Game 5 of 6 games in 12 days sees us in BG. Hopefully the girls will not come back to Oxford but will then head to Ypsilante where they play EMU Wednesday night. Miami is 8-14 (4-9), while BG is 11-10 ( 6-6).
BG went from last to first last season and won the MAC regular season championship, then star freshman Lexi Fleming got hurt in the first game of the MAC tournament and they lost the next game. Fleming is also missing this season, and instead of winning the MAC, BG is scrambling trying to hold onto a spot in the MAC tournament ( only top 8 go to Cleveland this year). Saturday they got crushed 80- 51 by their rival Toledo, the best team in the league, to drop to 11-10 ( 6-6). BG plays about 10 girls and their leading scorer Kadie Hempfling averages only 11, but they can all score.
Miami had a nice game on Saturday, drilling last place Central Michigan, but we have struggled in these makeup games on the road which are jammed into our regular schedule. Little time to prepare, bus rides, missing class but having to do the work, etc. Saturday Peyton Scott had 24, Ivy Wolf 18, Edyn Battle 16, and Katie Davidson 12. Wolf has stepped up her production lately, averaging over 16 ppg in the last 5 games and had a career high 8 rebounds Saturday. The 5th starter, Tejah Foster-Walker, has been showing improvement lately. Maddie Cluse did not play on Saturday, she may have reinjured herself?
10-7 Miami with 3 minutes to go in the first half. This is a half court grind it out game, very different than Saturday vs CMU. Ivy Wolf had our first 6 points, Peyton Scott and Edyn Battle are scoreless.
24-12 BG at the end of one. Peyton Scott is still sitting their watching our team get killed. Good thing I did not go or I think I would be yelling at the coach right now…Just absolutely stupid. Scott does not need breaks. Period. How about playing your best and actually trying to win!! 17-2 since Peyton went out.
DICK do you think our team is not conditioned well? It seems like they do well for awhile and then before you look up they are down by 7 or more and seem listless or get beaten easily.
38-20 at the 5 and under TO. I think we play our 8-12 players way, way too many minutes. I think she subs all the time when the girls who are playing well don’t need to come out. We are constantly using different combinations.
We have about 5 players that I trust. The others should be used for only a couple of minutes at a time. For 3 years now our coach plays 10 or12 players. Those last 5 -7 players are not really good enough to hold their own against the other teams best players, and the other teams do not play nearly so many girls ( they seem to be trying to win!). Our coach also seems to encourage everybody to shoot 3’s. It does not seem to matter to her at all whether they can hit 30% or more. It is just the opposite of Coach Duffy, who only let the best shooters shoot them and we hit a much higher percentage. Obviously.
This year at least we do have 5 girls who can play and do about everything pretty well. That is much better than last year.
I don’t think you’re going to be able to count on Foster-Walker, because that brace really looks like a hindrance and she seems to be limping a lot. One good blow or twist and I think that goes again. The other centers don’t appear to add much other than fouls.
I’ve seen enough. The substitution patterns that @DICK referenced above have been questionable all year. At last Saturday’s game I think @DICK said Hendrix substitutes as if she’s trying to get everyone a participation medal. Mistakes never seem to be corrected, just repeated.
That being said, Hendrix isn’t going anywhere. The powers that be will make excuses for her. Nobody cares enough about women’s basketball to do anything.
62 to 36 BG as the layups continue. Even the BG announcers are extremely critical of the pathetic defense. Have we no scouting reports or preparation at all?? Battle was having our best game, and she got hammered and left holding her shoulder.
75 to 50 at the end of 3. BG shooting 64/62/83% Layups and open 3’s. Battle and Scott have 14 each, as our offense played better in the third quarter. Defense has been clueless all night.
84-54 at the 5 and under TO. Duckett has fouled out in 9 minutes of action. Either she never learns or no one ever teaches her. She makes many fewer moving screens, that is the only improvement after 2 years.
94-61 Final. Terrible defense. Every time we have played a road game during these 3 game weeks, we have just looked totally unprepared and have not been competitive. This game was completely over in 3 minutes. Coach took Scott out with 3 minutes to go in the first quarter with a 3 point lead and we were down 12 at the end of the quarter, and it was over.