Toughness prevails

[Baroloboy]

When the going gets tough the tough get going. Analyze all you want but once again that cogent old aphorism explains why we won today against a very good ND team and has been the epitome of Uconn wbb under Geno for the twenty years I have been a fan.
Lou’s toughness almost singlehanded prevented a ND blowout in the first three quarters. Crystal was tough as nails on defense and one cool customer running the offense with some great dishes in the second half. In the fourth quarter AZ just said nobody’s stopping me. Kia was Kia. Phessa who was relatively quiet in the second and third quarter but was as fierce as I have seen her under the basket in the last 6 minutes. Megaton gave us tough minutes and key rebounds. I could go on but I’ll stop here because my piazza just arrived.

 

[Jim R]

When the going gets tough the tough get going. Analyze all you want but once again that cogent old aphorism explains why we won today against a very good ND team and has been the epitome of Uconn wbb under Geno for the twenty years I have been a fan.
Lou’s toughness almost singlehanded prevented a ND blowout in the first three quarters. Crystal was tough as nails on defense and one cool customer running the offense with some great dishes in the second half. In the fourth quarter AZ just said nobody’s stopping me. Kia was Kia. Phessa who was relatively quiet in the second and third quarter but was as fierce as I have seen her under the basket in the last 6 minutes. Megaton gave us tough minutes and key rebounds. I could go on but I’ll stop here because my piazza just arrived.

Would agree...but, especially on "Z"...she showed up in crunch time - she was Huge

 

[UConnNick]

I especially enjoyed how the W was just dangling there for the taking, and then poof! It all blew up in their faces, like an illusion. That really rips the heart and guts out of any team that leads for most of any game.

 

[BroadwayVa]

When the going gets tough the tough get going. Analyze all you want but once again that cogent old aphorism explains why we won today against a very good ND team and has been the epitome of Uconn wbb under Geno for the twenty years I have been a fan.
Lou’s toughness almost singlehanded prevented a ND blowout in the first three quarters. Crystal was tough as nails on defense and one cool customer running the offense with some great dishes in the second half. In the fourth quarter AZ just said nobody’s stopping me. Kia was Kia. Phessa who was relatively quiet in the second and third quarter but was as fierce as I have seen her under the basket in the last 6 minutes. Megaton gave us tough minutes and key rebounds. I could go on but I’ll stop here because my piazza just arrived.

Against a well coached, highly motivated, talented Irish team --Uconn's toughs got going in the 4th quarter--when it counted. In some games of the past when a team didn't fold in the first quarter Uconn as a team seemed a bit confuse and came close to losing--this wasn't a confused team.

 

[Gus Mahler]

Crystal was tough as nails on defense and one cool customer running the offense with some great dishes in the second half.

Crystal was one of the unsung heroes today. She has become quite an impressive all around player. Also fast afoot.

 

[Kaizen]

Crystal was one of the unsung heroes today. She has become quite an impressive all around player. Also fast afoot.

Agree Lobo said she is the best PG in the country.
She and Kia took control the ball and calmed down ND's hyper.

 

[JustinesGuy]

Toughness is lou coming back in the game.
Lou is the crowd favorite. Gabby is sitting on the bench and people in my row either didn't know or can care less. Lou goes down and it's all they wanted to talk about. Lou touches the ball or hits a shot and it's louuuuuuuuu ha ha. She's the best.

 

[Huskee11]

Notre Dame looked great until crunch time, when the movement in their offense ground to a halt. They started playing one on one, standing around, forced shots. Our defense was great, and ND looked tired and overwhelmed.

I was surprised to see Ogunbowale out for critical possessions late in the fourth. Subbed Thompson for her. Would say they don't have a true point guard when Thompson is not in the lineup, although that did not hurt them most of the game.

Ogunbowale is great going to the basket and midrange but not good from three.

Great move putting Stevens on Westbeld. Westbeld has only taken four foul shots all year so Stevens was not going to pick up fifth foul.

Agreed the tougher team, and the one in better shape, won tonight. But they outplayed us for most of the game and UConn will very likely see them again in Columbus. They are really good.

 

[Fairfield Fan]

Notre Dame is also very tough. Both of these teams were banged up, yet both played tremendously. The two best teams in the country, hands down.

 

[Kaizen]

This is toughness,

 

[Husky pride]

I especially enjoyed how the W was just dangling there for the taking, and then poof! It all blew up in their faces, like an illusion. That really rips the heart and guts out of any team that leads for most of any game.

Mabrey’s post-game comment: “ We showed we can play with and beat anyone in the country”. Not quite.......play with———-but not beat!

 

[UConnNick]

Scoreboard.....

 

[Crossover]

Toughness is lou coming back in the game.
Lou is the crowd favorite. Gabby is sitting on the bench and people in my row either didn't know or can care less. Lou goes down and it's all they wanted to talk about. Lou touches the ball or hits a shot and it's louuuuuuuuu ha ha. She's the best.

What you describe is the difference between thinking a player has been benched for playing poorly and seeing a previously injured player limp off the floor. In my row (clearly more sophisticated than yours), there was equal concern for both players because we know how gentle Geno is when it comes to Gabby, which made us suspect that she must be either injured or under the weather.

 

[bags27]

Both teams were incredibly tough. Don't lay it on ND that their shots didn't fall at the end. There was no quitting and no chocking. Just law of averages.

UConn is the better team. They won on talent. But Notre Dame played the better game.

 

[Kaizen]

Mabrey’s post-game comment: “ We showed we can play with and beat anyone in the country”. Not quite..play with———-but not beat!

Lucky the ref didn't give Mabrey a technical foul at the end of 4 Q. I don't like her from what she did to Pheesa.

 

[Kaizen]

What you describe is the difference between thinking a player has been benched for playing poorly and seeing a previously injured player limp off the floor. In my row (clearly more sophisticated than yours), there was equal concern for both players because we know how gentle Geno is when it comes to Gabby, which made us suspect that she must be either injured or under the weather.

Gabby has a migraine today ...

 

[augustaTC]

Lucky the ref didn't give Mabrey a technical foul at the end of 4 Q. I don't like her from what she did to Pheesa.

She's been doing it since her freshman year. If I recall she worked over Lou pretty well in that game and managed to get away with it.

 

[msf22b]

Just back from the game:...long drive back to Greenwich Village.

From the nosebleed seats it was apparent that ND had a great game plan, was executing and had way more poise...until mid-way through the 4th

Then it reversed, UConn's poise finally showed up, they started making stops and ND's poise disappeared...missed bunnies and all. And poof, the game belonged to UConn.

I'm not 100% sure that UConn won it; it was just as much ND losing it...reverse of
3/4 of the game.

The crowd certainly played a role...as much as ten points...there was a 20-point swing in the 4th...half of it was the unbelievable support our side was getting.

Z's baseline jumper is a thing of beauty...a fantastic, demoralizing shot.

Nice win (lucky win?) maybe not...but the crowd went home unsettled but happy.

Last game like this (that I remember) Baylor in Bria's freshman year, when she knocked down a bunch of 3's near the end for an unexpected victory.

 

[Dabber]

This is toughness,

This is toughness,

 

[Dabber]

Absolutely fantastic picture. She was the heart and soul of the team the entire time she was on the floor - which, unfortunately, wasn't for th the whole game.

 

[bags27]

Hesitate to make this the Cult of Lou, but she is really something. Complete charisma. Not as good as D, but, like D, all eyes are on her, and whatever she does is magnified disproportionately. That is what you call a leader.

 

[donalddoowop]

Notre Dame is also very tough. Both of these teams were banged up, yet both played tremendously. The two best teams in the country, hands down.

Not hands down.

 

[CMC'72]

This is toughness,

Deciding to come to UCONN rather than stay comfortably with her sisters at Stanford, was the exact same kind of LOU toughness!

 

[CMC'72]

From the nosebleed seats it was apparent that ND had a great game plan, was executing and had way more poise...until mid-way through the 4th.

From the TV Bleacher seats, which are often the better seats with greater floor coverage, to me, it seemed ND wore out, which was to be expected because their bigs looked generally out of shape.

ND stopped hitting (literally) on defense instead of finessing, and the real tigers on UCONN stepped into the refined air of wanting it more than ND. Plus being in shape enough to do something about it.

Mabrey lost her cool in the 4th once she realized she could not do it alone. The takeover by UCONN started at 9:00 left in the 4th, more or less.

Great game both sides, but it was only a matter of time, methinks.

 

[CMC'72]

Mabrey’s post-game comment: “ We showed we can play with and beat anyone in the country”. Not quite..play with———-but not beat!

Next time I'm betting a 20+ win by us. Gabby gets her revenge.