[81alum]

Here is our press conference.  It is vintage Tara.  I think she was more forthcoming in this away presser than she usually is at home pressers.   She brought Emma-Nnopu and Lepolo with her.  Well worth watching.

Stanford Women's Basketball: UCLA Postgame Press Conference - YouTube

[81alum]

Here is our press conference.  It is vintage Tara.  I think she was more forthcoming in this away presser than she usually is at home pressers.   She brought Emma-Nnopu and Lepolo with her.  Well worth watching.

Stanford Women's Basketball: UCLA Postgame Press Conference - YouTube

[chimera]

I love watching pressers, will get to this one shortly, thx for posting it.  As far as the game, I agree we played relatively poorly in the first half, taking quick shots and not moving well on offense.  I don't worry about the team being bailed out by anyone because they are all the team, and the fact that we got such key shots and defense from Emma-Nnopu just shows how deep the team is.  Brink may be the best big in the country.  When she is in that blocking groove, nobody can score inside on her.  Jones had a poor shooting percentage but as was stated earlier in this thread, she was the one trying to make things happen while everyone else stood around.

Second half rebounding was a big key.  We kept the ball, kept the clock running, and had multiple chances at points several times.  I thought Iriafen was fine on offense but her defense was not her best this game.  She was fouling instead of defending a few times.  Lepolo did a very good job on defense.  Her defense has been underrated.  She is not Anna Wilson out there but she does a credible job against good guards.  Emma-Nnopu had one of her best games ever.  That confidence in her shot was great to see.  We need that.  It is contagious.

As for the being tired, it is possible, but I don't know why they should be extra tired now unless practices are more taxing than normal.  They had a busy pre-conference season but also the finals break and then the holiday break.  Just one game last weekend at Cal.  So they shouldn't be especially tired.  Many here were unhappy that Jones and Brink had so few minutes early against the lesser teams.  That should help them now, in theory.  I do agree they missed short a lot, which is a sign of tired legs, but I don't get why that would be a big issue now when it has been previous seasons for players who play as much or more.  

Looks to me like Tara is trying hard to get players like Betts and Bosgana into games late in the first half, even if the score is close.  Trying to build them up for more time later I would guess.  Demetre seems to have found a role.  Hope she also finds her shot.  If she does that would be an immense help on offense.  I would like to see more of Nivar.  I don't think she has settled into a comfortable rhythm/mind set in games yet, but if she does she could help a lot with aggressive defense and good, aggressive, athletic offense.

[chimera]

I love watching pressers, will get to this one shortly, thx for posting it.  As far as the game, I agree we played relatively poorly in the first half, taking quick shots and not moving well on offense.  I don't worry about the team being bailed out by anyone because they are all the team, and the fact that we got such key shots and defense from Emma-Nnopu just shows how deep the team is.  Brink may be the best big in the country.  When she is in that blocking groove, nobody can score inside on her.  Jones had a poor shooting percentage but as was stated earlier in this thread, she was the one trying to make things happen while everyone else stood around.

Second half rebounding was a big key.  We kept the ball, kept the clock running, and had multiple chances at points several times.  I thought Iriafen was fine on offense but her defense was not her best this game.  She was fouling instead of defending a few times.  Lepolo did a very good job on defense.  Her defense has been underrated.  She is not Anna Wilson out there but she does a credible job against good guards.  Emma-Nnopu had one of her best games ever.  That confidence in her shot was great to see.  We need that.  It is contagious.

As for the being tired, it is possible, but I don't know why they should be extra tired now unless practices are more taxing than normal.  They had a busy pre-conference season but also the finals break and then the holiday break.  Just one game last weekend at Cal.  So they shouldn't be especially tired.  Many here were unhappy that Jones and Brink had so few minutes early against the lesser teams.  That should help them now, in theory.  I do agree they missed short a lot, which is a sign of tired legs, but I don't get why that would be a big issue now when it has been previous seasons for players who play as much or more.  

Looks to me like Tara is trying hard to get players like Betts and Bosgana into games late in the first half, even if the score is close.  Trying to build them up for more time later I would guess.  Demetre seems to have found a role.  Hope she also finds her shot.  If she does that would be an immense help on offense.  I would like to see more of Nivar.  I don't think she has settled into a comfortable rhythm/mind set in games yet, but if she does she could help a lot with aggressive defense and good, aggressive, athletic offense.

[martyup]

I think that at halftime Close told her team to drive to the basket so they could draw fouls against Brink and get her out of the game.  Osborne repeatedly drove at Brink and tried to draw contact, throwing her head back like she was hit in the face.  They did get Brink to commit her 3rd foul about midway through the 3d Q and Brink had to sit.  It didn't work in the 4th Q, as Brink committed no more fouls and brinked SIX shots!  

Maybe if Missy had been calling this game Close's strategy would have worked.  In their last game, UCLA barely beat USC after the Trojans' big fouled out.  That game was a foulfest, with a near record number of fouls called.

IMO, it was poor officiating that allowed UCLA to close the gap on our lead in the 3rd Q.  We were hit with a string of calls that deviated from the way the game was being called previously.  And, UCLA was getting away with contact that was being whistled earlier.  I will re-watch the game to confirm my suspicion.  

BTW, one of my favorite plays of the game is when Cameron brought the ball up the court like a point guard and made a perfect pass to an open Lepolo/Jump? for a 3 point basket.

[martyup]

I think that at halftime Close told her team to drive to the basket so they could draw fouls against Brink and get her out of the game.  Osborne repeatedly drove at Brink and tried to draw contact, throwing her head back like she was hit in the face.  They did get Brink to commit her 3rd foul about midway through the 3d Q and Brink had to sit.  It didn't work in the 4th Q, as Brink committed no more fouls and brinked SIX shots!  

Maybe if Missy had been calling this game Close's strategy would have worked.  In their last game, UCLA barely beat USC after the Trojans' big fouled out.  That game was a foulfest, with a near record number of fouls called.

IMO, it was poor officiating that allowed UCLA to close the gap on our lead in the 3rd Q.  We were hit with a string of calls that deviated from the way the game was being called previously.  And, UCLA was getting away with contact that was being whistled earlier.  I will re-watch the game to confirm my suspicion.  

BTW, one of my favorite plays of the game is when Cameron brought the ball up the court like a point guard and made a perfect pass to an open Lepolo/Jump? for a 3 point basket.

[PVTree]

From the press conference, I think it sux that one conference, P12, makes a team forfeit a game when they don't have enough players, while another, the BEast, reschedule Yukon's games for the same reason. 

I agree with Tara, WBB has 15 scholarships. That should be enough to field a team for any game despite injuries if you manage your numbers well. A forfeit just rewards poor management.

[PVTree]

From the press conference, I think it sux that one conference, P12, makes a team forfeit a game when they don't have enough players, while another, the BEast, reschedule Yukon's games for the same reason. 

I agree with Tara, WBB has 15 scholarships. That should be enough to field a team for any game despite injuries if you manage your numbers well. A forfeit just rewards poor management.

[M T]

Looking at the 2nd half rebounding, which was better than I realized.
In the whole 2nd half, UCLA only had 6 defensive rebounds.  That will squelch any transition offense.
UCLA had 17 transition chances (non-team DR + steals) in the first half and only 6 in the 2nd half.

(Team rebounds are missed shots that go out of bounds.  Non-team rebounds are credited to a player.)

1st half:             Stanford end  UCLA end
FG:                       S: 13      U: 10
Missed FGA:               S: 21      U: 20
Non-team rebounds:       S:5 U:14   S:11 U:5
Rebounds at each end:    S:6 U:14   S:15 U:5
Off. reb. percent:        S: 30%     U: 25%
Steals:                   U: 3      S: 3

2nd half:            Stanford end  UCLA end
FG:                       S: 12      U: 11
Missed FGA:               S: 15      U: 23
Non-team rebounds:       S:7 U:4    S:15 U:3
Rebounds at each end:    S:8 U:6    S:19 U:6
Off. reb. percent:        S: 57%     U: 24%
Steals:                   U: 2       S: 1

Stanford and UCLA rebounded about the same in the first half (within 1 rebound).
2nd half defensive rebounds were about the same for Stanford (a bit better).
But the 2nd half offensive rebounds were outstanding.

In terms of rebounds that went into someone's hands,  Stanford got 64% of those under its own basket in the 2nd half.  Amazing.

I don't know if UCLA played differently in the 2nd half, which hurt their defensive rebounds, or whether Stanford played differently, preventing the defensive rebounds.  I expect the latter.  But maybe it was chance.

At one point, Mary said something about one of the UCLA guards being among the best rebounding guards in the country.  My reaction to that was "That must mean she isn't doing transition defense, freeing her up to seek rebounds."

[M T]

Looking at the 2nd half rebounding, which was better than I realized.
In the whole 2nd half, UCLA only had 6 defensive rebounds.  That will squelch any transition offense.
UCLA had 17 transition chances (non-team DR + steals) in the first half and only 6 in the 2nd half.

(Team rebounds are missed shots that go out of bounds.  Non-team rebounds are credited to a player.)

1st half:             Stanford end  UCLA end
FG:                       S: 13      U: 10
Missed FGA:               S: 21      U: 20
Non-team rebounds:       S:5 U:14   S:11 U:5
Rebounds at each end:    S:6 U:14   S:15 U:5
Off. reb. percent:        S: 30%     U: 25%
Steals:                   U: 3      S: 3

2nd half:            Stanford end  UCLA end
FG:                       S: 12      U: 11
Missed FGA:               S: 15      U: 23
Non-team rebounds:       S:7 U:4    S:15 U:3
Rebounds at each end:    S:8 U:6    S:19 U:6
Off. reb. percent:        S: 57%     U: 24%
Steals:                   U: 2       S: 1

Stanford and UCLA rebounded about the same in the first half (within 1 rebound).
2nd half defensive rebounds were about the same for Stanford (a bit better).
But the 2nd half offensive rebounds were outstanding.

In terms of rebounds that went into someone's hands,  Stanford got 64% of those under its own basket in the 2nd half.  Amazing.

I don't know if UCLA played differently in the 2nd half, which hurt their defensive rebounds, or whether Stanford played differently, preventing the defensive rebounds.  I expect the latter.  But maybe it was chance.

At one point, Mary said something about one of the UCLA guards being among the best rebounding guards in the country.  My reaction to that was "That must mean she isn't doing transition defense, freeing her up to seek rebounds."

[CompSci87]

From the press conference, I think it sux that one conference, P12, makes a team forfeit a game when they don't have enough players, while another, the BEast, reschedule Yukon's games for the same reason. 

I agree with Tara, WBB has 15 scholarships. That should be enough to field a team for any game despite injuries if you manage your numbers well. A forfeit just rewards poor management.

I believe the forfeits only count for conference standings, not for NCAA purposes. Could be confused about that, though.

[CompSci87]

From the press conference, I think it sux that one conference, P12, makes a team forfeit a game when they don't have enough players, while another, the BEast, reschedule Yukon's games for the same reason. 

I agree with Tara, WBB has 15 scholarships. That should be enough to field a team for any game despite injuries if you manage your numbers well. A forfeit just rewards poor management.

I believe the forfeits only count for conference standings, not for NCAA purposes. Could be confused about that, though.

[CompSci87]

At one point, Mary said something about one of the UCLA guards being among the best rebounding guards in the country.  My reaction to that was "That must mean she isn't doing transition defense, freeing her up to seek rebounds."

That lines up with something 81alum posted before the game:

Already I learned that UCLA uses a "chuck and chase" strategy on offense, which means taking a shot and having all 5 players converge for an offensive rebound.  What that means is IF we come up with the rebound there should be opportunities to score in transition.  That is probably why their speedy guards have so many rebounds, but there is a downside to this strategy.

[CompSci87]

At one point, Mary said something about one of the UCLA guards being among the best rebounding guards in the country.  My reaction to that was "That must mean she isn't doing transition defense, freeing her up to seek rebounds."

That lines up with something 81alum posted before the game:

Already I learned that UCLA uses a "chuck and chase" strategy on offense, which means taking a shot and having all 5 players converge for an offensive rebound.  What that means is IF we come up with the rebound there should be opportunities to score in transition.  That is probably why their speedy guards have so many rebounds, but there is a downside to this strategy.

[TonyLima]

Do they have the flop rule in womens basketball? If so, they aren't calling it.

They don't have the rule in NCAA WBB. UCLA had some doozies.

Seriously? Any idea why?

[TonyLima]

Do they have the flop rule in womens basketball? If so, they aren't calling it.

They don't have the rule in NCAA WBB. UCLA had some doozies.

Seriously? Any idea why?

[76lsjumb]

Do they have the flop rule in womens basketball? If so, they aren't calling it.

They don't have the rule in NCAA WBB. UCLA had some doozies.

Seriously? Any idea why?

Maybe because it’s the stupidest rule in basketball. If a ref believes a player who falls over wasn’t really fouled, then the appropriate thing to do is… don’t call a foul. No need to stop the game, have a free throw, take the ball out, etc.

[76lsjumb]

Do they have the flop rule in womens basketball? If so, they aren't calling it.

They don't have the rule in NCAA WBB. UCLA had some doozies.

Seriously? Any idea why?

Maybe because it’s the stupidest rule in basketball. If a ref believes a player who falls over wasn’t really fouled, then the appropriate thing to do is… don’t call a foul. No need to stop the game, have a free throw, take the ball out, etc.

[TonyLima]

in the half-time interview, cori close was asked, "what do you need to do different in the 2nd half?" she answered, "drive to the basket." oops!

i, too, didn't see much from kiki rice. i wonder if she regrets going to ucla. imo tara would get much more out of her.

i have to go back to candice wiggins or jayne appel to think of anything comparable to cam's dominance in the 4th quarter.

Close also said something about how important it was to rebound well, if I recall correctly. At that point (halftime), rebounds were nearly even. One thing not mentioned about the 2nd half, Stanford totally dominated the boards. By the end of the game, we outrebounded them 48-31, close to our season average margin of 18+.  Cam was part of that, but so were several others. IMO, it was a key element in the win.

BTW, Jayne Appel is still around, saw her at the Cal game as we were leaving after that close win. I wonder if she ever shows up to talk to the current Stanford players.

She is on Twitter @JayneAppel

[TonyLima]

in the half-time interview, cori close was asked, "what do you need to do different in the 2nd half?" she answered, "drive to the basket." oops!

i, too, didn't see much from kiki rice. i wonder if she regrets going to ucla. imo tara would get much more out of her.

i have to go back to candice wiggins or jayne appel to think of anything comparable to cam's dominance in the 4th quarter.

Close also said something about how important it was to rebound well, if I recall correctly. At that point (halftime), rebounds were nearly even. One thing not mentioned about the 2nd half, Stanford totally dominated the boards. By the end of the game, we outrebounded them 48-31, close to our season average margin of 18+.  Cam was part of that, but so were several others. IMO, it was a key element in the win.

BTW, Jayne Appel is still around, saw her at the Cal game as we were leaving after that close win. I wonder if she ever shows up to talk to the current Stanford players.

She is on Twitter @JayneAppel

[CompSci87]

Do they have the flop rule in womens basketball? If so, they aren't calling it.

They don't have the rule in NCAA WBB. UCLA had some doozies.

Seriously? Any idea why?

It's a pretty new rule in NCAA MBB. WBB and MBB don't always have the same rules. Why does NCAA MBB still play halves instead of quarters and still have the 1+1 free throw rule in the bonus? Ugh.

Also, to put it more mildly than 76, the flop rule is tough to officiate, and a 1-shot technical for it is a very stiff penalty.

[CompSci87]

Do they have the flop rule in womens basketball? If so, they aren't calling it.

They don't have the rule in NCAA WBB. UCLA had some doozies.

Seriously? Any idea why?

It's a pretty new rule in NCAA MBB. WBB and MBB don't always have the same rules. Why does NCAA MBB still play halves instead of quarters and still have the 1+1 free throw rule in the bonus? Ugh.

Also, to put it more mildly than 76, the flop rule is tough to officiate, and a 1-shot technical for it is a very stiff penalty.

[TonyLima]

Do they have the flop rule in womens basketball? If so, they aren't calling it.

They don't have the rule in NCAA WBB. UCLA had some doozies.

Seriously? Any idea why?

It's a pretty new rule in NCAA MBB. WBB and MBB don't always have the same rules. Why does NCAA MBB still play halves instead of quarters and still have the 1+1 free throw rule in the bonus? Ugh.

Also, to put it more mildly than 76, the flop rule is tough to officiate, and a 1-shot technical for it is a very stiff penalty.

Understood.  Many thanks.

---

Scoring question.  With about 7:30 left in Q4, UCLA committed back-to-back lane violations with Brink shooting free throws.  (I'm pretty sure I've never seen that before.)  Cam went 1 for 4.  In the scorebook did she take 4 shots or 2?

Thanks,
T

[TonyLima]

Do they have the flop rule in womens basketball? If so, they aren't calling it.

They don't have the rule in NCAA WBB. UCLA had some doozies.

Seriously? Any idea why?

It's a pretty new rule in NCAA MBB. WBB and MBB don't always have the same rules. Why does NCAA MBB still play halves instead of quarters and still have the 1+1 free throw rule in the bonus? Ugh.

Also, to put it more mildly than 76, the flop rule is tough to officiate, and a 1-shot technical for it is a very stiff penalty.

Understood.  Many thanks.

---

Scoring question.  With about 7:30 left in Q4, UCLA committed back-to-back lane violations with Brink shooting free throws.  (I'm pretty sure I've never seen that before.)  Cam went 1 for 4.  In the scorebook did she take 4 shots or 2?

Thanks,
T

[81alum]

I wondered the same thing.

[81alum]

I wondered the same thing.

[BostonCard]

Brink is credited with going 4/6 from the free throw line, so the two misses that were retaken due to lane violations don’t count.

BC

[BostonCard]

Brink is credited with going 4/6 from the free throw line, so the two misses that were retaken due to lane violations don’t count.

BC

[TonyLima]

That UCLA fourth quarter scoring drought lasted 8:07. They didn't score until 1:53 was left in the game.  Amazing.

Brink was in full animal mode.

---

Brink is credited with going 4/6 from the free throw line, so the two misses that were retaken due to lane violations don’t count.

BC

TYVM.  That was my guess.

[TonyLima]

That UCLA fourth quarter scoring drought lasted 8:07. They didn't score until 1:53 was left in the game.  Amazing.

Brink was in full animal mode.

---

Brink is credited with going 4/6 from the free throw line, so the two misses that were retaken due to lane violations don’t count.

BC

TYVM.  That was my guess.

[UltimateCard]

That UCLA fourth quarter scoring drought lasted 8:07. They didn't score until 1:53 was left in the game.  Amazing.

The drought started with 1:25 left in 3Q so they were stuck at 49 for the equivalent of nearly an entire quarter. Incredible!

[UltimateCard]

That UCLA fourth quarter scoring drought lasted 8:07. They didn't score until 1:53 was left in the game.  Amazing.

The drought started with 1:25 left in 3Q so they were stuck at 49 for the equivalent of nearly an entire quarter. Incredible!

[TonyLima]

That UCLA fourth quarter scoring drought lasted 8:07. They didn't score until 1:53 was left in the game.  Amazing.

The drought started with 1:25 left in 3Q so they were stuck at 49 for the equivalent of nearly an entire quarter. Incredible!

Wow!

[TonyLima]

That UCLA fourth quarter scoring drought lasted 8:07. They didn't score until 1:53 was left in the game.  Amazing.

The drought started with 1:25 left in 3Q so they were stuck at 49 for the equivalent of nearly an entire quarter. Incredible!

Wow!

[martyup]

UCLA had a 4th quarter similar to our 4th quarter against South Carolina.  In our only loss we were outscored 17-7 in the 4th.

[martyup]

UCLA had a 4th quarter similar to our 4th quarter against South Carolina.  In our only loss we were outscored 17-7 in the 4th.

[here4WBB]

Anyone else watching on Sling and having it hang (forever) sometimes?  I haven't seen that before, but it has happened at least 5 times in this game.  I restarted my browser, but it continues.

we watch sling on our Samsung Frame TV whenever possible.  The video quality varies from game to game and sometimes loses definition, but doesn't hang, either live or recorded.  We have also connected a laptop to the TV when the Sling app wouldn't load the game, that resulted in deterioration of video quality but no hang.  I watch Sling on Chrome when I use it on my laptop.  My gripe with Sling is that it is so hard to find the Div 1 women's bb games.  The search function rarely brings up the Stanford games.  And today, the Pac 12 schedule shows men's wrestling during the game time with USC - I was only able to find the game to record on another place on the website.

[here4WBB]

Anyone else watching on Sling and having it hang (forever) sometimes?  I haven't seen that before, but it has happened at least 5 times in this game.  I restarted my browser, but it continues.

we watch sling on our Samsung Frame TV whenever possible.  The video quality varies from game to game and sometimes loses definition, but doesn't hang, either live or recorded.  We have also connected a laptop to the TV when the Sling app wouldn't load the game, that resulted in deterioration of video quality but no hang.  I watch Sling on Chrome when I use it on my laptop.  My gripe with Sling is that it is so hard to find the Div 1 women's bb games.  The search function rarely brings up the Stanford games.  And today, the Pac 12 schedule shows men's wrestling during the game time with USC - I was only able to find the game to record on another place on the website.

[TheFarm07]

Other than being a fast-twitch athlete, I don't see that much in Kiki Rice.  Am I the only one who is happy we now have Lepolo instead?  

I can't speak for everyone, but I still think Rice has the higher ceiling. As we've seen in these last few games with the offensive struggles we've been having, it shows the limitations of Lepolo's game. Yes, she is a great passer and hits the occasional three, but she can't generate her own offense and take defenders off the bounce, which we sorely need.

Meanwhile, Rice had a great game against Cal today (15 pts, 12 assists, 8 rebounds) and has scored in double digits in 12 of the Bruins' 18 games.

[TheFarm07]

Other than being a fast-twitch athlete, I don't see that much in Kiki Rice.  Am I the only one who is happy we now have Lepolo instead?  

I can't speak for everyone, but I still think Rice has the higher ceiling. As we've seen in these last few games with the offensive struggles we've been having, it shows the limitations of Lepolo's game. Yes, she is a great passer and hits the occasional three, but she can't generate her own offense and take defenders off the bounce, which we sorely need.

Meanwhile, Rice had a great game against Cal today (15 pts, 12 assists, 8 rebounds) and has scored in double digits in 12 of the Bruins' 18 games.