Start with the ugly. The only thing I can REALLY pick on after the lengthy holiday rest time is that they came out VERY lethargic to start the game and to start the 2nd half. Both times, Memphis was close to even with UCONN (UCONN up only 12-9 at the 4:45 mark in the 1st half and tied 7-7 at the 4:30 mark in the 2nd half). Other than that, and it's really a nit-picky thing, UCONN dominated in almost every way.
Next - on to the bad - Memphis' Elmore went off for 20 points. While I think the UCONN defense was for the most part, good, Elmore, averaging 13+ PPG this season went off for 20. As far as "bad" goes, it's pretty mild, but UCONN generally does a better job of shutting down the opposing teams' best scoring option(s). In this case they did a better job against leading scorer Creighton who averages 15.5 PPG and was held to 8.
Now for the good - pretty much everything else. Sure there were moments (not counting the start of each half) where UCONN made a few boneheaded plays (forcing passes, dribbling too much or dribbling into traffic), but overall, after the holiday layoff, it was a solid performance. Memphis is really not a good team - they are 5-9 now - so let's not pretend this was anything close to a tough game.
Gabby - she's my POG. She DID pick up 3 fouls in about 3 minutes in the 2nd half, but other than that, played the type of game we've come to expect - almost everywhere on defense, scored in a variety of ways (loved seeing her nail the mid range jumpers), and while she only had 3 boards, she dished out 7 assists and had 4 steals.
Megan - Rusty from missing 2 games? Hardly! She did miss a simple bunny from a terrific pass from Coombs, but other than that, was 5-6 from the floor scoring 12 points and grabbing 4 rebounds.
Kia - Her 3 point shot was off (2-7) and many of the shots she took seemed just a tad rushed - she'd get the pass not in her sweet spot, and need to adjust/shuffle her feet to get the 3 point shot off quickly. Not sure if that affected her accuracy, but it was noticeable. Other than that, played some really solid defense and had 16 points and 4 boards.
Lou - not her best scoring game, but I really thought she stood out especially on defense. Whereas her defense used to be a liability (had a really tough time keeping opponents in front of her when defending them), she seems MUCH better at that and to me it was noticeable in this game. Only 12 points but had 9 boards.
Collier - I think Geno was not happy with her today. While she had 14 points and 9 boards, Geno took her out twice - once in the 1st half in favor of Coombs, and in the 2nd half, she did not return after Walker replaced her - I think it was in the 3rd quarter. She only played 21 minutes. Great productivity, but the 21 minutes IMHO is indicative of Geno's general displeasure with her play.
Dangerfield - she was also benched a time or 2 in the game for some not so great play. Dribbling too much, dribbling into traffic with no back up plan, and some poor passes. Ended up playing 33 minutes with 11 points, but had only 3 assists to 3 turnovers. Love her with the ball, but today she was a tad off.
Stevens - a solid game from her, but not outstanding numbers. I noticed several times in the 2nd half she was roaming around the perimeter, and I still think Geno would rather she not do that. And she may well make 3's in practice, but she's shooting a dreadful 18% (4-22). Also when she goes for a block, she still jackhammers at the defender - a sure way to pick up foul calls.
Coombs - for the first time this season she gets her own mention. 11 minutes, made a bunch of mistakes in the first half, but Geno let her play thru them. Noticeable improvement on defense, and looks more comfortable on the floor.
Irwin - The kid can play. Put her on the floor with most of the core 7 and she looks solid. She's a competent shooter, rebounder, and passer.
Hard to tell much from the rest of the bench BUT... UCONN outscored Memphis 21-7 in Q4. Q4 was the only quarter where UCONN held Memphis to single digits in scoring and much of that time was with the bench players on the floor. For as much as we have criticized them for getting demolished by other teams, they certainly held their own and then some, and that deserves acknowledgement.
