Generally, when SC starts a game off slow on offense against a team with talent, they seem to always play close or even fall behind. It should not shock anyone who has watched this version of our team since the 32-1 Covid yr. of KiKi & TH leading the super frosh.
IMO, it’s not the guard play that causes SC to sometime struggle offensively, it’s the lack of a scoring wing forward since Mad K graduated. I love Beal and her intangibles, but this is two games in a row with zero points. That lack of scoring production from the Wing is the main factor in many of our slow starts, IMO. The good news is DS has a deep bench with many options to counter a slow start to find what will work for that particular matchup. Non-starter Bree Hall, who starred off the bench at Stanford, was barely a factor last night while Cardoso, who struggled at the Cardinal, was a force against UCLA with points, rebounds, & blocks. Plus our defense and bench wears teams down over the course of the game. Fatigue matters & how many times did UCLA have to settle for a deep three late in the shot clock in the second half due to pressure? Let's all remember that Games are 4 quarters & not won at the half. Despite the slow start, from the point of the game where the Bruins led 31-21, SC outscored UCLA by 19. As much as I wish we had a pretty offense like some teams, DS has built SC to play as a bulldozer. Some games, it takes times for that machine to get rolling. Will SC lose a game or two this season - possible/probable. But I don’t see us getting blown out in any game we might. with that being said, UCLA is a good team, was motivated, & played hard. Hats off.
sports.yahoo.com
