Maybe this is to be the norm for UCONN going forward - at least until they get some additional players. The mental and emotional exhaustion has taken its' toll and it's pretty clear for even us fans to see - not just in the scores against teams that are way closer than they should be, but in the way the team plays and "comports" itself. But as Geno told Marisa Marino after Q1, gotta play who we have, and he was frustrated at how easily Georgetown was getting to the basket while every UCONN offensive possession was a challenge. And the offense - meh.
The 2nd quarter - UCONN went on a nice run, but then more sloppy play let Georgetown make a run at the end of the half. Geno said that defensively we were decent, but offensively, they just can't get the shots they want. Well, dumping the ball into the post when they are triple teamed is not a good recipe for success. He also said they need to knock down some more 3's to open things up inside. None of the post players have any room to maneuver in the post, Dorka shot 3 bricks from beyond the arc, but 31 points in a half against one of the bottom teams in the big east who is 12-12 on the season - just painful to watch. I'm sure that the coaches and team is frustrated, but Geno looked deflated at the halftime interview.
Both Ayanna and Amari did some nice things in Q2, but it was also clear why they don't get more PT than they do. If not for Lou's 3rd foul, we'd have seen far less of the bench. 11 total TO's at the half - standard fare for UCONN this year. Meg said "They gotta find a way to limit the turnovers". Yeah, duh Meg. The question is how?
The coaches and players are well aware of the problem, but it continues. There were some terrific moments - Edwards especially, and the pair of 3's from Nika - and Aubrey's all around play (still wish she'd look for her offense more, but G-town packing it in would probably make it hard for her to get to the basket). There was also a really good stretch of defense from UCONN, especially for most of Q2.
Q3 was a different story. Sure a few sloppy things (5 more TO's for the quarter), AND as Meg pointed out NUMEROUS TIMES - UCONN kept getting deep 2 point shots with seemingly no awareness to step back a few inches and hit a 3. STILL... more solid offense by Nika, Aubrey and Dorka, and suddenly it was a a 14 point lead.
UCONN got the lead up to 16 in Q4 and I thought "ok. we will win this going away and feel good about the game". Not so fast. Georgetown played inspired full court defense, UCONN kind of feel apart all over the place, and suddenly it was a 5 point game with 1 minute to go. I can't believe I'm saying this against a now 12-13 Georgetown team, but UCONN had to strategize down the stretch, call TO's to advance the ball, and barely escape with a win. FT's were terrific and iced the game for us. And at times, the defense was really locked in. But 23 TO's really destroyed any offensive flow. Outscored in Q1 by 4 and Q4 by 6.
Total credit to Georgetown for believing they could win, and playing like it.
BTW not that it affected the outcome of the game, but the reffing not only continues to be wildly inconsistent, but also insane at times. What's the solution? No idea. But something is very wrong there.
Highlight of the game in last 20 seconds. Georgetown player thought she could be clever and in bounds the ball off Aubrey's back. Aubrey turned around and blocked her shot. WTG Aubrey and way to end of a highlight!! She's my POG for her defense as well as offense, but Dorka had a double double as well.
Post game Geno said "we shoot ourselves in the foot so much and we can't do that". He also talked about Aubrey - said she helps on offense AND defense in so many ways, but in the first half, she had no offense. "Why? We have no idea" LOL. Aubrey is too good to disappear for long stretches.
