is in, the team pushes more.  Bri can also get to the basket quickly if she chooses to.  When  Tara says she wants the team to run more, I think better rebounding is one of the goals.)

Alanna - I had more hopes for Alanna when she first joined the team.  While she's improved on the klutzy fouls, she's not gotten to her potential on rebounding.  She seems relatively strong and I think has the potential to be a great rebounder, but she doesn't focus on getting position.  Kaylee is our best at that.

Dominant player - As for the breadth of the team, anyone else remember Tara saying something like she wasn't comfortable with one player scoring so many of the team's points?  It would be interesting to plot the ratio of top-scorer point average / team average over the history of Stanford WBB.

Officiating - Can you believe that no official saw the elbow to the head of Karlie that dropped her to the floor???? 


Future opponents - When we play Washington, we should remember that Osahor has problems with controlling her emotions.  After a blatant (& excessive, IMO) over the back foul was called on here, she complained, walked away, turned and complained, walked away, turned & complained yet again.  I didn't hear when the official called the technical.  Then later in the game, the other UW player that is built like Osahor got called on a serious elbow to the head (at eye level, IIRC) of an opponent, possibly correctly ruled a flagrant 1 personal foul (but I forgot about rule 4-19-7b at the time).)

Efficiency - If ES is your expected score per shot, and OR is your offensive rebounding percentage per shot, your expected score per possession(EP) (where offensive rebounds continue a possession, and discounting fouls, turnovers and end of quarters) is EP = ES*(1+OR + OR^2 + OR^3 + ....) = ES/(1-OR) = E/DR.  For ES=1.4 and OR = 0.33,  that's almost 2.1.  A post player hitting 50% would have expected score per possession of only 1.5.  It would be interesting to see what the rebounding percentages are for half-court offense in-the-paint shots vs 3-pt shots.  Until the last couple of years, I feel that 3-pt shots had better OR percentage than in-the-paint shots, but that is based on perception not stats.  I wish BB stats listed possessions rather than making you deduce it (which means you have to go to the play-by-play).  I'd like to see team stats show points/possession.  Ahh... sidearmstats ("live stats" on gostanford.com schedule) does list possessions, but their stats seem to be ephemeral)

[mbdude]

Re: Alanna.  Alanna and Kaylee (and Karlie) are  the only ones I really notice actively looking for someone to box out (most of the time anyway) on the defensive end.  Erica averages 8.9 rebounds per 31 minutes; Alanna 5.1 per 15.5 (or 10.2 if she got 31 minutes) ; nadia 3.6 per 16.6 minutes. so just based on numbers Alanna not doing too bad

[mbdude]

Re: Alanna.  Alanna and Kaylee (and Karlie) are  the only ones I really notice actively looking for someone to box out (most of the time anyway) on the defensive end.  Erica averages 8.9 rebounds per 31 minutes; Alanna 5.1 per 15.5 (or 10.2 if she got 31 minutes) ; nadia 3.6 per 16.6 minutes. so just based on numbers Alanna not doing too bad