UConn-Houston Post game report
(pictures from the Hartford Courant, UConnhuskies.com, DannyK)
I'm getting pretty good at calling the blowout games correctly. I predicted a 60+ point win and UConn managed to beat Houston 85-26 for a 59 point victory.
It didn't look like a blowout the first 2 minutes of the game as UConn struggled to make a basket. But as has been the case the entire season (sans the Stanford game) UConn's defense set the tone. Houston took almost 4 minutes to score and managed only four points in the first ten minutes of the game.
Meanwhile, UConn found it's offense on the inside, constantly finding Stewart cutting through the lane for easy buckets. Stewart hit an amazing tip in (and was undercut) with eight seconds remaining in the half to give them a 39-12 lead.
Watching the game, you'd think UConn shot poorly the entire half but it really was only from the outside that UConn was off, missing all 6 three point shots. They managed to shoot 50% for the half.
As I expected, UConn was much better from the field in the second half, although they still shot only 3-11 from beyond the arc. Hey, you can't stay hot every game. The Huskies scored the first seven points of the second half in the first 3 minutes and continued to build the lead hammering away at the inside.
UConn subbed in the bench players at the 12 minute mark with Stokes, Williams, Chong and Ekmark on the court with one starter. Geno finally subbed in the walk-ons the last couple of minutes of the game. I thought those players were terrific together on the court.
Overall, it was pretty much what Geno wanted to see. Despite the poor long range shooting, the team played hard the entire game and showed they don't need to hit threes to dominate teams.
The craziest play of the game came when a Houston's players jump shot was blocked by Gabby Williams and the ball went into the basket. Weird!
It didn't look like a blowout the first 2 minutes of the game as UConn struggled to make a basket. But as has been the case the entire season (sans the Stanford game) UConn's defense set the tone. Houston took almost 4 minutes to score and managed only four points in the first ten minutes of the game.
Meanwhile, UConn found it's offense on the inside, constantly finding Stewart cutting through the lane for easy buckets. Stewart hit an amazing tip in (and was undercut) with eight seconds remaining in the half to give them a 39-12 lead.
Watching the game, you'd think UConn shot poorly the entire half but it really was only from the outside that UConn was off, missing all 6 three point shots. They managed to shoot 50% for the half.
As I expected, UConn was much better from the field in the second half, although they still shot only 3-11 from beyond the arc. Hey, you can't stay hot every game. The Huskies scored the first seven points of the second half in the first 3 minutes and continued to build the lead hammering away at the inside.
UConn subbed in the bench players at the 12 minute mark with Stokes, Williams, Chong and Ekmark on the court with one starter. Geno finally subbed in the walk-ons the last couple of minutes of the game. I thought those players were terrific together on the court.
Overall, it was pretty much what Geno wanted to see. Despite the poor long range shooting, the team played hard the entire game and showed they don't need to hit threes to dominate teams.
The craziest play of the game came when a Houston's players jump shot was blocked by Gabby Williams and the ball went into the basket. Weird!
Game Quotes
"We played two teams that shoot a lot of jump shots. They try to attack the lane and force you to guard them off of the dribble. That's part of it, the other part is us working really hard to not foul. This team has become pretty good at it, but being good at it and saying no free throws two games in a row is unusual. It just doesn't happen. I can't attribute that to our defense, that's for sure. "
"Generally, we're not a team that tries to identify with one player that we would pass the ball to more so than any other player. But in a game like this, I thought there was a huge advantage with Stewie and Morgan. We took enough threes, we just didn't make enough of them, and we probably would have taken more if some had gone in. But it was the kind of game where it was available to us, and we took advantage of it. Stewie was aggressive right from the beginning and she stayed that way."
Houston Coach Rod Hugey
"Not as well as we would have liked them to. I think they were a little nervous and didn't step up like we expected them to. I thought they fought in spurts, but I wanted them to bring that fight for the whole game."
"They are bigger, stronger, more talented players, but they also do all of the small things. They get balls, they set solid screens and they communicate. I think those are the things we can take out of this."
"We want to try to dictate the flow. We want to try to dictate the flow and not settle for what they want to do. But again, when you are playing against a team like this that has two inches on you at almost every position, it's pretty hard to get that"
"We were happy with probably 10 to 12 minutes of the first half, not the whole 20 minutes, and rebounding was something that we talked about. We were down I think five at the half."
Breanna Stewart
"I was trying to be more aggressive, It just seemed like whenever I cut, I was able to get an open shot or an opportunity to post up."
''We're at a point in the season where we need to just make sure that everything is fine-tuned, and playing defense like that is definitely going to help us in March,''
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Here are the player evaluations
"Not as well as we would have liked them to. I think they were a little nervous and didn't step up like we expected them to. I thought they fought in spurts, but I wanted them to bring that fight for the whole game."
"They are bigger, stronger, more talented players, but they also do all of the small things. They get balls, they set solid screens and they communicate. I think those are the things we can take out of this."
"We want to try to dictate the flow. We want to try to dictate the flow and not settle for what they want to do. But again, when you are playing against a team like this that has two inches on you at almost every position, it's pretty hard to get that"
"We were happy with probably 10 to 12 minutes of the first half, not the whole 20 minutes, and rebounding was something that we talked about. We were down I think five at the half."
Breanna Stewart
"I was trying to be more aggressive, It just seemed like whenever I cut, I was able to get an open shot or an opportunity to post up."
''We're at a point in the season where we need to just make sure that everything is fine-tuned, and playing defense like that is definitely going to help us in March,''
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Here are the player evaluations
Breanna Stewart
Player of the Game
Breanna Stewart led UConn with 26 points and it was great to see how aggressive she was the entire game. I didn't like seeing her undercut twice, sending her flying to the hardwood floor, but that is the price you pay for playing so close to the rim. She took a team high 16 shots, making 11 of them. She also added four assists and 3 blocks.
Moriah Jefferson
Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis
Jefferson is still I the zone scoring 12 points with 3 assists. But the numbers don't always tell the story. It was clear how much better the team played when she was on the court. On one play, she dribbled through the Houston defense with a totally controlled dribble, not too fast and not too slow and finally hit a teammate with a wraparound pass for an easy layup. It was just exactly what the play called for.
KML had an O-fer???? 0-4 from three point land is so unusual for Kaleena it was almost shocking. She had a couple of attempts half way down before spinning out. But that won't last. I'd expect a big game from her before the regular season is out. I'm sure she wants to finish above .500 from beyond the arc. After this game she is 75-150. I really enjoyed her crossover dribble and subsequent step back mid range jumper for two. Just a reminder that she is not just a three point shooter.
I thought Tuck played really well this game. She scored 12 points and snagged 9 rebounds along with 4 assists. A total game for Morgan. Her only blemish was her 0-2 from the free throw line. She even managed a block and two steals. Her ability to play from the outside ad also dominate the paint makes her so valuable. She even ran the break several times. Just a complete player.
Nurse was one of the players hit by the outside shot flu, making only 1 of her 4 three point shots, and she just didn't take many shots for the game. But I loved her defensive intensity and she was flying all over the court like usual. She managed 3 assists and didn't have any turnovers. She is still playing as such a high level for a freshman.
Kiah Stokes
Kiah Stokes had 13 rebounds and seven blocked shots for the Huskies, giving her 118 blocks for the season. She needs 13 more to tie Rebecca Lobo's single-season school record. She will hit that mark before the post season begins. I thought her offense, while brief, was solid. She was ready for the inside pass and finished well when she got the ball. Overall a terrific 20 minutes for Stokes.
Saniya Chong
Well, the law of averages finally caught up to Chong, as she was 0-4 from beyond the arc. But she played her usual tough defense, ran the team well the last 10 minutes whenever she was playing the point and was still aggressive the entire time she was on the court.
Gabby Williams
Gabby continues to make the most of the minutes she gets, scoring 12 points and adding 8 rebounds. She ticked her ppg average up a tenth to 9.1, slowly but surely moving towards double digits. She is unstoppable from the right block and I loved her mid range jumper in the first half. I hope that is a sign of more to come from that distance.
Courtney Ekmark
Finally. Courtney had a terrific 10 minutes. She was so aggressive with both her offense and defense. I loved her two drives to the basket, although the Houston defense didn't do much to stop her. And she hit her one three point shot. It was clear she got the message from the coaching staff not to settle for three pointers. I hope she can build on her 8 point effort. And you can really tell that she has worked hard on reshaping her body. She looks leaner and quicker.
The Practice Players
Geno can't say enough positives about what the practice players bring to the game. Before the big games (Notre Dame, South Carolina) Geno lets them really put the pressure on the team, putting them in tougher situations than any of the games could possibly do. We fans owe a lot to these guys and I hope the folks at the game gave them a big ovation.
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Some pictures from DannyK that I really liked!!!!
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| Great play be Pulido. Too bad the ball didn't drop! |
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| Love the intense defense by Lawlor!!!! |
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| And more intensity on defense by Nurse and Stewart! |
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| Who needs to see the basket? She is that good! |
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| A "Dolson" like screen by Stokes for Ekmark. |
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| Notice how Morgan crouches down to make herself smaller and harder to defend on her drives |
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| We all know what happens next! |
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| I love this shot. Stewie ready for the three to fall, Shea is looking for it too, and the many of the players primed to jump |
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| My 8 year old granddaughter does cheerleading competitions and is a lifter!! |
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| My Granddaughter on the right making the pouty face!! |
great selection of pictures DD - and a great tribute to those practice players who are getting the kudos finally that they deserve. They help make us great!
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