[BosCard]

Looks like we are going to pull it off, but not exactly a well oiled machine tonight. Our inability to put them away is concerning, but a win is a win.

BC

Nice to get the win but I am quite worried about our defense.  Hopefully that will improve over the year as it takes freshmen a long time to learn our team defense.  Some nice defensive plays by Belibi at the end.  Wish Williams would find her 3-point shot again.

[BosCard]

Looks like we are going to pull it off, but not exactly a well oiled machine tonight. Our inability to put them away is concerning, but a win is a win.

BC

Nice to get the win but I am quite worried about our defense.  Hopefully that will improve over the year as it takes freshmen a long time to learn our team defense.  Some nice defensive plays by Belibi at the end.  Wish Williams would find her 3-point shot again.

[BostonCard]

Defense came through when it counted at the end of the game.  We held them to one field goal and three free throws in the last 4:45, which was good.  The bad was that we didn’t take advantage, and only scored 8 points ourselves.

BC

[BostonCard]

Defense came through when it counted at the end of the game.  We held them to one field goal and three free throws in the last 4:45, which was good.  The bad was that we didn’t take advantage, and only scored 8 points ourselves.

BC

[81alum]

Well, it is pretty easy to analyze this game.  We led in almost all categories--rebounding, turnovers, FG%, free throws, etc. EXCEPT for one--they made 17 treys and we made 4.  They shot 43% of their treys and we shot 17%.  If it were not for that, the game would have been the blowout it looked like it was going to be when we were up by 21 in the mid 3rd quarter.

Give CBU credit.  Once Tara solved their zone and Fingall and Belibi started getting the High-Low passes for layup after layup, CBU clogged the paint and dared us to do what they were doing--make threes.  We didn't.  In fact, we were 0/6 on three point shots in the fourth quarter. 

Given this game and Gonzaga, I think our youth and inexperience is showing a bit.  Although it was very nice to see Fingall have a great game--18 points in only 14 minutes.  It is pretty clear that she is on some sort of time limit.

Williams again was a second half scorer--5 in the first and 10 in the second.  Partly because of the free throw shooting she had to do at the end.   Lexie and Belibi were our 3rd and 4th double digit scorers. 

Here is a VERY interesting stat.  Anna Wilson led the team in +/- by quite a margin, even though she scored only 3 points.  Prechtel and Lacey led in negative territory. 

Basically, we need to make more threes and we need to defend both the perimeter and the drives better.  Syracuse did not look like a juggernaut today, but we did not look like one either.  If we don't play better, we will lose tomorrow.

And then there is the very concerning news that something is wrong with Carrington. She hasn't been herself all year after missing the whole summer of practice. And now she was "not available." Without her playing at a high level we are going to have trouble against elite teams.

[81alum]

Well, it is pretty easy to analyze this game.  We led in almost all categories--rebounding, turnovers, FG%, free throws, etc. EXCEPT for one--they made 17 treys and we made 4.  They shot 43% of their treys and we shot 17%.  If it were not for that, the game would have been the blowout it looked like it was going to be when we were up by 21 in the mid 3rd quarter.

Give CBU credit.  Once Tara solved their zone and Fingall and Belibi started getting the High-Low passes for layup after layup, CBU clogged the paint and dared us to do what they were doing--make threes.  We didn't.  In fact, we were 0/6 on three point shots in the fourth quarter. 

Given this game and Gonzaga, I think our youth and inexperience is showing a bit.  Although it was very nice to see Fingall have a great game--18 points in only 14 minutes.  It is pretty clear that she is on some sort of time limit.

Williams again was a second half scorer--5 in the first and 10 in the second.  Partly because of the free throw shooting she had to do at the end.   Lexie and Belibi were our 3rd and 4th double digit scorers. 

Here is a VERY interesting stat.  Anna Wilson led the team in +/- by quite a margin, even though she scored only 3 points.  Prechtel and Lacey led in negative territory. 

Basically, we need to make more threes and we need to defend both the perimeter and the drives better.  Syracuse did not look like a juggernaut today, but we did not look like one either.  If we don't play better, we will lose tomorrow.

And then there is the very concerning news that something is wrong with Carrington. She hasn't been herself all year after missing the whole summer of practice. And now she was "not available." Without her playing at a high level we are going to have trouble against elite teams.

[martyup]

I didn't see the game.  Did they defend our 3 point shots tight or did we just miss open 3s?

[martyup]

I didn't see the game.  Did they defend our 3 point shots tight or did we just miss open 3s?

[81alum]

I didn't see the game.  Did they defend our 3 point shots tight or did we just miss open 3s?

Mostly, we missed.  They were playing a zone and were not particularly active or tight on the perimeter.  We weren't always wide open, but I don't think their perimeter defense was unusually good.

[81alum]

I didn't see the game.  Did they defend our 3 point shots tight or did we just miss open 3s?

Mostly, we missed.  They were playing a zone and were not particularly active or tight on the perimeter.  We weren't always wide open, but I don't think their perimeter defense was unusually good.

[TheFarm07]

I didn't see the game either, but it is a worrying sign.

I thought after we righted the ship a little bit into halftime and early into the 3rd quarter when we expanded our lead, we would cruise to the victory. Instead they narrowed the gap and had a few opportunities to take the lead.

Missing DiJonai is critical; she provides leadership, hustle and a spark. And even though Nadia is back, as some have pointed out, she is clearly on a minutes quota, because you would think Tara would continue to play her in a competitive game with the night she was having.

It's a shame that we are only a few games into the new season and dealing with nagging injuries/long recoveries from last year and the summer.

So on offense, if we were missing open shots, on the flip side, why was our three point shooting defense so bad? 17 made 3-pointers from Cal Baptist will not please Tara.

Let's see how we do against Syracuse tomorrow. Hopefully we'll play more consistently going forward

[TheFarm07]

I didn't see the game either, but it is a worrying sign.

I thought after we righted the ship a little bit into halftime and early into the 3rd quarter when we expanded our lead, we would cruise to the victory. Instead they narrowed the gap and had a few opportunities to take the lead.

Missing DiJonai is critical; she provides leadership, hustle and a spark. And even though Nadia is back, as some have pointed out, she is clearly on a minutes quota, because you would think Tara would continue to play her in a competitive game with the night she was having.

It's a shame that we are only a few games into the new season and dealing with nagging injuries/long recoveries from last year and the summer.

So on offense, if we were missing open shots, on the flip side, why was our three point shooting defense so bad? 17 made 3-pointers from Cal Baptist will not please Tara.

Let's see how we do against Syracuse tomorrow. Hopefully we'll play more consistently going forward

[Baez87]

I will repeat my observations about DiJonai which I shared earlier on this thread. I watched the game in person today in Victoria.
DiJonai was not dressed for the game and was wearing sweats, so my best guess is that she might be having trouble healing her knee from surgery this past summer.
However, she was actively participating in warmups tonight, distributing the ball to her teammates and seemed in good spirits. She was not immobilized and moved about the floor with ease. In fact, she was our best cheerleader tonight, giving high fives to teammates while moving fluidly in front of the bench. IMHO she is having to go easy on her knee and probably was bummed about it. She took a hard charge in the opening minutes of the game the other night; it was called a blocking foul, and she was removed from the game. That may have been the moment she reinjured her knee. Still, from watching her interact with her teammates tonight, I wouldn’t be too concerned about her recovery or her spirits.

[Baez87]

I will repeat my observations about DiJonai which I shared earlier on this thread. I watched the game in person today in Victoria.
DiJonai was not dressed for the game and was wearing sweats, so my best guess is that she might be having trouble healing her knee from surgery this past summer.
However, she was actively participating in warmups tonight, distributing the ball to her teammates and seemed in good spirits. She was not immobilized and moved about the floor with ease. In fact, she was our best cheerleader tonight, giving high fives to teammates while moving fluidly in front of the bench. IMHO she is having to go easy on her knee and probably was bummed about it. She took a hard charge in the opening minutes of the game the other night; it was called a blocking foul, and she was removed from the game. That may have been the moment she reinjured her knee. Still, from watching her interact with her teammates tonight, I wouldn’t be too concerned about her recovery or her spirits.

[terry]

CBU clogged the paint and dared us to do what they were doing--make threes.

Maybe Jump could’ve played more? She seems to shoot threes pretty well.

[terry]

CBU clogged the paint and dared us to do what they were doing--make threes.

Maybe Jump could’ve played more? She seems to shoot threes pretty well.

[BosCard]

Our three point shooting as a team can be so streaky.  It seems sometimes like everyone can hit threes or no one.  I think it is a confidence thing and is driven by Kiana and Lexie.  If they are hitting the rest of the team is confident, but if they are missing then we are in for a tough game.  The only player who I think is immune to that is Jump which is why I think she is a critical player for us especially relative to the amount of minutes she plays.  2 or 3 threes from her in a 9 minute playing time burst would be very important in poor shooting games.

[BosCard]

Our three point shooting as a team can be so streaky.  It seems sometimes like everyone can hit threes or no one.  I think it is a confidence thing and is driven by Kiana and Lexie.  If they are hitting the rest of the team is confident, but if they are missing then we are in for a tough game.  The only player who I think is immune to that is Jump which is why I think she is a critical player for us especially relative to the amount of minutes she plays.  2 or 3 threes from her in a 9 minute playing time burst would be very important in poor shooting games.

[81alum]

I will repeat my observations about DiJonai which I shared earlier on this thread. I watched the game in person today in Victoria.
DiJonai was not dressed for the game and was wearing sweats, so my best guess is that she might be having trouble healing her knee from surgery this past summer.
However, she was actively participating in warmups tonight, distributing the ball to her teammates and seemed in good spirits. She was not immobilized and moved about the floor with ease. In fact, she was our best cheerleader tonight, giving high fives to teammates while moving fluidly in front of the bench. IMHO she is having to go easy on her knee and probably was bummed about it. She took a hard charge in the opening minutes of the game the other night; it was called a blocking foul, and she was removed from the game. That may have been the moment she reinjured her knee. Still, from watching her interact with her teammates tonight, I wouldn’t be too concerned about her recovery or her spirits.

Well, that sounds like it is not a discipline issue then, nor a terribly serious injury.  Your educated guess is probably right. 

What was your impression from the stands of why we could not defend the three?

Meanwhile, Syracuse had 4 players make treys yesterday, Englster was 3/5 and Cooper was 4/9.  Unlike CBU, Syracuse did a lot more than make threes.  They shot 52% and outrebounded Houston 45 to 30.  They are a very balanced team with 4 (almost 5) players in double digits.  This is exactly the kind of team that Tara's scouting report defense has trouble with since we can't focus on anyone in particular--that may have been part of the problem with CBU yesterday:  CBU played 8 players and ALL EIGHT made treys.  Their worst shooter was Taylor Wu who had just made 10 in a previous game--maybe we focused on her but it hardly matters when every other player can also shoot the three.

I am pretty worried about tonight.

The best I can hope for is that we worked in practice on Syracuse and maybe Mississippi State a whole lot more than we worked on Cal Baptist, and we will be a lot better prepared tonight.

[81alum]

I will repeat my observations about DiJonai which I shared earlier on this thread. I watched the game in person today in Victoria.
DiJonai was not dressed for the game and was wearing sweats, so my best guess is that she might be having trouble healing her knee from surgery this past summer.
However, she was actively participating in warmups tonight, distributing the ball to her teammates and seemed in good spirits. She was not immobilized and moved about the floor with ease. In fact, she was our best cheerleader tonight, giving high fives to teammates while moving fluidly in front of the bench. IMHO she is having to go easy on her knee and probably was bummed about it. She took a hard charge in the opening minutes of the game the other night; it was called a blocking foul, and she was removed from the game. That may have been the moment she reinjured her knee. Still, from watching her interact with her teammates tonight, I wouldn’t be too concerned about her recovery or her spirits.

Well, that sounds like it is not a discipline issue then, nor a terribly serious injury.  Your educated guess is probably right. 

What was your impression from the stands of why we could not defend the three?

Meanwhile, Syracuse had 4 players make treys yesterday, Englster was 3/5 and Cooper was 4/9.  Unlike CBU, Syracuse did a lot more than make threes.  They shot 52% and outrebounded Houston 45 to 30.  They are a very balanced team with 4 (almost 5) players in double digits.  This is exactly the kind of team that Tara's scouting report defense has trouble with since we can't focus on anyone in particular--that may have been part of the problem with CBU yesterday:  CBU played 8 players and ALL EIGHT made treys.  Their worst shooter was Taylor Wu who had just made 10 in a previous game--maybe we focused on her but it hardly matters when every other player can also shoot the three.

I am pretty worried about tonight.

The best I can hope for is that we worked in practice on Syracuse and maybe Mississippi State a whole lot more than we worked on Cal Baptist, and we will be a lot better prepared tonight.

[81alum]

Cal Baptist just got clobbered by Houston--a team that Syracuse clobbered.  CBU looked quite ordinary.  In looking over their 3 point makes last night they had some people who were very mediocre three point shooters who were shooting lights out.  It reminds me a little of that terrible game the Stanford men had against Siena in 1989 when Siena knocked us out in the first round by getting hot from three.

Sometimes teams just get hot from three point range--three point shooting is contagious.  And unfortunately (for us) vice versa.

[81alum]

Cal Baptist just got clobbered by Houston--a team that Syracuse clobbered.  CBU looked quite ordinary.  In looking over their 3 point makes last night they had some people who were very mediocre three point shooters who were shooting lights out.  It reminds me a little of that terrible game the Stanford men had against Siena in 1989 when Siena knocked us out in the first round by getting hot from three.

Sometimes teams just get hot from three point range--three point shooting is contagious.  And unfortunately (for us) vice versa.

[Baez87]

From my (point of) view in the stands at the Greater Victoria Invitational:
CB starters were all 5’11” or less, but they came in with a 7-0 win/loss record and got off to a fantastic start, especially from the 3PT arc. They may have been Lilliputians at the beginning of the game, but they turned into Giants. They were fast to their spots and quick on the release. We may have underestimated them at the beginning, but we started guarding them more tightly by the second quarter, which gave us a slight lead at the half. Even with our tighter defense though, when one of them got any distance from our defenders, they would cast a high arching shot beyond the arc, it would go in (even their post could stop on her run down the court and make a 3).
I think that their success was a function of several things:
• they were small, fast, and quick to take their shots,
• we were not taught to defend as tightly as required with this group, because our player are schooled to avoid fouls,
• we seemed to get unfocused by substituting so liberally,
• CB is very small and relies on threes to win, they are deadly accurate, and
• CB came in highly motivated to beat us, this was their chance to get national attention and this was their chance.
When we got ahead in the second half you could see that they lost their edge (and crisp shooting) and it looked like we were going to run away with the game.
Then, they began to defend our threes effectively by beating us to our spots (I think that Jump’s 3PT shot was affect by this, which is why she played so little). We seemed to tire and lose our focus (and miss shots). They took advantage of our flatness and started sinking 3s again. It didn’t look like we were going to win; their speed, screens, and the fact that anyone on the team could make long-range 3s affected our confidence. 
Then the tide turned. Our women defended like I’ve seldom seen. They blocked shots, scrambled for every loose ball, and saved the day.
They learned a big lesson! This team is legit. Sure, they could lose tonight, but the lessons learned last night will serve our team this season. They won last night’s game with talent and grit! Give them credit where credit is due. 
CB was demoralized by the loss. They lost their second game of the season to Houston this morning. Those things happen, but don’t let that put a shadow on our victory.

[Baez87]

From my (point of) view in the stands at the Greater Victoria Invitational:
CB starters were all 5’11” or less, but they came in with a 7-0 win/loss record and got off to a fantastic start, especially from the 3PT arc. They may have been Lilliputians at the beginning of the game, but they turned into Giants. They were fast to their spots and quick on the release. We may have underestimated them at the beginning, but we started guarding them more tightly by the second quarter, which gave us a slight lead at the half. Even with our tighter defense though, when one of them got any distance from our defenders, they would cast a high arching shot beyond the arc, it would go in (even their post could stop on her run down the court and make a 3).
I think that their success was a function of several things:
• they were small, fast, and quick to take their shots,
• we were not taught to defend as tightly as required with this group, because our player are schooled to avoid fouls,
• we seemed to get unfocused by substituting so liberally,
• CB is very small and relies on threes to win, they are deadly accurate, and
• CB came in highly motivated to beat us, this was their chance to get national attention and this was their chance.
When we got ahead in the second half you could see that they lost their edge (and crisp shooting) and it looked like we were going to run away with the game.
Then, they began to defend our threes effectively by beating us to our spots (I think that Jump’s 3PT shot was affect by this, which is why she played so little). We seemed to tire and lose our focus (and miss shots). They took advantage of our flatness and started sinking 3s again. It didn’t look like we were going to win; their speed, screens, and the fact that anyone on the team could make long-range 3s affected our confidence. 
Then the tide turned. Our women defended like I’ve seldom seen. They blocked shots, scrambled for every loose ball, and saved the day.
They learned a big lesson! This team is legit. Sure, they could lose tonight, but the lessons learned last night will serve our team this season. They won last night’s game with talent and grit! Give them credit where credit is due. 
CB was demoralized by the loss. They lost their second game of the season to Houston this morning. Those things happen, but don’t let that put a shadow on our victory.

[81alum]

OK, looking at Syracuse who we are about to play.

Syracuse has three guards and a forward who start and all play in the mid 30 mpg.  I wonder if our depth could wear them down a bit. 

Kiara Lewis (23) is the point guard and leading scorer.  She does not shoot a lot of treys but gets a lot of free throws--she distributes and uses her quickness to drive to the basket.  Keeping her in front of us will be difficult.  She has a great assist/turnover ratio.  She is clearly the most dangerous player and we have not been doing a great job defending those small, hyper quick guards this season.

Engstler and Cooper are guards who do shoot threes well.  While Lewis and Cooper are not tall, Engstler is 6'1".  These two guards sank a lot of treys against Houston yesterday.  Keeping in their faces on the perimeter is important.

Forward Strautmane is 6'2" from Latvia, is averaging about 10 ppg.   Their fifth player is a bit hard to decipher since the roster stats are messed up.  I think it is Finklea-Guity, who is a 6'4" center, but against Oregon most of the minutes were given to Djaldi-Tabdi, a 6'2" forward from France.  Their forwards look competent but are not their strongest link.  That might give our young bigs a chance to operate against them.

As a team, one out of every three shots is a three pointer and they have been making 32% of them.  16 out of 26 made field goals are assisted.  They put a big emphasis on steals and average 6 of those a game.  They turn it over 14 times a game, and they block 4 shots a game. 

All in all, a well balanced team who will be a challenge to handle.  They look especially strong with their guards.  They will play zone and make us shoot threes, and while we might succeed in getting inside the zone some of the time, we had better make some threes of our own. 

It looks to me as if guarding their guards will be our biggest defensive challenge--particularly Lewis.

[81alum]

OK, looking at Syracuse who we are about to play.

Syracuse has three guards and a forward who start and all play in the mid 30 mpg.  I wonder if our depth could wear them down a bit. 

Kiara Lewis (23) is the point guard and leading scorer.  She does not shoot a lot of treys but gets a lot of free throws--she distributes and uses her quickness to drive to the basket.  Keeping her in front of us will be difficult.  She has a great assist/turnover ratio.  She is clearly the most dangerous player and we have not been doing a great job defending those small, hyper quick guards this season.

Engstler and Cooper are guards who do shoot threes well.  While Lewis and Cooper are not tall, Engstler is 6'1".  These two guards sank a lot of treys against Houston yesterday.  Keeping in their faces on the perimeter is important.

Forward Strautmane is 6'2" from Latvia, is averaging about 10 ppg.   Their fifth player is a bit hard to decipher since the roster stats are messed up.  I think it is Finklea-Guity, who is a 6'4" center, but against Oregon most of the minutes were given to Djaldi-Tabdi, a 6'2" forward from France.  Their forwards look competent but are not their strongest link.  That might give our young bigs a chance to operate against them.

As a team, one out of every three shots is a three pointer and they have been making 32% of them.  16 out of 26 made field goals are assisted.  They put a big emphasis on steals and average 6 of those a game.  They turn it over 14 times a game, and they block 4 shots a game. 

All in all, a well balanced team who will be a challenge to handle.  They look especially strong with their guards.  They will play zone and make us shoot threes, and while we might succeed in getting inside the zone some of the time, we had better make some threes of our own. 

It looks to me as if guarding their guards will be our biggest defensive challenge--particularly Lewis.

[81alum]

Pregame interview Tara said they would start a new lineup today.  Praised Belibi's performance yesterday.  Note Carrington is still out.

Starters:  Lexie Williams Jerome Fingall Jones

Interesting that we are going 3 big against a team that usually has 3 quick guards.

So Jones gets her second start.

---

We lead 12-9 after one quarter.

A defensive game, with lots of fouls called so not too physical.  We shot only 27% and they shot only 21%.  Each side has made only a single trey.  We seem to be defending their best three point shooters better than last night.  No one has made more than one basket.

This won't continue.  Someone will start getting hot from somewhere.

[81alum]

Pregame interview Tara said they would start a new lineup today.  Praised Belibi's performance yesterday.  Note Carrington is still out.

Starters:  Lexie Williams Jerome Fingall Jones

Interesting that we are going 3 big against a team that usually has 3 quick guards.

So Jones gets her second start.

---

We lead 12-9 after one quarter.

A defensive game, with lots of fouls called so not too physical.  We shot only 27% and they shot only 21%.  Each side has made only a single trey.  We seem to be defending their best three point shooters better than last night.  No one has made more than one basket.

This won't continue.  Someone will start getting hot from somewhere.

[mbdude]

Low energy game
We are 4 of 15 shooting, they r 4 of 19

[mbdude]

Low energy game
We are 4 of 15 shooting, they r 4 of 19

[triangle2]

Freshman getting into foul trouble by not recognizing the way that the back ref is calling the game inside. Syracuse is going one on one and driving to the basket. Belibi and Jones look a little uncertain about where their spots are. Tara is unhappy with that ref - just called Jump for blocking out her player on a rebound. He's calling ticky-tack fouls.

Jump is getting a nice long look in the 2nd quarter. Currently 4-7 from three. Nice quick release, balanced. Looks like a good decision maker.

[triangle2]

Freshman getting into foul trouble by not recognizing the way that the back ref is calling the game inside. Syracuse is going one on one and driving to the basket. Belibi and Jones look a little uncertain about where their spots are. Tara is unhappy with that ref - just called Jump for blocking out her player on a rebound. He's calling ticky-tack fouls.

Jump is getting a nice long look in the 2nd quarter. Currently 4-7 from three. Nice quick release, balanced. Looks like a good decision maker.

[81alum]

Fingall went down and trotted to the locker room.  She did not appear to be in pain but has not come back.

The refs are calling lots of ticky tack fouls.  Prechtel, Belibi, and Lexie all have 2 fouls, and Syracuse is getting free throws on every foul for another 5 minutes.

Addendum:  Fingall is back!  Scores and one.

[81alum]

Fingall went down and trotted to the locker room.  She did not appear to be in pain but has not come back.

The refs are calling lots of ticky tack fouls.  Prechtel, Belibi, and Lexie all have 2 fouls, and Syracuse is getting free throws on every foul for another 5 minutes.

Addendum:  Fingall is back!  Scores and one.

[CardinalWBBFan]

Jump!! Omg!

[CardinalWBBFan]

Jump!! Omg!

[CompSci87]

Anna Wilson did great filling in for Ki after Ki's second foul.

[CompSci87]

Anna Wilson did great filling in for Ki after Ki's second foul.

[mbdude]

I don't think Syracuse had a field goal that qtr

Edit: last field goal 3ptr at 8:00 min mark

[mbdude]

I don't think Syracuse had a field goal that qtr

Edit: last field goal 3ptr at 8:00 min mark