Survive and advance. KK with that CLUTCH, BIG TIME 3 had me like:
UConn did not always play pretty offensively, but they made their shots when it counted. And our defense was as good as you could possibly be against a team like Syracuse (who beat many teams with their insane rebounding and fantastic perimeter shooting). We made them work for practically every shot.
The officiating was, in my opinion, great in the first half. I didn't mind the refs swallowing their whistles on both ends and just letting the players play. Of course that couldn't last though and in the second half, particularly Q4, the refs decided to take over the game. Some bad calls on both sides and the constant stops and starts threw both teams off their rhythm. But how wonderful it was to see the team hold fast even after Nika fouled out. They were not about to be beat.
Also, it was incredible when Paige grabbed the loose ball and immediately called a TO. That's peak basketball IQ right there!!
I followed Syracuse all season long and I knew that no matter what the score was, no matter how big the lead seemed, they were going to come charging back in Q4 and make it a game. Tonight was no exception. Of course I am happy that UConn won, but it's with all the sincerity in the world that I tip my hat to Coach HLJ, Fair, and the rest of the team. Absolutely no quit, dominated the rebound game, scored the big 3s when they needed them ... they play a tough, physical (but not dirty) game. This was a game I was insanely nervous about as a Husky fan because I knew how good Syracuse can be when it's clutch time.
Although Syracuse lost, Fair cemented her place in history amongst one of the highest scorers ever in WBB. And she did it was almost no flair, no showboating or complaining, and without almost any media attention. Just showed up every game and balled out. Nothing but respect.
All the respect to Coach HLJ as well. I hope I get the chance to meet her next season. Her squad was fired up and ready to go. Nearly gave me a stress induced aneurysm down the stretch for the last 4 minutes. Damn.
SWEET SIXTEEN HERE WE COME!!!