Reply to thread

Message: [QUOTE="BostonCanuck, post: 2666965, member: 6931"] Nice post, very well done. One poster on another thread summed it up by saying that our defense lost it for us. I still haven't figured out how their guards were able to take it to the rim for layups as often as they did, beyond Lou's foul trouble, and I don't plan on re-watching the game any time soon... But my take is slightly different. I think it was their defense that won it for them (similar to last year game vs. Mississippi State). One thing Notre Dame did was to put a body in the spot Gabby usually operates from just beyond the free throw line. That took away the high-low and other aspects of the offense that Gabby had been so effectively facilitating all year via assists to her teammates. It was a brilliant move by Muffet. But perhaps most importantly, the perimeter passing game once again became a means to an end during half-court sets, without a viable way to finish. The talent of our players means that kind of offense is good enough to beat virtually all teams we come across. But against the very best teams, it's not enough without the credible alternative of aggressive guard play that can create and break down a good defense off the dribble. During the Kia era, we just did not have that, pure and simple. Crystal can do it, and did so on a couple of occasions during the game. But for whatever reason, Geno did not pull that lever last last night once it became clear that neither our bigs nor our perimeter shooters were getting it done. Going forward, I think we'll be in much better shape on this front with Crystal, Megan and Christyn, so long as the coaching staff recognizes the true importance of adding this element as a core feature of the offense. [/QUOTE]

Verification: First name of men's bb coach