With a week layoff and due to recent disagreements concerning AG’s (Aubrey) play, in particular against Ark, I decided to review the game, mostly keeping my eye on 4 players: AG, CW, EW and Dungee. For convenience, I’ve broken this analysis down by summary and then the details.
For those of you who think AG got abused by Dungee, you are flat wrong! No way to cherry-coat it, you are full of complete bulls***!
These are the facts: AG gave up 7 points to Dungee the entire time she was in the game. Most all of AG’s offensive and rebounding stats came in the first half when she played 16 of 20 minutes.
Dungee scored 30 points off of Uconn players not named AG. CW (Christyn) and EW (Evina) were consistently abused by Dungee, but to my knowledge nobody has ever mentioned this. Instead, somehow it was AG’s fault Dungee went for 37. Don’t let the facts get in the way of your silly opinion. If we play Ark, again, I would think GA would come up with slightly different plan to guard Dungee.
Frist half summary:
AG plays all but 4 minutes. Uconn up 2. 43-41. Uconn on pace to score 86 pts which is ample to win games and most of the time AG is in the game. But yet I constantly hear that AG slows down the offense!!!
Poor defense by most Uconn players EXCEPT AG causing Ark to score 41. AG only gave up 3 points in the first half to Dungee. Numerous TOs by UCONN players not named AG thereby wasting several possessions!
AG scores 6 pts on 2-4 shooting, including a 3. 5 rebounds, including 2 offensive (only one in the box but definitely had 2), 2 steals. She also created two additional possessions for Uconn which don’t get counted in the box but are as good as steals: tie-up to gain an extra possession and caused a TO with aggressive defense to gain another additional possession.
Defense: Dungee 1-2 against AG, scored ONLY 3 points. Twice AG stopped Dungee cold. Dungee running by all other UCONN defenders like they don’t exist! Dungee scores 12 on the rest of the team for a total of 15 at the half.
AG played very well in the first half. She did her job!
Second Half summary:
AG plays only 3 minutes: goes 0-1, 1 rebound and gives up 4 pts. Then she sits the rest of the game.
First Half Details:
2 Rebounds, 2 steals – fumbled the second one out of bounds when going in for the layup, post up for 2,missed 2 outside jumpers 1 for 2 on FT, scoring 3 in the 1st Qtr, great defense throughout and gave up only 3pts to Dungee. Stopped her cold once and she shot 1-2. CW very good shooting. Problem with TOs from Liv and CW, losing 5 possession as a result. Score 22-18, UCONN on pace to score 88 – too many TOs.
Start of 2nd Qtr, EW on Dungee and she easily goes by her for 2 pts, then easily goes by CW for another two. Big difference when AG is on her as Dungee has to really work to score. CW with the TO but AG with the tie-up and saves the possession. With the extra possession that AG gave UCONN, we get a lay-up out of it. AG out at 8:10 to go in 2nd Qtr, Uconn up by 2 at 24-22. Later Dungee uses a pick and easily goes by CW again for 2 more pts.
Corner three and TOs killing UCONN. AG back in at 4:18. Sat for 4 minutes during which time AE (Aaliyah) took over. Uconn up by 3. AG immediately gets another rebound. Aggressive defense from AG causes a TO by Ark.
Uconn quickly goes up by 8 with AG back in the game but two straight poor defensive possessions, one by CW and the other by NM leads to 4 pts and then an offensive foul on AE. Then CW gives up 3 to Dungee. CW with the offensive foul and then gives up another easy two for Dungee. Got to wonder why GA has CW on Dungee. Dungee knows she can take her every time! Poor coaching.
AG with another offensive board to get UCONN another possession. Third offensive foul on Uconn in a span of 4 minutes. AG hits the three from the corner. Uconn leads at half 43-41
2nd Half Details:
Dungee immediately goes by EW like she wasn’t even there for a quick 2. Dungee puts 2-3 moves together to get a pretty scoop shot against AG. But, she had to really work for it. She didn’t just breeze by her like she does against CW and EW.
First time I saw poor defense by AG giving up the dribble penetration. Where is the help defense in the middle of the lane? Where is Liv? CW bricks two open shots in the flow of the offense. Uconn now down by 7, 50-43. What happens if CW can hit those shots, which are easy mid-range shots?? This is why we now have NM (Nika) starting and PB coming off those picks for the mid-range instead of CW! What happens if we get a little help defense to protect the lane from Liv?
AG defensive rebound, AG misses a three and then CW gives up the ANOTHER easy lay-up. CW defense is beyond horrible! But GA must be ok with this because he decides to sit AG instead. AG out of the game at 7 minutes, 52-43 Ark, never to return. CW gets another mid-range but gets her shot blocked this time.
CW gives up the drive AGAIN with the foul. CW gives up a three AGAIN, bricks 2 FTs and then bricks an open three. Dungee going off with 2 three pointers…but AG is on the bench. GA has seen enough of CW missing and now makes PB the focal point of the offense with NM at the point to feed her coming off picks…gets a quick 4 points and goes off the rest of the game.
4th offensive foul on Uconn with complete BS call on EW. Dungees get to the rim again creating the put-back for Barnum. To be honest, this was one of several times I thought Dungee drew the foul, but none called. Really savvy player! Dungee goes by MM but that was a clear offensive foul…hmm Uconn called for ticky tacky offensive fouls (2 were not even fouls) and clearly Dungee pushes off and doesn’t get called for the foul!
5th offensive foul on Uconn as AE fouls out. How many times does a team get called for 5 offensive fouls in 2.5 quarters?? That is hard, very hard to do! Refs are biased with these calls.
CW gives up ANOTHER corner 3 after NM played Dungee tough. An horrendous defensive game by CW. Numerous defensive lapses by CW and throwing up bricks on offensive but for some reason, GA sticks with her.
Rameriz closes the 3rd out with a deep contested three. Uconn down 72-62 and falls three points further behind with AG on the bench who only played 3 minutes in the 3rd quarter. UConn gives up 31 points in the 3rd alone after giving up 41 in the entire first half. Obviously, AG sitting on the bench didn’t help. To be fair, Ark was hitting their shots too.
4th quarter
Dungee gets away with another clear push off. Makes no sense that the refs don’t see this but yet call tick-tacky offensive fouls against Uconn and two were not even fouls. Dungee abuses EW again and goes around her likes she isn’t even there. Dungee against CW or EW is like taking candy from a baby!
Uconn closing the gap as PB has taken over with NM in the game. This is when I think GA started to contemplate starting NM so he can get PB more involved and CW less involved.
Dungee gets away with at least her 3rd offensive foul by pushing NM to the floor. Also, this was the last terrific game on the offensive end from EW. She was terrific on that end, but not very good defensively. EW goes under the screen giving up ANOTHER 3 to Rameriz.
Dungee abuses CW AGAIN to the bucket for the 2 and a foul.
