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WBB: Stanford 71 Washington 45 - 81alum - 01-14-2018

Preliminary:

Washington brings a tough 2-3 zone and the prolific offense of Amber Melgoza to Maples this afternoon.  Melgoza is a sophomore but backed up Plum last year, concealing her talent.  But she is scoring 18 points a game--she is a very strong, tough 5'10 guard who hung 31 points on Oregon recently--she scores at 42% overall and about a quarter of her attempts are treys for  34%.  Sophomore Mai-loni Henson is their 2nd scorer--a 6'1" forward who can also step back and hit the three at 32%.  Little Jenna Moser, a 5'6" senior guard, is their three point specialist and is hitting treys at 45% and leading Washington in assists.  They played C.al close for most of that game by using their zone to force C.al to take more jumpers than they would have liked, and by getting their own treys to fall.  I expect a low scoring game that will once again test our zone-breaking offense.  Let's hope for excellent three point shooting and a big game from Nadia at the high post.

Overview:

Washington's confusing zone defenses slowed down our offense during the first three quarters but could not stop it, while our defense proved outstanding, holding their star Amber Melgoza to 5 points and their team to 45.  We played better in the 2nd half than in the first, and saw Carrington's best play since her return from injury.

Flow of the Game:

Williams and Dodson were out with minor ankle tweaks and are expected back for the LA trip.  Tara has been excited about Johnson's better play of late--said so after the game--and seems to have settled in on this starting lineup: Johnson, Smith, McPhee, Williams, and Sniezek.  Unlike Friday, today Tara managed to keep our starters down to 30 minutes or less, and Carrington was the chief beneficiary, getting 27 minutes in relief and playing better than we have seen her play since before her injury weeks ago.  Jerome replaced Smith for 16 minutes when Smith picked up her third foul and acquitted herself better than we have seen before, too.  All other available players got in the game for cameos, but those were the main 7 in the rotation.

Johnson set the tone and proved her mettle by getting our first two baskets.  Washington plays a variety of zones, switching them to confuse the opposing point guard.  We were somehow able to work the ball inside the paint for 28 of our points, but those were not easy to come by and exterior jumpers were needed.  McPhee made some splendid plays but struggled to go 4/12 against the physical interior play, and Kiana was similarly off offensively, going just 3/12.  Smith regularly worked her way inside and also planted a couple of treys, and became the mainstay of our offense when she was not out with foul trouble (after an unfair charge gave her a third.)  But the first three quarters were all much alike--we scored 15, 16, and 16 points, holding Washington to 11, 12, and 8.  It was a tough, defensive, grinding game but our shooting percentage was much higher than Washington's and we went into the fourth quarter with a respectable 47-31 lead.

Unlike Friday's game, however, we did not let up in the fourth quarter--but turned it into an offensive outpouring.  McPhee, Smith, and Carrington pushed the lead from 13 to 26 during an eight minute offensive run, then Moschkau and the bench entered and kept it even with some nice shooting of their own.  And unlike Friday, when the WSU star finally erupted in the second half, Melgoza was controlled for the whole game by the defense of McPhee and Carrington, holding her 16 points under her average.

Performances:

Alanna Smith led in points with 19 and nabbed 9 rebounds--almost an identical performance to her dominant play against WSU on Friday.  She did have a whopping 6 turnovers, but also 2 assists and 2 blocks.

Kaylee Johnson once again proved her worth tonight, with 8 points, 12 rebounds, an assist and a massive 5 blocks (one loud enough to be heard thundering throughout Maples) that made it very difficult for Melgoza to do her usual thing under the rim.

Carrington showed her best form, with 11 points including 2/2 from three point range, but also 5 assists and 3 steals while shutting down Melgoza.

McPhee had to work too hard for her 15 points, going 4/12 and hitting 6/9 free throws.  At least the refs are giving her some opportunities from the line.  She also had 3 rebounds, 3 assists and a steal for a strong all-around performance.

Williams looked a little more like a freshman tonight, going a mortal 3/12 and having 3 turnovers.  She did have one amazing block on a taller player shooting a midrange jumper that brought a smile to my face.

Marta seemed perpetually on the edge of being out of control as the Washington D hounded her, but she had only 2 turnovers, 2 assists, and 2 points.

The final player that should be noted was Alyssa Jerome, who subbed in for Alanna and comported herself well, showing she can dribble through traffic if she needs to and making 2/3 shots in limited minutes.

Conclusion:

We beat two teams we needed to beat and we should have beaten, and we did so while showing some important improvements.  On balance, this was a good weekend for Stanford WBB.  The next three games, however, will largely determine the direction of the season--we go to LA to repeat our games against USC and UCLA on their home turf, and then ASU and Arizona come to Maples.  This will be running quite a gauntlet--now is the time we can hope that all those improvements we have been seeing piecemeal over the season will come together to elevate our play.


Re: WBB: Stanford vs. Washington 3pm - JJJ - 01-14-2018

The game is also on the main Pac-12 Network HD station and Pac12 Washington HD for those who get that. (My non-HD channels come out looking skinny--I know there are tv adjustments to compensate.)

Re: WBB: Stanford vs. Washington 3pm - BobK - 01-14-2018

Dodson and Wilson both out. Ankles





Re: WBB: Stanford vs. Washington 3pm - BostonCard - 01-14-2018

Defense came to play today.

59-39 halfway through the fourth quarter.

Bc

Re: WBB: Stanford vs. Washington 3pm - CompSci87 - 01-14-2018

Good execution against Washington's pressure D too. 71-45 final. It was fun to watch, as Washington fought hard throughout in spite of falling steadily behind, so it always felt competitive. Stanford couldn't go on cruise control.

Re: WBB: Stanford vs. Washington 3pm - BosCard - 01-14-2018

Strong game by Kaylee Johnson today.  8 points on 4/5 shooting, 12 rebounds and 5 blocks.  I'm hoping Johnson is returning to full health as she appears to be returning to her freshman year rebounding dominance.  AND, I'm hoping we are seeing the senior year transformation that we have seen with so many Stanford players in the past (see Mikaela Ruef) where they transform from inconsistent role players to must-have-on-the-court contributors.  Johnson is certainly there already with her rebounding and defense but if she can keep scoring around the rim like she did today, she will cement her role as a must-have player.

Re: WBB: Stanford 71 Washington 45 - FarmDad.01 - 01-14-2018

Other players, in recent memory, who blossomed Senior Year: Krista Rappahahn, Taylor Greenfield (in the PAC-12 tourney).

Re: WBB: Stanford 71 Washington 45 - 81alum - 01-14-2018

Write up is done at the top.

Re: WBB: Stanford 71 Washington 45 - TheFarm07 - 01-14-2018

I didn't get a chance to see the game, but kept track of it on my phone. Nice to see us expand the lead after three relatively tight quarters.

Looking at the stats, I saw we had another 20 turnovers with Alanna having 6.

For the season, we average 16 turnovers which is 160th in the nation.

Are we resigned to the fact that we are just a turnover-heavy team, or can we cut down on those errors? I feel like a decent chunk of those turnovers are unforced and yes, we play teams that look for the steal, but I feel like we often roll the dice too often. Or do we feel the need to make lower percentage passes into traffic?

I also seem to remember that opposing players often are able to poke the ball out of our hands when we pick up the dribble as well.

Re: WBB: Stanford 71 Washington 45 - qwerty49 - 01-14-2018

I saw the last few minutes of the 3rd quarter and it was not pretty at all.  Turnover after turnover and neither team could shoot.

But our D came alive and totally shut UW down.  And Tara put Brit and Alanna back in with DiJonai, Kaylee and Marta and everything started working.

Kaylee looked really good inside.  In the 4th quarter, our ball movement was excellent. 

UW is pretty bad IMO, but I have to think this game was encouraging.  The team is perhaps starting to realize that it is indeed capable of playing well.



Re: WBB: Stanford 71 Washington 45 - mbdude - 01-14-2018

Some of the turnovers given to players were actually caused by poor passes at the players feet, and 1 of Alanna's to's was on a horrible charging call. Seeing a renewed aggressiveness in Kaylee - and not afraid to take shots. Good game from Carrington. McPhee struggled with her shot again, and missed 2 wide open layups - but the announcers did mention she was fighting a cold.

Re: WBB: Stanford 71 Washington 45 - chimera - 01-14-2018

Reffing was ...interesting.  I was encouraged by the weekend.  Sure, UW and WSU are not top teams, but they do zone and do play hard, and aside from turnovers (big aside, I know) the offense got good shots that we mostly converted.  It just looked and felt much better.  Very nice to see players like Jerome, who has not gotten a lot of time lately, and Carrington, who has been a bit off since her injury, have good games.  Jerome played well on defense, keeping her players in front of her well.  Williams did not shoot well.  I continue to be impressed with her game even with the shots not falling.  Overall the defense was pretty good.  UW plays on the edge.  They are physical to the point of almost fouling or fouling much of the time, hoping the refs won't call stuff.  McPhee continues to struggle with her finishing and had a few uncharacteristic lapses of concentration that cost her two total bunny layups (at least).  Johnson played two good games this weekend, set the tone well in both with rebounding and scoring.  Next weekend will be tough.  I hope for two wins, would be fine with a split.

Re: WBB: Stanford 71 Washington 45 - TheFarm07 - 01-14-2018

I think the key to Williams' advancement to the next level is getting to the charity stripe more often. Other point guards with similar games,  when their shots aren't falling, they often drive to the basket and pick up fouls and get points from the FT line. If Williams can do that with more regularity, she can combine her shooting prowess when she's on to a more aggressive game, when her shots aren't falling.

You often saw scorelines from guards like Skylar Diggins and Odyssey Sims back in college: 6/15 FG, but 8/9 from the FT line or something similar.

Re: WBB: Stanford 71 Washington 45 - 81alum - 01-14-2018

Replay of the game comes up in 20 minutes at 9 pacific if anyone wants to rewatch it.  I want to see that bizarre 5 point play at the end of the first half with the Fingall foul.

Re: WBB: Stanford 71 Washington 45 - JTM - 01-14-2018

I've been thinking, what would be a successful season for this team.  Here's my criteria: 1) finish the season as a ranked team (top 25); 2) finish the season in the top quartile of the PAC-12; 3) get invited to the NCAA tournament; 4) get past the 1st round game.  If the girls achieve these, I will declare the season a success.

Re: WBB: Stanford 71 Washington 45 - 81alum - 01-14-2018

The highlights show both Kiana's block of Alexis Grigsby and Kaylee's emphatic block of Khayla Rooks as well as highlighting Kaylee's offensive success.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7hUxBT8tffE&feature=youtu.be

Some quotes from the press conference.  Tara brought Alanna and Kaylee.

Tara: "Kayl is being a great senior and a great captain" and she complemented just about everybody, noting that McPhee's shot was a little off today.

Asked about Wilson and Dodson's ankles, she said she didn't believe in rushing things, noted that they were not major ankle sprains, "but we hope we get them back asap."

Kaylee noted that Britt and D were the main defenders on Melgoza and that they did a great job keeping her in front.  Kaylee had to switch on her a couple of times.

Alanna was asked about how they solved Washington's funky zone.  "We knew they were going to come out and play on the high side of their zone, and we knew we had a height advantage inside, so our goal was to get it inside and then look outside to our great perimeter shooters.  I think we really took advantage of that."  My comments: In other words, we did exactly what Montgomery described during the men's game last night as the key to beating the zone--get it inside, if not to score, to suck the defenders in which would leave open outside shots.

Tara was asked about Dijonai and complemented her assists and play, but pointed out something interesting.  "She is a young player.  Her senior year in high school she was hurt and she missed that year."  She ticked off her many contributions this game, and noted that she and Kayl are the emotional leaders on the team.  But "she missed some games and missed a lot of practice" "and I am glad she and Britt are both back." 

Tara said she was afraid of Washington's small guards getting "underneath" our bigs.  Kaylee said "we knew they were going to come out and be really handsy and get under people...but everyone knew what to expect and we prepared for it well."

Alanna: "We passed really well this game knowing that Washington was looking to take charges."  My note: a thoughtful comment from someone who was victimized by a really rotten charge call against her.

Tara on the 5 point play.  "They said she was going up for the shot when the foul was called....I disagree with the call, but I disagree with more than that one."

Tara notes the problem with turnovers.  She isn't happy with them, but she seems philosophical that her team is even younger than it may seem. 

"This was a weekend for Kayl, she gets my vote for Stanford player of the week.  Her leadership, her rebounding, her aggressiveness...we need everyone to get onto that train and do those things for us."









Re: WBB: Stanford 71 Washington 45 - 81alum - 01-14-2018

Two controversial calls in the game:

1. What about that five point play for Washington at the end of the first half?  I just had a chance to watch it on the replay. 

At 48.5 seconds Fingall advances into Washington player 24 who falls backward to the floor.  Freeze the action at 48.5 and the Washington player is in mid air as she falls.  At this same moment the ball is in the air on a pass to the Washington shooter, who has not even touched the ball.  So it is obvious that the Fingall foul occurred well before the shot, and the shot should not have been allowed.  But the whistle was not blown when the foul was committed, but when the ref noticed the Washington player on the floor.

At 48.0 the ref blows the whistle and raises his arm.  Washington player 24 is fully on the floor and the Washington shooter has not quite released the ball, she has started the shooting motion and brought the ball from her waist to the release point.

So, if the key to allowing/disallowing the shot is based on the moment the foul actually occurred, then the shot should not have been allowed.  However, if the determinant is based on the moment the whistle was blown, then it is clear that she had almost finished her motion when the whistle was blown, and I presume that would make it a good call.

So you rules experts out there, which is it?

2. In the charging foul on Alanna at 7:03 in the third quarter, it was so obviously a Smith basket and-one that the announcers called it right away and were surprised when the refs called it a charge.  On replay, Melgoza was sliding sideways into Smith and flopped.  One of the worst calls of the year.

On the other hand, Missy Barlowe was not refereeing this came, so we can't blame her.  What is the world coming to?


Re: WBB: Stanford 71 Washington 45 - 81alum - 01-15-2018

The announcers also revealed something that helps explain McPhee this weekend.  You may remember I thought she looked tired in the 4th quarter against WSU, and her shooting was not sharp today.  McPhee has been fighting a cold.  Apparently nothing too serious, but it might explain why she is not performing quite as well as we are used to seeing from her.

Re: WBB: Stanford 71 Washington 45 - CompSci87 - 01-15-2018

I've heard on NBA broadcasts that the foul is deemed to occur when the whistle is blown. Considering how late the whistle is sometimes, applying that rule strictly can lead to some unfairness.

Checking the NCAA rules, I think that's the theory here too. Normally the ball becomes dead when the referee's whistle is blown, with some exceptions. The ball becoming dead at the whistle is why a shot begun after a foul is called does not count.

One important exception: The ball becomes dead (among other cases) when "d. An official blows the whistle, except when the try [i.e, a shot] is in flight"

But the exception goes farther than that:
"A live ball shall not become dead when a foul is committed by an opponent of a player who starts a try for goal before a foul occurs, provided that time does not expire before the ball is in flight"

The NCAA casebook gives an example, but it's not as extreme as the one we saw today:

A.R. 270.  A1 attempts a try for goal  While the ball is in flight, A2 and B2 are jostling for rebounding position and the official calls a foul on: (1)    A2; or (2)  B2 Both teams are in the bonus RULING:  When the try is successful, count the goal because the ball remains live while the try is in flight even though a foul occurs when the try is in the air. In either (1) or (2), the offended team is awarded free throws. (Rule  10-10  Penalty c.1,  4-8.4.c  and 6-6.1.c)

Another remark: Under NBA rules there would have been only one free throw. A foul off the ball at the same time as a shot is treated similarly to a foul on the shooter: only one free throw if the shot goes in and is counted. See http://videorulebook.nba.com/archive/foul-in-the-act-of-shooting-non-shooting-offensive-player-is-fouled/. That seems more consistent to me than the college rule.

Re: WBB: Stanford 71 Washington 45 - BosCard - 01-15-2018

This Washington team isn't as bad as their record would suggest.  They have played almost every game pretty close.  Our game was by far their worst offensive showing (I'm going to take that as maybe a bad game for them but also a sign that our defense played really well).  This Washington team scored 76 at Ohio St (lost by 9) and 83 at Oregon (lost by 11).Â