No. 1 UConn Huskies Tulane
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Post Game report
What a wonderful performance by UConn. From the opening tip to the end of the second quarter, we were treated to some of the best WCBB you will ever see. I've enjoyed many great basketball teams, but this one is turning into one of my favorites and by tourney time, maybe the best UConn team ever.
There were lots of great things to come out of this game, but the 16 minutes and solid play by Tuck has to be number one. I hope they limit her minutes to just enough for her to stay sharp. As Geno said, Stewart saw the soft spot in the zone and she abused Tulane there play after play. It is almost impossible for a team to stop her when she flashes to the middle like she did against that kind of zone defense. She has to be shooting close to 80% on those jumpers.
As good as the offense was in the first half, the defense was amazing. 13 steals led to 32 points. It's maybe what separates this team from other UConn teams. Yes, I know that they struggled at times with the three point defense. But their on the ball defense and their ability to get their hands in the passing lane is the best I can remember seeing.
For the half, UConn shot 67% from the field, 4-8 on threes, 13 assists and only 2 turnovers.
The second half was not as dominating offensively. They didn't hit as high a percentage of their shots as they did in the first half. They also stopped running playing mostly half court offense. The big lead gave Geno a chance to give some solid minutes to the bench. The defense didn't let up as UConn held Tulane to only four third quarter points.
Just a wonderful performance by a wonderful team. It was wonderful.
There were lots of great things to come out of this game, but the 16 minutes and solid play by Tuck has to be number one. I hope they limit her minutes to just enough for her to stay sharp. As Geno said, Stewart saw the soft spot in the zone and she abused Tulane there play after play. It is almost impossible for a team to stop her when she flashes to the middle like she did against that kind of zone defense. She has to be shooting close to 80% on those jumpers.
As good as the offense was in the first half, the defense was amazing. 13 steals led to 32 points. It's maybe what separates this team from other UConn teams. Yes, I know that they struggled at times with the three point defense. But their on the ball defense and their ability to get their hands in the passing lane is the best I can remember seeing.
For the half, UConn shot 67% from the field, 4-8 on threes, 13 assists and only 2 turnovers.
The second half was not as dominating offensively. They didn't hit as high a percentage of their shots as they did in the first half. They also stopped running playing mostly half court offense. The big lead gave Geno a chance to give some solid minutes to the bench. The defense didn't let up as UConn held Tulane to only four third quarter points.
Just a wonderful performance by a wonderful team. It was wonderful.
Game Stats and Box Score
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Game Quotes From Geno
Here is the presser after the game. I have a few quotes if you don't feel like watching
"Morgan said she was ready to go. She felt good after practice and felt good this morning at shoot-around. So we figured to try and get her half a game to see how she looked. She told us she felt good at the half, so we know we'll keep playing it day by day and keep our fingers crossed."
"When we come out and we shoot the ball the way we shot it in the first 10 mins or so, it's really hard for the other team to — it doesn't matter who it is, it could have been anybody. When we come out and we are that aggressive and we're making shots and when Stewy (Stewart) starts a game the way she started it tonight it just gets everybody into a really good rhythm. Stewie’s really smart. She really sees things and there was a huge gap in the middle of that zone and she found it, and she found it early and she found it often. When Stewie can get the ball in that area, she’s about impossible to stop.”
"The first couple minutes Tuck didn’t quite look herself, but it didn’t take very long. Just having her out there was really good.”
“Moriah Jefferson does a great job defensively, and when a team has one primary ball-handler like they do, she’s really effective. We’ve been playing this way for six games now, and it’s going well.”
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Game Quotes from Coach Lisa Stockton
Here is Coach Stockton's presser. Some quotes below
"They’re an amazing team. They did a tremendous job tonight, especially defensively. We could have competed better tonight. I really think we’re a better team than that. They’re a team that you really can’t take a break against.”
"The turnovers frustrated us and we just let that get in our head. Again they are a team that you really just can't take a break against."
Player Evaluations
Breanna Stewart
Stewart is just playing at a different level the last few games after her mini-slump. She was so efficient in her 24 minutes, scoring 20 points, and adding 7 assists. She was 7-8 from the field and 6-6 from the foul line. It was the first game where she didn't attempt a three pointer.
On moving into second place on UConn's scoring list - "I'm aware of these things because you guys make me aware of them. That's the only reason how I would know and I don't know if knowing is a good or a bad thing. You just want to make sure you focus on the game and setting the tone."
“The middle was wide open and that 10- to 15-foot jump shot I like shooting that, especially from the middle. To be able to come in and knock down those shots, if they kept giving them to me, I was going to keep shooting.”
On moving into second place on UConn's scoring list - "I'm aware of these things because you guys make me aware of them. That's the only reason how I would know and I don't know if knowing is a good or a bad thing. You just want to make sure you focus on the game and setting the tone."
“The middle was wide open and that 10- to 15-foot jump shot I like shooting that, especially from the middle. To be able to come in and knock down those shots, if they kept giving them to me, I was going to keep shooting.”
Moriah Jefferson
Jefferson had a great game on both sides of the court. Her offense was solid with her 16 points and 6 assists with only 1 turnover. On the defensive side, she had 6 steals and forced several bad shots by the Tulane guards. She just imposes her will on whoever she guards.
You can get a good look at the bandage on Nurse's right hand. It had to have an impact to her ability to shoot. She was 0-6 from the field and all of them were three pointers. She was very upset with her shooting and so much so that she cut off the bandage in disgust. However, I will repeat what I have said (and Geno must read this because he is now saying it) she hasn't let her shooting woes impact the rest of her game. Her screens are as tough as always, she defends like a maniac and just goes all out 100% of the time.
Katie Lou Samuelson
Katie Lou had a very nice game. Her offense is just what we all expected coming into the season. She was 4-7 on threes. In 27 minutes she had 14 points and 3 assists. What I noticed was her improved defense and it showed with 3 steals. She just looks more comfortable on the court.
Morgan Tuck
Yes!!! The Queen of the Paint is back. She only played 16 minutes, but she didn't take long to shake the rust of missing several games. She scored 11 points on 5-9 shooting and grabbed 5 rebounds. The four turnovers were a true indication of not playing.
"I felt a little rusty. I think you get out of the flow pretty quickly, so this game and the last couple of practices have just helped me get back into things."
Napheesa Collier
A really nice game for Napheesa. She was much more aggressive on offense, and in her 19 minutes, she was 4-5 from the field scoring 10 points. She added 6 rebounds. She also had two blocks and in the picture above you can see the length of her arms allowing her to block a ton of shots.
Gabby Williams
I agree with Geno. She should be the AAC most improved player. Every time she is on the court she makes things happen. At her height, it's amazing to see her rebounding as she does. She adds another level of aggressiveness on defense. In her 19 minutes she scored 15 points on 7-8 shooting and grabbed 6 rebounds. She also added 3 steals. It seems she does that every game.
Natalie Butler
Playing only 14 minutes, with most of that in the second half, it was a solid but uneventful game for Butler. She scored 3 points, all from the foul line and snagged 3 rebounds and added an assist. I'd like to see more from her in the East Carolina game but I don't think she will see a lot of minutes against South Carolina.
Saniya Chong
Saniya played 15 minutes and scored 5 points. She just doesn't shoot a lot. But her floor play is solid and she only turned the ball over once. I'm just glad she seems to be doing better with her knee.
Courtney Ekmark
I'm disappointed I couldn't find an action picture of Courtney. She played a very nice 9 minutes, scoring 2 points and grabbing 2 rebounds. But she passes the eye test, looking like she belongs out there.
Tierney Lawlor
3 minutes and missed her only shot a three pointer.
Brianna Pulido
DNP
Final Thoughts
Only one more game before the big one on Monday against No. 2 South Carolina. UConn plays East Carolina at home on Saturday at 1:00. East Carolina is having a tough season. They has lost 12 of their last 15 games including their last 3. They lost by 15 points and 3 points in their two games against Tulane. That should tell you all you need to know.
GO HUSKIES!!!
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