Tough loss to end the season. Lots of things stood out:
- A step slow all night getting to 50-50 balls off missed shots on both ends; Stanford winning the rebound battle was huge as it resulted in so many extra possessions for them
- Too many jump shots early in the first quarter. Shocked to see Joyner attempt a 3-point shot. Lashann took a few jump shots way too early in the shot clock; perhaps that is why she was pulled
- Overall, we played a very good first two quarters; Audrey-Anne and Alecia provided some much needed offensive punch with starters like Brooke and Kelsey not being able to contribute much offensively. Sadly, neither was able to score in the second half. Our defense really clamped down on them in the second quarter.
- We had a lot of difficulty scoring near the basket in the second half, especially. I realize there are benefits to having Joyner at the top of the key playing a high-low type of game with Kelsey or Audrey-Anne. But, by not putting Joyner down low more often, we couldn't get Erica McCall in foul trouble; she played 39 minutes last night. That is unheard of for a post player; she definitely took advantage of her quickness against Audrey-Anne and Kelsey, and when Joyner wasn't on the floor.
- Brianna Taylor lost Samuelson to start the 3rd quarter and she nailed the 3-pointer and was fouled; I thought the worst case was that Samuelson would nail the free throw and we'd get the ball back. But, no. She misses, we can't get the rebound, and then McPhee nails another 3-pointer for a 6-point start in less than 1 minutes. Huge turning point, IMO. And, the worst was yet to come as our infamous "no-show quarter" unveiled itself. We go from a 7 point halftime lead to a 5 point deficit in one quarter.
- To end the 3rd quarter, with 7 seconds left, we have Brianna dribbling the ball the entire length of the court just about, and we can't get a shot off. Worse play call I've seen in forever based on personnel. We could have had Brooke, Lashann, Ariel, or Alecia do that, and it would have at least made sense.
- Lots of folks (different boards) wondering why Brianna was on the court so much instead of Alecia or Lashann. Well, I have to believe it comes down to defense. Samuleson/McPhee probably get a lot more looks going against Higgs and Sutton than Taylor and Atkins. So, I understand the decision defensively. But, it hurts on the offensive end. That's been the give and take all year with Brianna.
- Brooke struggling offensively was a big surprise. Just when Ariel gets untracked offensively, Brooke and Kelsey are not themselves offensively. Credit to Brooke for dishing out 7 assists; one of her highest numbers of the season. As a team, we had 19 assists compared to Stanford's 17 assists. So, I thought we shared the ball well and ran some really good plays, especially in the first half.
- We did a great job limiting our turnovers. Only had 9 compared to Stanford's 14, and 2 or 3 of ours happened late in the game. So, that's not the reason we lost.
- We took 15 free throws. Stanford took 30 free throws. We have lost this category just about every game. Kelsey missing her only 2 attempts was not a good sign early; she is a very good free throw shooter and rarely missed both. Brooke and Audrey-Anne didn't make it to the free throw line.
- I didn't expect us to win the 3-point battle against Stanford. Alecia nailing two in the first half was a huge bonus; I have stated all season that she has a beautiful shot and just needs confidence. Brooke only attempting one 3-pointer (and missing) was a testament to Stanford's defense; they just didn't give her any space all night long.
Game was winnable. We were pretty much in it the entire second half sans the last 3 or so minutes. Stanford making their free throws down the stretched bumped up the final scoring margin.
Glad the team fought hard all night; but, you expect that from every team in the Sweet 16. We just failed to execute (offensively and defensively) too many times to win the game.
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Last edited: Mar 25, 2017