Twister Sister Summary - holy buckets! holy buckets! holy buckets!

[VeloClone]

They flew to Manhattan, so I'm guessing they flew back instead of riding a bus.

Who flies the plane now that Leath is gone?

 

[theshadow]

Who flies the plane now that Leath is gone?

 

[Neptune78]

Game just ended and my heart is beating like a hamster. After watching Ayoka Lee completely dominate ISU and KSU take an 11 point lead with four to go...somehow...some way...the sisters mounted a comeback and won the biggest game of the year so far. Holy buckets!

I can summarize the first three quarters of this game pretty easily. It was the Ayoka Lee show and a great demonstration of active defense by the wildcats. They held the sisters to 24 total points in the first half and only 9 in the second quarter. In the meantime, Lee was unstoppable. Every time she gained position at the charge line it was instant points. To make matters worse, our ladies just couldn't pull start the offense. Missed shots and a lack of team play put the team in a hole that was just frustrating at times. At the half it was 35-24 and the hole seemed deeper than that. Donarski was struggling mightily not hitting anything. Our posts were unable to stop Lee and couldn't get much offense of their own with the size difference KSU had inside. What was hopeful was that the KSU guard court was doing little to contribute. During the game I kept saying that I don't care what Lee does...get the offense on track.

The second half saw some offensive improvement as the 11 point halftime lead was whittled down to 7 after three quarters. We started to see some things go right for the ladies. Jordao was making some nice moves for points underneath. Ashley was finding ways to score. I have to give credit where credit is due though...every time the ladies made a run at KSU, the Wildcats found a way to answer back. Halfway through the fourth they had built the lead back up to 11 points and it seemed like things were over. At times I watched our team on offense and three of the players literally stood and watched Ashley and Emily try to do something. It wasn't working. Four minutes to go and it was looking pretty bleak.

Then...it...happened. The three ball. Over and over again. The three ball. Donarski heated up. Ashley hit. Kane hit. Two turnovers by KSU helped. Ayoka Lee disappeared. With seconds to go the sisters were down by one. Team ball took place and Ryan drove the middle of the lane and when the defense collapsed to cut her off she dished out to a wide open M&M. And...M&M shot the three...and...banked one in. Holy buckets! All of a sudden that 11 point lead for KSU was a TWO point lead for the sisters. No only was it a two point lead, but there were only 3.3 seconds left to the game. Fortunately, we had fouls to give and on the inbounds one tic went off and we fouled. On the next inbounds pass...an attempt to get it to Lee...the ball sailed over her head and out of bounds. ISU ball. One inbounds play later Ashley was on the line. One free throw later and a little pressure defense and the sisters had miraculously beaten one of the best teams in the conference on their court. Final ISU 73-70.

Observations

Free Throws - first of all, we got the crap beat out of us and couldn't get to the line. Late in the game we had attempted only two free throws. When does that happen besides in a men's game at OU? The worst part was the part of our game that is so good...was TERRIBLE tonight. Fifty percent. Three for six. Ashley missed all three of them. She's also the only one who shot any. Weird right?

Ashley Joens - somehow she managed to score 27 points and pull down 8 boards in this mess. It seemed like every time she drove the lane she was covered up completely. And yet...she still got it done. She shot 50% from the field in the process. POG here.

Donarski - man, did she struggle early. Heck, she has struggled the entire Big 12 season so far. Came into the game 1-12 from three. But when it mattered she found the range. She hit three treys late in the game that were HUGE.

Ryan - Not much in scoring. Seemed every time she drove the length of the KSU players really bothered her. But she still had 7 assists and a handful of rebounds. Solid.

Aubrey Joens - She has moved from mountain shaker to bench role player. Second game where she didn't attempt a single shot. Something has happened here.

The bigs - The first half was all about foul trouble. The second half showed progress. All three bigs played against Lee and all three failed most of the time against her. But, in the second half we saw the speed of Jordao come into play as she made some nice buckets by out quicking Lee. Final tally was 13 points and ZERO rebounds. Woof. That's what happens when you are playing one of the best posts in the country.

M&M - I saved her for last. Why? She is the hero of the game. She hit two big time treys tonight including the one that put ISU up by two late in the game. She is cool as ice and her play was so critical tonight. 12 points in 19 minutes of play. Kudos.

I have to talk a little about Ayoka Lee. She is so dominant inside IF she can gain position close to the basket. If she establishes at the charge line or closer its money in the bank. Keep her further out...not so much. As others had mentioned who have watched her play she doesn't move well up and down the court. Slow is an understatement. She also appeared to get tired towards the end of the game when it mattered most. She picked up 38 points, but started to miss. She also finally got in foul trouble and that altered her game. Dominant for three quarters. I suspect that was a part of the game plan.

Guess what folks? The sisters are ALONE in first place in the Big 12 conference. I'm not sure when the last time that happened was? ALONE. They have found a way. IF this game doesn't show people that this team is different than anything we've seen in a couple of decades nothing will. Wow. Holy Buckets!

Next up...OSU on Saturday. Bring 'em on.

Always look forward to your summaries. Becoming one of my favorite things on CF.

I found the description of Aubrey's play interesting. Can you elaborate on what you think is going on?

 

[Lyon309Cy]

I think MEM plays the same spot-up knock-down role as Aubrey, but is just a little better shooter and is a little taller so she can get shots off over the defense. I would also say that just because she's not forcing shots up, or even touching the ball much, she still contributes if the defense can't help off her. I'm sure there will be games where she will go off again.
I was impressed with the tenacity Diew, Jordao, Kane, and even Zingara played with. Their willingness to do a tough thankless job on one end without getting much reward on the other was impressive, and having that depth eventually wore them down. Lee's most impressive attribute is her soft touch in the paint, by the end she was gassed and her shot was hard and flat. We are getting exactly what we need from our posts.
Lee would not be an overall upgrade because we'd have to slow down how we play and turn our guards into passive players. I reserve the right to change my mind, but I think KState will be more dangerous in 2 years when those impressive young guards become upperclassmen and get turned loose.

 

[acoustimac]

Always look forward to your summaries. Becoming one of my favorite things on CF.

I found the description of Aubrey's play interesting. Can you elaborate on what you think is going on?

thanks for the compliment. I have a lot of fun writing them. So, what’s happening with Aubrey? As others have said part of it is the availability of M&M. I do think opponents have adjusted somewhat to neutralize her offensively. It could also just be a streaky thing. She can shoot and rebound and the later is still happening. Given the chance I suspect she will re-emerge. There’s not a member of the current team that isn’t capable and willing to step up when called.

 

[acoustimac]

I’ve gone back on ESPN+ and watched the last four minutes of last nights game three times. If you watched just that part of the game you’d swear we dominated the whole game. The shots made during the fourth were amazing. The team played as a team in ways that clearly caused KSU problems. The hustle and determination were amazing. What was really fun was watching the time outs. Coach Fen was calm. He knew they could do it. The players were calm. A quiet determination and belief in one another. To me this was even more fun to watch than the amazing shots by Kane and M&M (ok…almost).

 

[Clonefan32]

I think MEM plays the same spot-up knock-down role as Aubrey, but is just a little better shooter and is a little taller so she can get shots off over the defense. I would also say that just because she's not forcing shots up, or even touching the ball much, she still contributes if the defense can't help off her. I'm sure there will be games where she will go off again.
I was impressed with the tenacity Diew, Jordao, Kane, and even Zingara played with. Their willingness to do a tough thankless job on one end without getting much reward on the other was impressive, and having that depth eventually wore them down. Lee's most impressive attribute is her soft touch in the paint, by the end she was gassed and her shot was hard and flat. We are getting exactly what we need from our posts.
Lee would not be an overall upgrade because we'd have to slow down how we play and turn our guards into passive players. I reserve the right to change my mind, but I think KState will be more dangerous in 2 years when those impressive young guards become upperclassmen and get turned loose.

I've also been impressed by Maggie's defense. She guards the ball well and has good defensive instincts.

 

[seadog]

Aubrey is the number 5 option on offense this year (as she should be). She is keeping a defender honest and getting rebounds. Her time will come.
also I believe Maggie is a little better at driving which keeps defenders from blanketing her as they do Aubrey.

 

[ISU71]

Aub Dog will be there. She's a gamer and her time will come again. She has a role and its a valuable one to this team. If you don't guard her she WILL beat you.