Some great things happened in USF game...

[DavidinNaples]

I think we can all agree the USF game was the definition of an "ugly win." But you don't have to look far for the silver lining.

1. Molly's coming out party - Molly played a career high 20+ minutes and stuffed the stat sheet. Two 3 point shots, 3 assists, 2 rebounds, 2 steals and 6 points. She looked extremely comfortable playing with the starters.

2. Bench matched USF - Geno put the whole bench in for his starters halfway thru the 1st period and they matched USF in points 8 to 8. USF isn't Notre Dame, but they have a decent squad.

3. Lou scored her 2,000th point. - Katie Lou scored 19 points to join the exclusive 2,000 point club at UConn. She sits at 2,006 points and is one of 10 players in that club.

4. Bench contribution - For all the fans who argue Geno doesn't play the subs enough, they played 53 minutes, scored 16 points, grabbed 5 rebounds, handed out 8 assists and nabbed 3 steals.

5. Defense - After returning to the game in the 2nd period, the starters' defense held USF to 16 points in the 20 minutes of the 2nd and 3rd periods. The defense also forced 23 turnovers and held USF to 34% shooting.


Congrats to Katie Lou..!!
Go Huskies..!!

 

[meyers7]

3. Lou scored her 2,000th point. - Katie Lou scored 19 points to join the exclusive 2,000 point club at UConn. She sits at 2,006 points and is one of 10 players in that club.

The other 9 being
Moore - 3036
Stewart - 2676
Charles - 2346
KML - 2178
Sales - 2178
Bascom - 2177
Taurasi - 2156
Wolters - 2141
Lobo - 2133

Collier presently at 1874. She should hit the 2000 mark in about 7-8 games.

2 players from the same class with >2000 points. Would be 1st time for that.

 

[JonathanXIV]

There's a log jam with positions 4-9. If Lou stays healthy, she will vault over a bunch of players in short order.

 

[JoePgh]

View attachment 38244

I think we can all agree the USF game was the definition of an "ugly win." But you don't have to look far for the silver lining.

1. Molly's coming out party - Molly played a career high 20+ minutes and stuffed the stat sheet. Two 3 point shots, 3 assists, 2 rebounds, 2 steals and 6 points. She looked extremely comfortable playing with the starters.

2. Bench matched USF - Geno put the whole bench in for his starters halfway thru the 1st period and they matched USF in points 8 to 8. USF isn't Notre Dame, but they have a decent squad.

3. Lou scored her 2,000th point. - Katie Lou scored 19 points to join the exclusive 2,000 point club at UConn. She sits at 2,006 points and is one of 10 players in that club.

4. Bench contribution - For all the fans who argue Geno doesn't play the subs enough, they played 53 minutes, scored 16 points, grabbed 5 rebounds, handed out 8 assists and nabbed 3 steals.

5. Defense - After returning to the game in the 2nd period, the starters defense held USF to 16 points in the 20 minutes of the 2nd and 3rd periods. The defense also forced 23 turnovers and held USF to 34% shooting.


Congrats to Katie Lou..!!
Go Huskies..!!

Your last point about team defense in the second and third quarters deserves emphasis. USF scored just 6 points in the second quarter, and 4 points in the first 6 or 7 minutes of the third quarter. The key was aggressive defense with double teaming whenever it was feasible.

I am pretty sure that is what they practiced, and what Geno did not see at the beginning of the game.

 

[PAHuskeyFan]

I sure hope we all agree that "the ship was righted" by Geno's action to hockey line change the players on the court. It happens...teams come out flat some times and it takes something to put a charge into them, to get them fired up and to get them back on track. I know some will say "but that shouldn't happen!"... but it does....in all sports, from little league to the Pros. Remember last year's "Worst exhibition of play in my 33 years of coaching at UCONN" game... and after that the Team was on point the rest of the season. I have faith in this team. I will root for them all the way!!!!

So proud of Lou and reaching 2000... she will be way up the ladder by the end of her career.
Way to go Molly! Way to go Kyla...love this PA kid!
Way to go Huskies! You still have just one blemish on the record and remain undefeated in the AAC... Let's Keep Going!!!

 

[hoopsfan22]

I think she could tack on at least another 200 points which would put her just behind Tina for her career.

 

[Sluconn Husky]

I think she could tack on at least another 200 points which would put her just behind Tina for her career.

She has a good chance to pass Tina Charles for 3rd.

 

[Charliebball]

Your last point about team defense in the second and third quarters deserves emphasis. USF scored just 6 points in the second quarter, and 4 points in the first 6 or 7 minutes of the third quarter. The key was aggressive defense with double teaming whenever it was feasible.

I am pretty sure that is what they practiced, and what Geno did not see at the beginning of the game.

USF was missing their two top scorers so I take all talk about UConn's defense with a grain of salt................

 

[VAMike23]

She has a good chance to pass Tina Charles for 3rd.

Yep that seems to be the big (statistical) question remaining — I think we can count on around 22 more games, which assumes we make the NCAA regional final.

15 regular season games remaining
3(?) AAC tourney games
4(?) NCAA tournament games (more if we make FF)
= 22

If she averages 15.5 ppg in these games, she overtakes Tina. Seems very doable.

I can’t recall how the AAC tourney is structured so I may have an incorrect number of games there, assuming we make the final.

 

[Sluconn Husky]

I can’t recall how the AAC tourney is structured so I may have an incorrect number of games there, assuming we make the final.

Three games for top seeds to win the AAC tourney.

This list would be even more interesting had KML and KLS not both missed a slew of games throughout their career.

 

[victor64]

I wish I could double like your posts. I know what you are trying to say when you call the win "ugly".
I would not use that term. Watching the bench get a chance, for whatever reason, to play and then do well. That was beautiful to me. Watching Molly play like that was the highlight of the season so far for me.

 

[Bronxjeff]

I think the line change was exciting basketball. The subs played great and equally important the starters cheered great (led on by Lou's bouyancy).

 

[donalddoowop]

USF was missing their two top scorers so I take all talk about UConn's defense with a grain of salt......

No, no. You have to judge by the talent that was on the floor for USF and UConn did a good job defending them. If they had struggled with them then there could be cause for concern. UConn always plays good defense against USF even when they had all their stars.

 

[HuskyNan]

I thought it was awesome how into the game the crowd was, like old times

 

[Charliebball]

No, no. You have to judge by the talent that was on the floor for USF and UConn did a good job defending them. If they had struggled with them then there could be cause for concern. UConn always plays good defense against USF even when they had all their stars.

well to my way of thinking, if their two best scorers are not playing and the rest of the team is offensively challenged holding them to 6 points in a quarter isn't nearly as meaningful...............

 

[JoePgh]

USF was missing their two top scorers so I take all talk about UConn's defense with a grain of salt......

USF didn't lose any players between the first and second quarters, but Uconn's defense became a lot more successful. I think the aggressiveness and double-teaming were the key to that improvement.

 

[HuskyNan]

well to my way of thinking, if their two best scorers are not playing and the rest of the team is offensively challenged holding them to 6 points in a quarter isn't nearly as meaningful.....

Cmon give the kids some credit. Even if two of the USF kids were off the bench the rest were starters. The UConn bench, with minimal playing time so far this season, played the starters even. It’s an incremental improvement, the goal of the regular season

 

[ME Husky Fan]

I thought it was awesome how into the game the crowd was, like old times

Couldn't agree more just wish more fannies in seats.

 

[Sluconn Husky]

Cmon give the kids some credit. Even if two of the USF kids were off the bench the rest were starters. The UConn bench, with minimal playing time so far this season, played the starters even. It’s an incremental improvement, the goal of the regular season

USF is without 4 starters (Laksa, Radar, Ferreira, Jordao). The other starter is one of their six freshmen, and she went 1-14 with 6 turnovers. Might have been the biggest talent discrepancy UConn will see all year. But USF must've had a 3/1 advantage in time of possession, dominated the glass, and played pretty inspiring defense to keep the game relatively close.

 

[PAHuskeyFan]

USF is without 4 starters (Laksa, Radar, Ferreira, Jordao). The other starter is one of their six freshmen, and she went 1-14 with 6 turnovers. Might have been the biggest talent discrepancy UConn will see all year. But USF must've had a 3/1 advantage in time of possession, dominated the glass, and played pretty inspiring defense to keep the game relatively close.

This game was "USF's Super Bowl"... I'm sure Jose used a motivational speech that went something like this...

"Until the Baylor Game, UCONN had not lost in the regular season since 2014... and they have never lost in AAC play, but Baylor and some of their other games show they are 'vulnerable' this year... so Why Not Us, Why can't we, USF, be the first in the AAC to take them down! They know we are missing some players, let's use their over confidence to our advantage! The players we have going out there today are fully capable of taking them down... Why Not US!?!?!"

On the other hand, UCONN came out flat as a pancake. Minimal emotion, minimal effort. They got smacked in the teeth by a team that in the first 4+ minutes wanted it more. OK...good on ya, USF. Geno made the move... and that got things "refocused".

SO, let's chalk this up for what it was... a "flat start" that ended up as a WIN... and a game for our players to learn from. The time of possession means nothing if the opponent is playing the slow down method but can't score more points than UCONN, domination on the glass was a concern that was reduced a bit after the "refocus"... and the game was 'closer' than it should have been.... BUT, bottom line... A win is a WIN! And let's give the players who did great things props for what they did... i.e., the "Subject" of the post... "Some great things happened....

I have every confidence in the world that Geno will use this game as a motivator in practice and pre-game speeches as we move forward. The Seniors will use the "flat start" as a motivation for themselves and the Team moving forward. And the Season will go on... Our Huskies are still a #1 seed in Charlie Creme's latest bracketology, they will still be in the top 3 (or 2) in the Rankings and will remain the favorite to win the AAC Regular and Post-Season Tournaments. There is still a lot of season to go. Championships are NOT won in January!

Go Huskies

 

[Charliebball]

Cmon give the kids some credit. Even if two of the USF kids were off the bench the rest were starters. The UConn bench, with minimal playing time so far this season, played the starters even. It’s an incremental improvement, the goal of the regular season

I was speaking of the entire defensive effort but if you think about it UConn's bench players included the ESPN #5 number #13 and number #55 rated players in the country who've been coached by the best WBB coach in history versus mostly a bunch of unranked USF freshmen ................why would I not expect them to perform well defensively?

 

[BroadwayVa]

View attachment 38244

I think we can all agree the USF game was the definition of an "ugly win." But you don't have to look far for the silver lining.

1. Molly's coming out party - Molly played a career high 20+ minutes and stuffed the stat sheet. Two 3 point shots, 3 assists, 2 rebounds, 2 steals and 6 points. She looked extremely comfortable playing with the starters.

2. Bench matched USF - Geno put the whole bench in for his starters halfway thru the 1st period and they matched USF in points 8 to 8. USF isn't Notre Dame, but they have a decent squad.

3. Lou scored her 2,000th point. - Katie Lou scored 19 points to join the exclusive 2,000 point club at UConn. She sits at 2,006 points and is one of 10 players in that club.

4. Bench contribution - For all the fans who argue Geno doesn't play the subs enough, they played 53 minutes, scored 16 points, grabbed 5 rebounds, handed out 8 assists and nabbed 3 steals.

5. Defense - After returning to the game in the 2nd period, the starters defense held USF to 16 points in the 20 minutes of the 2nd and 3rd periods. The defense also forced 23 turnovers and held USF to 34% shooting.


Congrats to Katie Lou..!!
Go Huskies..!!

In a response to Plebe I stated there were 5 good things that happened in that game and I forgot KLS's 2000 point you got all of them except I added Coombs did a good job running that team. I like your MOLLYS COMING OUT PARTY--I HOPE THAT IS THE BEGINNING.

 

[mhshuskies]

The other 9 being
Moore - 3036
Stewart - 2676
Charles - 2346
KML - 2178
Sales - 2178
Bascom - 2177
Taurasi - 2156
Wolters - 2141
Lobo - 2133

Collier presently at 1874. She should hit the 2000 mark in about 7-8 games.

2 players from the same class with >2000 points. Would be 1st time for that.

At current rates with 23 games remaining (assuming NC of course) that would put Lou ahead of Tina and Napheesa right behind her. That would also knock Rebecca out of the top ten!

 

[BroadwayVa]

I was speaking of the entire defensive effort but if you think about it UConn's bench players included the ESPN #5 number #13 and number #55 rated players in the country who've been coached by the best WBB coach in history versus mostly a bunch of unranked USF freshmen ......why would I not expect them to perform well defensively?

iF WE as fans don't see the minor successes of the bench and expect them TODAY to be Pro's --why watch or comment--that will never happen.

 

[BroadwayVa]

I wish I could double like your posts. I know what you are trying to say when you call the win "ugly".
I would not use that term. Watching the bench get a chance, for whatever reason, to play and then do well. That was beautiful to me. Watching Molly play like that was the highlight of the season so far for me.

I preach BENCH often. So I'll not be anything but positive when they are given a chance and succeed. No I never would say TODAY any of them are Stewie, neither was she Stewie as an early Frosh. I am proud of the BYer, like you, that saw the beauty and goodness that came out of what another may call Ugly. Perfection is never achieved--only striven to be achieved.

 

[mbr33ct]

This game was "USF's Super Bowl"... I'm sure Jose used a motivational speech that went something like this...

"Until the Baylor Game, UCONN had not lost in the regular season since 2014... and they have never lost in AAC play, but Baylor and some of their other games show they are 'vulnerable' this year... so Why Not Us, Why can't we, USF, be the first in the AAC to take them down! They know we are missing some players, let's use their over confidence to our advantage! The players we have going out there today are fully capable of taking them down... Why Not US!?!?!"

On the other hand, UCONN came out flat as a pancake. Minimal emotion, minimal effort. They got smacked in the teeth by a team that in the first 4+ minutes wanted it more. OK...good on ya, USF. Geno made the move... and that got things "refocused".

SO, let's chalk this up for what it was... a "flat start" that ended up as a WIN... and a game for our players to learn from. The time of possession means nothing if the opponent is playing the slow down method but can't score more points than UCONN, domination on the glass was a concern that was reduced a bit after the "refocus"... and the game was 'closer' than it should have been.... BUT, bottom line... A win is a WIN! And let's give the players who did great things props for what they did... i.e., the "Subject" of the post... "Some great things happened....

I have every confidence in the world that Geno will use this game as a motivator in practice and pre-game speeches as we move forward. The Seniors will use the "flat start" as a motivation for themselves and the Team moving forward. And the Season will go on... Our Huskies are still a #1 seed in Charlie Creme's latest bracketology, they will still be in the top 3 (or 2) in the Rankings and will remain the favorite to win the AAC Regular and Post-Season Tournaments. There is still a lot of season to go. Championships are NOT won in January!

Go Huskies

Aren't every team UConn plays "their Super Bowl"?

 

[CL82]

I sure hope we all agree that "the ship was righted" by Geno's action to hockey line change the players on the court.

Mmm, not for me. I think we took an incremental step forward. The ship is heeling less, but isn't "righted."

 

[PAHuskeyFan]

Mmm, not for me. I think we took an incremental step forward. The ship is heeling less, but isn't "righted."

In the game....

 

[Longtime fan]

View attachment 38244

I think we can all agree the USF game was the definition of an "ugly win." But you don't have to look far for the silver lining.

1. Molly's coming out party - Molly played a career high 20+ minutes and stuffed the stat sheet. Two 3 point shots, 3 assists, 2 rebounds, 2 steals and 6 points. She looked extremely comfortable playing with the starters.

2. Bench matched USF - Geno put the whole bench in for his starters halfway thru the 1st period and they matched USF in points 8 to 8. USF isn't Notre Dame, but they have a decent squad.

3. Lou scored her 2,000th point. - Katie Lou scored 19 points to join the exclusive 2,000 point club at UConn. She sits at 2,006 points and is one of 10 players in that club.

4. Bench contribution - For all the fans who argue Geno doesn't play the subs enough, they played 53 minutes, scored 16 points, grabbed 5 rebounds, handed out 8 assists and nabbed 3 steals.

5. Defense - After returning to the game in the 2nd period, the starters' defense held USF to 16 points in the 20 minutes of the 2nd and 3rd periods. The defense also forced 23 turnovers and held USF to 34% shooting.


Congrats to Katie Lou..!!
Go Huskies..!!

Not sure I can agree with your assessment of USF in point 2. USF doesn't really have a decent squad right now. They have lost to injury their top three players. So imagine UCONN without Katy, Pheesa and Dangerfield. We would still be better than USF is right now, but you get my point. Matching USF for a period of time is, in my view, not a high bar of accomplishment. But the "full five" substitution did force some bench players to " do something" other than pass the ball successfully to a starter. That they score 8 points is likely a season record for the bench. I would love to see more of this, as a development tactic, at a point in the game where the outcome remains in the balance. But it won't happen.

 

[JordyG]

I thought it was awesome how into the game the crowd was, like old times

Nail on the head. The crowd was energized no matter the score. Great to hear and see. Hopefully Molly and the rest of Team 2 can put together back to back good games,