Where to start on this one? If you caught my note in the preview thread you could tell I was ringing a bell of warning. This Drake team has some talent. If you had asked me part way through the first half what I thought I would have said…we’re ok. We caught them on a really bad night. But there was a problem…
The first half started off so slowly that it made me wonder how we would solve the fronted zone Drake was playing. They brought their size out top and collapsed on Fernstrom to make it difficult to get the ball inside. We never really did solve that one. Drake scored first and a few minutes in it was a low scoring single digit affair. Then Brynn caught fire. She single handedly did what you are supposed to do against a zone…drill the shot from deep outside. Fortunately for the Sisters Drake couldn’t buy a basket in the first half. Heck, they couldn’t hit a free throw if you paid them to do it. It was as if they had all signed their membership cards to the bricklayers union that day. Believe me it wasn’t our defense that caused it. We left them open time and time again and they found very creative ways to keep missing. This allowed our ladies to slowly build a double digit lead that looked more and more comfortable.
Yet there were signs of trouble on the court. There was sloppy ball handling as Drake had six steals at the half. There was the uncharacteristically poor free throw shooting by the home team on a night when Drake’s strategy appeared to be a foul-a-thon. We just couldn’t make them pay for all their mistakes and gifts. Adding insult to injury for Drake, their star player - Clark - was out with an injury. Should have been a recipe for an easy win. Wrong. Although the sisters found a way to light things up inside and out (no, not the posts…it was our guards) during the last 10 minutes of the first stanza the game was far from over. The first half had Brynn leading the way and Moody doing a nice job of scoring and dishing to open players. Unfortunately it didn’t matter who we tossed at Drake in the post they were ineffective. It was so bad that the predicted 5 guard (if you include Brynn) lineup was used and used rather effectively. It provided more speed, more scoring threats, and provided several transition baskets. Here was ISU shooting nearly 50% from the field while Drake was hurling bricks towards a 20% offensive (yes use that word both ways) showing and an ISU 45-21 halftime lead. Game set match right?
The second half really could have set the game of basketball back about 20 years. Our ladies started well enough and flirted with a 30 point lead for the first several minutes. Then it appeared that someone spiked the water or gatorade with ‘ludes or something. The girls not only slid into neutral, they forgot they were parked on a hill and started to roll backwards. The usually consistent Seana seemed like she was in a daze. Perhaps the beating she was taking inside had finally taken a toll? Moody started making mistakes with the ball. We couldn’t rebound. Drake was getting easy, uncontested breakaway layups and with about 14 minutes too many left on the clock they started to whittle into the lead. They got it under 20. With about 8 minutes to go the lead was down to 13. Fortunately, each time Drake made a push from there on out someone stepped up and hit a key shot. It may have been a Kidd (who had been a no show to that point) three or some Durr heroics. The ladies did just enough to overcome their own ineptness and keep a double digit lead. With a minute left the Drake coach finally conceded and emptied her bench. ISU held on to win 84-67 after Drake had manhandled them 46-39 in the second half. Another sign of how we shifted into neutral? Free throws. We didn’t shoot a single free throw in the second half. Not one.
It scares me to think what might have happened if Clark had been available for Drake. Maybe their team wouldn’t have had the fire to come back at us. Maybe the first half would have been much closer and we would have approached the second half with more of a sense of urgency. Maybe the refs would have actually made more of the missed calls? Hard to say but I feel we were lucky this night. Very lucky. But sometimes luck is having that one or two team members step up at the right time to hold things together. Perhaps luck has a name like Durr or Moody.
Observations
Emily Durr is going to be something special. This young lady oozes confidence. She hit key shots. She didn’t make mistakes. She is athlete top to bottom. Keep an eye on her.
Moody had one of her better games in recent history. Nearly pulling off a triple double she hit some shots from distance that she normally doesn’t make. I hope this is a sign of what might be to come during her senior season. Yes, she made some boneheaded plays during the second half, but a line of 18 points, 8 boards, TWELVE assists and only four turnovers is something I’ll take every game.
Brynn sometimes doesn’t get a chance to shoot. Sometimes she doesn’t hit. But she hustles. She’s moving more than I’ve ever seen her move. She hits key shots. Grabs key rebounds. She’s being a leader out there.
The posts - a learning experience. Bre hit some key shots in the second, but the posts accounted for TWO rebounds the entire night. Ouch.
Jadda looked good, Jadda looked bad. She is quick on D but also makes a few mistakes there. Its def getting better, but still work to do. She got pulled a couple of times for not taking shots. One thing is for sure….she is a scrapper and is willing to mix it up.
Free throws. We missed 1/3 of them tonight. Sadly we couldn’t get better in the second half because we never once got to the line. Where we normally win games at the line, Drake used that recipe effectively in the second half to mount their comeback.
Turnovers. When you play as lackadaisical as we did in the second stanza you will have turnovers. We did. 20 of them. That is a token for entry into disaster land.
This game left the coaching staff with several clipboards full of notes of things to work on. Every single thing can be corrected. The upside of this team is tremendous. This is a reason I’m glad our pre-conference schedule is what it is. Time to work things out and get ready for the grind. We have two tough ones ahead of us in Cincinnati and Iowa. Lots of things to fix before Sunday and a major makeover is needed to even compete with Iowa. This is where the coaches earn their living. With five days until the next game I’m betting we see a different team come Sunday. See you all there.
The first half started off so slowly that it made me wonder how we would solve the fronted zone Drake was playing. They brought their size out top and collapsed on Fernstrom to make it difficult to get the ball inside. We never really did solve that one. Drake scored first and a few minutes in it was a low scoring single digit affair. Then Brynn caught fire. She single handedly did what you are supposed to do against a zone…drill the shot from deep outside. Fortunately for the Sisters Drake couldn’t buy a basket in the first half. Heck, they couldn’t hit a free throw if you paid them to do it. It was as if they had all signed their membership cards to the bricklayers union that day. Believe me it wasn’t our defense that caused it. We left them open time and time again and they found very creative ways to keep missing. This allowed our ladies to slowly build a double digit lead that looked more and more comfortable.
Yet there were signs of trouble on the court. There was sloppy ball handling as Drake had six steals at the half. There was the uncharacteristically poor free throw shooting by the home team on a night when Drake’s strategy appeared to be a foul-a-thon. We just couldn’t make them pay for all their mistakes and gifts. Adding insult to injury for Drake, their star player - Clark - was out with an injury. Should have been a recipe for an easy win. Wrong. Although the sisters found a way to light things up inside and out (no, not the posts…it was our guards) during the last 10 minutes of the first stanza the game was far from over. The first half had Brynn leading the way and Moody doing a nice job of scoring and dishing to open players. Unfortunately it didn’t matter who we tossed at Drake in the post they were ineffective. It was so bad that the predicted 5 guard (if you include Brynn) lineup was used and used rather effectively. It provided more speed, more scoring threats, and provided several transition baskets. Here was ISU shooting nearly 50% from the field while Drake was hurling bricks towards a 20% offensive (yes use that word both ways) showing and an ISU 45-21 halftime lead. Game set match right?
The second half really could have set the game of basketball back about 20 years. Our ladies started well enough and flirted with a 30 point lead for the first several minutes. Then it appeared that someone spiked the water or gatorade with ‘ludes or something. The girls not only slid into neutral, they forgot they were parked on a hill and started to roll backwards. The usually consistent Seana seemed like she was in a daze. Perhaps the beating she was taking inside had finally taken a toll? Moody started making mistakes with the ball. We couldn’t rebound. Drake was getting easy, uncontested breakaway layups and with about 14 minutes too many left on the clock they started to whittle into the lead. They got it under 20. With about 8 minutes to go the lead was down to 13. Fortunately, each time Drake made a push from there on out someone stepped up and hit a key shot. It may have been a Kidd (who had been a no show to that point) three or some Durr heroics. The ladies did just enough to overcome their own ineptness and keep a double digit lead. With a minute left the Drake coach finally conceded and emptied her bench. ISU held on to win 84-67 after Drake had manhandled them 46-39 in the second half. Another sign of how we shifted into neutral? Free throws. We didn’t shoot a single free throw in the second half. Not one.
It scares me to think what might have happened if Clark had been available for Drake. Maybe their team wouldn’t have had the fire to come back at us. Maybe the first half would have been much closer and we would have approached the second half with more of a sense of urgency. Maybe the refs would have actually made more of the missed calls? Hard to say but I feel we were lucky this night. Very lucky. But sometimes luck is having that one or two team members step up at the right time to hold things together. Perhaps luck has a name like Durr or Moody.
Observations
Emily Durr is going to be something special. This young lady oozes confidence. She hit key shots. She didn’t make mistakes. She is athlete top to bottom. Keep an eye on her.
Moody had one of her better games in recent history. Nearly pulling off a triple double she hit some shots from distance that she normally doesn’t make. I hope this is a sign of what might be to come during her senior season. Yes, she made some boneheaded plays during the second half, but a line of 18 points, 8 boards, TWELVE assists and only four turnovers is something I’ll take every game.
Brynn sometimes doesn’t get a chance to shoot. Sometimes she doesn’t hit. But she hustles. She’s moving more than I’ve ever seen her move. She hits key shots. Grabs key rebounds. She’s being a leader out there.
The posts - a learning experience. Bre hit some key shots in the second, but the posts accounted for TWO rebounds the entire night. Ouch.
Jadda looked good, Jadda looked bad. She is quick on D but also makes a few mistakes there. Its def getting better, but still work to do. She got pulled a couple of times for not taking shots. One thing is for sure….she is a scrapper and is willing to mix it up.
Free throws. We missed 1/3 of them tonight. Sadly we couldn’t get better in the second half because we never once got to the line. Where we normally win games at the line, Drake used that recipe effectively in the second half to mount their comeback.
Turnovers. When you play as lackadaisical as we did in the second stanza you will have turnovers. We did. 20 of them. That is a token for entry into disaster land.
This game left the coaching staff with several clipboards full of notes of things to work on. Every single thing can be corrected. The upside of this team is tremendous. This is a reason I’m glad our pre-conference schedule is what it is. Time to work things out and get ready for the grind. We have two tough ones ahead of us in Cincinnati and Iowa. Lots of things to fix before Sunday and a major makeover is needed to even compete with Iowa. This is where the coaches earn their living. With five days until the next game I’m betting we see a different team come Sunday. See you all there.
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