UCLA Postgame Thread

[oldude]

Some thoughts on the UCLA game:

• Like UConn, UCLA is dealing with injuries to key players while trying to figure things out. Both teams had really good and really bad stretches. In the end UConn was able to grind out what felt like a really important win for the Huskies today.
• Evina pretty much kept UConn in the game single-handedly in the first half, leading the Huskies in points, rebounds and assists.
• UConn’s 11-2 “mini-run” at the end of the second quarter was huge heading into halftime.
• Dorka was tremendous today with 16 & 16. She provided some really big minutes in the second half, particularly with Liv in foul trouble.
• UConn had a distinct size advantage in today’s game. But the team struggled to get the ball into the paint in the first half, and when they did, inexplicably, the Huskies continued to miss way too many layups.
• If there was ever one player who shouldn’t “overthink” things, it’s Christyn. You could just sense the pressure she feels, particularly with Paige out. When Christyn finally hit a layup, after missing her first attempt, it was like the weight of the world had been removed from her shoulders.
• There are good technical fouls and there are bad technical fouls. Geno's T defending Evina after she got hammered was a good T. UConn responded to a terrible "no call" in a big way.
• UConn won this game on the defensive end, holding UCLA to 33% shooting, and also with some great work on the boards in the second half. I guess the Huskies proved that that they can close a tough game without Paige on the court, sort of.....
• One thing mentioned before the game is that UConn has had only one practice without Paige. The Huskies now have a week off to get through finals and reset themselves for another big matchup vs Louisville in 8 days. Foul shooting and layup practice next week.

 

[EricLA]

I thought the start of the game was a mess. Announcers noted that in the last 15 minutes of game time going back to the debacle at Ga Tech, Evina was the only player on UCONN to make a field goal. But UCONN battled back, had a nice run at the end of the 1st half, built momentum in Q3, and fought hard in Q4.

As much as my last post immediately after a game was mostly negative, this one is mostly positive. One other quick thing - normally I don't complain about officiating, but they were particularly bad (at times) in this game. The hacking of ONO, horrible missed hack job against Westbrook, and other missed calls were particularly noticeable. It almost felt like they wanted to keep UCLA in the game.

UCLA made a run late but our lead was too large. Osbourne had her own 8-0 run over the last minute. Good for her. UCLA scored 10 points in about 45 seconds. That was awful. Still, hard fought, and the team should feel really good about this game. 7-17 on FT's in Q4? That was not good. 16-28 overall on FT's? Come on guys.

Every single starter in double figures in scoring. Not our most fluid or flowing offense, but they found a way to get it done. I thought UCLA's defense was tremendous and Osbourne in particular was awesome, but I'mari Thomas (transfer from Cinci) and Penn were also both really good. It seems like Natalie Chou has been in college for 10 years (to me at least LOL)...

At any rate, Evina was really good. Yeah some brain lapses, but in the absence of Paige, she was much better this game than in the Ga Tech game. 15 points, 7 assists, 7 rebounds - at times I'd see other players with the ball and feel like they were a turnover waiting to happen, but when Evina had the ball, she was very confident. Down the stretch she tried to give the game away with missed free throws. Good grief. Great game till the last minute. Come on Evina. You are better than that.

How about Dorka with a double double? This should silence some of the doubters who kept saying "all big 10????". One thing I love about her game is she gets the ball and immediately goes to the basket - keeping the ball high and not dribbling like so many other post players do. She does not get stripped by smaller players like other posts (a'hem Olivia) do...

Ducharme got the start over Edwards, and she showed she deserved it. She missed some layups and had some head puzzling misses, but she is very active and long and works hard on the floor. Liked her out there a lot and she LOOKED like she belonged.

Christyn was awful in the 1st half. Loved the reporting when Holly said that Geno went to Christyn and basically said "do you want to play in this game? Yes or no? He made her answer. Then he made her recite the things she was going to do to help her team". I thought that was great reporting and great coaching.

Olivia BATTLED. For all that some have complained that she was soft or not strong enough, whatever, she was absolutely mauled in the paint. Made some nice outside jumpers, battled on defense, and was solid.

The bench didn't do much. I was hoping for more out of Amari, but she just didn't get enough time. Still, she did get in, while Mir did not. Aaliyah - at least she battled hard, but she was barely better this game than she has been all year. To quote one of our horde members, "What did the Canadian National Team DO to Edwards this summer?????"

Bottom line, a win. I don't care as much about the streak of not losing back to back games as I do about the improvements witnessed across the board in this game.

 

[Heytherego]

I have to say I’m really proud of this team. From the second quarter on they looked completely different, almost reinvigorated. I loved to see all the fight they showed even through adversity. Even Geno was showing some fight for his players. Fourth quarter got scary, but they pulled it off. Something they need to be better at going forward.

Dorka and Caroline really contributed to the win. Caroline took a lot and missed a lot, but the shots she hit were timely. She hit a big three going into half and then another big three in the fourth. I thought they both played really smart and made some key plays. Dorka had a big night and congrats to her; first UCONN double double and reached 1000 career points. Liv had another nice game, I really like the way she’s been playing this season. CW I thought was big in the fourth too, she just needs to put a whole game together. Evina carried this team early and did it all, gotta hit those free throws though.

Let’s hope we can keep this momentum going. It was a really good sign today to get a win with they players we had. Some of these wins may not be pretty, but if they played the way they did in the second quarter on I’ll be happy, even with a loss. I think Georgia Tech was so disappointing because it looked like no one wanted to be there or was even trying, I thought everyone was FIGHTING for that win today. With more practice they will continue to be more cohesive. Let’s close out the year strong and hope to see some injured players back soon.

 

[augustaTC]

Dorka, bless her heart, was on fire. Gotta be the ponytail.

 

[Kaizen]

Not really good but we win, all 5 starters in double.

 

[victor64]

Geno got roughed up pretty good after GT. He deserves props for out coaching Cory Close yet ag

UConn made some nice defensive adjustments. They took Chou out of the game.

The non foul on Westbrook was one of the worst pieces of officiating I have ever seen. I don’t blame Geno one bit.

Rebecca said Dorka is benefiting, if there is such a thing, from Paige’s absence. I only partially agree. Ducharme’s progress has been accelerated. The mistakes are being made but they are decreasing. Her upside is unreal.

It is disappointing that a coach has to challenge a senior player’s desire to play. It helped but not much.

The third quarter was one of the best of the year.

I credit Evina’s missed free throws to fatigue.

Edwards was a little better but still sat for large portions. I loved that Geno did not start her.

The tough schedule may pay off in the post season. Lots of teaching moments so far.

 

[HuskyNan]

• There was significant improvement in ball and player movement on offense
• New people (Dorka, Caroline) stepped up
• Aaliyah showed incremental improvement
• Rebounding and boxing out also showed significant improvement
• Amari played enough minutes (6) to get her exposure to different styles of play without undue pressure to perform
• After yelling at the TV in the 1st quarter to “Pass the (bad word) ball!!” the team did. There were actually a few pretty plays

Improvement! Visible improvement!

 

[Kaizen]

Good decision Geno to let Carolina started this game. Carolina is good today.

 

[Vowelguy]

• Pleased with the fight. Down 28-17 we could've been left for dead. I really thought it was over.
• Glad that they got to see themselves figure it out and have some success. They were so in their heads, that at least they have something positive going forward.
• EW was the only reason this wasnt a disaster. She carried the team in the 1st half
• Great play from DJ and thought Ono was solid and CD coming along.
• Still a long way to go -- I'm not sure they're a top 20 team at this point, but a win is a win.

 

[baggerbob]

I thought the start of the game was a mess. Announcers noted that in the last 15 minutes of game time going back to the debacle at Ga Tech, Evina was the only player on UCONN to make a field goal. But UCONN battled back, had a nice run at the end of the 1st half, built momentum in Q3, and fought hard in Q4.

As much as my last post immediately after a game was mostly negative, this one is mostly positive. One other quick thing - normally I don't complain about officiating, but they were particularly bad (at times) in this game. The hacking of ONO, horrible missed hack job against Westbrook, and other missed calls were particularly noticeable. It almost felt like they wanted to keep UCLA in the game. They made a run late but our lead was too large. Osbourne had her own 8-0 run over the last minute. Good for her. UCLA scored 10 points in about 45 seconds. That was awful. Still, hard fought, and the team should feel really good about this game. 7-17 on FT's in Q4? That was not good. 16-28 overall on FT's? Come on guys.

Every single starter in double figures in scoring. Not our most fluid or flowing offense, but they found a way to get it done. I thought UCLA's defense was tremendous and Osbourne in particular was awesome, but I'mari Thomas (transfer from Cinci) and Penn were also both really good. It seems like Natalie Chou has been in college for 10 years (to me at least LOL)...

At any rate, Evina was really good. Yeah some brain lapses, but in the absence of Paige, she was much better this game than in the Ga Tech game. 15 points, 7 assists, 7 rebounds - at times i'd see other players with the ball and feel like they were a turnover waiting to happen, but when Evina had the ball, she was very confident. Down the stretch she tried to give the game away with missed free throws. Good grief. Great game till the last minute. Come on Evina. You are better than that.

How about Dorka with a double double? This should silence some of the doubters who kept saying "all big 10????". One thing I love about her game is she gets the ball and immediately goes to the basket - keeping the ball high and not dribbling like so many other post players do.

Ducharme got the start over Edwards, and she showed she deserved it. She missed some layups and had some head puzzling misses, but she is very active and long and works hard on the floor. LIked her out there a lot and she LOOKED like she belonged.

Christyn was awful in the 1st half. Loved the reporting when Holly said that Geno went to Christyn and basically said "do you want to play in this game? Yes or no? He made her answer. Then he made her recite the things she was going to do to help her team". I thought that was great reporting and great coaching.

Olivia BATTLED. For all that some have complained that she was soft or not strong enough, whatever, she was absolutely mauled in the paint. Made some nice outside jumpers, battled on defense, and was solid.

The bench didn't do much. I was hoping for more out of Amari, but she just didn't get enough time. Still, she did get in, while Mir did not. Aaliyah - at least she battled hard, but she was barely better this game than she has been all year. To quote one of our horde members, "What did the Canadian National Team DO to Edwards this summer?????"

Bottom line, a win. I don't care as much about the streak of not losing back to back games as I do about the improvements witnessed across the board in this game.

The 2 new additions to the starting lineup were huge. Both players need to stay and build chemistry as a unit. The best defense in a while, if The play defense like that every game, offense will come.

 

[Vowelguy]

• There was significant improvement in ball and player movement on offense
• Rebounding and boxing out also showed significant improvement

yes

 

[my2cents]

I agree with all the previous posts, I just want to add one thing.
These games are starting to resemble tackle football games. Women CBB has to address the issue of impeded ball and player movement. There is too much blocking the person with the ball that is not called.
The other area is on rebounding. With every rebound it becomes a "Mosh" pit of over the back, hacking the rebounder, etc.
There is a definite need to clean this stuff up.

 

[Olimpia Mi]

ciao, I see the game only through statistics ....

what a suffering !!!
someone has come forward, someone has not yet ...
I think that everyone has put their heart on the field !!!
For the moment is a win
Forza Uconn .... always together !!
( waiting to see it on TV via You tube )

 

[Mirmir]

• Breakout game by D O R K A
• Evina kept this team in the game in the first half
• CW had some fire in her eye's in the 3rd Quarter and hit some key shots (but defensively, I don't know)
• Geno's T lit a fire underneath this team
• This team needs a healthy Aubrey Griffin very badly !!
• Caroline Ducharme played well in the 2nd Half
• It appears as if AE and Mir are both in the GENO "CHATEAU DE BOW WOW"

 

[Boreifs]

Some thoughts on the UCLA game:

• Like UConn, UCLA is dealing with injuries to key players while trying to figure things out. Both teams had really good and really bad stretches. In the end UConn was able to grind out what felt like a really important win for the Huskies today.
• Evina pretty much kept UConn in the game single-handedly in the first half, leading the Huskies in points, rebounds and assists.
• UConn’s 11-2 “mini-run” at the end of the second quarter was huge heading into halftime.
• Dorka was tremendous today with 16 & 16. She provided some really big minutes in the second half, particularly with Liv in foul trouble.
• UConn had a distinct size advantage in today’s game. But the team struggled to get the ball into the paint in the first half, and when they did, inexplicably, the Huskies continued to miss way too many layups.
• If there was ever one player who shouldn’t “overthink” things, it’s Christyn. You could just sense the pressure she feels, particularly with Paige out. When Christyn finally hit a layup, after missing her first attempt, it was like the weight of the world had been removed from her shoulders.
• There are good technical fouls and there are bad technical fouls. Geno's T defending Evina after she got hammered was a good T. UConn responded to a terrible "no call" in a big way.
• UConn won this game on the defensive end, holding UCLA to 33% shooting, and also with some great work on the boards in the second half. I guess the Huskies proved that that they can close a tough game without Paige on the court, sort of.....
• One thing mentioned before the game is that UConn has had only one practice without Paige. The Huskies now have a week off to get through finals and reset themselves for another big matchup vs Louisville in 8 days. Foul shooting and layup practice next week.

I have seen plenty of baseball games where the manager gets himself thrown out to fire up his team and it rarely works. Today, Geno’s Technical was the difference. They were a different team afterwards. I also see Dorka starting at the four from now on.

 

[baggerbob]

• Pleased with the fight. Down 28-17 we could've been left for dead. I really thought it was over.
• Glad that they got to see themselves figure it out and have some success. They were so in their heads, that at least they have something positive going forward.
• EW was the only reason this wasnt a disaster. She carried the team in the 1st half
• Great play from DJ and thought Ono was solid and CD coming along.
• Still a long way to go -- I'm not sure they're a top 20 team at this point, but a win is a win.

The non call on Westbrook was really bad, should have been a flagrant foul. Two shots and the ball, Geno had to get the technical. A referee should be fined for missing that kind of call.

 

[Kaizen]

Droka's double double is new record for her in UConn, 16 pts, 16 rebs.

 

[BostonBay]

• UConn finally played more post in the 2nd half. Got easy baskets and opened up the floor. Lots more high-low and less side-to-side on the perimeter.
• They also cut down their turnovers (double-digits in 1st half to almost non-existent in the 2H), which finally enabled them to get in a rhythm.
• Actually boxed out and rebounded better in 2H. Players went after the ball.

 

[Dillon77]

• How do/can Williams and Westbrook alter their games?
• Can Dorka Juhasz be incorporated into the flow to deliver the scoring and rebounding she was contributing to Ohio State?

So, in a post on the "I'm really worried about upcoming games thread," I wrote three points, two of which are these.

The key to this game for me was Westbrook taking charge early and keeping UConn close and Juhasz looking like, well, Juhasz for the first time I've seen her in a Husky uniform.

Just heard a post-game interview with Geno and Holly Rowe asked him about Dorka and he (paraphrasing here) said Dorka came into his office this week and said she doesn't know where to go (on the court). So Geno asked her where she does like to go and she said "here, here and here." Geno said "Go there and we'll find you."

If Geno translated that talk into the overall game plan or just let her wander, good job. Dorka looked very, very comfortable; both in scoring and in attacking the boards. Go forward with DJ playing that way and UConn won't have to be as concerned with my third point: getting Edwards on track.

p.s. The one aspect of Dorkha's game that is not stellar is foul shooting. She wasn't at OSU and it doesn't look improved now. If and when guards come back, might want to consider a switch when fouling situations are apparent.

 

[Vowelguy]

The non call on Westbrook was really bad, should have been a flagrant foul. Two shots and the ball, Geno had to get the technical. A referee should be fined for missing that kind of call.

Bad call yes. Flagrant no.

 

[Camiam88]

Energy felt alive for the first time in awhile. Felt good to watch. Felt like I was watching UConn. Stuff to work on, of course…but man. Felt good.

 

[SARG 2011]

The team looked more like UCONN for long stretches of the game. CW was trying but as mentioned elsewhere if she overthinks things she is not as effective. Poor Paige was standing up behind the bench, she wanted to be out there so bad. Totally agree EW carried this team the first quarter. Whoever is here at the game, the team heard all the cheering and chants for defense. So happy they won, selfishly it would have been a long train ride home for me otherwise

 

[HuskyNan]

• UConn finally played more post in the 2nd half. Got easy baskets and opened up the floor.
• They also cut down their turnovers (double-digits in 1st half to almost non-existent in the 2H), which finally enabled them to get in a rhythm.
• Actually boxed out and rebounded better in 2H. Players went after the ball.

The inside opened up when UConn started hitting threes. They shot 41.7% from the arc today.

There were several inside-out plays that set up some threes. Christyn couldn’t hit the water from a boat today but she had some great drives and dishes

 

[Vowelguy]

• It appears as if AE and Mir are both in the GENO "CHATEAU DE BOW WOW"

News flash: Or maybe they werent the 5 players needed on the floor. AE has been struggling and showed some modest progress. Who would you have taken out to put her in? Dorka who had her best game this year? CD who played with more aggressive/confidence that she has all year?