Game Analysis
I hope you all had a chance to see this game on FS1. I know that some cable outlets don't carry it.
But have no fear.....if you haven't seen it or want to see it again, here it is!!!!
If you want to watch some beautiful basketball, this was a great game to do that. It certainly wasn't perfect, but some of the plays were run to perfection.
During the game, the announcers mentioned that UConn was the only team with four 1000 point scorers on the team in Nurse, Collier, Samuelson and Williams. They forgot to mention Steven probably because she didn't score the 1000 at UConn. But they do have FIVE 1000 point scorers on the roster.
This game was a perfect way to go into the long break. They will have several days to rejuvenate and then back to the schedule with a few easy games and a couple of decent games to set the rotation and prepare for the next tough game on January 15th against Texas.
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Game Quotes from Geno
''There may not be anyone more critical right now to what we're trying to do than Crystal is right now. She makes shots. ... She sees so much. She sees things and she has a great feel for the game. Her instincts are good so when the floor opens up like that, she can have a lot of open space to work with. She's pretty dangerous. She played great tonight. She was really, really good tonight.''
“I thought we did a great job defensively, for the most part. … I thought we played really, really well. We got some great performances from a couple of guys. We just have too many good offensively players.”
“The last eight minutes of that Notre Dame game were really good for our team because two of our best players weren’t able to play. So it gave us a good sense of, we can be pretty good regardless of who’s not playing…. That’s kind of how we felt.”
“We made the right decision more times than not. I thought we played really, really well. They’re a hard team to play against, I know that. I don’t like it. … I don’t like playing against them.”
“I thought we did a great job defensively, for the most part. … I thought we played really, really well. We got some great performances from a couple of guys. We just have too many good offensively players.”
“The last eight minutes of that Notre Dame game were really good for our team because two of our best players weren’t able to play. So it gave us a good sense of, we can be pretty good regardless of who’s not playing…. That’s kind of how we felt.”
“We made the right decision more times than not. I thought we played really, really well. They’re a hard team to play against, I know that. I don’t like it. … I don’t like playing against them.”
Game Quotes from
DePaul Coach Doug Bruno
''We basically got beat badly tonight, and at the same, I know that we're better for it. I wouldn't continue to play these kinds of games if I didn't know that our team is better for it. It doesn't feel good right now. It doesn't feel good for our players right now. ... They will be better for having gone through this game.''
Player Evaluations
Kati Lou Samuelson
Kati Lou Samuelson
Well, all you worry warts!!! Kati Lou played 30 minutes, looked great and didn't reinjure anything. I think Geno and the medical staff had an idea on what to do with her. In her 30 minutes, she was able to score a team leading 20 points as well as grabbing 5 rebounds and handing out 4 assists. More importantly she looked as comfortable as ever on the court.
“I’ve missed more games than I’d like to, so I clearly wanted to get out here knowing that we have this break coming up before our next game. I was determined that if they gave me that opportunity, I was going to take it.”
“Today was the first day that I just kind of went out there and played. Of course, I felt a little rusty sometimes. Kind of felt winded at times, but it was nice to get out there and I feel comfortable moving on now.”
''It's something else that shows how much (the coaches have) dedicated their lives to this, and they've done it in a way that excellence is the only thing that they'll accept. When they recruit you to come here, you know that you want to live up to all the players that have come before you.''
“I’ve missed more games than I’d like to, so I clearly wanted to get out here knowing that we have this break coming up before our next game. I was determined that if they gave me that opportunity, I was going to take it.”
“Today was the first day that I just kind of went out there and played. Of course, I felt a little rusty sometimes. Kind of felt winded at times, but it was nice to get out there and I feel comfortable moving on now.”
''It's something else that shows how much (the coaches have) dedicated their lives to this, and they've done it in a way that excellence is the only thing that they'll accept. When they recruit you to come here, you know that you want to live up to all the players that have come before you.''
Crystal Dangerfield
I don't know if I can add anything more than what Geno said about her. I have that quote in the Geno Quote section. Read it!!! And then look at the picture above and see what a magician she is with the ball. I don't know if any of you remember Ivory Latta from North Carolina fame. Very similar players and that is a huge compliment. Latta was a Leiberman Award winner. I see that in Dangerfield's future. Crystal played 31 minutes and scored 18 points on 6-7 shooting. But all 6 were three pointers and not just over the line. She loves the 23 footer!! She also added 9 assist and should have been more as a few easy baskets were missed after her wonderful passes. Only 8 games into her sophomore season? Wow.
“It was like a track meet, they like to have the game played at their pace and we were able to slow it down and play at our pace"
“It was like a track meet, they like to have the game played at their pace and we were able to slow it down and play at our pace"
Kia Nurse
Ms. Consistency. Her effort again was unmatched. On both sides of the ball. She compliments Dangerfield in the backcourt so well. In her 33 minutes she had 13 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists and did a great job managing the DePaul pressure.
Napheesa Collier
Maybe the talk of Collier not being able to play her game with Stevens on the court can stop. Napheesa was her old self, hitting 8-11 shots in her 25 minutes. And she filled up the box score with 10 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 blocks and a steal. Her 3 blocks were only a small part of the good defense she played in this game.
Gabby Williams
Gabby had another "Gabby" game. She ended up with a double-double even though she sat out the fourth quarter. She only played 23 minutes, but boy was she productive with 11 points, 10 rebounds, 7 assists. She is still making mistakes a senior shouldn't make with 7 turnovers. I hope she can figure out what is causing the lack of focus.
Azura Stevens
How great can Stevens be? As great as she wants. Every time I think we've seen the best of her, I see more. The only thing missing is a big game from beyond the arc. At least she only took 1 three in this game. Back to coming off the bench, she seems really comfortable in that role. And she had starter minutes, playing 21 minutes and scoring 16 points, grabbing 9 rebounds, handing out 3 assists and slapping away 4 shots like she was Brianna Stewart.
How great can Stevens be? As great as she wants. Every time I think we've seen the best of her, I see more. The only thing missing is a big game from beyond the arc. At least she only took 1 three in this game. Back to coming off the bench, she seems really comfortable in that role. And she had starter minutes, playing 21 minutes and scoring 16 points, grabbing 9 rebounds, handing out 3 assists and slapping away 4 shots like she was Brianna Stewart.
Megan Walker
I love this shot of Walker. Quite the screen she is setting on the DePaul player. Is she palming her opponents face? Overall, not the strongest game for Megan, but she played strong on the boards again and did a nice job helping to break the DePaul pressure. And the "alley oop" play was something to behold. She is still part of the regular rotation, playing 17 minutes and scoring 4 points and snaring 3 rebounds.
The Rest
Well, it got pretty ugly out there for the bench, but I did find a couple of nice shots of Molly Bent and Kyra Irwin. Irwin looks pretty good when she is playing with 4 starters. But when you put in 5 cold players that don't get any playing time in against a team that is pressing the entire time, well, you get what we saw for 3 minutes. An 18-0 run.
The big news was that Batouly Camara got her first minutes for UConn. I think we will be seeing more of her and earlier in the game. She looks like she belongs out there, she has a strong body and mind when it comes to rebounding. Can't wait to see more of her!
The big news was that Batouly Camara got her first minutes for UConn. I think we will be seeing more of her and earlier in the game. She looks like she belongs out there, she has a strong body and mind when it comes to rebounding. Can't wait to see more of her!
Final Thoughts
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