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Message: [QUOTE="Carnac, post: 2043371, member: 5798"] I was going to add my two cents here, but others stole my thunder, and beat me to what I was going to add. This was a game that gave Geno no margin for error. With Lou not able to score, and Nurse getting hurt early on[B], Gabby[/B] and [B]Napheesa[/B] had to step up. Some of us seem to forget that everyone cannot be a star every night. Last night, it was Gabby's turn to step out front and take the lead. There have been games where Lou scored BIG time, and Gabby played a support role by adding 10 or 11 points. As others have mentioned, when your shot is not falling, you find other ways to help your teammates. Thats what Lou did last night. She absorbed lots of lumps and bruises in the process. [B]Collier [/B]is as regular as a morning sunrise. She brings her hard hat, lunch pale and steel toed shoes to work EVERYDAY!!! She played her usual SOLID game last night. As [B]tomcat[/B] commented, "[B]UConn needed every minute of play from everyone who got into the game". [/B]Even though Butler came in for only 7 minutes, Geno really needed her for those 7 minutes. He needed her to do exactly what she did; help stem a run that SC was poised to start. You can say the dike sprang a small temporary leak, and Butler came in and put her finger in it to stop it. Her brief 7 minutes in the game was crucial. Butler and Dangerfield was Geno's bench last night. They BOTH came in, and did what he needed them to do. Another unsung player that got very little acknowledgement was [B]Crystal Dangerfield[/B]. 5 points - 2 rebounds - 2 turnovers and [B]7 assists [/B]in 30 minutes of play. Geno probably planned to only go 2 deep off the bench. I don't believe he planned on playing Dangerfield as much as he was forced to, except for the injury to Nurse. If you remember, he benched Crystal the first half of the previous game. Yes, Crystal had two turnovers, but she played all but 10 minutes of the game, and ran the point the entire time she was on the floor. She had lots of opportunities to have many more. Those 7 assists translated into 14 points. added to her 5, that's 19 points her accounted for. Her play last night was also crucial. She stepped up when called upon, and as [B]Waquoit[/B] said about Butler, she too did her job!! Last night's win was truly a team effort. Gabby had a career night on offense, but she needed help, and lots of it. She got it from the other 6 players that got in the game. We never know who's going to step up from game to game. The good thing is that somebody always does. SC took Lou out of the game, just like Geno took their BIGS out of the game. Checkmate. The difference was other players stepped up for UConn, no one did so for the Gamecocks. [B]USC was held to 22 points below their season average (77).[/B] I'd say our girls did an excellent job in that regard. USC scored 63 & 74 points in their two losses. UConn held them to only 55. I'm standing up and giving the entire team (and coaches) a standing ovation for their efforts and accomplishments last night, for a job well done. UConn's performance last night should remove all doubt about who the best team in the country is. They ran the gauntlet (beat every ranked team on their schedule), and came out unscathed. Now, [B]ALL of the haters and doubters can step back into the shadows until they lose. [/B]No more ifs, ands, or buts!! Like [B]Mike Wilbon[/B] says on his PTI program: Haters, "Get 'em outta here". :mad: [B]TIP IN[/B] - If there was any doubt about Gabby's worthiness of being selected as an ALL-AMERICAN this year, I think she removed any & all doubt last night. The entire country saw her have one of the best games of her career, and do it against one of the best BIG teams in the country. A bow and a tip o' the turban to miss Gabby. If America didn't know who you were before, they do now. :) [/QUOTE]

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