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UConn - Providence post game

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Few thoughts:
*A fun game to watch. there was no doubt UConn will win and the question was only by how much.
*Practically every UConn player that played showed some nice things.
*UConn press in the first quarter was crazy...relentless...piranha like...very very impressive.
*Second quarter was a meh as UConn missed a lot of shots that they usually make (Paige).
*Paige: while she struggled with her shot in the first half, she did Paige things with rebounds and assists and great defense.
*Nika: started the game amazing and after that was content to not shoot and just pass. 13 assists. Nice!
*KK: what a menace...i would hate to play against her. Great game by her! 8 steals. Wow
*Shade: another great game by her. She is so solid in all aspects of the game and i love how she somehow always manages to get her body squared to the basket before she shoots.
*AE: in the minutes she played she was great. we can't have her be in foul troubles against the better teams.
*Ice: continues improvement. Had one move that i think it was the first time she did in a game where she took the ball to the basket. She missed it but great move regardless. Hope she sticks with working under the basket or in the mid-range.
*Q: not a good game by her. It seems that she lost confidence and was forcing it.
*Ines: actually impressive game by her for the number of minutes she played. No fear...recovering her own miss from 3 for a lay-up, getting back on defense to deflect and steal the ball.
*Amari: there were 2 Amari in this game. The one which we all want to see , which battles under the boards, posts up and actually showing some post moves. here was a swell the other Amari which is the one that shoots for no reason from 3 and hangs around on the 3-point line but at least we saw that maybe there is still some chance we can get 10 productive minutes from her.
*Area of concern: the rebounding. Losing the rebound battle to a team which is not that athletic and not much bigger then UConn is a concern. Clearly the foul trouble of AE didn't help but if Paige is the leading rebounder, that is not a good sign.
*A good win where all players got some nice minutes.
 
Still struggling in second quarters and on the boards without Aubrey. Gonna need to figure that out eventually.
 
Husky fanatic said:
Amari with a whopping 2 rebounds and actually boxed out. Also had a couple of nice post moves. She looked almost energized. But then there’s this thing called defense.
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Also 2-3 pretty bad and typical offensive possessions. But the positives were there this game, just enough to tease.
 
Crazy defensive energy in the first quarter, that one stretch where they pressed was so effective. Providence looked like us against Ohio State’s press last year!

It’s interesting to see the four guard lineup, and to watch Paige play the 4. It seems like a lineup that will work very effectively in the big east, but I’m not 100% sold it will be effective against top teams. The rebounding is what it is, can’t even complain they are just severely overmatched. But that might eventually bite us.

My fear is that Paige will be exhausted and rendered ineffective offensively from battling in the post, or might find herself in some foul trouble. She’s been so willing, and it’s fun to watch her challenge herself. I just wonder if eventually we will want our best player in their best spots on the floor.

I thought ice played well. She’s always been the key to this season, so I continue to root for her.

Overall, great team win once again.
 
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1st Q was all about Nika and Ash, who accounted for 18 of the 27 points UConn scored. Nika didn't score again.

2nd Q was all about Ash, who scored 11 of the 16 points UConn scored. Paige had 4 and the rest of the team was shut out.

3rd Q AE got going with 10 points, Paige found her shot with 7, KK 6 and Ash and Ice adding 4 each.

4th Q Ines and Amari scored 10 points between them and KK added 2.

In the end we had two great offensive quarters, one blah quarter, and one quarter - the fourth - where it was more about player development for Ice, Ines and Amari.

KK was a beast on O and D. Paige didn't see the need to put up many shots and concentrated on her post skills. Ash made 7 shots including three 3s. Nice. Ines made a case for getting more minutes to rest our guards. Her hustle on running full court to get a block and following a 3 point miss to get the rebound to score 2 deeply impressed me. Ice looked pretty good. Amari made a couple of baskets so good for her. Q got shut out and had her second bad shooting game in a row. For now she gets the benefit of the doubt but we'll be in games where we'll need her scoring.

Small ball has its drawbacks but sure can be fun to watch.
 
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Maybe my eyes are deceiving me, but Ice seems quicker and more fluid than earlier in the season. She also seems to be boxing out better; there were several occasions where she didn't grab the rebound but her box outs opened the lane for a teammate to snag the ball. Progress.

Q was shooting ~ 40% from 3 before tonight's game so she clearly has the shot in her repertoire, but she's been forcing the trey in some recent games, including tonight, and the misses seem to be getting in her head. Love the confidence, though.

Where would the team be without KK and Ash?
 
Really good game by many players, all as noted above. Nika continues to climb the all time assist leaders ladder, now sitting at 527. At her current pace she will be solidly in the top ten by the end of January. Plus she added another double digit assist game to her own career record.
 
Slightly off topic but I noticed Patterson was not on the bench tonight. Then I started wondering if I have seen her at all the last few games. Any ideas?
 
BballFan said:
Slightly off topic but I noticed Patterson was not on the bench tonight. Then I started wondering if I have seen her at all the last few games. Any ideas?
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I believe she’s home
 
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I find it interesting that if we look at the stats for the season...we have 5 players averaging double figures....

05Bueckers, Paige161646128.8108203.5323370.4715365.81530218.9368714.42761233718
03Edwards, Aaliyah161646128.8113191.59202.0004158.70726716.735961318.24235372514
12Shade, Ashlynn151038025.365121.5372366.34812121.00016511.0527322.1172112103
35Fudd, Azzi226130.5825.320414.286221.0002211.02352.555320
02Arnold, KK161043026.960109.5501027.3703144.70516110.1729362.3404930440
 
Bone Dog said:
This was the freshmen -- and Nika -- from beginning to end. KK and Ash led the charge, and Paige and Aaliyah were like a safety net in case they faltered. But they didn't.

And Amari showed us something. She dove for a ball in a scrum had a lovely soft-touch floater in the lane. And best of all, she had a wonderful up-and-under post move. Getting down on the floor in a scrum -- I hope that means her back isn't bothering her anymore.
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That move by Amari was like, where has she been hiding that.
 
Geew1992 said:
I believe she’s home
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Ayanna, Caroline and Azzi have not been with the team since mid Dec. Ayanna and Azzi had surgery (Azzi was at the Georgetown game) and last I heard CD was still having issues with crown noise, lights and other Concussion typre issues so she has been around the team, just not at games. Jana is there and always enthusiastic on the bench!
 
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Thoughts

-I'm not going to go on a multi-thread filibuster as in the past , but I've been curious as to why Inez wasn't playing...She gave us some solid minutes last season.

-Ice and Amari each made some post moves that we all desire. Surely the rebounding disadvantage that we had experienced changed when we had two bigs in.

-It's been noted that Ash's jumper from inside the 3-point line is lethal...a great weapon, that she should be encouraged to use...(Perhaps she doesn't need encouragement). Talk about high percentage...

-KK, aside from her D and steals, is so confident on O amidst the trees. Surely our best in this regard since Mo...may turn out better yet.

-But Geno is right to be dissatisfied and to require, yet more perfection; we are going to see some tremendously talented teams, later on, who will not lay down and wilt after a spectacular turn or two by our gals...like tonight.
The going will be a lot tougher But surely the job he and they have done to turn this season around is truly impressive.
 
KK and Ashlynn r truly amazing. Couldn't be more impressed by them the past 6-8 games. Also think Nika and Paige ability to play up and guard bigs is great. They both just do whatever the team needs. It sounds cliche and obvious but it's a quality about them that just feels unique.
 
Centerstream said:
Nitpicking: 7 of 31 from 3...shouldn't this be considered dreadful (I am being serious)
The Friars where annihilating us on the boards but we did close the gap
Feel really really bad for her...she must be having nightmares over her shooting woes these last 2 games. Who would have thought that the only player not scoring in the game would be her? Poor kid.

And I was amazed by Paige, when she was on the bench. One of the assistants handed her a Powerade after she sat down. I don't read lips, but I am pretty sure that Paige said "Thank you." Wow, what a great person she is.
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Centerstream- - -Players should always treat the Managers with respect as they do so much dirty work behind the scenes!
UConn players always treat their managers well!
 
KK Arnold is the closest comparison to Moriah Jefferson I've seen in a while. She is a PEST on defense, lightning quick and is learning to make good decision with the ball.

When this team presses, denies and traps it reminds me of the defensive UConn teams of old. Glad Geno has started trusting himself again and sticking to the rivers and lakes that he's used to: defense.

Ice Brady is getting comfortable. Her jumper, her passes, her defense. She is going to be the X factor come March.
 
I noticed we play killer ball on both O and D until we make a substitution. It doesn't matter who goes out or who comes in, the communication or the "team" feeling tends to dwindle.
I'm not saying our subs arent any good. They are VERY good but it throws off the team chemistry just a tad. But we need to give our starters a breather and as the subs get more playing time with the starters I'm sure it will improve.
I too would like to see Ines get more time. Once she loosens up she does a good job.
 
HuskyNan said:
20 minutes for Aaliyah, 28 for Paige tonight
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Tonight the Maestro was working on a few things...he recognizes that he is going to need Ice to be able to provide 15 to 20 productive minutes. Geno was also tinkering with Amari and Ines...he wants to see if he can get 5-8 solid minutes from them. Tonight Ines showed that she will be ready. Amari made progress those moves around the basket were exactly what she needed to be doing...the three-point shot?...not so much. Amari also has to be more present on defense...

Maybe Samuels has hit a wall on her offense...now she has to be very careful not to let her misses get into her head. She does need to shoot her way out but not forcefully. She needs to focus on defense and let the game come to her...it will and those shots will be there and she won't feel like she is forcing them up.

We as fans have to be realistic...we can't expect the starting five to go 35 minutes each night after night and expect the productivity to remain constant. This will become even more apparent when we get into the post season and we are playing better teams in a "one and done" scenario. We are going to need our reserves to be able to provide some solid minutes off the bench .
 
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cferraro04 said:
Tonight the Maestro was working on a few things...he recognizes that he is going to need Ice to be able to provide 15 to 20 productive minutes. Geno was also tinkering with Amari and Ines...he wants to see if he can get 5-8 solid minutes from them. Tonight Ines showed that she will be ready. Amari made progress those moves around the basket were exactly what she needed to be doing...the three-point shot?...not so much. Amari also has to be more present on defense...

Maybe Samuels has hit a wall on her offense...now she has to be very careful not to let her misses get into her head. She does need to shoot her way out but not forcefully. She needs to focus on defense and let the game come to her...it will and those shots will be there and she won't feel like she is forcing them up.

We as fans have to be realistic...we can't expect the starting five to go 35 minutes each night after night and expect the productivity to remain constant. This will become even more apparent when we get into the post season and we are playing better teams in a "one and done" scenario. We are going to need our reserves to be able to provide some solid minutes off the bench .
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Q needs to move a little faster on D. She’s not keeping up, and I suspect it’s affecting her confidence on offense.
 
They continue to win the games that they should win. Yes the blossoming of Last Second Arnold and Ashlynn continues, and Brady seems to be finding herself. But most of the reaction to defeating a team that they clearly outclassed seems to fall into the category of irrational exuberance.
 
DefenseBB said:
Ayanna, Caroline and Azzi have not been with the team since mid Dec. Ayanna and Azzi had surgery (Azzi was at the Georgetown game) and last I heard CD was still having issues with crown noise, lights and other Concussion typre issues so she has been around the team, just not at games. Jana is there and always enthusiastic on the bench!
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Yes I know. From Yannas instagram, she looks to be home. She also didn’t have her crutches. Azzi was also home and was shown during the Georgetown game.
 
huskeynut said:
What a game!!!

Nika getting her double double. Her shot looks much better.

KK and Ash are amazing!!

Notice that Paige did not lead the team in scoring. This is a big plus.

Ice looking better and better every game.

Ines!!!!!!!!! Wow. Most impressive was the steal as she ran down the Providence player.

And finally Amari. Good to she some positives for on the court. Maybe, just maybe.
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Do anyone remember the steal that INES had in last year's Marquette game when
she, again like last night, ran down the Marquette PG from behind, tipped the ball
ahead and grabbed the ball before it went over the end line.? Beautiful: speed and
dexterity. On the INES highlight tape from last year (just google: INES BETTENCOURT, Highlights)
you will see a shot of H. C. Meghan Duffy's chagrin at INES's Play ... just like last night against
the Friars! Go INES, speed and tenacity... it makes plays and helps win ballgames!
 
EricLA said:
Well that was a smackdown. We knew PC was overmatched, but still, you need to do "basketball things" and UConn did a LOT of basketball things.
  • 20 steals (KK with an eye-popping 8)
  • 25 assists
  • Only 8 turnovers
  • 27 and 31 points scored in Q's 1 and 3
  • Every starter in double figures scoring, Nika with an eye-popping 13 assists
Bottom line a nice game indeed - the only "black marks"... Meh 2nd quarter, Q going 0 for America this game, 17 team fouls and Ice with 4. But really minor stuff in a game everyone should feel good about.

Even Ines and Amari scoring 10 points between them. How great was that to see???!!!

UConn seemed like they could get whatever they wanted, whenever they wanted it. I'll leave it up to Geno in the film session to point out whatever he sees, but all around a pretty fun game.
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Both played 9 minutes and had a combined 1 TO. That was a great stat and they did have points and a couple boards. The sign of a good team is how they play against bad teams and UConn played a really clean game and got the starters reasonable minutes (rest).
 
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