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Message: [QUOTE="Bone Dog, post: 4485604, member: 12088"] I've watched this game a few times in the last two years -- thank you [USER=5990]@MJL243[/USER] -- and find new lessons in it almost every time. Paige was awesome and SC had no answer for her. Her awesome was on full display here. Without her scoring in the 4th q and in OT, there's no way we win this game. This may have been the beginning of the "Paige watching" habit the rest of the team developed, just waiting for Paige to do something spectacular. Liv was tremendous -- she didn't dominate Boston by any means, but she was a force in her own right. Saxton got in foul trouble early. Might have had a different result if she'd been on the floor longer. Amihere was a non-factor. Aaliyah seemed a bit green compared to Boston, but when Liv was on the floor next to her, or when Aubrey was on the floor, SC was not able to control the paint as effectively as they usually did to opponents. We made mistakes and so did they. The pressure was really high for this #1 vs #2 game and both teams really felt it. Dawn made what seemed like coaching errors in the second half, including calling a timeout when SC had the momentum. It caught me by surprise seeing it. Later, she complained about the game ball used, a different brand then her team was used to. Nika played well, and did a good job keeping Henny in check. Beal was tasked with playing deny defense on Paige, which was pretty effective in the first half. But in the second half, and especially the 4th quarter, Paige was able to do pretty much whatever she wanted. Paige's midrange pop-up jumper off the dribble was pretty much unstoppable. It's such a potent weapon, and it amazes me that more guards don't make a point of developing one. When I think about whether we can beat SC this year, I think of this game. SC is rather similar to what they were in this game, better in some ways, but also weaker in others. But UConn is very much changed from that game. No Paige, of course, though Azzi is an interesting piece to play a similar function. Lou and Caroline represent elements we lacked in that earlier game. If all 3 are shooting well, that is a formidable advantage. On the other hand, Boston Cardoso Saxton and Amihere are significantly better than that team was two years ago. Aaliyah and Dorka and Aubrey are not a match for that front court by themselves. If we had Ice, and if Ayanna had been further along in her development, I think we'd be a better match for them. But that is not our situation. So, the question this year's game will turn on is whether our backcourt is enough better on our side than their front court is on their side. I can hardly wait to see how it plays out. [/QUOTE]

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