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Message: [QUOTE="JoePgh, post: 2032910, member: 1131"] Beyond what has been mentioned, her amazing consistency from game to game is worth noting. Fortunately, unlike Lou, her game is not heavily dependent on anything as fragile and easily jarred as a 3-point shot. All 3-point shooters, certainly including KML, are streaky. Lou seems to be doing a better job than KML of scoring in other ways when her 3-point shot is on the fritz, but still her stats are affected by that. Queen Napheesa, on the other hand, seems to play the same game every night, taking the same contested shots within 5 feet of the basket and sinking two thirds of them. When others are streaky, she is totally predictable, and I'm sure Geno and the coaches really appreciate that. I can think of two games (Baylor in the 4th quarter and Cincinnati in the second quarter) when Natalie was in the game and it was starting to get ragged, with the lead slowly diminishing. Napheesa came back in the game and order was immediately restored. In the Notre Dame game, ND's best scoring was done in the second quarter when Napheesa was on the bench because of fouls. It may be because of the (lack of) quality in the opposition, but I think she and Gabby are both doing a much better job of keeping their fouls under control. One way that UConn can definitely be vulnerable is if either of them has to have their minutes reduced because of foul trouble. What South Carolina player do you think Napheesa will guard? I wonder if Geno will have enough faith in Lou's defensive abilities to have her guard A'ja Wilson, as Stewie did last year. That means that either Napheesa or Gabby could have Coates as their primary responsibility, and I think both would do well. When Coates gets the ball down low, both of them will double-team her, but UConn won't win that matchup unless they can stop Coates from getting the ball down low on most possessions. [/QUOTE]

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