UCONN @ St. Francis BKL
Day: Saturday
Date: March 21th, 2015
Location: Gampel
Time: 9:00
Time: 9:00
TV: ESPN2
Records UConn 32-1 (18-0)
St. Francis Brooklyn 15-18 (9-9)
Overview
So, how St. Francis Brooklyn's season go?
They opened the season by losing to American East champion Albany, 90-47. Amazingly, they played Georgia Tech very well, losing 65-59. They were competitive in their conference and many of their nine losses were by close margins.
But what a great Northeast Conference tournament for St. Francis Brooklyn. They completed it's insane journey to the NCAA Tournament by upsetting host Robert Morris 77-62. It is the first title in program history and they advance to its first NCAAs. They are the 10th team to enter the NCAAs with a losing record. The Terriers defeated No. 4 seed Sacred Heart 77-59 then top-seeded Central Connecticut 71-63 in double-overtime of the semifinal game before beating No. 3 seed Robert Morris.
Their senior led lineup found their scoring touch in the tourney. After averaging 60 ppg during the regular season, they scored 77, 71, 77 points in the three games. The middle game was a tough double overtime win over CCSU.
SFBU is on a five game winning streak and have won eight of their last nine games coming into this 1 versus 16 matchup.
UConn won their conference tournament with two and a half dominating performances, beating Cincinnati 93-34, East Carolina 106-56 and South Florida 84-70 after a dominating 46-23 first half. Other than the letdown in the second half against USF, UConn has been dominating in their run to the NCAA's. Their stars, Jefferson, Stewart, Tuck and KML have been playing like AA's.
Connecticut come into this game on a 31 game winning streak, looking for six more. UConn is making its 26th consecutive NCAA tournament appearance. St. Francis Brooklyn is making its 1st NCAA tournament appearance. I'm sure the Terriers are excited about this if you are going to play you might as well play the best. They will be able to talk about this experience for years. SFBU is the 10th team with a record under .500 to play in the tourney.
UConn has played the 16 seed the last seven years, beating Prairie View 87-44, Idaho 105-37, Prairie View 83-47, Hartford 75-39, Southern 95-39, Vermont 105-65, Cornell 89-47.
SFBU is on a five game winning streak and have won eight of their last nine games coming into this 1 versus 16 matchup.
UConn won their conference tournament with two and a half dominating performances, beating Cincinnati 93-34, East Carolina 106-56 and South Florida 84-70 after a dominating 46-23 first half. Other than the letdown in the second half against USF, UConn has been dominating in their run to the NCAA's. Their stars, Jefferson, Stewart, Tuck and KML have been playing like AA's.
Connecticut come into this game on a 31 game winning streak, looking for six more. UConn is making its 26th consecutive NCAA tournament appearance. St. Francis Brooklyn is making its 1st NCAA tournament appearance. I'm sure the Terriers are excited about this if you are going to play you might as well play the best. They will be able to talk about this experience for years. SFBU is the 10th team with a record under .500 to play in the tourney.
UConn has played the 16 seed the last seven years, beating Prairie View 87-44, Idaho 105-37, Prairie View 83-47, Hartford 75-39, Southern 95-39, Vermont 105-65, Cornell 89-47.
UConn Starters
11 Kia Nurse 6' Freshman Guard
Nurse has clearly struggled the last several games, with six single digit performances in her last ten games culminating with being shut out against South Florida. I'm sure Geno is hoping the week between games will allow her to reenergize and play more like she did the first half of the season.
2014-15: MPG 24.6, FG% .500, 3PT% .394, PPG 10.5 RPG 3.2 APG 3.2, 49 steals, 1 block
2014-15: MPG 27.7, FG% .581, 3PT% .500, PPG 12.0, RPG 2.8, APG 4.8, 88 steals, 5 blocks
23 Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis 5'11" Senior Forward
The Rock. And she certainly has been that for UConn over the last seven games. She has averaged 20 points, 54% on threes and a remarkable 67% from the floor. She won the MOP of the AAC tournament and is showing her usual post season performance level. Look for more of the same.
2014-15: MPG 28.4, FG% .544, 3PT% .510, PPG 15.1, RPG 4.3, APG 2.8, 35 steals, 9 blocks
3 Morgan Tuck 6'2" Sophomore Forward
Tuck's last four games have been as good as she has played all season, be it in reduced minutes. In only 23 mpg, she averaged 15.5 points and 7 rebounds. Her efficiency was remarkable. She was 28-36, an amazing 78% from the field.
2014-15: MPG 24.1, FG% .593, 3PT% .259, PPG 13.5, RPG 5.4, APG 2.7, 26 steals, 12 blocks
30 Breanna Stewart 6'4" Junior Forward
We are seeing the post season Stewart the last several games and opponents should be worried. The best player in the game is playing at the top her of game. Game Over. She won't see that many minutes in this game, but you can bet they will be effective minutes. Her scoring, rebounding, block shots are all up the last ten games. Her three point shooting? As bad as it's been all season. I'm pretty sure she has taken a lot of them in practice.
2014-15: MPG 27.5, FG% .533, 3PT% .296, PPG 17.4, RPG 7.3, APG 3.1, 52 steals, 85 blocks
UConn Bench
I'm not sure if it's matchups or performance related, but Stokes hasn't seen the minutes she has played for much of the year over the last five games. Certainly playing against the smaller lineups of the opponents in those games is one reason to keep her minutes down, but to my eyes, she has just slid a bit in her aggressiveness on the court. Looking for a bounce back game, but St. Francis is not a big team and they like to spread the floor, so Kiah might see limited minutes again.
2014-15: MPG 19.1, FG% .534, 3PT% .500, PPG 4.7, RPG 7.0, APG .8, 17 steals, 132 blocks
Chong was a solid contributor in the three AAC games other than the second half of the USF game where she struggled on defense. But the entire team did as well, so I'm sure she will be fine coming into this game. Her shot, after that remarkable hot steak, has cooled off going 1-11 on threes the last four games. Hopefully the week off will get her back on track.
2014-15: MPG 20.0, FG% .474, 3PT% .382, PPG 6.1, RPG 2.0, APG 2.2, 21 steals, 8 blocks
15 Gabby Williams 5'11" Freshman Guard
Williams just continues to get better and better. Geno specifically mentioned how important her minutes were against South Florida when Tuck and Stokes both were in some foul trouble in the first half. I agree with Geno that she will be a big part of this championship run and she could get another double double in this game.
2014-15: MPG 16.6, FG% .644, 3PT% .000, PPG 8.9, RPG 6.1, APG 1.4, 43 steals, 13 blocks
Ekmark did not see much playing time in the South Florida game, but I would think she will get double digit minutes in this game.
2014-15: MPG 10.9, FG% .328, 3PT% .257, PPG 2.1, RPG 1.5, APG .7, 6 steals, 0 blocks
UConn Complete Stats
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St. Francis Brooklyn Starters
34 Jaymee Veney 6' Senior Forward
Veney is the leading scorer this season at Became the 14th member of the St. Francis Brooklyn Women's Basketball 1,000 point club on January 10, 2015 against Mount St. Mary's. Veney is also the leading rebounder and leading shot blocker. She is the only size that SFB has in the starting lineup. Veney scored 14 points in the Northeast Conference final. each.
2013-14 (Junior): Garnered the start in 29 of 30 contests for the Terriers last season…Averaged 26.0 minutes a contest while logging a season best 36 minutes on two occasions…Averaged 10.7 points per game with a season-high of 20 points against the Delaware State University Hornets back on December 29th…Set a new personal-best with 12 caroms also against Delaware State…2013-14 Northeast Conference Winter Academic Honor Roll selection…2013-14 Northeast Conference Winter Commissioner’s Honor Roll choice.
2014-15: MPG 31.2, FG% .419, 3PT% .222, PPG 14.8, RPG 8.0, APG 1.2, 33 steals, 13 blocks
14 Sarah Benedetti 5'10" Senior Forward
Benedetti moved into the starting rotation this season and is second on the team in scoring. She became the 13th member of the St. Francis Brooklyn Women's Basketball 1,000 point club on December 17, 2014 vs. Vermont... Surpassed Tiffany Hill as the Terriers leader in career three-pointers made against Army on December 8, 2014. In the finals of the Northeast Conference Benedetti led the Terriers with 29 points, including five 3-pointers.
2013-14 (Junior): Was used as the Terriers “sixth-man” for the 2013-14 season as she appeared in 28 games…Logged 22.4 minutes per contest…The second leading scorer for St. Francis Brooklyn at 11.4 points per game…Netted 71 three-pointers, which was the highest on the team…Posted 16 double-digit scoring games while tying a career-high 28 points against Robert Morris on February 24th…Tied the program record of seven made three-pointers against LIU Brooklyn in the 21st annual “Battle of Brooklyn” en route to being named the game’s Most Valuable Player
2014-15: MPG 33.0, FG% .402, 3PT% .325, PPG 14.2, RPG 4.3, APG 2.3, 31 steals, 7 blocks
41 Eilidh Simpson 5'7" Senior Guard
Another player from Australia, Simpson is the best three point shooting on the team but only takes around 3 per game. She is the best foul shooter at almost 90%. Simpson scored 14 points in the Northeast Conference final.
2013-2014 (Junior): Started in all 30 contests for the Terriers in 2013-14…Led the team in scoring at 14.0 points per game while logging 33.5 minutes a contest…Posted 19 double-figure scoring games while eclipsing the 20-point plateau eight times…Finished among the top-ten in the circuit in scoring while ranking second in three-point field goal percentage (38.6%), third in free-throw percentage (84.8%) and fifth in field goal percentage (45.4%)…Increased her scoring production a full eleven points from her freshman year (3.5 ppg in 2011-12 to14.5 in 2013-14)...A two-time Choice Hotels Northeast Conference Player of the Week, Simpson tied the program-record of seven made three-pointers when she went 7-of-11 from downtown en route to a then career-high 24 points against UMass Lowell (11/23/13).
2014-15: MPG 36.0, FG% .410, 3PT% .396, PPG 12.0, RPG 3.7, APG 2.2, 29 steals, 0 blocks
12 Leah Fechko 5'8 Junior Guard
Fechko is a batter and for 5'8" she loves to hit the boards. This year, she is 2nd on the team in rebounds. One tough customer. She also leads the team in FG% and is not a bad three point shooter. Her quick hands and feed allows her to lead the team in steals.
2013-14 (Sophomore): Started in 29 in 30 contests last season...Logged 34.3 minutes per contest, which including eclipsing the forty-minute mark on three occasions…Averaged 8.8 points per game, with a career-best 23 points at home against Saint Francis University back on February 10th…Five times during the season, Fechko pulled down double-figure rebounds with her best effort coming against UMass Lowell, Delaware State, Saint Francis U and Wagner when the Twinsburg, Ohio native pulled down a career-best 13 caroms in each of those contests….Dished out a personal-best seven assists against Delaware State…Named to the 2013-14 Northeast Conference Winter Academic Honor Roll.
2014-15: MPG 35.8, FG% .471, 3PT% .364, PPG 10.1, RPG 7.7, APG 2.1, 69 steals, 2 blocks
21 Katie Fox 5'5" Senior Guard
Fox is the point guard on this team and leads the team in assists and has a decent assist/to ratio. She is clearly a pass first point guard as she only attempts around 4 shots per game. She shoots under 30% so it's probably a good idea that she doesn't shoot.
2013-14 (Junior): Started in 29 of 30 games for St. Francis Brooklyn…Led the NEC in three-point field goal percentage at 44.4 percent...Logged 26.2 minutes a contest while playing in a career-best 42 on the road at Mount St. Mary’s on January 13th….Averaged 4.7 points per game while setting a new career-high of 14 against Bryant in the quarterfinal round of the 2014 Northeast Conference Tournament…Tied a career-best of seven assists also against the Bulldogs in the first round of the NEC Tournament.
2014-15: MPG 36.5, FG% .296, 3PT% .298, PPG 3.8, RPG 2.2, APG 3.6, 39 steals, 4 blocks
St. Francis Brooklyn Bench
Delaney, a 5-10 forward, is the third Australian signed by the Terriers' under Thurston's tenure.
"All of our contacts in Australia are unanimous in their comments about Alex, she can score," Thurston said. "She is a dedicated, coachable and determined athlete. She is a team player and works tirelessly towards her individual goals and the goals of the team. She is an accurate shooter with excellent three-point range. Passing and on-court leadership are also strengths of hers and her ability to defend both on the perimeter and inside makes her an asset to the team."
Alex has represented her country at the National Championships for the past six seasons. She was a member of the U18 team that won the championship in 2012, a second place finish this past year and a third-place showing in 2013. In the most recent National Championships, as a U-20 member, Alex averaged 15.7 points per game while dishing out 5.3 assists. She also pulled down 6.3 rebounds per contest and shot 94.1 percent from the free-throw line.
Among her accolades, Delaney was named Player of the Tournament at the Australian Schools Tournament in 2013, NSW Youth League All Star 5 Team and Sydney Comets Warath League Best Defensive Player in 2013. She was awarded the prestigious Blue Award for her achievements in school sports and was named the Senior Basketballer of the Year for her last three years in high school. Academically, Alex received the High Achievers Award from Monte Sant Angelo Catholic College for her achievements in the Higher School Certificate (HSC), where she achieved 99.5 out of a possible 99.9 ATAR score.
2014-15: MPG 16.6, FG% .427, 3PT% .368, PPG 3.7, RPG 1.5, APG 0.8, 13 steals, 4 blocks
15 Cassidy Derda 6'2" Freshman Forward
Derda, a 6-2 forward from South Burlington, Vermont, played at Rice Memorial High School. Before playing for Rice, Derda played two years at South Burlington High School. In the classroom, Derda was named to the Class Honor Roll in three straight years while maintaining a senior grade-point average of 3.4. At Rice, she was named Outstanding Female Athlete and received the Outstanding Performance Award.
"Cassidy is a very mobile post player that runs the floor extremely well," commented Thurston. "She has solid shooting range and is comfortable facing the basket. Derda is a very good passer and has an excellent basketball IQ. She comes from a basketball family as her mother was an excellent player at James Madison in the 80's and her father has coached her since she started playing."
2014-15: MPG 6.9, FG% .414, 3PT% .385, PPG 2.2, RPG 0.8, APG 0.1, 1 steal, 4 blocks
Game Analysis
Not much to analyze here. UConn will use it's tremendous talent advantage to do whatever they want do in this game.
St. Francis shoots around 20 three point shots per game and because they start one player that is 6' tall and their starters all play over 30 mpg, UConn will have a big size advantage the entire game. I'm sure Geno will pressure early to get the team into the game after a long layoff.
SFBU will struggle with the pace of the game and their starters will have their tongues hanging out and tugging on their shorts early in the game.
This game is all about the process of preparing for the subsequent games.
Final Prediction
I'm thinking this will be a lot like the Idaho game from two years about. UConn will score around 100 and St. Francis Brooklyn will struggle to get to 40.
UConn by 65+.
UConn by 65+.
Not being linked at The Boneyard, when info covered here by DD was asked for, has to be an all time snit/sulk by Mods. No respect from me whatsoever for that...
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