A stat that caught my attention was mentioned in. . .

[Kibitzer]

. . . the recap of the St. John's game in the Boston Globe. The writer noted that UConn is 0-5 in games decided by five or fewer points over the past two seasons. (Obviously, this obscure stat didn't change yesterday because it was a six-point win.)

As the season winds down and the tournament competition heats up, we can expect a few nail-biters. Yesterday Kelly and Kaleena rose to the occasion at crunch time. That rebound (of a Kaleena miss) and putback, followed soon by a big trey, both by Kelly, were decisive. With the score tied, Kaleena scored seven straight points by muscling her way to the hoop and drawing fouls.

Does that make Faris or Mosqueda-Lewis our "go-to" player? Could be, but Dolson may step up. Or maybe even Breanna or Bria.

I was disappointed that Hartley went 0-7 from beyond the arc but pleased that she took her shots when the opportunities were there. I consider this to be preferable to timidity, and I like to see a "shooter mentality": No matter how many misses, a conviction that the next one is going in!

So keep shooting, Bria! (You, too, Kaleena.)

 

[MilfordHusky]

I think the 0-5 stat includes 3x against ND, so it's an odd stat. The others were SJU and Baylor, I believe. We need to get over the hump against the Irish. Period.

I'd like to see Bria find her form. I like a mix of 3-pointers, pull-ups, and drives. Maybe it is overreaction to sitting through that awful second half in St. Louis in 2001, but I don't like over-reliance on 3-pointers in close games, especially in single-elimination situations (which yesterday was not). I was not fully on the Diana bandwagon until she hit the lefthander in the NCAAs her junior year. I thought her shot selection was too aggressive and not smart. Similarly with Renee until her senior year. If Bria is struggling with her shot, drive and kick it back to Kaleena. Combining confidence and shrewd judgment is the best way to play, in my view.