Game Thread, Baylor

[GAM]

Should meet Baylor again in April. Kudos to Buck but CD needs to be a 3pt threat to help out.

 

[Wbbfan1]

5 Point loss with 14 points difference in made free throws. Sims and Griner made 13 of them.

If they meet again, UConn has to find away to draw shooting fouls on Baylor.

 

[speedoo]

That game was a choke job. No other way around it.

Shut up. You have no clue.

 

[alexrgct]

I guess you've never gotten tired? I think Bria has played the entire game, Kelly and Tiff only got a few minutes rest.

Baylors key players played the whole game too.

 

[RoyDodger]

My question: Caroline? Stefanie? Were they there?

 

[speedoo]

Baylors key players played the whole game too.

So I guess you think the UConn players deliberately allowed Baylor to outhustle them?

 

[RoyDodger]

Despite the loss, it was an important learning/experience game for this UConn team. Just think. A couple of three point shots and they would have been right there. The Baylor defense was tough in the 2nd half.

 

[BrianUC]

We should have stayed with what worked. Heather seems to be able to hold back Griner. I love Caroline but she wasn't quick enough for this game.

 

[Zorro]

The damn shots just stopped falling. Helluva game! Missing a shot (or a putt) does NOT mean you "choked". It just means you missed a shot (or a putt). Enough already with the "choke" crapola!

 

[UConn990411]

Shut up. You have no clue.

LOLOL.

I didn't say this team sucks - I said they choked a bit down the stretch, which they certainly did.

It's a semi-young team who's still trying to learn how to replace the best/second best player in school history. They'll learn from this.

But not everything can be sugarcoated, and tonight's game was an example of that.

 

[Replicant]

Disappointed of course, but the 5 point loss is exactly equal to home court advantage points. Should make for a great rematch on a neutral court going forward. Pretty tough to beat any top ten team when you're given 15 less FTAs.

Positives: HEATHER BUCK. I hope this was her gating point. No reason it can't be! Bria was amazing and fearless.

 

[Kevin G]

Despite losing I am very proud of our girls! Everyone played great and it was a great game.

I thought Mulkey's post game comments were classy and respectful.

 

[ochoopsfan]

Why was Geno blasting KML late in game? What did she do miss a pick?

 

[Enigma64]

Good Game.

 

[speedoo]

LOLOL.

I didn't say this team sucks - I said they choked a bit down the stretch, which they certainly did.

It's a semi-young team who's still trying to learn how to replace the best/second best player in school history. They'll learn from this.

But not everything can be sugarcoated, and tonight's game was an example of that.

They did not choke. Again, you have no clue.

 

[Olde Coach]

We should have stayed with what worked. Heather seems to be able to hold back Griner. I love Caroline but she wasn't quick enough for this game.

Ditto. CD missed her defensive responsibility on two three point shots. (Both of which Baylor made.) CD is a step slow. I don't think she took a shot all night. (She was too easy for the quick Baylor defenders to guard.) UConn didn't play very well at the start of the game and the start of the 2nd half. Things perked up when KML came in.

I'm Caroline's biggest fan; but I think it's time for KML to start.

 

[Gurleyman]

Just a guess, but perhaps she wasn't where she was supposed to be when we started pressing.

 

[uconn_nyc]

Well, I was hoping we could come out with a win, but Baylor is #1 for a reason. Nothing to be ashamed of. Take what you can from the game, learn from the mistakes. Wish Geno would have put Heather in for more of the second half. She played so well defensively.

Well said. Nothing to be ashamed of. I love the way Buck is rebounding and how she made BG work harder for her points.

 

[Olde Coach]

Well said. Nothing to be ashamed of. I love the way Buck is rebounding and how she made BG work harder for her points.

It was a great night for Heather!

 

[ASweet3781]

This loss may be disappointing but I am encouraged.

Baylor is clearly the best team in the country and we went down there in December and played them toe to toe woman to woman on their homecourt. I really thought there was a possiblity we could lose by double digits and have a poor performance. But we clearly showed we belong on the same court with them.

As both teams found out last year, it maybe better to lose a game in the regular season because you may meet that team down the road when it really counts. When both ran into Notre Dame and Texas A&M later in the NCAA's the revenge factor and basic percentages took over.

 

[uconn_nyc]

Heather should get more minutes during EVERY game. Her defense is there and with more playing time her offense could come around.

 

[UConnChapette]

Despite losing I am very proud of our girls! Everyone played great and it was a great game.

I thought Mulkey's post game comments were classy and respectful.

I have always found Kim to be classy and respectful all the time. No surprise there.

It was a great game, and an excellent game to represent the best of WCBB for a national broadcast.

We have been spoiled and it is not the end of the world that we lost. Yeah, losing hurts no matter when or to who. But the team played the best they could against a very good team. Tough to get points from the free throw line when you are relying so much on perimeter shots. When we did drive to the basket, Griner was there to swat it away.

May not be the last loss of the year. But there won't be many of them. I can live with that.

 

[UConnCat]

Why was Geno blasting KML late in game? What did she do miss a pick?

According to Doris (on sportscenter), she passed up an open shot. Doris said Geno wants to make sure she doesn't do that in March.

 

[speedoo]

This loss may be disappointing but I am encouraged.

Baylor is clearly the best team in the country and we went down there in December and played them toe to toe woman to woman on their homecourt. I really thought there was a possiblity we could lose by double digits and have a poor performance. But we clearly showed we belong on the same court with them.

As both teams found out last year, it maybe better to lose a game in the regular season because you may meet that team down the road when it really counts. When both ran into Notre Dame and Texas A&M later in the NCAA's the revenge factor and basic percentages took over.

Thanks for a sane post. Which I agree with. But I can't agree with some of the second guessing that goes on in these game threads when UConn is in a tough game.

 

[speedoo]

According to Doris (on sportscenter), she passed up an open shot. Doris said Geno wants to make sure she doesn't do that in March.

Yeah, I think it was just before that Bria three that Griner blocked. Kaleena had a shot but she passed it to Bria instead, and Griner had plenty of time to get out for the block. Even though she had been missing and Bria was hitting, Kaleena should have taken the shot in that situation.