USA vs Australia today @ 4:00PM

[Fairfield Fan]

Is Cabbage that good? Is she making so much money as a pro somewhere that she can tell the WNBA to go fish?

Not watching it live, but the boxscore suggests that she's got the better of all the USA bigs. One point from Tina? Four fouls on Fowles? Wow!!!

I thought Leilani Mitchell was Hawaiian with that name. An Aussie?

 

[Fairfield Fan]

Seems as though the USA team isn't blowing everyone out early. Each of the teams in the exhibitions has been in the game until late. Even the second string WNBA team was in a position to win late.

Is our team getting older?

 

[HoopsFan21]

Apparently D is voting for Hillary.

 

[Blueballer]

Taurasi with a "Go Clinton" at the end of the interview. LOL

 

[easttexastrash]

Is Cabbage that good? Is she making so much money as a pro somewhere that she can tell the WNBA to go fish?

Not watching it live, but the boxscore suggests that she's got the better of all the USA bigs. One point from Tina? Four fouls on Fowles? Wow!!!

I thought Leilani Mitchell was Hawaiian with that name. An Aussie?

Griner was much better than Cambage in the second half. BG was feeling it.

 

[easttexastrash]

Taurasi with a "Go Clinton" at the end of the interview. LOL

Love me some DT!

 

[Samanthabrown3]

Apparently D is voting for Hillary.

Ya think?

 

[Blueballer]

Apparently D is voting for Hillary.

As a daughter of immigrants not too big a surprise there.

 

[EricLA]

Aside from Dee's political statement, I thought she's in incredible interview. Not just "we need to work on getting better", etc, but some actual specifics. She seems to have a really sharp analytical mind for hoops (shouldn't be a surprise I suppose). She's a natural in front of the camera...

 

[Kaizen]

Apparently D is voting for Hillary.

That is my girl ...

 

[EricLA]

Whalen has always done that. She is an offensive minded PG.

Stating the obvious, but this isn't the WNBA. When her play completely disrupts the offensive flow, it's a problem on a US National Team... But I have no doubt the coaches will address it... It's one thing to be offensively minded, it's another to be offensively selfish so that it makes the flow of the offense completely disappear...

 

[bags27]

This was BG's game: will give her enormous confidence.
Also, EDD is established as first off the bench under most circumstances.

 

[HoopsFan21]

Aside from Dee's political statement, I thought she's in incredible interview. Not just "we need to work on getting better", etc, but some actual specifics. She seems to have a really sharp analytical mind for hoops (shouldn't be a surprise I suppose). She's a natural in front of the camera...

I agree it was a really good post-game interview. Her and Geno looked pretty animated on the sideline during BG's free throws with a couple minutes left.

 

[SCGamecock]

Grindr looks alive in this game

Lol... ISWYDT?

 

[UcMiami]

A really good game - great to see Griner finally get on track! This team has gotten a lot better in one week - with another week of practice and then pool play they should be really good by the knock out stage.
And Australia is a really really good team - ranked second in the world with a lot of talented bigs and having a lot of time to work with most of the players (a few just arrived from the W.) This is like Uconn playing SC or ND - we expect them to win, but it isn't going to be as easy as most other teams - a 15 point win is good. Especially with Geno still treating it as experimentation time so not necessarily playing his best line-ups (nor is Australia of course.)

 

[RockyMTblue2]

Leslie is right - Whalen cannot dribble the ball around all over the place for 1 on 1 basketball. It may be ok for Reeve and Minny, but not for team USA... The spacing is not right at the moment and it's because the PG is not playing team ball.

Agreed. How many times did sshe meander around only to end up on the low right post unable to shoot and unable to pass. To the film Geno!

 

[UcMiami]

I disagree on the criticism of Whalen - that is her game and what she has played for USA for 6 years and it has been very effective - she attacks until help defense comes and then passes - when the help doesn't come she goes ahead and shoots. And the last play of the quarter is exactly what Geno called for with the stacked high screens. I think the specific combination on the floor at that time was not spacing very well, and there were no really good 3 point shooters spotting up - not Angel nor Siemone's game.
I thought EDD sort of lost her aggressiveness in the second half, passing up shots she should have been taking and that also added to the confusion at times. She is a rookie with the team in the early stages of the this team meshing, and I think there is a tendency for everyone and especially the new arrivals to want to be too unselfish. (I see the same issue with Breanna and Moriah in the WNBA this year.) But that is an easier thing to coach them out of than being too selfish.

 

[msf22b]

Interesting game, we sat a few rows in back of the South Basket.

From an offensive point of view...USA lived on streaks
first Maya
then Elena, absolutely and completely unstoppable in the first half.
then Diana, in the 3rd quarter, hitting everything
and lastly (and perhaps the most surprising) BG went crazy on Liz in the 4th...tough, tough play and a lovely touch.

From the Aussie point of view; Liz was Liz...in a spot of foul trouble and tough to stop, near the basket; Tina was completely overmatched in this regard.
But most concerning (I imagine for Geno) was that the Aussie guards, especially Leilani Mitchell penetrated virtually at will, the USA help was often late, and the Aussie's understand that if someone slides over to help, someone is free and they found that hard cutter often.

Made one wish for someone with Moriah's face guarding skills, speed and energy...
Yes, let's say it...Moriah would have been a big help in this game.

A 15-point win, but Australia hung around.

 

[CocoHusky]

DT almost seems irritated that she is playing in the WNBA this season.

Then what is Brittney's excuse? I get the same sense-lack of interest.

 

[Patrick Lilly]

I had seats two rows back from the court and directly behind Geno. Towards the end, Geno turns to the desk and says: "Geez, no one in the world is her (Cambage) size; and no one can guard her in the world". If Cambage had stayed out of fould trouble, it would have been a tighter game, imo.

 

[easttexastrash]

Then what is Brittney's excuse? I get the same sense-lack of interest.

I agree and stated in another thread that both she and DT would not return after this season.

 

[easttexastrash]

I disagree on the criticism of Whalen - that is her game and what she has played for USA for 6 years and it has been very effective - she attacks until help defense comes and then passes - when the help doesn't come she goes ahead and shoots. And the last play of the quarter is exactly what Geno called for with the stacked high screens. I think the specific combination on the floor at that time was not spacing very well, and there were no really good 3 point shooters spotting up - not Angel nor Siemone's game.
I thought EDD sort of lost her aggressiveness in the second half, passing up shots she should have been taking and that also added to the confusion at times. She is a rookie with the team in the early stages of the this team meshing, and I think there is a tendency for everyone and especially the new arrivals to want to be too unselfish. (I see the same issue with Breanna and Moriah in the WNBA this year.) But that is an easier thing to coach them out of than being too selfish.

I agree on Whalen. She does a lot more than just get the offense started. She puts pressure on the opposing PG and gets to the basket and the FT line.

 

[Kibitzer]

Game summary (boiler plate):

"We had 'em all the way!" ​

 

[MilfordHusky]

The Microwave

Playing under control, using her talents. Coach seemed happy.

 

[MilfordHusky]

Tina Charles needs to come out of the game. She simply is incapable of even slowing Cambage down.

Liz got deep position by running down the court fast. No one can stop her there. Tina did what she could, but she gives up 5" and 50 lbs.