Posted by GW Alum Abroad  12/04/2019 9:02 pm | #1 |
Held the Blue Hens scoreless over the last 5:23 of the game to win 63-49 on the road. Hyduke had 22 points and 5 steals but no Zabrotta (again).
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Posted by keithgreene 12/05/2019 6:35 am | #2 |
Every road win is a good win.
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Posted by Poog 12/05/2019 9:23 am | #3 |
These guys have been playing with starters out with injuries and a number of players under the weather. Maund’s return last night had an immediate impact. Zambrotta and Luma are expected back for conference play. Hyduke and Taiwo are playing their first collegiate games coming off of knee injuries that sidelined them last year and Blethen is a true freshman. All 3 are major contributors to a team still carving out its identity. Frustration over turnovers and a low-scoring offense should be tempered by this team’s hustle and efforts on defense. The offense will come with time and health. Not sure where they’ll finish in conference but they’re better than their 7th place pre-season projection.
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Posted by xAC 12/05/2019 10:58 am | #4 |
Sometimes it’s tough to assess the progress of the team because the improvements have been incremental, and occasionally, bad habits re-emerge. This game was really a good test. Delaware has a balanced team, led by a top notch front court player, with a tough defense.
Hyduke had a really good game because of the timeliness of her scoring, especially at the beginning of the game, when everyone was struggling. This prevented any long scoring drought, a bane in our previous games. When Delaware started to shut her down, other players, especially the graduates (Maund and Stephenson) stepped up. The defense got stronger as the game progressed. Taiwo 0 pts, and 5 TOs, but she played a fantastic defensive game. She started out by guarding their best player and was all over the court and forced numerous Delaware turnovers.
An impressive aspect of the game was the overall composure of the team. Delaware played a tight defense and did not give a lot of open looks. For example, Blethen only took one shot—a pick and roll layup. To her credit, she did not force any shots, to the overall benefit of GW. The defense was impressive, not surprising because Rizzotti is a defense first coach. If you look closely at recent results, a strategy emerges, and a somewhat successful one— that is to neutralize the best player on the opposing team. At times, we triple-teamed Enabosi, with great results. A closer look at all of our games (I left Maryland out, because their whole team is 4/5 * players), and the strategy is validated.
Delaware: Best Player - Enabosi; Average 22.5 pp.; 2018 CAA POY – vs GW: 1-3, 5 pts
Coppin State: Best Player - Graham; Average 14.0 pp.; Preseason All MEAC—vs GW: 2-13, 6pts
Georgetown: Best Player - Barnes; Average 10.0 pp. – vs GW: 3-10; 7pts
Memphis: Best Player – Shuts; Average 18.3 pp. – vs GW: 6-17, 13 pts
Lehigh: Best Player – Buhr; Average 16.0 ppg; preseason All Patriot – vs GW: 3-6, 10 pts
Princeton: Best Player – Alarie; Average 22.8; 2 time Ivy POY – vs GW: 5-9, 14 pts
Villonova: Best Player Gedeke; Average 14.4 ppg; preseason All Big East – vs GW: 1-5, 2pts
Hopefully, as the team gets healthier and develops an offensive rhythm, they can overachieve on the preseason predictions, and establish a strong basis for many good years to come.
Last edited by xAC (12/05/2019 3:01 pm)
