The Shot of the Game - KIA, love ya!

[Sonny44]

When Kia came back in late in the game cold and hobbled by injury she took a pass and nailed a 3-pointer. That's when I knew for sure the game was ours. Not much was made of it at the time, though the outcome was still in doubt. But it was leadership and the statement made: "Oh SC, you thought you were going to win this game; guess again. Not on my watch."
Kia doesn't get enough love, from outsiders I mean.

 

[HoopsFan21]

Yeah that 3 was the dagger, not that I thought South Carolina was coming back, but given what happened in the game before ours...

 

[BostonCanuck]

That was THE dagger, wasn't it? It's the exact moment when I felt my overly tense body finally start to relax. Pretty much any chance of SC coming back ended with that stick by our most gutsy of ballers.

 

[augustaTC]

Kia's the best, day in, day out, 110% effort, selfless. Super kid.

 

[psconn]

She's one nasty piece of business!

And yes, I also felt that shot was a major psychological turning point.

 

[Bigpetunia]

Part of it was, of course, the context, hobbled as she was, but yes, that final dagger was the moment that elicited a huge appreciative bellow from me!

 

[donalddoowop]

Kia has a history of hitting timely three pointers.

 

[StephStorrs]

That was the emotional dagger of the game - it was the moment that I and the people around me in my section seemed to settle down and relax a bit. I think they had it in the bag before that shot, but there's nothing like seeing Kia nail a clutch 3 pointer in a big game situation. And when you think about how hard she struggled the entire game and how she fought through whatever injury is plaguing her ankle so she could give her teammates a couple minutes of rest despite how she was obviously hurting, well... it was fitting. A great punctuation mark on a great game.

 

[Longtime fan]

When Kia came back in late in the game cold and hobbled by injury she took a pass and nailed a 3-pointer. That's when I knew for sure the game was ours. Not much was made of it at the time, though the outcome was still in doubt. But it was leadership and the statement made: "Oh SC, you thought you were going to win this game; guess again. Not on my watch."
Kia doesn't get enough love, from outsiders I mean.

You are right. Kia is taken for granted. But she has been a rock since day one as a freshman. Big games don't faze her and she plays to the team's needs. With Stewy et al, she defended and shot the ball when open. Always had a big role in fast breaks. Now, if the team needs it, she'll take over and drain threes or drive to the hoop, draw a foul, and convert free throws. She is a solid, fine player. Her talent gets overlooked. But she is a critical piece of the puzzle. What a recruit.

 

[BostonCanuck]

You are right. Kia is taken for granted. But she has been a rock since day one as a freshman. Big games don't faze her and she plays to the team's needs. With Stewy et al, she defended and shot the ball when open. Always had a big role in fast breaks. Now, if the team needs it, she'll take over and drain threes or drive to the hoop, draw a foul, and convert free throws. She is a solid, fine player. Her talent gets overlooked. But she is a critical piece of the puzzle. What a recruit.

What a recruit indeed!

 

[donalddoowop]

You are right. Kia is taken for granted. But she has been a rock since day one as a freshman. Big games don't faze her and she plays to the team's needs. With Stewy et al, she defended and shot the ball when open. Always had a big role in fast breaks. Now, if the team needs it, she'll take over and drain threes or drive to the hoop, draw a foul, and convert free throws. She is a solid, fine player. Her talent gets overlooked. But she is a critical piece of the puzzle. What a recruit.

Taken for granted? She was selected preseason player of the year in the AAC.

 

[huskyd]

Kia's the best, day in, day out, 110% effort, selfless. Super kid.

She's going to be a super broadcaster after she hangs up her brass knuckles.

 

[oldude]

Geno used the word "heroic" to describe this year's team during last night's presser. It certainly applied to Kia's performance yesterday.

When she hit the 3, it reminded me of game 7 of the NBA championship, when Willis Reed hobbled out onto the court and buried a couple jump shots, inspiring his NY Knick teammates to a world championship.

 

[MilfordHusky]

Points were hard to come by last night. In a game when Lou couldn't buy a bucket, Kia's trey was big, as were the ones by Saniya, Napheesa, and Crystal earlier.

 

[drweo]

She's going to be a super broadcaster after she hangs up her brass knuckles.

Or coach!

 

[hoopingcrane]

When Kia came back in late in the game cold and hobbled by injury she took a pass and nailed a 3-pointer. That's when I knew for sure the game was ours. Not much was made of it at the time, though the outcome was still in doubt. But it was leadership and the statement made: "Oh SC, you thought you were going to win this game; guess again. Not on my watch."
Kia doesn't get enough love, from outsiders I mean.

And by the way, it was right after the collision with the SC point guard that sent her out of the game- no one tougher than Kia.

 

[oldude]

Or coach!

Or be president of the US if she can get around being Canadian

 

[tomcat]

Folks talk abut Kia's maturity, floor skills, etc. all the time, but to me, the most important thing she does, in lots of games, is to hoist up a three, and then maybe another. When she does that, the nails are in the coffin. Opponents are ready to guard Katie Lou and maybe Crystal or Saniya against the three, but Kia sneaks up on them., Having a third (or fourth) three point option just drains the life out of them. I swear, that's one of the things that happened against SC.