Preview:
In our only regular season meeting of the year, we travel to Arizona where we take on the 13th ranked Wildcats. Arizona is 22-5 and has beaten the likes of Texas, UCLA, and Oregon State, more than justifying its claim to a spot in the top of the league. We haven't played them since they were at Maples about a year ago, when we eeked out a 2 point win. Arizona has led the Pac 12 in scoring defense most of the season. On offense, the main question is whether their star Aari McDonald will play. She was out last weekend, and while they announced that she would be back for their Colorado game on Sunday, she was not, and Arizona lost 38-50. My guess is she will be back.
McDonald is the engine that drives Arizona. The little point guard leads the team with 21 ppg and 90 assists on the season, although she is vulnerable to turnovers. Her three point shooting is only 28%--her main threat is her lightning quickness that is almost unguardable and her creativity in driving to the basket. I wonder if we will see more of our zone than usual.
Cate Reese is a 6'2" sophomore forward and former McD All American. She averages 14 points and 8 rebounds per game. She is a great all around player on both ends of the court. McDonald and Reese have a solid supporting cast including a couple of guards who shoot treys in the high 30% range. But Arizona is mainly about tough team defense--they held Texas to 58, came within 7 of Oregon by holding them to 71, and held UCLA to 55.
This looks like the kind of team that Tara's scouting report defense can be effective against--provided we have players who can execute even a good scouting report against the likes of McDonald. I think the bigger question is whether our offense can be made to work against a team which is even more physical and effective than Colorado and UCLA were to us. This is a game where Tara's coaching and the team's prep could make all the difference, in the first game of the weekend. On the other hand, we have had one day less to prepare than Arizona--always a particular problem when traveling. It is a significant, consequential game that could easily go either way.
Overview:
If you had asked me if we would lose a game in which we shot 13 treys at a 48% rate and held Cate Reese to 0 points, I would have been astonished. But 22 turnovers can have that effect. Arizona's defense was as good as advertised and made everyone except Kianna Williams look pedestrian.
Flow of the game:
Arizona thoroughly discombobulated our offense in the first quarter, in which they took a 19-11 lead. Our defense was keying, as we knew it would, on Arizona's two stars. From the start of the game we limited Cate Reese--who finished 0/2 for the game. But I am suspicious that she was almost a decoy, after a health ailment that limited her effectiveness last week. Aari McDonald was clearly not her usual self either, with one of those high ankle sprains (probably) like Bryce Love had. She ran through the pain but was kept to 27 minutes.
The second quarter went somewhat better and we closed to a 2 point halftime deficit. Belibi made a few layups and Williams was pretty much all the rest of the offense as we headed in down 26-28. The third quarter was our best, but it could have been better. We started the third quarter on an 8-0 run using Lacie's slashing layup and a trey, and built the lead to 9. But we were leaving three point shooters open as we keyed on the stars, and McBryde and Pueyo bombed away and kept them in contact.
The fourth quarter stated with us leading 47-42 but Arizona tied it up 52-52 by the half way point on 10 points all made by Sam Thomas. We lost the lead and gained it back when Lexie hit a much needed trey at 1:58. Thomas tied it up again and Fingall put what I thought was a dagger of a trey with 56 second and a three point lead. But fouls and a fatal turnover on Fingall which rolled off the back of her arm and out of bounds gave Arizona the chance to tie it, and they did.
In overtime both sides looked tired. No one scored for the first 2 1/2 minutes when McDonald put Arizona ahead. They pushed their lead out to 7 with only 1:30 left and I thought it was over. But treys by Williams and Lexie and free throws by Lacey put us in the lead with 33 seconds left. Unfortunately, McDonald put the final layup in and the clock, timeouts, and fouls all ran out, and we lost our second in a row for the first time this year.
Performances:
Williams continued her torrid pace with 27 points, Lexie eventually wound up with 11 but was quiet for far too long in the game. She also had 7 turnovers--Arizona clearly saw something about her they exploited. Belibi had 10 points--8 in the first half and then missing in the second. No one else was in double digits.
Rebounding was excellent in the first half while turnovers were awful. Both equalized some in the second half, with Arizona picking up their rebounding and Stanford cutting down on the turnovers.
Our three point shooting was excellent--we made 13 of 27, with Fingall, Williams, and Lexie all doing well. But points in the paint was absolutely dreadful with only 16 for an entire overtime game. And Arizona never played a zone.
Conclusion:
We can hope for Colorado to beat UCLA later tonight, but otherwise we are now down most probably to a 3 seed in the Pac 12 if we can manage to beat ASU on Sunday. If we lose to ASU, then we are looking at a four seed and a very difficult pathway.
In our only regular season meeting of the year, we travel to Arizona where we take on the 13th ranked Wildcats. Arizona is 22-5 and has beaten the likes of Texas, UCLA, and Oregon State, more than justifying its claim to a spot in the top of the league. We haven't played them since they were at Maples about a year ago, when we eeked out a 2 point win. Arizona has led the Pac 12 in scoring defense most of the season. On offense, the main question is whether their star Aari McDonald will play. She was out last weekend, and while they announced that she would be back for their Colorado game on Sunday, she was not, and Arizona lost 38-50. My guess is she will be back.
McDonald is the engine that drives Arizona. The little point guard leads the team with 21 ppg and 90 assists on the season, although she is vulnerable to turnovers. Her three point shooting is only 28%--her main threat is her lightning quickness that is almost unguardable and her creativity in driving to the basket. I wonder if we will see more of our zone than usual.
Cate Reese is a 6'2" sophomore forward and former McD All American. She averages 14 points and 8 rebounds per game. She is a great all around player on both ends of the court. McDonald and Reese have a solid supporting cast including a couple of guards who shoot treys in the high 30% range. But Arizona is mainly about tough team defense--they held Texas to 58, came within 7 of Oregon by holding them to 71, and held UCLA to 55.
This looks like the kind of team that Tara's scouting report defense can be effective against--provided we have players who can execute even a good scouting report against the likes of McDonald. I think the bigger question is whether our offense can be made to work against a team which is even more physical and effective than Colorado and UCLA were to us. This is a game where Tara's coaching and the team's prep could make all the difference, in the first game of the weekend. On the other hand, we have had one day less to prepare than Arizona--always a particular problem when traveling. It is a significant, consequential game that could easily go either way.
Overview:
If you had asked me if we would lose a game in which we shot 13 treys at a 48% rate and held Cate Reese to 0 points, I would have been astonished. But 22 turnovers can have that effect. Arizona's defense was as good as advertised and made everyone except Kianna Williams look pedestrian.
Flow of the game:
Arizona thoroughly discombobulated our offense in the first quarter, in which they took a 19-11 lead. Our defense was keying, as we knew it would, on Arizona's two stars. From the start of the game we limited Cate Reese--who finished 0/2 for the game. But I am suspicious that she was almost a decoy, after a health ailment that limited her effectiveness last week. Aari McDonald was clearly not her usual self either, with one of those high ankle sprains (probably) like Bryce Love had. She ran through the pain but was kept to 27 minutes.
The second quarter went somewhat better and we closed to a 2 point halftime deficit. Belibi made a few layups and Williams was pretty much all the rest of the offense as we headed in down 26-28. The third quarter was our best, but it could have been better. We started the third quarter on an 8-0 run using Lacie's slashing layup and a trey, and built the lead to 9. But we were leaving three point shooters open as we keyed on the stars, and McBryde and Pueyo bombed away and kept them in contact.
The fourth quarter stated with us leading 47-42 but Arizona tied it up 52-52 by the half way point on 10 points all made by Sam Thomas. We lost the lead and gained it back when Lexie hit a much needed trey at 1:58. Thomas tied it up again and Fingall put what I thought was a dagger of a trey with 56 second and a three point lead. But fouls and a fatal turnover on Fingall which rolled off the back of her arm and out of bounds gave Arizona the chance to tie it, and they did.
In overtime both sides looked tired. No one scored for the first 2 1/2 minutes when McDonald put Arizona ahead. They pushed their lead out to 7 with only 1:30 left and I thought it was over. But treys by Williams and Lexie and free throws by Lacey put us in the lead with 33 seconds left. Unfortunately, McDonald put the final layup in and the clock, timeouts, and fouls all ran out, and we lost our second in a row for the first time this year.
Performances:
Williams continued her torrid pace with 27 points, Lexie eventually wound up with 11 but was quiet for far too long in the game. She also had 7 turnovers--Arizona clearly saw something about her they exploited. Belibi had 10 points--8 in the first half and then missing in the second. No one else was in double digits.
Rebounding was excellent in the first half while turnovers were awful. Both equalized some in the second half, with Arizona picking up their rebounding and Stanford cutting down on the turnovers.
Our three point shooting was excellent--we made 13 of 27, with Fingall, Williams, and Lexie all doing well. But points in the paint was absolutely dreadful with only 16 for an entire overtime game. And Arizona never played a zone.
Conclusion:
We can hope for Colorado to beat UCLA later tonight, but otherwise we are now down most probably to a 3 seed in the Pac 12 if we can manage to beat ASU on Sunday. If we lose to ASU, then we are looking at a four seed and a very difficult pathway.
