Gulf Coast Showcase

Audrey Warren really impressed me with her hustle and savy! She went for every loose ball. Charlie has a lot to learn about how physical and fast the game is at this level! I think she’ll have to bulk up a little!
What a gutsy win for the team. We sure need Joyner more than ever now!

 

I'm beyond sick if Lashann has an ACL. Our season will be radically different without her, if she can't play. She is our best player, the one who elevates us to another level. I'm so upset about this I can hardly appreciate the win. I have to praise Aston for going to a zone. I never thought I would see it happen. Kathy Harston is a great radio commentator, by the way.

 

Michigan is currently handling Mizzou right now. 30-12 with 4 minutes to go to the half. Michigan has a lot more size than QP. Going to be a very tough game.

 

If she is out fo the season, I would assume that a medical redshirt could be an option for LaShann. It's too early to for such discussions/decisions but it may be an option if she wants to play another year.

She's my favorite player and I just want to see her play again.

 

If this is a season ending injury for Lashann I could see her trying to get a medical redshirt and coming back next year. She only played in 4 games. Not sure what the rules are in this case?

 

I missed the game and tuned in as they were giving the final stats. Did Charli Collier play at all? If they mentioned her in the final roundup, I missed it.

 

Quin a whoever by one. Nice work. Could be a long season.

 

4 minutes in the first half. Picked up 2 fouls and then sat the rest of the half. I kept expecting her to spell Jatarie in the second half but Mide was brought off the bench in those cases.

 

I don't know if anyone noticed this about Charli. When she picked up her first foul, it was when it looked like she just charged into the player shooting the 3-point shot (that went in). In the replay, I noticed that she turned her ankle a little bit which is what caused her to fall into the shooter. I sure hope that wasn't an injury that caused her to not be able to play longer than she did.

 

It was horrible to hear her screaming.

 

Next up for the Horns, Michigan

 

I'm glad I didn't hear it.

 

I try to stay out of the back-and-forth sniping that inevitably occurs on boards like these and I don’t use the Ignore function but:

1. You’re dismissal of Quinnipiac and what they’ve done the past few years proves how little you actually follow women’s college basketball.
2. If that isn’t bad enough, your latest post, at best, suggests you get some sense of satisfaction if Texas struggles. Worst case? You hope the Longhorns endure all kinds of difficulty this season including injuries, losses and any wins that don’t meet your uninformed expectations. These young women are playing their butts off and deserve better.

I won’t see your response but, despite all evidence to the contrary, I’ll assume it was scathing, witty and insightful.

 

Who is going to pickup LaShann point's and Defense

 

I don’t think anyone on the roster has all the skills on both ends that Lashann possesses but I’d guess Joanne is closest regardless of class but that would be asking too much of a freshman. This team, as Karen said before the season, will evolve multiple times this season based on player availability. Lashann was the best on ball defender of the guards so we will probably be seeing much more of the zone so many have been clamoring for.

 

I read on another board that Charli's lack of minutes in the 2nd half may have been due to an ankle injury. If so, I saw the play she injured her ankle. It was on her 2nd foul when she ran out to guard the perimeter player. She fell into the QP player because Charli's ankle gave way and she fell forward. It didin't look too bad as I think she may have played for a few minutes afterwards.

 

It was actually her first foul. And I posted about it earlier in this thread. I just hope it wasn't too serious of an injury.

 

Jusme--I didn't see your earlier post. You and I saw the same play. Hopefully Charli is experiencing ankle stiffness and the injury is minor.

 

Sounding less and less like a positive outcome is going to happen.

 

Game Two:
#10/9 Texas, having escaped a way too close first game versus Quinnipiac by one point, will face Michigan for the first time ever. Michigan advanced by taking apart #21 Missouri 70-54 in a game that was not that close. Both teams are 4-0 and one winning streak will end Saturday.

Michigan Wolverines (4-0)
The Wolverines are led by Halle Thome (#30, 6-5 Sr. C) and Naz Hillmon (#00, 6-2 Fr. F) who average 18.5 and 15.0 ppg, respectively. Those two are hitting 69.0% (Thome) and 83.9% (Hillmon) from the field. They are the primary shooters, having taken 42 and 31 shots to lead the team. But five others have taken between 24 and 28 shots. It’s a pretty balanced scoring team. Four players besides Thome and Hillmon average between 9.0 and 8.5 ppg. Nicole Munger (#10, 5-11 Sr. G) is the main 3pt threat for the Wolverines. She is 9-24 from BTA (37.5%). The team is 18 of 61 from BTA for the season. Deja Church (#20, 5-10 Soph. G) is the best shooter from BTA , making 57.1% of her 3pters (4-7). Thome (16-20; 80.0%) and Hillmon (8-14; 57.1%) are reaching the FT line the most for Michigan. No other player has reached double digit FT attempts although several others could break that line against Texas.

The Wolverines are a group rebounding team. Thome (6.5 rpg), Hillmon (5.8 rpg) and Hailey Brown (#15, 6-1 Soph. F; 5.3 rpg) are the top rebounders but three others contribute 4.3 rpg each to the rebounding effort. Amy Dilk (#1, 6-0 Fr. G) leads the way with 16 assists. Kayla Robbins (#5, 6-1 Jr. F) adds 13 while Church has contributed 11 assists. Thome, Brown and Brown each has three blocks.

Michigan has started the same five so far: Thome, Brown, Munger, Church and Dilk. Hillmon and Robbins provide firepower off the bench. All of the fourteen players on the roster have seen action although Akienreh Johnson (#14, 6-0 Jr. G) played in her first game this season against Missouri. Twelve of the fourteen have played in all four games.

TEXAS LONGHORNS (4-0)
The big news for Texas is the injury to Lashann. It’s doubtful that she will play in the rest of the tournament. Hopefully, it is not as bad as it looked.

Texas woke up just in time to pull out a 56-55 win over Quinnipiac, surviving two last second missed opportunities by the Bulldogs to win the game.

Leaving out Lashann’s stats since she is unlikely to play, that leaves Jatarie as the leading scorer at 10.8 ppg. Sug is second at 9.7 ppg. Jada (61.9%), Jatarie (57.1%) and Charli (53.8%) top the Horns in FG%. Danni (41) and Jatarie (35) top the squad in FG attempts. Three Horns have reached double digits in 3pt attempts. Sug is struggling, having hit only one of ten from BTA. Danni has the most 3pters, having hit on 7 of 23 (30.4%) while Destiny is the most accurate from BTA at 35.7% (5-14). Jada (5-12; 41.7%) and Sug (6-11; 54.5%) have been the most accomplished at getting to the FT line, although they have not been as successful in making their FTs. Audrey has hit all of her FTs although she has only four attempts. Only one other player is making at least 67% of her FTs.

Jada is the top rebounder at 6.8, fueled by her 13 rebound effort versus Quinnipiac. Danni and Jatarie add 6.5 rpg each. Sug is at 5.0 rpg while three others average between 4.5 and 4.3 rpg. Sug has 29 assists while Danni is second with seven. Charli tops the shotblockers with seven while Danni is second with three. Jada’s six steals lead Jatarie and Audrey who each have five steals.

The Horns will have their third different starting lineup when they take the court against Michigan. Jada, Sug and Danni should start their fifth straight game while Jatarie will probably get her fourth start. I am going to guess and put Audrey down for her first start based on her starting the second half and that we need to be able to rotate Charli and Jatarie. That will be hard to do if they both start. Horns are now down to nine active players.

LINEUPS
Projected lineups are based on the previous game’s starting lineups.


The Horns inside defense will be tested by Michigan’s Thome and Hillmon. Munger will need to be blanketed by Texas as she is responsible for half of the threes Michigan has made so far. Horns did a good job recovering from losing Lashann in game one. They will need a similar effort from every one to stop a strong Michigan team. Another strong game on the boards by Jada will help to neutralize the Wolverines’ ability to crash the boards.

STATS COMPARISON






https://texassports.com/news/2018/11/23/no-10-9-womens-basketball-earns-comeback-win-against-quinnipiac.aspx

https://mgoblue.com/news/2018/11/23/womens-basketball-michigan-wallops-21st-ranked-missouri-to-kick-off-gulf-coast-showcase.aspx?path=wbball

This should be a great game to watch. Both teams get very similar results although with different methods. Michigan tends to rely more on the post game while Texas will look to their guards to lead the way. Both play stifling defense and like to run when possible. One area where Michigan has a slight edge is FT shooting. They are not great, hitting only 62.7% but that shines compared to Texas’ 56.9% from the FT line. In addition, the Wolverines get to the FT line almost twice as much as do the Horns. Little things that could lead to a win.

We will find out how resilient Texas is as they deal with the loss of Lashann. I expect the Texas defense will make it difficult for Michigan to run as they are used to.

 

If the worst is true, and Lashann has an ACL and can't play this year, I truly, truly hope the rules allow for her to get a redshirt and have another year. I can't think of anyone who seems to love basketball more than she does (plus it would be great to unexpectedly have her next year).

 

Terrible to see Lashann go down with an injury, this promised to be an amazing year for her. If the injury is season ending I would definitely expect to see her again next year. There is very little good you can say about losing Lashann, but the lone upside to an injury to a key player is that others, and in this case some freshmen, are going to have to play a lot more that they would have been expected to otherwise. Let's hope they seize the opportunity, and shorten that learning curve. We've got a lot of games left before conference competition starts.

I was impressed with the way the Horns took care of business in the second half. A 12 point deficit at the break is never a good thing, but compound that with losing our scoring spark plug Lashann, and the adjustments we've already made due to loss of other key players, and it could have got ugly real quick. But the coaches made some great adjustments, and the players did what they were supposed to do. No desperation, just methodical, and we whittled away and stayed focused, and came away with the win.

I hope we don't have to wait for news about Lasahann and Charli to dribble out. It would be nice to have immediate updates on both. The best outcome is that Charli is okay, and that Lashann didn't suffer an actual tear, and can rejoin the team this year. But it doesn't sound good for Higgs based on what those attending the game have said.

 

No. 10/9 Women's Basketball preview: Michigan - Texas Athletics

 

JoeDallas....I couldn't agree more.

I'm struggling to find a silver lining to LaShonn's season-ending injury, which is difficult when it's your favorite player. I wish I knew the medical redshirt rule, one I have never understood for either football or bball. Help from one of our rule sleuths would be appreciated.

OK, I'm reaching here, but since a healthy LaShonn is WNBA worthy, I can't imagine a team drafting her during an ACL rehab. If she aspires to a pro career, returning for a fifth year is assured, if that path is open. But no matter how you spin it, it sucks.

 

Perimeter offensive production was a worry going into the tournament. With Lashann’s injury it becomes an even bigger worry. Hopefully the perimeter players AND Coach Aston will step up and devise a plan to improve the perimeter offense.

 

Medical hardship waivers [not redshirts] in basketball may be granted if the player has played in no more than the greater of 3 games or 30% of the season. Our season is 30 or 31 games, depending on whether the exhibition game counts. Therefore, she would be eligible.

 

As Mr. Barnes would say.....E X C E L L E N T !

 

I keep coming back to Lashann’s relationship with George Washington and how close she has been to the Texas program for so long. All significant injuries are tough on a team and coaching staff but this has to be tougher than most even if no one on the staff admits it.

 

Missouri beats Quinnipiac 65-51 and Sophie Cunningham had 26 points. They made QP look pretty mediocre. That may not be a good omen as Michigan beat Mizzou by a bunch.