UCONN - SJU post-game thread [merged]

[oldhusky]

39 minutes from Dorka and a fantastic game!

That is impressive for a big, especially when you consider she had 6 assists.

Great to have her back! She is such a difference maker.

Dorka also doesn't turn it over much and doesn't foul much, which is a little unusual for a big, and allows her the play major minutes.

 

[Bone Dog]

Dorka's energy level was really impressive. And she had several drives to the basket, a really diverse array of scoring... plus a double double. I may be misremembering, but I don't recall her playing near this well at Ohio State, and I think she was All Big 10 team twice there.

 

[pvdoggy]

Aubrey - first game I can remember this season where not only did she have almost no stats, but she was completely invisible on the floor. Didn't see her involved in much of anything. Disappointing game for her. She did play some nice defense I think on the kid who had 8 points in Q1, but she's much better than she showed.

Unless Aubrey is willing to take the open shot (and she had many) I can't see how she will be able to move to the next level (WNBA) even with her athleticism.

 

[HuskyNan]

Dorka's energy level was really impressive. And she had several drives to the basket, a really diverse array of scoring... plus a double double. I may be misremembering, but I don't recall her playing near this well at Ohio State, and I think she was All Big 10 team twice there.

I will be stunned and amazed if she’s not All Big East.

 

[Redux]

IMHO CD uses the bench and time manages better than Geno

She has managed that very well recently, after having a game where she did not. (that was a game where she had very limited options but she admitted afterward that she needed to pay more attention to bench & time moving forward).

She's good, and she learns from experience. Good combo.

 

[Nolefan]

You know what I’ve noticed ? I haven’t watched this games and I normally will watch the replays by MJ and some posters basically just repeat what the announcers say almost per word .. I would think one would watch the game before making comments that have no merit ‍♂️

 

[browns]

A good game and they played great team defense..so nice to have Azzi back and it helps Lou get more wide open shots

 

[topogigio]

Although we all know it already, it needs to be said again, "Lou is an outstanding offensive weapon!

 

[JoePgh]

At halftime, I noted in the box score that UConn had 28 field goal attempts, while St. Johns had only 15. That was due in part to the fact that at that time, UConn had 7 offensive rebounds to 1 for St. Johns. St. Johns also had more turnovers than UConn at the half, although I don't remember the numerical difference.

St. Johns evened up those numbers in the second half, ending with 50 FGA's to UConn's 53. But St. Johns shot only 38% for the game (3-14 from 3), while UConn shot an amazing 62.3% and 6-for-14 from 3. And St. Johns is reputed to have perhaps the best half-court defense in the Big East, giving up fewer points per game than UConn before tonight's game.

Question: Was Azzi 3-for-5 from 3, or only 2-for-4? Different box scores disagree. I remember only her two 3's in the first half, but the Courant game summary article said that she hit another one early in the 4th quarter. I haven't watched the replay yet.

It seems to me that UConn has no less than four players (Aaliyah, Azzi, Dorka, and Lou) playing at a "near All-American" level recently, albeit against Big East competition. Also, they have two other players (Nika and Aubrey) who have occasional games at that level but are not consistently at that level.

I am not sure that any other team (including the Garnet Fowl and the Trees) can say that. I also question whether Tennessee, looking forward to the January 26 game, is really much better than the top-tier BIg East teams other than UConn. They have two good players (Jackson and Horston) but really not much else, especially now that Tamari Key is out for the season.

 

[VA Huskie]

I was really, really pleased with how Azzi moved. Didn’t seem to be any impairment from her injury. I didn’t expect that.

 

[Cornell Lt]

Aubrey smothered Jayla Everett after she went off for 8 points in the first quarter. In Q2 Everett had 2 and zero thereafter.

I think the job Aubrey did on #4 (Everett) was very much a key to the trajectory of the game. Completely took Everett out of her comfort zone and shut her down after the 1st quarter.

 

[ed4ourgirls]

. . . I like the scruffy look on Geno

I really don't think it suits him.

I hope he and his razor get reacquainted.

 

[mhshuskies]

Nice win. Still room for improvement as the pieces get back on the court and knock off the rust. They blew up my MOV and score prediction, but what else is new?

But only 10 TO!

 

[LarryLegend]

A really nice team effort with contributions from so many players. This team (even without PB, CD and IB) at full strength is formidable. Can play inside, outside, fast, slow.


I agree Aubrey did a wonderful job on the teams best scorer. Looked like she might have tweaked her knee at the end - she was flexing it a bit. Hopefully no concerns there.

oh no, didnt notice that. Fingers crossed….

 

[huskeynut]

For the first time since December 2nd, we saw the season opening starting 5 play together. It was a thing of beauty. A most enjoyable game.

Nika, Lou and Azzi may be the best guard trio in the game. Inside, outside, short range they can do it all. This trio combined for 43 points, 7 assists, and only 4 turnovers. And they place some nasty defense. Just wait until Caroline is back at full speed!!

Dorka and Aaliyah are becoming monsters in the paint. Dorka another double/ double. Both in double figures. Both rebounding and driving the lane from the high post. They play tough, suffocating defense. St. John's players had little room to maneuver in the paint. I'm not going say Dorka and Aaliyah are the best 4/5 combo in the game yet. But they are getting there and I would not want to face them in the coming games.

Not to forget Aubrey. She made Jayla Everett a non-factor. That was huge after Everett's first quarter outburst. Kudos to Amari. She came in and held the fort down. She's getting it. She can flat out pass from the high post. That in itself is a big weapon.

Adding Caroline and Ayanna in the next few games makes this team a serious contender for the Final Four, and I will say it, that National Championship trophy.

 

[Topdawg]

Congratulations to Dorka for playing a superb game and reaching the milestone of 1000 rebounds for her college career!

 

[MSGRET]

They moved the game to UBS arena to accommodate an expected larger crowd and only 2,910 show up. What a waste and doesn't make St. John's fans look good.

 

[DefenseBB]

Some photos from tonight’s game
And yes I had to take a pic with 4 secs left and Nika doing this….

 

[dtbtbtb]

Few Thoughts:
*Nice team win on a top BE opponent on their home court (even if it was not their real home court).
*St. Johns clearly was not looking at the 3 as a weapon and i found myself thinking that they have no chance of beating UConn with no 3 and limited bigs.
*Good to see Geno back. While CD maybe balances minutes better, Geno is the maestro. He recognized that the one player from SJ was keeping them in the game, changed to have Aubrey guarding her and that stopped that player from doing much after.
*Azzi: Looked really good! her Basketball iq is so ridiculously high and she's able to take any shot she needs to take. They should make videos of her to teach kids how to play and shoot.
*Dorka: wow. she was imposing her will on SJ in this game. Nice passes, defense and able to score from few different areas of the floor.
*Lou: now that's a shooter. Confident and highly efficient. Between Her and Azzi, we have 2 of the very best shooters in WBB.
*AE: i thought the 3rd foul called on her was a very bad call by the officials. SO strong and confident. the WBB scene needs to get used to it: AE is an AA!
*Aubrey: great on defense but very un-decisive on offense. She had countless opportunities for an open 3 shot and passed it. The one time she did shoot it, it had no chance as she was so unsure about it.
*Nika: loved her going strong to the basket! some of her turnovers are mind blowing but UConn this season depends on her to run the team as she does it so so well!
*Amari: some nice things on offense and defense. Can't miss an open lay up like she did and needs to move her feet better on defense. Must as well watch for the way she screens as she is called for fouls because she is moving out instead of standing.
*Ines: hoped she'll be in earlier and didn't hurt the team when she was out there. She passed on a 3 point shot that the team wanted her to take in the end of the game.
*This team when including CD and AP is no doubt when healthy, one of the top 3 teams in the country! if they do make it to the final 4 (which again, if healthy they should), can beat on any given night Stanford and yes, SC!

 

[hoopsnloops32]

For the first time since December 2nd, we saw the season opening starting 5 play together. It was a thing of beauty. A most enjoyable game.

Nika, Lou and Azzi may be the best guard trio in the game. Inside, outside, short range they can do it all. This trio combined for 43 points, 7 assists, and only 4 turnovers. And they place some nasty defense. Just wait until Caroline is back at full speed!!

Dorka and Aaliyah are becoming monsters in the paint. Dorka another double/ double. Both in double figures. Both rebounding and driving the lane from the high post. They play tough, suffocating defense. St. John's players had little room to maneuver in the paint. I'm not going say Dorka and Aaliyah are the best 4/5 combo in the game yet. But they are getting there and I would not want to face them in the coming games.

Not to forget Aubrey. She made Jayla Everett a non-factor. That was huge after Everett's first quarter outburst. Kudos to Amari. She came in and held the fort down. She's getting it. She can flat out pass from the high post. That in itself is a big weapon.

Adding Caroline and Ayanna in the next few games makes this team a serious contender for the Final Four, and I will say it, that National Championship trophy.

Dorka was still out December 2nd wasn’t she?

 

[DefenseBB]

They moved the game to UBS arena to accommodate an expected larger crowd and only 2,910 show up. What a waste and doesn't make St. John's fans look good.

So I vehemently disagree with this assessment.
#1. SJU averages 343 fans for their home games this year
#2. This was the first Women’s Basketball game at the UBS Arena
#3. This arena is only 9.5 miles east of Campus so much easier for the school to make it there.
#4. I met the SJU AD and he is trying to help build thé excitement and product with this promotion effort and building a new relationship with UBS Arena
#5 Tonight’s crowd was almost 3 times the previous largest crowd SJU has played before.
#6. More SJU Boosters came tonight than have ever attended games before so frankly Kudos to SJU in this effort.
Not all programs can do what UConn can but a few are trying and making incremental steps. Laid them for it.

 

[DefenseBB]

Up close and personal with Azzi

 

[DefenseBB]

 

[DefenseBB]

One of Dorka

 

[EasyEd]

My biggest impression was that for the most part the defense was great against a good opponent. Aubrey really seemed to stifle the St. John's player and that seemed to be the tipping point for St. Johns. The third quarter was the Johnnie's comeback effort and the best they could do was tie UConn. My guess on the game's score didn't take into account how well the defense has jelled. I will give them more credit in my next prognostication. All stats looked good except for fouls. But sometimes I think the game gets too fast for the refs. Even in the replay it didn't look like Edwards should have gotten her third foul, so I guess it was a bad decision, but a heck of a play.

 

[DEpup]

Dorka also doesn't turn it over much and doesn't foul much, which is a little unusual for a big, and allows her the play major minutes.

I have to say that the time off seemed to do Dorka the most good. She was looking really run down in the last couple games. She seemed full of energy tonight.

 

[ed4ourgirls]

I wonder how many of those 2910 attendees were rooting for UConn. Not a difficult
road trip for UConn fans.

 

[Boreifs]

The way Dorka and Alijah are playing right now, with two guards like Azzi and Lou, the nation’s assist leader and an incredible team defense (hello Audrey), this team is going to be very hard to beat in the tournament. If Caroline is also healthy, add two impact players on the bench. They have a legitimate shot IF no one gets injured.

 

[Boreifs]

I wonder how many of those 2910 attendees were rooting for UConn. Not a difficult
road trip for UConn fans.

UConn’s game at Creighton was sold out (I was there). At their game against Seton Hall tonight, it was less than half full. That for a team that made the Elite Eight last year. Really disgusting.

 

[ed4ourgirls]

The games against the LVs in Knoxville and later against the Gamecocks will
tell us more about our chances than routine beatdowns of Big East opponents.