USA fighting for its life against Turkey....

[semper]

Score usually about even nearing the end of the second quarter...

 

[VAMike23]

looks like 32 - 27 at the half ....! Gads.

Just tuned in, didn't see any action other than the score as players were leaving the court.

 

[UConnCat]

Holy hyperbole. 32-27 (or something like that) at halftime. Very physical; Turkey clogging up the middle on defense.

USA not shooting very well except for Augustus.

 

[semper]

The Turks are very quick and play well together. We seem not to have been up on our scouting reports and right now have no clear answer for them.

 

[speedoo]

USA interior defense is very poor. Turk forwards keep getting loose for layups.

 

[VAMike23]

Maya with good anticipation on the rotation, tips and gets a steal, feeds Whalen upcourt, touch pass to Seimone who can't convert the layup but gets fouled. Hits 1 of 2.

Next time down Augustus for 3. Then I think Maya scored? Anyway, USA up 51-43

 

[VAMike23]

down to 53-47 Turkey with the ball

Maya with a great feed to Angel inside for 2.

55 - 48 at the end of 3

 

[semper]

They are really fast at getting down court. Of course, so are we.

 

[speedoo]

A grind out game. But USA is gradually moving the lead closer to 10.

 

[semper]

So one hopes, but now down a bit again...

 

[semper]

Up 7 with about 7 left....

 

[VAMike23]

62-55 with 6:25 remaining

Haven't seen Catch or DT .... guess maybe they are being rested on the back-to-back games?

Now DT is in.... and we get a bucket

 

[VAMike23]

Maya with a great take to the basket from the key, huge Maya-strides, elevates, can't quite convert the layin. Love seeing her taking it hard, though.

DT and Sue nicely in sync on transition, DT dumps it over to Augustus for an easy baseline J. USA by 11

 

[UConnCat]

62-55 with 6:25 remaining

Haven't seen Catch or DT .... guess maybe they are being rested on the back-to-back games?

Now DT is in.... and we get a bucket

Catch hasn't been herself. Parker has played very well. Augustus shooting well though I wish she'd pass the ball on occasion. Refs calling fouls on every turkey possession.

Maya at the high post making good passes.

 

[Icebear]

Good, lose now and wake up the troops and have them po'd for the games.

 

[VAMike23]

USA making bread and butter, feeding Maya at the FT line who then dumps it into a streaking Augustus going back door from the wing. Done it with regularity!

 

[semper]

So we are OK! But this game is a wake up call.

 

[speedoo]

Catch hasn't been herself. Parker has played very well. Augustus shooting well though I wish she'd pass the ball on occasion. Refs calling fouls on every turkey possession.

Maya at the high post making good passes.

Parker has looked good with her offense, but her defense, like Tina's has been poor.

 

[VAMike23]

Catch hasn't been herself. Parker has played very well. Augustus shooting well though I wish she'd pass the ball on occasion. Refs calling fouls on every turkey possession.

Maya at the high post making good passes.

Maya so effective from that point of the offense, as opposed to getting it out high on the perimeter as she often does with the Lynx.

From FT line, Maya can feed cutters, shoot, step and shoot, or take big chunks of real estate (like she loves to do) and drive with two big steps.

 

[VAMike23]

DT with a sweeeet driving layup, spins 180 and lays it in backwards for 2.

Previously Maya with an athletic tip-in rebound from 6 ft, reminiscent of her tipin against Baylor

Maya all over the ball in the 4th quarter. Clearly in her element moving in and out of the paint, not so much hanging outside.

#12 for Turkey was effective scoring inside against, Charles, Parker, Fowles - all of whom seemed to get called for ticky-tack fouls , but hey it happens. She gets a hug and a smile from DT in the line afterwards.

 

[FairView]

Can someone share the final score, please?

 

[speedoo]

80-61 USA I think.

 

[EricLA]

Offense is great, but defense is important too. Was Sylvia effective on defense?

 

[semper]

Yes, the final score was 80 61. Syl was not especially good on defense today. There were lots of holes, esp. in the first three quarters. We just wore them down in the end, because we are bigger and stronger, and Maya really stepped up. Has anyone seen the Box?

 

[RadyLady]

Offense is great, but defense is important too. Was Sylvia effective on defense?

It seemed to me that in many moments of the game it appeared that turkey was having their way on the paint, and also beyond the arc. I came in at the end of the 2nd quarter so my observations are from then. the score was close, yes, but the US started to pull away towards the final 80 - 61 score. I agree that there were a lot of ticky tack fouls called on Tina and Candace, but also I noticed that the posts were out of position many times during the early minutes of my viewing. Lindsay was dribbling herself into trouble from time to time as she was double teamed frequently, and a number of shots went up that just didn't go in.

Still the US pulled it together and started to pull away in the 4th, I don't know if they just put the pedal to the floor, or if Turkey just ran out of gas.

It was a good game, and yes, we are going to be tested. Even though it seems our media has little focus on our WBB team, our opponants are well aware of who we are and what we can do. The important thing though is that our score at the end of the game is at least one more than the oppositions'.