FAST START SENDS CARDS TO EASY WIN
Impressive, indeed.
It was all hands on deck for Louisville...Walz playing 10 players in the first quarter, nine of them scoring and Louisville forcing 13 turnovers in the 10 minutes...while shooting 70.6%...to hold a 31-7 first quarter edge.
Did Lamar Jackson sneak out there while no one was looking? Louisville was running over, past and through the Skyhawks in "Lamarvelous" fashion.
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| YIKES! THE SKYHAWK UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL... |
WATCH THE ENTIRE REPLAY HERE
With a starting lineup of Mariya Moore, Myisha Hines-Allen, Ciera Johnson, Durr and Taylor Johnson...the Cards applied the pressure, ran up and down the court with virtually no defense on them and did pretty much whatever they wanted in the first quarter. When the Skyhawks finally got on the board with 3:57 left in the first quarter..a mock cheer erupted from the 3351 in attendance.
As UTM coach Kevin McMillian stated in his post-game presser:
"It's a shame we couldn't have played this one in December...because we were nowhere ready to handle a team like this."
Having two starters out didn't help the OVC squad
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| COACH McMILLAN tries to explain what happened. |
Asia Durr decided to make the third quarter hers. The sophomore sank five treys in the ten minutes and when she did miss...Hines-Allen was there to stick it back in. The scoreboard read 84-39 after three and honestly...it wasn't even that close.
As you might expect, the final period was turned over over to Louisville's non-starters and Kylee Shook responded with six points and a couple of grabs. Jessica Laemmle added a basket and a couple of free throws and the Cards coasted home to the win.
Asia Durr led all scorers with 24 points...Briahanna Jackson ended with 13 and Hines-Allen had 12. A total of 12 Cards played and 11 scored...(actually Brianna Jones hit a three but it was over-ruled by the officials. Having Jessy Ward and Shy Copely out for the Skyhawks was honestly a big disadvantage for them...but the way Louisville came out fast, furious and focused...you probably could have played them along with the five who started for UT-Martin and not slowed the Cards down significantly.
THINGS WE LIKED
-- Open the Durr. Sorry about the pun...but when Asia Durr gets an open look...the ball is going to go through the hoop. 7 for 13 from beyond the arc! Last we heard, she hit a couple more at the rest stop during the Cards trip home.
-- Get your turnovers here. Louisville forced 32 in the game. Eight Cards had steals. I even checked to make sure I had my cell phone when I left the arena. Nice job of pilfering, Cards.
-- Snuck in there. The Cards went 17-24 from the foul line. That's 70.8% and our mandate is 70%. Special kudos to Fuehring (5-6) and Mariya (4-5).
THINGS THAT NEED WORK
-- Freshmen Foul Club. Zambrotta, Shook and Dunham had four fouls each in a combined court time of 38 minutes. UT Martin went 15-21 from the charity stripe. For 71%.
-- Two rough quarters. If you take away the first and third quarter...Louisville loses this game 35-34. Consistency still a quest. Sure, a lot of combinations and players out there...but 40 minutes of full effort is needed.
All in all, a great trip and opening win for UofL. A fantastic start did the trick.
paulie
xxxxx
Kudos to Walz. He did a ice job juggling minutes for everyone and doing it effectively. I am excited about Kylie Shook. Something about her makes me think she's a lot better than I thought. Pleasant surprise because we are going to need players taking that next step to be a dominant confident team verse top competition
ReplyDeleteAdd to that...Shook only practiced one day this week.
DeletePaulie
Yes Fuehring nice job on the free throw line. I didn't notice her lining up on the far left side of the stripe on her free throws last year. Nice adjustment
ReplyDeleteIt was something I didn't notice against LWC...she was one for two against them. If it works, it's all good.
DeletePaulie
Anyone notice UK beating Miami? Epps the Cardinal killer 29 and a few assists. Dang she's good. Not an easy player to like though but can school people
ReplyDeleteI thought it would be a close game...but 82-66 is a surprise. Epps...dangerous
DeletePaulie
It was a 7 point game after 3 quarters. Then UK pulled away.
DeleteLooks like we've got a pure shooter again. Durr has the stroke. It's all good.
ReplyDeleteIf Mariya gets hot from three...look out future opponents. We could shoot our way out of any zone...and we're a great team when opponents try to man-to-man us.
DeletePaulie
Agreed. Part of the reason Moore struggled from three last year was she was the only legitimate threat. Won't be the case this year. With at least two strong three point threats we should be good to go.
DeleteI'm all about 80 / 50 / 40 this year for these kids...80% free throws, 50% overall field goals and 40% from three. Should be doable based upon the skill sets. Only have to lock down on who is going to consistently run the club from the one and we'll be cooking with gas.
Paulie, the opposing coach was funny in post game. One of the many things he said was
Delete"I told our players before the game to stay on 24 (Durr) and let 4 (Mariya) shoot 3's but they wouldnt do it"
Burn Brother you sound like Debbie Anotelli shooting shooting shooting! No doubt if you can't shoot it's harder to win. Sounds like something Yogi Berra would say.
DeleteI don't know about Antonelli but basketball comes down to a pretty simple rule...you need makers, not shooters. I've never been one to quote Walz but it seems I remember him taking that position in prior pressers.
DeleteHe has no problem with his kids taking shots if they've paid their dues practicing. If they don't have the reps and the success reps brings with it they shouldn't be taking the shots.
Seems we've got two kids that can hit a high percentage from three. That will make a difference, especially if they're on the floor at the same time.
Having those two and Sydney is pretty deadly out there as well I like the added dimension. Last year it was kinda like...if Mariya isn't "on" outside...we have very little three point game. This year, he has options.
DeletePaulie
We played about 3-4 minutes of McMillian's post-game presser on the radio show. Good stuff...he was almost joking about it when I asked him about Asia Durr.
DeletePaulie
Good point paulie ,if sydney can hit shots from the outside that another added dimension.
DeletePS if brianna jones plays better on the defensive end she could be another option also.
Asia's release was quick. Soon as she got the ball she was ready to launch and they went in. That was impressive.
ReplyDeleteGood game with some nice garbage time.kylee, b jones ,sydney , sam & jess.Got extended time on the court.GO CARDS!
ReplyDeleteThought Kylee looked OK...she only had one day of practice. Jessica is a fireball. LOL. Out newest Attack Yorkie
DeletePaulie
Just an update from yesterday...Michaela Onyeware did commit yesterday....to UCLA.
ReplyDeletePaulie
Hate to miss Louisville WBB AT KFC YUM! Center but sometimes we do what is needed instead of what is desired. I'll be following the action via radio, though...with the excellent Nick Curran and A.J. GO CARDS!
ReplyDeletePaulie