A real let down..If not for Marchant, it would have been a debacle. Marchant was 4-5 on threes and it makes you wonder why she hasn't played more in the past. There have been several games where she comes in and is almost immediately pulled and her minutes seem to be way down. KV and Allie B each shot 1 for 7 and Allie makedseveral freshman mistakes. At least, she rebounds. She had 10 in 26 minutes. KV has to be one of the top two shooters on the team and is heck of a player. She tends to get in early foul trouble sometimes but is just too good to be averaging in single figures. Jones, the team's most consistent and best player, goes 4 for 15. Lexi goes 1-5 with 2 boards in 27 minutes. She is recognized as an outstanding defensive player but is a wing. C Cremer grabs 3 rebounds in 28 minutes and goes 2-5.. She played wonderfully against Corban but she should grab more than one rebound every 9 minutes playing on her knees. Between Lexi and Courtney, they manage to hold on to 5 rebounds in 55 minutes. Wade, after a good game against UP and her usual terrible game against poor competition (Corban), gets 2 rebounds and a tip to another teammate in 3 (that is right folks 3) minutes. I think she should consider playing with a neck brace to keep her from getting whiplash as she is yanked quicker than a bad burlesque act. With Samms out, Wade had better start getting the chance to play and playing like she did last year or PSU is in for a long season. EWU outscored PSU 18-4 in the paint in the second half as Wade played 1 minute.
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EWU
- Thread starter ratso47
- Start date
The only player whose fouls cost the team was KV. The interesting part of the game is that EWU didn't play well either. They shot 39% which was better than PSU's 29% but mainly because EWU kept shooting lay-ups Piper, the league's most valuable player last year, scored 4 points with 2 rebounds. She only played 9 minutes before fouling out.
Jones played injured: new thumb tape, Wade should have been in more, KV was off tonight, Where was Lexi? why don't we play a zone, we get so taken advantage of on mis-matches it stinks....we do not have the height to play man against teams that have several players over 6 ft and we run with 3 guards/forwards under 6 ft. It was a painful shooting night to be sure, but if you look around conference there have been some very big offensive nights by MSU and others; defense will be the only way we will win. PERIOD.
I felt we had some real defensive lapses that could have won the game, slow hands and poor shooting hope for a better showing next time out.
I felt we had some real defensive lapses that could have won the game, slow hands and poor shooting hope for a better showing next time out.
Freja, I totally agree with your comment, "How can you beat a team like Tulane (and play GT so tough) and then lose to EWU?" I think the coaches are once again blowing it in 2 important areas. 1) inconsistent lineups and strange substitution patterns (esp. in the post) and 2) a refusal to play zone defense and really commit time to develop defensive rotations in this type of defense that was so successful for us last year down the stretch. I think our defensive rotations were a step slow and the main reason we lost on Sat.
Oh, and let's not forget to mention that Wade only got to play 3 minutes! The player who will likely leave PSU with the record for blocked shots, the player who impacted many a game for us down the stretch last year sits while EWU drives down the lane all night with impunity. We also miss Samms a lot for her rebounding, put-backs, and general tenacity in the paint. I'm not sure that freshmen are ready for that role quite yet against more experienced and aggressive competition like EWU. This frontcourt lineup change is something that the coaches should have experimented with, at length, during non-league games in December, not on the road, now. It was obvious to me that the new player substitutions contributed to a lack of offensive and defensive cohesion as the players struggled to play together as a unit.
Until Samms can come back I hope that the coaches focus on fine-tuning our defense and not be so averse to the use of a zone. Hey, it worked last year! On offense, we should play to our strength and use our superior guard depth to run, move the ball around a lot if there's no open shot, and wear down the opposing defense. It worked against Tulane and in the second half of the Georgia Tech. and Portland games.
Oh, and let's not forget to mention that Wade only got to play 3 minutes! The player who will likely leave PSU with the record for blocked shots, the player who impacted many a game for us down the stretch last year sits while EWU drives down the lane all night with impunity. We also miss Samms a lot for her rebounding, put-backs, and general tenacity in the paint. I'm not sure that freshmen are ready for that role quite yet against more experienced and aggressive competition like EWU. This frontcourt lineup change is something that the coaches should have experimented with, at length, during non-league games in December, not on the road, now. It was obvious to me that the new player substitutions contributed to a lack of offensive and defensive cohesion as the players struggled to play together as a unit.
Until Samms can come back I hope that the coaches focus on fine-tuning our defense and not be so averse to the use of a zone. Hey, it worked last year! On offense, we should play to our strength and use our superior guard depth to run, move the ball around a lot if there's no open shot, and wear down the opposing defense. It worked against Tulane and in the second half of the Georgia Tech. and Portland games.
Let's face it, Wade is the Rodney Dangerfield of PSU women's basketball. I don't understand why PSU doesn't
don't defense and I wonder if they are treating her like Erin Yankus when Yankus was a Junior to make some kind of a point or get her off the roster. Wade's minutes in the last 5 D-1 games include: Nevada: 3 minutes; BYU: 0 minutes, GT: 12 minutes; UP: 16 minutes (4-6 FG, 2 steals, and 1 block on the final shot of the game with PSU having a 2 point lead; EWU: 3 minutes for an average of 9 minutes a game. With respect to her shooting, Wade was 6 for 11 for 55%, Cremer was 8-29 for 40%; Brock was 4-14 for 29% and KV was 11-49 for 22%. Can someone explain what is going on other than personal problems.
don't defense and I wonder if they are treating her like Erin Yankus when Yankus was a Junior to make some kind of a point or get her off the roster. Wade's minutes in the last 5 D-1 games include: Nevada: 3 minutes; BYU: 0 minutes, GT: 12 minutes; UP: 16 minutes (4-6 FG, 2 steals, and 1 block on the final shot of the game with PSU having a 2 point lead; EWU: 3 minutes for an average of 9 minutes a game. With respect to her shooting, Wade was 6 for 11 for 55%, Cremer was 8-29 for 40%; Brock was 4-14 for 29% and KV was 11-49 for 22%. Can someone explain what is going on other than personal problems.
You're right, when Wade plays well on defense, or should I say, is allowed to play, PSU is a different team.
Defense wins games and the coaches should just tell Wade to get out there and use her long arms to block and alter shots and grab a few rebounds. We have enough other offensive players who can score so that should not really be an issue for her, or the coaches. She is SUCH a difference maker on defense when she is let loose, running the floor, and playing with confidence.
I can't figure out why the coaches have so little faith in her abilities. My bet is that the coaches are putting pressure on her to develop her offensive game more and that is making her play tentatively. They should stop that, if true, and just simplify her role to primarily one of defense first. When you don't show confidence in one of your players, I notice that they tend to lose confidence in themselves as they sit on the bench and stew about things. Wade is probably one of those kids who needs a pat on the back once in a while and she is obviously not getting any from the coaches right now. This is very perplexing considering that she is an upper-classman who made MANY big plays for this team last year during their stretch run.
I say, let Wade out of the doghouse NOW!!!
Defense wins games and the coaches should just tell Wade to get out there and use her long arms to block and alter shots and grab a few rebounds. We have enough other offensive players who can score so that should not really be an issue for her, or the coaches. She is SUCH a difference maker on defense when she is let loose, running the floor, and playing with confidence.
I can't figure out why the coaches have so little faith in her abilities. My bet is that the coaches are putting pressure on her to develop her offensive game more and that is making her play tentatively. They should stop that, if true, and just simplify her role to primarily one of defense first. When you don't show confidence in one of your players, I notice that they tend to lose confidence in themselves as they sit on the bench and stew about things. Wade is probably one of those kids who needs a pat on the back once in a while and she is obviously not getting any from the coaches right now. This is very perplexing considering that she is an upper-classman who made MANY big plays for this team last year during their stretch run.
I say, let Wade out of the doghouse NOW!!!
Murrell needs to start watching how the "big league" coaches do it - with DEFENSE first. Coaches like Kim Mulkey at Baylor, Nikki Caldwell at UCLA, and of course Pat Summitt and Geno Auriemma all stress defense first with their teams.
I was watching the UCLA-USC game this weekend (I'm not BBJUNKIE for nuthin'!) and UCLA had limited USC to a total of 13 measly points in the first half, and had a sizable lead! And you know what? In the locker room, coach Caldwell was preaching to her team specific techniques on how they could improve their defense in the 2nd half! Wow!
These coaches know that most of their points come directly from the tough defense they play. And working hard on defense separates their programs from all the others, makes them elite, and is the surest way to bring home a championship.
Murrell needs to quickly figure out who our best defenders are and get them solidified into a regular rotation (playing a little zone wouldn't hurt either!). I think Wade belongs in that rotation in a big way.
I was watching the UCLA-USC game this weekend (I'm not BBJUNKIE for nuthin'!) and UCLA had limited USC to a total of 13 measly points in the first half, and had a sizable lead! And you know what? In the locker room, coach Caldwell was preaching to her team specific techniques on how they could improve their defense in the 2nd half! Wow!
These coaches know that most of their points come directly from the tough defense they play. And working hard on defense separates their programs from all the others, makes them elite, and is the surest way to bring home a championship.
Murrell needs to quickly figure out who our best defenders are and get them solidified into a regular rotation (playing a little zone wouldn't hurt either!). I think Wade belongs in that rotation in a big way.
Don't hold your breath. Murrel's decision to play Wade a mere 3 minutes in the butt kicking that Nevada laid on PSU, 0 minutes against BYU with the starting post sick and playing only 11 minutes, and 3 against an opponent who outscores them 18-4 in the paint in the deciding half means that she has decided not to play Wade regardless of how it effects the team. And we are not talking about someone who hasn't contributed to the success of PSU basketball. One of the sad things about it is that Wade seemed to be a player that kept everyone loose. She seemed to love to play and it showed to the crowd and her teammates.
Murrell has to start taking a hard look at the stats to see what great value Wade brings to the team on defense. Checking the season stat sheet, I see that Wade only averages about 13 minutes a game, but she is the top post defender in averaging 3.2 rebounds during those very limited minutes (only Samms is better). And a large percentage of her rebounds are offensive boards, which are HUGE during a game, and show that she battles hard in the paint. We know that she can block shots, which is another HUGE defensive weapon that Murrell should be utilizing.
The only slight downside is that she needs to work on her free throws, although all our posts could use a little work in that area. She doesn't shoot the 3 like Cremer occasionally does, but, her field goal % is otherwise comparable. She also averages 1 foul every 7.7 minutes played, which is a little excessive, but could be partially the result of pressing too hard when actually is allowed to enter a game. It might improve with experience.
I think her defensive stats show that Wade could average double digit rebounds every night given the opportunity. We need that more from our posts than an occasional outside shot. It frees up our guards to not worry about snagging those rebounds and allows them to do what this team does best: run and gun. I remember Wade grabbing KEY offensive boards or blocking big shots for us last year and it's that kind of defense that will help PSU win another Big Sky tourney.
When Samms comes back in a few weeks and adds her defensive prowess to the mix, I think we have the potential to be very tough, but only if the coaches go with the superior defensive players first. Then they need to focus on developing a stifling defense by organizing a SET ROTATION in order to cut down on missed defensive assignments that seemed to be our undoing in the second half of the EW game.
The only slight downside is that she needs to work on her free throws, although all our posts could use a little work in that area. She doesn't shoot the 3 like Cremer occasionally does, but, her field goal % is otherwise comparable. She also averages 1 foul every 7.7 minutes played, which is a little excessive, but could be partially the result of pressing too hard when actually is allowed to enter a game. It might improve with experience.
I think her defensive stats show that Wade could average double digit rebounds every night given the opportunity. We need that more from our posts than an occasional outside shot. It frees up our guards to not worry about snagging those rebounds and allows them to do what this team does best: run and gun. I remember Wade grabbing KEY offensive boards or blocking big shots for us last year and it's that kind of defense that will help PSU win another Big Sky tourney.
When Samms comes back in a few weeks and adds her defensive prowess to the mix, I think we have the potential to be very tough, but only if the coaches go with the superior defensive players first. Then they need to focus on developing a stifling defense by organizing a SET ROTATION in order to cut down on missed defensive assignments that seemed to be our undoing in the second half of the EW game.
