UConn - ND post game (merged) | The Boneyard
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UConn - ND post game (merged)

EricSD

EricSD

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I really hope someone from the Horde asks Geno what he said to the team at halftime. Was he Zen, or did he light into them? Or something in between? Whatever it was, please bottle it!!

Let's be honest - the first half was sloppy and messy. 9 point lead after Q1, played even for Q2, not a thing of beauty. Sarah and Blanca were TO machines it seemed with high degree of difficulty passes, or in Blanca's case, her head seemed to NOT be in the game.

But the 2nd half - WOW. Held ND to 6% from 3 (1-16) and even tho we shot poorly ourselves (6-23), it was our 2 point barrage that was so on point. We held ND to 7 points in Q1, 12 in Q3 and 12 in Q4. Outscored them 52-24 in the 2nd half. And I LOVED that Geno kept the pedal to the metal till about 3 minutes left in the game. Was sort of disappointed Allie only got mop up minutes, but a tight rotation of 7 was all Geno went with. LOVED that all our starters scored double figures. Hidalgo 16 points on 5-15 shooting. Not efficient. Way to go defense!
  • Sarah - Still passes up too many shots, but yet another NPOY performance. And let me say it now - she should be NPOY the next 3 years - I don't care who comes back next season (Juju), or who has a big sophomore or junior leap.
  • KK - just a menace and went off again scoring 12.
  • Ash and Serah were really solid
  • Wish Azzi shot the 3 better, but I LOVE her defense.
  • Blanca with an off night, but she's forgiven 😉
  • Kayleigh - still waiting for her to put it all together on both ends of the floor.
Bottom line a supremely satisfying game by the end. Again - Geno what DID you say to them at halftime???!!!
 
Some thoughts on the Notre Dame game:
  • Back in the days of the OBE UConn & ND played 2, 3 and even 4 games a season as both teams were perennial contenders for a national championship. Nowadays fans only get to see the matchup once a year. But it’s still a very BIG DEAL for WBB fans.
  • Payback? The only current Husky that has played against and beaten ND was Caroline 4 years ago. Azzi was rehabbing an injury, and last season Kayleigh and her USC teammates got thumped by the Irish.
  • ND is not quite the powerhouse they have been. But HH makes them a very dangerous opponent. UConn threw a lot at her: multiple defenders, hard hedges on screens and double-teams to get the ball out of her hands. I’m guessing that KK was the toughest defender Hidalgo has faced all season…and Kayleigh & Azzi were pretty damned good too.
  • I love it when the opposing team calls an early timeout, less than 3 minutes into the game and 3.5 minutes into the 2nd half because of UConn runs right out of the gate.
  • UConn’s defense was, as usual, excellent. But on offense the Huskies struggled to execute in the 1st half as they clanked a bunch of shots.
  • Ash, in addition to her whirling dervish act hunting down rebounds and closing out on shooters hit some really BIG shots to get the Huskies going on offense.
  • After an uncomfortably close 1st half, UConn stepped on the gas in the 2nd half, putting the game out of reach.
  • Much has been made of ND’s lack of depth. Only 6 players played in prime time. But the Huskies, with all their depth, basically used 7 players.
  • Yesterday, an announcing crew suggested that the game today would match up 2 NPOY candidates, Hidalgo & Strong. Hidalgo had a long, tough day today. Sarah was her usual, brilliant, stat-stuffing superstar: 18 pts (8/12), 11 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals, 3 blocks. WHAT A BASKETBALL PLAYER!!!
  • Back to the Big East. Georgetown is up next. GO HUSKIES!!!
 
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It wasn’t all that pretty in the first half but UConn’s pressure and ND’s lack of depth made the second half bust out predictable.

Putting 50 plus up in the second half made up for indifferent offensive showing in the first half.

Hidalgo got 16 but none of them came easy . A great plan to make her struggle.

It is not nearly as good an idea to zone UConn now as it was in the beginning of the year.

UConn normally backs the pressure off in the fourth quarter with a big lead. Not tonight. Geno might have been sending a message.

Blanca is so talented but man she can frustrating at times. I can imagine how the staff feels.

The announcers are making a big deal about how well KK is playing with the mask. I bet the mask will appear in Hidalgo’s nightmares. KK was relentless guarding her.

Feel bad for Jana and Carol. Hope both are good to go next time.
 
There’s no rivalry or animosity with Tennessee anymore. South Carolina and LSU are what they are. The teams in the Big East 🤷‍♂️.

But Notre Dame....ahhh…Notre Dame is still that team that as the cliché goes…”if you’re only gonna win one game all year that’s the game you wanna win.” So it is really nice to beat them as thoroughly and by as large a margin as they did.
 
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Everybody eats. The passing was top tier. Sarah continues her NPOY play. Azzi though off from 3, impacts the game in so many ways. She showed leadership today. KK was headstrong defensively and looked to score plenty today.

Shade is returning to form and looks like the Shade we all know. Blanca had a great game, Heckel had a coming out party. Serah Williams was great too and she’s coming along.

All in all - this UConn team showed in the second half, when they want to go on a run, they can. And when they need to shut down a dynamic guard, they have a strategy.

They’re the favorites, best team, with the best two players and best coach. I don’t know how this team is better than last years but they are.
 
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Defense was excellent. Every time HH moved, she had two people on her. Great great job at immediately getting those double teams set and containing HH.

Make no mistake, could play that D on HH because no one else on ND was a threat.

Shade again proved her worth. She runs around like a demon, but she can score, and she isn't afraid to shoot. Lucky to have that as the 5th option on offense.

Offensively first half wasn't great. Good 1/2 time chat got some things cleaned up, and more focus on getting in the lane.
 
I don’t know if anyone else noticed but late in the fourth quarter, Ash found herself guarding Gisela Sanchez in the paint. Sanchez gave Ash several sharp jabs with her elbow and due to the height difference, I think it caught Ash in a sensitive spot. FWIW, Ash jabbed back but she was outmatched.

Then Geno subs Ash out for Serah, who had a few words for Sanchez. Serah got a little spicy and I love it. The Huskies have each others’ backs
 
The first half I'm thinking is ND this good? Second half answer ...no. Had an absolute blast watching KK. She gets so stoked up, but without losing control. Did anybody else see this in the 4th quarter. When Kayleigh ran up the floorscored and hit the deck? She started walking to the free throw line and almost, almost smiled. They all looked very good in the second half. Next.
 
KK is really moving forward towards excellence at the pg position. She’s so much more confident and is also learning where her shots are.

I love Shade. She’s overlooked, but she impacts the game in so many ways. Geno trusts her and knows what she gives.

The second half was a pleasure to watch.
 
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RockyMTblue2 said:
The first half I'm thinking is ND this good? Second half answer ...no. Had an absolute blast watching KK. She gets so stoked up, but without losing control. Did anybody else see this in the 4th quarter. When Kayleigh ran up the floorscored and hit the deck? She started walking to the free throw line and almost, almost smiled. They all looked very good in the second half. Next.
Expand ...
First half, too much trying for perfect passes, and poor shooting from 3. Second half was much better.
 
We will learn from this game. We will improve from this game. We won big against a good team. We didnt fire on al cylinders and won big. THink about it..........................we are really really good. I dont thiink we can be stopped. barring injuries.
 
It really wasn’t until after halftime that we really started to loosen up and play freely. We held Hidalgo in check, which I knew we would. She may transfer next year. They have like 8 Seniors and will be in a rebuilding stage. Why was she still in the game in the last 2 minutes?

After this game, I am not entirely sold on Serah Williams. Fumbling layups, late defensive rotations in the 1st half. I don’t think Jana was available. It seemed like no one got any rebounds unless it was Sarah Strong. Serah played a lot better in the 2nd half, though.

This was arguably Blanca’s worst game in the 1st half. She seemed very nervous and fumbled the ball, turning it over 4 times. She couldn’t hit the side of a barn from 3, and neither could Azzi.

At times, it seems like Ashlyn disappears on the offensive end, and we can’t have that. She found her groove in the second half.

Great game by KK. She was tenacious on the defensive end.

Sarah Strong was brilliant and her normal self.

Azzi played great defense on Hidalgo. I don’t think she scored when Azzi was guarding her.
 
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The MOST satisfying win this year, nothing compares to putting ND in the spotlight and outplaying them in EVERY category. 19 down and 20 to go. Next big date Feb.1st and bring on Tennessee. Uconn is clicking on all cylinders and our defense WILL handle anyone in front of them. 13 here we come. GO HUSKIES!!!!!!!
 
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