Ranked Cal in town
- Thread starter Bardman
- Start date
We started the 1st quarter off slow got down 7-0 early but got settled in and finished the 1st with a 3 point lead. Curry didn’t score the 1st quarter but Berry has come on strong.
Good first half up by 10 a lot of defense on our end. I wonder if our 4th quarter breakdowns have been because we run out of gas. We are really playing a lot of players and not for a few minutes at a time. Harris, Russell and Berry are in for 7 minutes and then sit for 7 minutes. It looks like he is trying to keep up the defensive pressure the whole game and trying not to have a let down at the end because of fatigue.
We take an 11 point lead into the 4th quarter let’s see if all this substitution solved our problem with 4th quarter breakdowns. If we can keep up our defensive intensity I like our chances.
This camera action is awful they keep focusing to long on the sideline missing parts of the game.
It's like the Cards take a dumb pill in the 4th quarter. It's truly mystifying how they seem to panic. They have turned the ball over three times in a row now.
These refs have called more fouls in the last 5 minutes than they have the whole game.
Olivia had quite possibly the best game of her career, but she fouled out just before the meltdown. It would have been better if she could have been positioned in the middle of the court as was the recipient of the inbound pass when Cal initiated their full court trapping press in that last 2 minutes or so. Jeff needs to keep Olivia, Nyla and Jada from getting into foul trouble in the 4th quarter, so they can be available for moments like this.
Instead, last night Cochran fouled out, and those inbound passes kept going to our short guards positioned in the corner, which resulted in CAL’s trapping pressure forced us into making some bad passes.
On a brighter note, we are in the hunt for the double bye for ACC tournament, as our schedule is quite favorable compared to some of the other contenders..
Instead, last night Cochran fouled out, and those inbound passes kept going to our short guards positioned in the corner, which resulted in CAL’s trapping pressure forced us into making some bad passes.
On a brighter note, we are in the hunt for the double bye for ACC tournament, as our schedule is quite favorable compared to some of the other contenders..
Olivia was in a battle all night. Lot of pushing and shoving. And words.
A typical badly reffed game. Incompetence in the officials grows. They virtually lost control a couple times. Very uneven calls both ends.
Cards need some height for next season. Getting tiring seeing a buncha Munchkins out there.
The smaller lineup was pretty effective though. Curry, for a Sr guard, makes some bad decisions with the ball. Olivia - fantastic game. We just can’t get her and Harris to be at that level every game. It was mentioned above; and I have said it before, no on-the-court leader. I’m not sure why coach, after taking Berry out, never got her back in. The win vs a ranked team was great and the defense we are used to seeing was there for most of the game.
I thought Berry should have played more but I did think she looked really tired when he bought her out.
Again, it boils down to PG play. Williams had 0 assists. Curry had 3 assists but also had 3 TO's. As a team, we had more TOs 14 than assists 10. I think in the 4th quarter, there was and has been a lot of uncertainty of who is suppose to have the ball in their hands to run the offense. The last few turnovers late in the game was an example of that.
Berry is the one player that if she stays can and will be a great U of L player like we have had in the past. Hopefully her limited playing time will not be a factor in whether she goes into the portal. We cannot lose her.
The one play late in the game when Izela got trapped in the corner and was fortunate to be fouled is illustrative of the 4th quarter implosion problems. You may have noticed that Walz was yelling “go get the damned ball!” to Taj Roberts.
Everything we’re seeing can be explained by inexperience. The freshmen (Taj especially) are too good not to be on the court, but they are too inexperienced not to make a mistake or two from time to time. They have struggled multiple times to close out games, and in a few cases it has cost them a win, so that’s going to be a part of this team until they ALL, collectively, figure out how to overcome those mistakes.
Everything we’re seeing can be explained by inexperience. The freshmen (Taj especially) are too good not to be on the court, but they are too inexperienced not to make a mistake or two from time to time. They have struggled multiple times to close out games, and in a few cases it has cost them a win, so that’s going to be a part of this team until they ALL, collectively, figure out how to overcome those mistakes.
I do think she has battled some shoulder issues. Her defense has been erratic. Her movement w/o the ball has been erratic. Now, I think some of the lights have come on for her. Her passing, shooting and overall decision making have all improved. I think the game has slowed down for her - which is good.
Most every one of those turnovers in the last few minutes was a result of the inbound pass going into one of the two sideline corners, which is exactly where the trapping defense wants it to go. Simple math tells the ball handler that a double team means someone should be open; provided the other four are in position to be an option to receive a pass.
Tell you what. CJW needs to talk with CPK. The women’s inbounds plays and/or the execution of the plays - is bad. I don’t think the women move and cut hard/fast enough and the person making the inbounds pass is hesitant. That hesitant passing is also seen during gameplay. I’ve said throughout the season this is not a very good passing team. While they have their moments…overall, they miss opportunities because they hesitate and they just make some poor passing choices.