I agree, jdote33. I watched the entire game - very impressed with the team Shea has put together. Blakes is the real deal - not just a great shooter, but very aware of everything going on the court. Plays with a calm demeanor and with a speed and quickness that allows her to stay a second ahead of the play - consistently. Sacha Washington is back, and played like she was waiting for over a year to get back on the court - intense and relentless.
Vandy fans should have a lot of fun following this team!
I got the ragged ball I predicted in the second and third quarters, but Shea was wisely doing a lot of mix and match with the lineup. It wasn't that any particular reserve was playing badly, there just was no rhythm, and they wound up with 14 first-half turnovers.
Then, Aubrey Galvan went out for the rest of the game with a twisted ankle late in the first half, and Ndjakalenga Mwenentanda took a hard fall and left the game late in the third, and Justine Pissott was sidelined with four fouls. Still, they managed to hang on and had a 10-point lead with eight minutes left in the game.
Then, they exploded and went on a 37-11 run in the final eight minutes led by Blakes. The Commodores outscored the Tigers 42-15 in the fourth quarter.
Blakes had 40 on 12 of 20 shooting, 5 of 10 from three and 11-13 at the free throw line. Sacha Washington and Justine Pissott had double-doubles as Sacha scored 22 and grabbed 11 rebounds. Justine, who got off to a hot start with eight points early, wound up with 11 points and 10 assists. Most impressively, she played 38 minutes and did not seem to tire. Believe me, that's new. Last season, she would give you a good three or four minutes then be bent over grabbing her shorts. Shea said she worked extremely hard on her conditioning and nutrition this off season, and it showed.
My biggest worry coming out of the game is injuries. Galvan's ankle turn looked nasty, the classic "come down on an opponents foot" and completely turn it sideways. Hopefully, she'll be luck and it's not as bad as it looks. If it is, it's hard to imagine her being effective a week from today. I thought she was very dynamic at the point and already seems to have great chemistry with Blakes.
Blakes was superb. I don't know what else to say about her.
