That about sums up Saturday's 84-41 UConn win over East Carolina. They took care of business in clinching a tie for the AAC title. After a dominating performance in the first quarter where at one point they scored 20 straight points, UConn looked mortal in a 15-14 second quarter. Lots of sloppy plays. Of course most of that was when Stewart was on the bench.
The third quarter was more like the first with more dominating play by the Huskies. They outscored the Pirates by 24-10, stretching the lead out to 35. It was a workmanship effort. And the reserves, led by Natalie Butler, brought the game home with a 18-10 advantage in the fourth quarter.
It was an interesting game. Very physical and it was great to see that UConn wouldn't back down.
Katie Lou got in a tussle with an ECU player. They had been going back and forth before the officials finally called double fouls and told them to knock it off. But that was minor to the altercation between Butler and an ECU player. They were angling for rebounding position and it got very physical. Locked arms, pushing. Finally Butler turned up court and the ECU player was standing in her way. A two handed shove sent the ECU player to the floor and the refs called a technical on Butler. Geno should be happy, he asked her to knock someone down. Natalie is clearly coachable.
Stewie was awesome in this game, coming close to a triple double with 16 points 11 rebounds and 8 blocks. She played strong in the paint and added 4 assists and 3 steals. All in 25 minutes.
MJet was terrific as well in her 26 minutes. Nine points 5 assists and 3 steals. She only took 6 shots and hit her only three. She got called for two fouls that were just terrible calls. Especially when she was boxing out and the player behind her fell on Mo and they called the foul on Jefferson. Horrible.
Tuck really struggled. She just doesn't look right. I'm hoping it's not her knee but she was only 2-9 from the field and 0-3 on threes. She only had 2 rebounds. Very un-Tuck like. But she did add 3 assists and three steals, so she found other ways to help the team. Geno only played her 22 minutes.
Nurse really let the game come to her. In 26 minutes, she had 8 points on 3-4 shooting, 2-2 on threes. Just a solid performance. And something to build on.
Samuelson showed what UConn fans will be seeing plenty of next season. She was in double digit scoring in the first quarter and for the game she had a team leading 19 points and a team leading 27 mnutes on 5-7 shooting. She also went 4-6 on threes and 5-7 on free throws. She added 5 rebounds and 2 assists. Excellent game for Louuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu.
Well, everyone gets a mulligan and this was one for Gabby Williams. She was 0-2 from the field and had 5 turnovers. She only had 3 rebounds and 3 quick fouls. All in 18 minutes. Gabby will just move on to the next game.
Collier showed her potential in this one. In 17 minutes, she had 8 points, 7 rebounds with 6 of them offensive. She was relentless on the boards. But she is not always in the right spot on the floor and seems to still be playing like a freshman to many times.
Chong had a nice game with 7 points and 3 assists with no turnovers in her 14 minutes. She did a good job of running the team after Jefferson finally sat. Better performance than the Cincinnati game for Sanyia.
Butler!!!! Gotta love her hard play. She works so hard for rebounding position and was demanding the ball in the paint. She hit a nice jumper, had some strong rebounds and all in 13 minutes. She ended up with 11 points on 5-7 shooting and 1 block and 1 assists.
A solid game overall. The defense held ECU to 41 points on 24.2% from the field and 20 % on threes. Awesome defensive numbers.
Everything is coming together. Next is Wednesday against SMU at Gampel on Wednesday, 2/24 at 7:00. Look for my game preview.
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I really don't know what to make of No. 17 Oklahoma State. Saturday, they lost to an average TCU team 79-65.
They have had several WTF losses, by 22 to South Florida, 49-42 to Iowa State, by THIRTY to Texas, 47-44 to Kansas State, by 25 to Baylor, and now 14 points to TCU.
So how far do they drop in Charlie SECreame's Bracktology?
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From David in Naples
Everyone who knows basketball, knows how important free throw defense is to UConn's success. 
This year is no exception, with opponents making a mere 67.9% of their charity stripe efforts. That compares favorably with last season's 68.7%, but pales with 2013-14 totals when opponents only made 65.9%. No wonder they went undefeated.... 
Seriously, the only part of free throws any team can control is how many attempts you give the other team. This season, UConn has committed 287 personal fouls, which have led to opponents taking 168 free throws. That comes out to 6.72 free throws per game for the bad guys. In the previous two years, opponents averaged 8.36 and 8.73 free throw attempts per game. UConn is fouling less and keeping shooters off the charity stripe. Since they only make 68% of their attempts, opponents have only scored 114 points (4.56 points per game) from the free throw line. UConn, on the other hand, takes 14.4 tries per game and scores an average of 11.4 points. That 7 point difference results from more attempts and far better accuracy (79%).
Gabby and Napheesa are tied for the most fouls on the team with 43. Kia Nurse is right behind them at 42. Stewie and MoJeff are at 35 and 32, while Morgan only has 27. Nobody has fouled out of any game since even the worst offenders only average 1.72 fouls per game. A deep bench lets Geno sub out anyone with early foul trouble. Mostly, the Huskies have just learned to play a smothering defense without fouling.
This year is no exception, with opponents making a mere 67.9% of their charity stripe efforts. That compares favorably with last season's 68.7%, but pales with 2013-14 totals when opponents only made 65.9%. No wonder they went undefeated.... Seriously, the only part of free throws any team can control is how many attempts you give the other team. This season, UConn has committed 287 personal fouls, which have led to opponents taking 168 free throws. That comes out to 6.72 free throws per game for the bad guys. In the previous two years, opponents averaged 8.36 and 8.73 free throw attempts per game. UConn is fouling less and keeping shooters off the charity stripe. Since they only make 68% of their attempts, opponents have only scored 114 points (4.56 points per game) from the free throw line. UConn, on the other hand, takes 14.4 tries per game and scores an average of 11.4 points. That 7 point difference results from more attempts and far better accuracy (79%).
Gabby and Napheesa are tied for the most fouls on the team with 43. Kia Nurse is right behind them at 42. Stewie and MoJeff are at 35 and 32, while Morgan only has 27. Nobody has fouled out of any game since even the worst offenders only average 1.72 fouls per game. A deep bench lets Geno sub out anyone with early foul trouble. Mostly, the Huskies have just learned to play a smothering defense without fouling.
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So, I read on one of the UConn messages boards a fan who stated that Chong and Collier will never be AA's. Never.
Now, I understand about Chong. Finishing her junior year, she hasn't played in any way shape or form like an AA. And with just her senior year left, it does appear she will never be an AA.
But Collier?
1 - she is only a freshman
2 - she was a top player in her class
3 - she was the 1st or 2nd best player on Team USA. She led the team in rebounding and was second in scoring on a team with A'ja Wilson, Brianna Turner, Marina Mabrey, Beatrice Mompremier and others.
USA Team Stats
We haven't come close to seeing the best from this talented young woman. And this idiot has dismissed her chances of being an AA. What a great fan....sheesh!!!
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So, everyone thinks David in Naples is just this nice, quiet guy that sits around all day thinking about numbers. Here is a police artist rendition of David.
But don't let that mild manner Clark Kent like appearance fool you. Recently he sent me this rant about television announcers.
"I'm blessed because I don't get SNY on my cable and I have to watch those UConn games at Bokamper's, a local sports bar. As a result, I watch without sound and I can't hear the announcers drone on about some unrelated fact, story or how Stewie's "wingspan is 7'1". Boring..! Let me know if she grows an inch, otherwise, shut up about that, we know. Can we all agree basketball, unlike baseball, is a fast paced game. There are shots, rebounds, substitutions and fast end to end action. Baseball has 25 seconds between pitches, players scratching themselves and 10 pitch at bats. And they have walks. Nobody in basketball walks, at least not for long.
Announcers need to pay attention to who just shot the ball, who rebounded the missed shot or who just substituted into the game. Describe the action, not some hackneyed story about how someone "comported" themself. Give quick facts and stats if time permits. Give brief analysis, like is Geno using a zone or man to man defense. Pay attention to the game, announce the action. Save the "funny" stories for halftime. You are not analyzing the socio-economic impact of welfare on the urban family structure. It's basketball, with two groups of five people trying to get a ball in a hoop. Just tell me who, is doing what, with the ball..!!"
After reading this, forever more, your image of David in Naples will be this.
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So, without further ado!!!
Ladies and Gents, DD looks at the news........
Huskies Score 84-41 Blowout Victory Over ECU Hartford Courant
Stewart Passes Wolters In Career Blocked Shots Hartford Courant
No. 1 UConn clinches another league title Carl Adamec
UConn women rout ECU Reflector
UConn women clinch share of their 3rd AAC title American Republic
UConn women clinch conference title again Augusta Chronicle
UConn clinches share of AAC title with rout of ECU New Haven Register
UConn's Jefferson set to join select company Jim Fuller
Upsets in Red
Late games in Green
No. 4 Baylor women win 14th in a row, 78-41 over Iowa State USA Today
Medley Sets Record as TCU Women Upset No. 17 Oklahoma State ABC News
No. 20 Oklahoma Women Top Kansas 72-66 NY Times
No. 4 Baylor women win 14th in a row, 78-41 over Iowa State USA Today
Medley Sets Record as TCU Women Upset No. 17 Oklahoma State ABC News
No. 20 Oklahoma Women Top Kansas 72-66 NY Times
Cincinnati Uses Second-Half Surge to Top Houston Cincinnati Team Site
Move Over, Mustangs...UCF beats SMU 66-54 UCF Team Site
Strong defensive effort lifts Tulane Women’s Hoops to 61-42 win over Tulsa Sports NOLA
Thanks to Johnny C for sending me many of these numbers!!!
Kaylee Jensen Oklahoma St. 20 points 11 rebounds
Brittney Martin Oklahoma St. 28 points 12 rebounds
Khadi Brown-Haywood Arkansas St. 20 points 11 rebounds
Aundrea Gamble Arkansas St. 31 points 11 assists
Brianna Banks Penn St. 13 points
Katelynn Flaherty Michigan 30 points
Michaela Hunter E. Kentucky 28 points
Ashley Beverly Kelley Troy 32 points (ot)
Arjae Saunders Troy 29 points (ot)
Breanna Rucker Bryant 21 points 10 rebounds
Loren Cagle Lipscomb 14 points 11 assists
Michala Johnson Wisconsin 13 points
Tolulope Omokore UCF 11 points 20 rebounds
Jasmine Joyner Chattanooga 20 points 16 rebounds
Whitney Bunn Furman 25 points 6 assists
Sigi Kolzar Maine 30 points
Lexi Martins Lehigh 23 points 10 rebounds
Addesha Collins Lamar 27 points
Kiara Desamours Lamar 27 points 10 assists
Angela Beadle Sam Houston St. 23 points 12 rebounds
Jasmine Nwajei Wagner 40 points
Nicole Seekamp S. Dakota 21 points 10 assists
Nicole Urbanick Detroit 27 points (ot)
Rosanna Reynolds Detroit 10 points 15 assists (ot)
Whitney Knight FGCU 21 points 11 rebounds
Jennie Simms Old Dominion 22 points 12 rebounds
Anita Brown Akron 29 points
Ruvanna Campbell UIC 15 points 24 rebounds
Shanovia Dove LIU (Bklyn) 24 points 12 rebounds
Jessica Kovatch St. Francis (Pa) 29 points
Marie Bertholdt Santa Clara 27 points 15 rebounds 7 assists
Tiasha Gray Austin Peay 30 points
Donshel Beck SIUE 26 points 18 rebounds
Kaleigh Paplow N. Arizona 36 points 11 rebounds (ot)
Acheil Tac N. Texas 25 points 14 rebounds
Sophie Taylor Loyola Marymount 23 points 14 rebounds
Norianna L. Haynes Alcorn St. 23 points 10 rebounds
Caitlin Jenkins S. Miss 22 points 11 rebounds
Kate Letkewicz Dartmouth 20 points 10 rebounds
Taelor Ross Seattle 23 points 10 rebounds
Brittany Crain UC Riverside 33 points
Rejane Verin UC Riverside 25 points 11 rebounds
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Statistical Sites
NCAA 2015 Stats
NCAA Division I basketball records thru 2013-2014
ESPN Women's Basketball Stats
Women's Basketball State
NCAA 2015 Stats
NCAA Division I basketball records thru 2013-2014
ESPN Women's Basketball Stats
Women's Basketball State
Message Boards
UConn Territory - The best UConn women's message board ever!!!
College Fans Only - WCBB board where no holds are barred
Vol Nation - Tennessee women's basketball board
CockyTalk - The upstart South Carolina women's basketball board
CockyTalk - The upstart South Carolina women's basketball board
ND Nation - Notre Dame women's basketball board
UCONN Information
Interesting Blogs and Links
Carl Adamec's blog, SNY
John Altavilla's blog, Hartford Courant
Jim Fuller's blog, New Haven Register
A Dime Back - A great web site for all UConn Sports, Including UConn Women
A Dime Back - A great web site for all UConn Sports, Including UConn Women
I'm always open for suggestions. Just please reply to this blog or email me at:
After Natalie's T, Geno kept her on the floor. Message sent
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