Posts: 563
Threads: 4
Joined: Jan 2021
Highly entertaining game and a great confidence builder for the team! Tough to beat a team that hits 10 3's but we found a way. Totally in sync w/your post 81 how it seemed like the gameplan was to win the interior and make them hit shots to beat us. They almost did. Feel like we should have been able to stop Jackson, but not going to complain. Great win.
Cam stepped up big time for us. There are going to be games where you need your star to take over and this was one of them. In the post game interview, Cam said Tara told her "Hey, you really need to put us on your back". She sure did. Just for fun, here are all the positive plays Cam made in the 4th Quarter and in OT <apologies for the length of the post, but it's pretty outstanding>:
9:18 - OBoard and bucket
8:53 - Block
8:49 - DBoard
8:09 - Bucket
7:52 - Block
7:46 - DBoard
7:13 - Block
5:35 - Bucket
5:10 - Foul <NOT!>
2:48 - Bucket
:22 - 2 FT's
4:59 - Won tip
4:34 - OBoard
4:17 - 2 FT's
2:14 - 2 FT's
1:56 - DBoard
1:32 - Bucket
:11 - 2 FT's
18 points, 5 boards, 3 blocks. These don't show other contributions like altered shots and deflections which she had multiple.
While it's great to have such a phenom, we can't expect bacon-saving performances like that all the time. We desperately need other players to raise their level. I think Demetre has it in her to be a game changer. She's a great rebounder and passer, but she has to hit shots. If she's hitting and with Jump on the floor, we are so tough to guard. Really, all that happened after the first quarter is they tightened up on Jump and played more scrappy down low. I really didn't think they were mugging us or playing bully ball. Cam flails a lot which makes it look bad, but I didn't think Duke played like some of the Colorado games, for example. As others have mentioned, when teams crowd Cam or Kiki and Hannah isn't open, someone else has to make them pay. I think it's less about standing and hitting an open shot on a kickout and more about moving to the right spots and having the willingness/confidence to attack, cut, slash, etc. Sometimes a cut to the basket is wide open and our perimeter players just stand. Frustrating.
Doesn't look like Lepolo is ever going to be able to do anything offensively other than hit an open shot every once in awhile. Sorry, but it's a major disadvantage to play 43 minutes and only score 2 points as a guard these days. But fine, if all Tara expects is for Lepolo to take care of the ball and initiate the offense, then so be it. In the end, we can be great if we can find one other consistent scorer. Maybe it's Elena, but it doesn't seem like Tara trusts her yet defensively. Maybe one of the freshmen can get there by season's end. For now, it looks like it needs to be Demetre.
Even with Cam, Kiki, and Hannah doing the heavy lifting, these players all made BIG plays:
- Demetre - Monster 3 with a minute left in the 4th.
- Bosgana - Great OBoard and made 1 FT with a minute left in OT.
- Clardy - Fantastic play with :45 left in the game where she tipped the ball off the Duke guard into the backcourt for an over and back. Might have been the play of the game.