Posted by xAC  12/11/2022 4:05 pm | #1 |
Wilmington University (of Deleware) visits the Smith Center on Tuesday afternoon. The Wildcats play in the Division II Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC). Last year, WU finished last in the CCAC at 1-22 (1-18 in conference play), and they come into DC winless on the season at 0-9. In their only other Division I game this year, the Wildcats lost to Delaware State of the MEAC by a 66-36 score. It’s likely that there is a relationship reason for scheduling the Wildcats, who stand to make a decent payday for their visit. It’s unfortunate that we are playing them so late in our OOC schedule. Lacking any type of exhibition or warm-up game before our opener against a Power 5 opponent (UVA), it seems like this game would have made more sense as a season opener.
WU has had some really rough going so far this season, scoring just 38.1 ppg while allowing 75.1 ppg. The Wildcats shoot 27.1% from the field (only 18.8% from beyond the arc) and 64.2% on FTs. Their only double figure scorer is junior guard Amber Washington, who comes in at 10.6 ppg. Daja Claiborne follows at 7.0 ppg and also leads the team in rebounding at 6.7 rpg.
GW comes into this game 6-5 after winning our last game at home against Manhattan. Because of the NCAA decision to allow us to split our players’ suspensions, Essence Brown and Caia Loving should be available for this one, but given the opponent, it’s not clear how much Brown will play. This game provides a great opportunity for some of our bench players to get extended minutes and for them to become more proficient in our offensive schemes. Right now Robertson, Thornton, and Blethen (who could all be starting) are showing great consistency coming off the bench. If we can get the others (Engel, Gingras, Lok and Loving) up to that level of consistency it would give our coaching staff the confidence to play different rotations depending on the opponents’ personnel and style of play. On paper, this game is a mismatch for sure, but it's also a chance to get some of our players to get more game experience and to work on areas that need improvement.
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Posted by xAC 12/13/2022 5:14 pm | #2 |
GW wins big 88-40
As expected, this was a mismatch, but it was a good run for some of the bench players. GW was more athletic and a step quicker at every position. That led to good shot selection which fed the confidence of our players. The fact that GW finished with only 4 TOs really highlights the difference in quickness between the two teams. As far as the starters, Taiwo (14-10 double-double) and Innis with 8 points and seven dimes had good minutes. In the last two games, Taiwo has been in more control of her inside moves and it seems to have paid dividends. For the straight second game, Blethen started in place of Webster and played some very solid minutes. This may not be a permanent rotation change, but it’s a good one, as Webster has been struggling of late. Lakstigala who was 4-8 from 3-point range seemed to get back on track after a subpar showing in the last game. As for the subs, Lok dominated offensively, both inside and out against the slower defenders. She finished with a game high 19 points on 8-11 shooting. Macke showed that she has some game. A couple of nice drives to the basket and a couple of 3’s staked her to the first double figure game of her career. Loving had 5 offensive boards and several put backs that helped her reach double figures (11 pts) as well. But aside from all the stat-padding, there wasn’t a much to glean from this game, other than individual players' potential.
We’ve seen how good our players can be a times, and that’s very encouraging. If the coaches figure out what combinations can produce the most consistent results, it’s easy to imagine us exceeding the 11th place projected finish for GW in the A10. But first things first—let’s take care of business versus Coppin State on the 22nd.
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Posted by BC 12/13/2022 5:50 pm | #3 |
Maybe the only time that I dared watch a game in real time. I was really impressed at the progress Taiwo has made with her moves around the basket. I hope that it will continue to work in the A10. I also really liked Lok's athleticism. Is this her last year? Last few games and at the beginning of this games she seemed to be forcing up bad shots, but she looked pretty smooth after the first couple of shots today. Is Engal hurt? I know she hasn't played hardly at all this year, I had high hopes for her after last year.
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Posted by xAC 12/13/2022 7:00 pm | #4 |
BC wrote:
Maybe the only time that I dared watch a game in real time. I was really impressed at the progress Taiwo has made with her moves around the basket. I hope that it will continue to work in the A10. I also really liked Lok's athleticism. Is this her last year? Last few games and at the beginning of this games she seemed to be forcing up bad shots, but she looked pretty smooth after the first couple of shots today. Is Engal hurt? I know she hasn't played hardly at all this year, I had high hopes for her after last year.
Spot on about Lok. She's a very capable offensive player but she has a tendency to force things at times and when she does, she becomes ineffective. If she learns to let the game come to her, she's going to be a lot better player (the same could be said for several other players as well). She is a senior, but with the eligibility rules as they are, I'm not sure if she's run out.
As for Engel, I think after being out for a long time, she's trying to adjust to the speed of the game. I think she will and end up being a plus for us in the A10 schedule.
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Posted by dmvpiranha 12/14/2022 1:18 pm | #5 |
I get why we scheduled a weaker opponent with there being final exams and all but did we really need to schedule the second worst team in D2? At least some players who don't usually see playing time got some time on the court.
Some general observations while adjusting for quality of opponent:
1) Mayowa is just such a gifted rebounder. It's truly fun to watch her out jump players taller than her down low and still come down with the board. That kind of timing can't be taught.
2) Asjah might be the most important player on the team. She generally makes great decisions when to shoot and when to find others on offense.
3) When Nya Lok is playing in control, she can be a real force offensively and defensively with her length. The question with her is always consistency.
4) Since the TCU game, I've been impressed with Piper's poise when on the court. Don't think she necessarily needs to play a lot of minutes, but I think she can legitimately get a few minutes here and there as a change of pace option. Seems to be a good shooter and has been impactful when on the court.
5) Caia should probably get minutes ahead of Taylor as Loving already has a better touch near the rim. I noticed that McCombs benched Webster in the Manhattan game and I think that's the correct call right now. Taylor was never a strong offensive player but has somehow regressed even more this year. She undershoots her threes and her shots near the basket don't even draw iron, usually bouncing off the backboard. She also started forcing things and looked bad against D2 competition. Hope she is able to figure things out because we will need her size come A10 play. Also liked the move to start Faith because she shoots the ball well. She is a decent defender as well, but we will definitely still need Taylor against bigger teams moving forward.
6) Natalia may not see any more action the rest of the year given she's a freshman walk-on so I wish she had shot the ball in the game.
Tough to gauge team performance the past few games without fielding a full roster (we probably would have put up 100 yesterday with Jayla and Nya Robertson), but hopefully we get closer to that against Coppin State. Aurea being out with a migraine seems concerning. Migraines are no joke - hope she's okay. Not sure what the timeline is for Sheslanie to get back to playing again but am still hopeful it's by A10 play.
