Game Analysis
Coming into this game I was wondering of UConn would continue their great play of the last two games after Geno's blowup following the first Tulsa game. Well, wonder no more....
UConn had a season high in shooting percentage at 72.2% for the game. They were an incredible
18-23 in the second half. On top of that they were 11-20 on threes. They added 28 assists. A total team effort as 6 or the regular 7 players had double digit scoring with only Dangerfield falling short of that number.
But those are just numbers and it really doesn't do justice to how well oiled this UConn machine looked throughout the game. The passes were crisp but not only that, they passes with great imagination and feel.
I don't think I've seen a team so in turned with each other. And now they are truly going seven deep into the rotation, the perfect amount for a championship run. Geno will continue to work those seven players into a more efficient group as they get closer to the post season. With two big out of conference tests remaining, it won't be all "weak sisters of the poor" conference games. It's a perfect schedule for a team that is striving for perfection.
Game Highlights
Game Replay
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Game Quotes from Geno
"I'm proud of our fans and I'm happy for them that our kids put on a great show today. I remind our players all the time that when people pay to watch you play, you have an obligation to make sure that they didn't just pay to see something they could go down to the playground and watch somebody do"
"Kolby Morgan has to do a lot for them because she doesn’t have as much help as last year but we really did a great job on her today. We forced her to spots on the floor that she isn’t comfortable getting shots. Both Kia and Gabby and for that matter anyone who switched off on her followed our game plan to a tee. I thought we did a super job on that."
"We were talking about it on the bench that when Gabby graduates from here we are certainly going to miss all the things that she does. It is on both ends of the floor and when she is passing the ball the way she was passing it today, it makes everyone else on the floor that much more dangerous. Her activity level was very high today…I love watching Gabby play because of how many different things she is capable of doing. I want her to have a great final two months with performances similar to this."
"I have not been spending a lot of time in the locker room at halftimes. We are in a pretty good flow on the offensive end…we are moving extremely well without the ball. When Lou [Samuelson] is 100 percent, whether she feels it or not, and she is doing what she is doing and Kia and Pheesa [Collier] making shots…we go through stretches where we make everything and it’s not just layups but combination of threes and jump shots. We are not passing up open shots which I think is key."
Game Quotes
Tulane Coach Lisa Stockton
Tulane Coach Lisa Stockton
"I think UConn is always locked in, I don't think last years close game was any more motivation than anything else. It's always tough to play them up here. Last year we weren't in the game up here either and we were able to compete at our place. I'm disappointed in our defense. I thought that defensively we lost focus a lot and they burned us for it. I give them a lot of credit, but I'm really disappointed in our defensive effort."
"UConn was pressing a little bit, but we really just made some bad decisions. We had some younger players in there who were throwing the ball to people they think are open, and just some bad decisions. We know what they are going to do - they jump passing lanes and they do a great job with that, they've got length. We've just got to be more careful."
"Kolby Morgan has been amazing in our program. She's a competitor. These games are really hard and she tried to take the team on her shoulders and that probably hurts a little bit. She's a great kid and I love coaching her. I'm really proud of her."
Katie Lou Samuelson Post Game Interview
Gabby Williams Post Game Interview
Player Evaluations
Kia Nurse
Kia is really making the most of her senior season. It would be a shame if she didn't make an all-American team at years end so she can be put on the Wall of Fame. She deserves it. Her defense was against outstanding, and she increased her three point shooting percentage for the season going 4-6. She is still leading the nation in three point shooting. She had a team leading 31 minutes, and had 14 points and grabbed 7 rebounds. Oh yeah, she had 4 assists and no turnovers. Way to go Kia!
Kati Lou Samuelson
It's so good to have Kati Lou back. Geno was able to limit her minutes to 24 and she made the most of her time on the court. She had 15 of her 19 points in the first half and really set the tone with both her offense and defense. She was diving for loose balls, tipping passes, leading the fast break and finishing at the basket. She is just a tough matchup for any team. She added 2 assists and a steal. And she was the recipient of two great passes from Williams that she finished off.
"One of the things about Gampel is you really notice how many people are there and it's really filled in and everybody feels like the crowd is right on top of you. It's super loud and the fans were great."
"Last years close game? That's always something that's going to motivate us. We knew what we did the other game too, and we wanted to make sure we came out and made a statement as a defensive team overall.''
Crystal Dangerfield
Not a high scoring game for Dangerfield. She had only 7 points, but she had 3 assists and no turnovers. Geno limited her time to 21 minutes, resting her shin splints. Geno said the other day that she doesn't practice, just shoots around and hits the bike because of her shins. That can't help her be ready for game. Hopefully a few days off and maybe a couple of days of practice before the South Carolina game on Thursday will help.
Napheesa Collier
Gabby Williams
Gabby is playing chess while everyone else is playing checkers. Some of her passes defy logic. The pass to Samuelson for a layup was amazing. It's easy to throw a bounce pass into the paint to someone wide open, but to bounce it past a defender and lead the players to the basket is just special. I also didn't think she looked to impeded by her hip issue. The picture I used shows that to me. Geno was smart to limit her minutes to 20, but in that short time she had 13 points, 9 assists, 7 rebounds and 4 steals. Geno had some great things to say about her. If you haven't seen it, go back to where I have Geno quotes. Gabby is going to be missed.
''I think it's a new focus. It's almost February, we're at that time in the season where we can't have any more wasted days. We're not getting any more athletic. We're not getting bigger, faster stronger at this time of the year, so it comes down to being focused and being smarter.''
Azura Stevens
Steven had another solid game. She only played 19 minutes but had 12 points and 3 assists. Stevens was very efficient going 5-5 from the field and actually hit a three pointer going 1-1. She hadn't taken one in two games. It was good to see her confident enough to take it. I love how strong she finishes on the break. She has really good hands as well. Some big players can't hold on to the ball in the paint on entry passes. I don't remember her losing any passes that she can get her hands on.
Megan Walker
It's Walker time.......
OK, that is a little over the time, but boy, you can see what this young woman is capable of. She can do it all on the court. She can shot the mid-range, hit the 3 pointer, make quick post moves, make coast to coast drives to the basket, hit her foul shots, make great passes, rebound tough in the paint. Did I miss anything?
Now, she didn't do all of that in this game, but she did some of it against Tulane and over the last three games she has been a big contributor. In this game she played 16 minutes and scored 13 points on 4-6 shooting and 1-1 on threes. She was 4-5 from the foul line. I love her FT form. She also added 2 really nice assists. More to come from this young woman.
Mikayla Coombs
Her numbers in this game don't stand out, but the 12 minutes do. She is right on the cusp of more time on the court with the regular rotation. She looks more and more confident. She did have a long stat line with 1 point, 2 rebounds, 1 assists, and 1 steal.
Batouly Camara
What a nice 6 minutes for Camara. She had two sweet moves to the basket for 4 points. She looked better than she has all season. Hopefully more time will be in her future.
Kyla Irwin
Kyla had 10 pretty non-descript minutes with 2 points. No good picture of her. That always pisses me off when that happens.
Molly Bent
No good picture of Molly either. She did play 7 minutes. You can see her in the Megan Walker picture as proof. This was maybe her worst outing of the season. She had 3 quick turnovers. All from tentative play. She can do better. She did have one really nice assist.
Alexis Gordon
OK, she only played 6 minutes and had 2 personal fouls and 1 turnover, but she did make a great move and hit a pull up jumper. No, the basket didn't count because of the turnover. What a bad call....BOOOO ref!!!!!!
Final Thoughts
Take a look at how the team has done since Geno let them have it after the Tulsa game. In their last three games they have outscored their opponents by an average of 101-46. They are 120-195 from the field for 61.5% and 25-47 on threes for 53.2%. Crazy good! They have averaged 25.7 assists and 11.7 turnovers. Something tells me that Geno knew what he was doing. Gabby put it best. I have this quote in her evaluation above, but it is worth repeating.
''I think it's a new focus,'' Williams said. ''It's almost February, we're at that time in the season where we can't have any more wasted days. We're not getting any more athletic. We're not getting bigger, faster stronger at this time of the year, so it comes down to being focused and being smarter.''
This game was a great way to go into the lion's den, or is that the Cock's Coop. The team looked sharp, they played great defense and I'm sure the 4 1/2 days off will really help them plan for the bigger South Carolina team.
I'm working on the Pre game report and it should be a beauty. With so much history, there is a ton of info to go on.
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