Fennelly made the comment that the slow start may have been due to nerves. Last year, with Bolte, the team knew it had a go-to person with complete understanding of the offense. That had to lead to confidence on the offensive end. It's very possible that Pop struggled because she was trying fill a role that is not really in her control. So the press probably helped the team to just start playing basketball and gain confidence. It helped with defensive confidence too. Fennelly commented that with the limited scouting report, the team was told to let HBU shoot the three, and then they made consecutive shots to start the game. So the team was probably a little dazed from that as well.
If this team figures out how to consistently play with confidence and control, it will be fun.