Absolutely great game by Tulane...

[EricLA]

Let's give credit where it's due. Playing without Nurse is tough for sure, but Tulane matched us basket for basket and outscored us in the 2nd half by 7. They also out played us for long periods. They were inspired and believed they could win. I don't think in a million years anyone thought one of our toughest game, squeaking out a win, would come against Tulane, a team we beat by 44 not too long ago.

Say what you will about who didn't play well, who we were missing, etc. Bottom line is we squeaked out a win, but Tulane was just terrific. Give them a tremendous amount of credit...

 

[Mdoggie]

Sorry folks. I don't believe in moral victories. Better luck next time Tulane.

 

[JordyG]

I'm happy and proud for this scrappy, high character team that deserves credit for making a far superior UConn team earn its necklace tonight. Perhaps Ms. Stockton will start receiving a little more credit for the program she's building down there. Laissez les bons temps rouler down in NO. Maybe, just maybe this conference will also start to get a little more credit.

 

[Flyegirl]

I'm happy and proud for this scrappy, high character team that deserves credit for making a far superior UConn team earn its necklace tonight. Perhaps Ms. Stockton will start receiving a little more credit for the program she's building down there. Laissez les bons temps rouler down in NO. Maybe, just maybe this conference will also start to get a little more credit.

Ditto! Great players and a great coach.

 

[ccwarrior]

I agree, props to a gritty Tulane team. As far as the Huskies, it wasn't UConn basketball.

 

[UConnNick]

Tulane is a good team. We obviously got a little full of ourselves after winning No. 100. Fogelman Arena is a glorified HS gym that can get very loud.

 

[FairView]

They played a good game and they made it very exciting.

 

[DefenseBB]

.... Perhaps Ms. Stockton will start receiving a little more credit for the program she's building down there. Laissez les bons temps rouler down in NO. "

Umm, Yeah what he said!

Maybe, just maybe this conference will also start to get a little more credit.

This is where I will offer my spin on this- one game does not "NCAA credit" make...Tulane needs to build upon this effort, run the table and make it to the AAC semi-finals. I have been rooting for Lisa for a long time as it is impressive effort being there 23 years with a good record. Please continue raising the bar.

 

[tomcat]

This was a perfect storm.
Start with an absolutely wonderful game by Tulane. The players executed Stockton's game plan really well. If I had a team, I'd like Vorpahl on it. She was absolutely unconscious. After seeing this, I'm a fan of theirs against anyone but UConn. (Question: How does this "loss" affect Tulane's tournament chances?)
Then there's the game plan. If I'm potential NCAA tournament opponents, I'm studying tape of this game. A lot.
Then UConn was, IMHO, discombobulated by the absence of Kia. She is the steadying influence on this team. If she had been 100% and played, no way Tulane gets within 10, all other factors being equal.
Is there any doubt that Katie Lou is just plain off her game?
This team is still young enough that players can be pushed into doing thing that are not in their offensive and defensive wheelhouses. Tonight, for much of the time, they were just not very good on defense.

 

[RockyMTblue2]

I heard post-game that the Tulane bench scored 24; ours zippo. Of course, Tulane bench is a relative term, since she platoons quite a bit. We never got on our game tonight; surprised it took this long to have an absolute stinker.

 

[Soxx]

Tulane is a good team. We obviously got a little full of ourselves after winning No. 100. Fogelman Arena is a glorified HS gym that can get very loud.

Could be emotional and physical fatigue.

 

[Charliebball]

Could be emotional and physical fatigue.

No doubt............it's a long season especially when the starters are logging so many minutes.............that and injuries were my two main concerns for this team at the beginning of the season.............so far they've dodged a lot of bullets with only minor injuries..............let's hope that continues for the remainder of the season..............

 

[connie]

This was a perfect storm.
Start with an absolutely wonderful game by Tulane. The players executed Stockton's game plan really well. If I had a team, I'd like Vorpahl on it. She was absolutely unconscious. After seeing this, I'm a fan of theirs against anyone but UConn. (Question: How does this "loss" affect Tulane's tournament chances?)
Then there's the game plan. If I'm potential NCAA tournament opponents, I'm studying tape of this game. A lot.
Then UConn was, IMHO, discombobulated by the absence of Kia. She is the steadying influence on this team. If she had been 100% and played, no way Tulane gets within 10, all other factors being equal.
Is there any doubt that Katie Lou is just plain off her game?
This team is still young enough that players can be pushed into doing thing that are not in their offensive and defensive wheelhouses. Tonight, for much of the time, they were just not very good on defense.

Second half, Tulane was unconscious. I mean, everything was going in. That happens. And they hit their shots. Just a great performance. We obviously struggled on offense. And we turned the ball over uncharacteristically. Even then, we played tight D. They just kept fighting, finishing, getting offensive rebounds, and hitting crucial shots (including at or near the shot clock).

All said, without Kia, Gaby quiet, Phees on the bench part of the second half, Lou still off (but at least finding ways to get to the line) ... and still found a way to hang on.

I thought our defensive footwork was very good. They just kept throwing up shots, and they were dropping. What can you do? But for 2-3 of those shots (including that crazy punt by Vorpahl that banked hard, circled the rim and fell in) and our guys hitting their darn free throws), the margin of victory could easily have been 15.

But it wasn't.

Something to learn from and build on. And nice to see a scrappy dogfight by a deserving opponent. Good for Tulane. Good for UConn. Great for NCAAWB.

 

[Mdoggie]

My high school team (I coached) once scored 92 points in regulation. We lost 97-92. Heard it was the highest total in regulation in CIF history but it was never reported. Anyhow, that was the day my "moral victory" thoughts went out the door!