I did a background check on Columbia ahead of this one. Rather than being the "unknown" easy win, I saw the Lions as a threat mainly because they were a prolific three point shooting team. I looked at their three wins against Delaware, Seton Hall and Memphis along with their only loss to Vanderbilt and it opened my eyes. First thought...our defense had better be ready.
The first quarter was a set of runs as each team went back and forth with makes. Columbia hit the first three of the game and then something I hoped for happened. Actually two things. First, the defense stepped up. When Columbia had the ball they were 1 and done. For a while it was "done." Second, the offense showed it came prepared, but in a way we don't always get to see.
The sisters started by working the ball inside to Soares with some nifty ball movement and assists to the 6' 6" post. Soares moved well and used her long reach to her advantage scoring our first two buckets. Defense was the name of the game as the ladies would work out to a 15-3 lead before the Lions first run closed it to 15-11 behind their VERY accurate three point shooting. Then the defense stepped up again.
The sisters would answer with a run of their own to work it back to double digits again and the remainder of the quarter they would keep the lions at arms length. I knew coming into the game the Lions had some three point shooters and they didn’t disappoint. Until just a few minutes before the end of the half both teams had made 7-15 treys. The nets were definitely swishing when anyone was left wide open.
The first crucial moment came when Davis (#4) for the Lions picked up her third foul part way through the second and went to the bench. That removed one of their primary scorers as she was one of four Lions averaging double figures on the season. While the remaining Lions fought valiantly, they just couldn't do anything to close the gap on the hot shooting Sisters.
Something I think we will get used to seeing, Coach Fen substituted freely making use of Diew, Kane and M&M. All would make solid contributions but inevitably the core of Soares and Fritz would be on the floor as they seemed to clearly frustrate the Lions.
While Joens would be a monster (as we are all used to) in this half, this was a team game as all the starters made contributions. For example, Fritz made a beautiful drive in the second period for two and followed that up with a trey moments later. Coach Fen described Fritz as the fifth or least worrisome offensive threat in an opponent's scouting report. Well, she showed that even she can't be left in a 1 on 1 or unguarded.
As I mentioned, Joens was in fire in the first half dominating the scoring and rebounding. She looked like what she is…the best player on the floor in practically any game the sisters will be in all year. Her deep shots were deadly and she is finding herself in more one on one defensive situations than ever before mainly due to Soares and other scoring threats. We all know she can beat most double teams...now she smells blood anytime she only has a single defender on her. What's particularly notable is her court vision has improved and she finds open players if a double team shifts to her. Maturity is a wonderful thing.
Second quarter again saw some runs as isu stretched the lead to 19 only to see the Lions answer back pulling within 11. But the sisters closed the half with authority extending the lead to 24 (55-31). Impressively this was a team effort with the scoring being spread around. The first half defense was stellar with only a couple of breakdowns. The sisters outrebounded the Lions 23-11 limiting any second chance opportunities. As I said...one and done was the story here. The Sisters seemed to be far more aggressive on the boards than did the Lions Perhaps the BEST stat of the half was assists. FOURTEEN. That's a great stat for an entire game. This should put a smile on your faces. The best part was again...everyone was sharing the ball.
The third quarter started very sloppy on offense. Perhaps the Lions made some adjustments. Whatever was working throughout the first half didn't seem to appear with the ladies to start the third. Maybe it took longer to get out of the locker room. Even the defense was slow starting, but it was still there. The lions made a push behind a slew of treys and brought the lead down to 21, but finally the sisters answered back and throughout the rest of the quarter it was back and forth with the sisters edging out to a 28 point lead. Throughout the quarter Coach Fen continued to sub players in and out to provide minutes and to look at different combinations. He was clearly limiting Soares' minutes. When Diew, M&M or Kane came in the game what I saw was (1) The are a step slower on defense. Diew got beat a couple of times on drives as did Kane. M&M took a while to find her shot but finally hit a trey. Diew got into the flow and it earned her a bunch of minutes. She was scrambling for rebounds and did well on defending the perimeter. Kane is much more limited at this point.
Fritz eventually got into foul trouble and this may also be why Diew saw so much of the court. It seemed like every time Fritz came in she fouled someone rather quickly. Usually as a result of a defensive lapse. Have to say she is aggressive, but still is finding her way a little bit.
During the third Soares didn’t score and Ashley was "held" to 7 points. Others picked up the slack as the sisters widened the lead by four to end the quarter ahead 80-52.
The fourth quarter was predominantly subs playing. From about the seven minute mark on Joens, Ryan, Soares, and Fritz were on the bend. Donarski would join them shortly after getting some practice running point. It allowed the Lions to get some uncontested baskets as our defense became a bit ramshackle at times. Seven of those shots were three pointers which made the game seem closer than it really was.
What was interesting to watch in the fourth was the reaction of the coaches and team to something that normally would send Coach Fen into a tizzy. Columbia would leave their starters in and put on a full court press. You've all seen it before. Usually, Coach would reinsert the starters to a stop to it. Well, he didn't even flinch. He watched this deep team handle the press fairly well with only a couple of turnovers. What a change. One of the fourth quarter highlights was watching Izzy Zingaro use her size to bang inside for six points. She handled the ball well and when it was fed to her she has learned to go up rather than dribble.
In the end, the sisters had too much fire power and a sticky defense that just overpowered the Lions. Final was 99-76. Again...the game wasn't this close in the end.
Observations
Joens - wow. She played one of the best games of her life tonight. She clearly looked to be one of the top players in the country as she rang up 33 points, 10 boards and 3 assists while only playing 33 minutes. Think we could handle 1 point per minute from her all the time? I was in awe watching her tonight.
Ryan - She is definitely the floor general. Very few mistakes (only one turnover which was of the "what was she seeing" variety) and no level of defense caused her problems. She has this look on her face that she's going to school you behind the shed. Very solid game with 13 points, NINE assists and 8 boards. She was everywhere.
Donarski - I just marvel watching her play defense. Every time the coaches bring her out of the game she deserves it as she is giving everything she has out there. Clearly frustrates whoever she is on. "Only" 7 points, 2 boards, 6 assists, and 2 steals.
Fritz - she's finding her way slowly, but surely. Keep in mind that this is her seventh game as a Cyclone. I catch myself thinking she should or shouldn't do something because it seems she's been around longer. Man, she is aggressive and she can shoot. The look on her face would scare me if I were ever on the court with her. 9 points, 6 boards, 2 assists in only 19 minutes on the court. Has to clean up the fouls, but she's really growing.
Soares - limited to 21 minutes, she got this team going in the first half as the ladies fed her inside. Would you believe no three pointers this game? Only took one slightly off balance one. Still ended up with 15 points and 5 boards. As she gains experience at this level and endurance she's going to be a monster. One thing we saw her do tonight was getting on the floor. She was going after loose balls. Apparently the coaches told her to not worry about fouls. And...she didn't have a single one. Add a couple more blocks to her ledger as well.
The bench. I've talked about the primary subs of Kane, Diew and M&M. I told my wife during the second half that we miss having Jordao available. Her mobility would be a nice compliment and sub for Soares. No highlights for Dawkins or King this time around.
Columbia - this team...and I mean team...can shoot the three. If anyone has even a little light to look through they will put it up and score. They hit EIGHTEEN threes on the day. They put up 42 of them for nearly 43% clip. They are going to def win a bunch of games this year.
Next up - this is where things get serious. The sisters haven't had an easy schedule so far and that's good. It's about to get three magnitudes tougher this week. As they travel to the Phil Knight Invitational in Portland, OR they get to start with a 6-0 Michigan State team (a very untested MSU team) on Thanksgiving day. After that the Sisters will get either #13 North Carolina or #21 Oregon next Sunday. Tough, but valuable experience.
Fun note - while they don't really matter right now, ISU will likely move up in the rankings after three teams in front of them (Iowa, Texas and Louisville) all lost this week. #4 anyone?
Everyone have a wonderful Thanksgiving, be safe, enjoy family and be sure to watch our Sisters in action Thursday!
The first quarter was a set of runs as each team went back and forth with makes. Columbia hit the first three of the game and then something I hoped for happened. Actually two things. First, the defense stepped up. When Columbia had the ball they were 1 and done. For a while it was "done." Second, the offense showed it came prepared, but in a way we don't always get to see.
The sisters started by working the ball inside to Soares with some nifty ball movement and assists to the 6' 6" post. Soares moved well and used her long reach to her advantage scoring our first two buckets. Defense was the name of the game as the ladies would work out to a 15-3 lead before the Lions first run closed it to 15-11 behind their VERY accurate three point shooting. Then the defense stepped up again.
The sisters would answer with a run of their own to work it back to double digits again and the remainder of the quarter they would keep the lions at arms length. I knew coming into the game the Lions had some three point shooters and they didn’t disappoint. Until just a few minutes before the end of the half both teams had made 7-15 treys. The nets were definitely swishing when anyone was left wide open.
The first crucial moment came when Davis (#4) for the Lions picked up her third foul part way through the second and went to the bench. That removed one of their primary scorers as she was one of four Lions averaging double figures on the season. While the remaining Lions fought valiantly, they just couldn't do anything to close the gap on the hot shooting Sisters.
Something I think we will get used to seeing, Coach Fen substituted freely making use of Diew, Kane and M&M. All would make solid contributions but inevitably the core of Soares and Fritz would be on the floor as they seemed to clearly frustrate the Lions.
While Joens would be a monster (as we are all used to) in this half, this was a team game as all the starters made contributions. For example, Fritz made a beautiful drive in the second period for two and followed that up with a trey moments later. Coach Fen described Fritz as the fifth or least worrisome offensive threat in an opponent's scouting report. Well, she showed that even she can't be left in a 1 on 1 or unguarded.
As I mentioned, Joens was in fire in the first half dominating the scoring and rebounding. She looked like what she is…the best player on the floor in practically any game the sisters will be in all year. Her deep shots were deadly and she is finding herself in more one on one defensive situations than ever before mainly due to Soares and other scoring threats. We all know she can beat most double teams...now she smells blood anytime she only has a single defender on her. What's particularly notable is her court vision has improved and she finds open players if a double team shifts to her. Maturity is a wonderful thing.
Second quarter again saw some runs as isu stretched the lead to 19 only to see the Lions answer back pulling within 11. But the sisters closed the half with authority extending the lead to 24 (55-31). Impressively this was a team effort with the scoring being spread around. The first half defense was stellar with only a couple of breakdowns. The sisters outrebounded the Lions 23-11 limiting any second chance opportunities. As I said...one and done was the story here. The Sisters seemed to be far more aggressive on the boards than did the Lions Perhaps the BEST stat of the half was assists. FOURTEEN. That's a great stat for an entire game. This should put a smile on your faces. The best part was again...everyone was sharing the ball.
The third quarter started very sloppy on offense. Perhaps the Lions made some adjustments. Whatever was working throughout the first half didn't seem to appear with the ladies to start the third. Maybe it took longer to get out of the locker room. Even the defense was slow starting, but it was still there. The lions made a push behind a slew of treys and brought the lead down to 21, but finally the sisters answered back and throughout the rest of the quarter it was back and forth with the sisters edging out to a 28 point lead. Throughout the quarter Coach Fen continued to sub players in and out to provide minutes and to look at different combinations. He was clearly limiting Soares' minutes. When Diew, M&M or Kane came in the game what I saw was (1) The are a step slower on defense. Diew got beat a couple of times on drives as did Kane. M&M took a while to find her shot but finally hit a trey. Diew got into the flow and it earned her a bunch of minutes. She was scrambling for rebounds and did well on defending the perimeter. Kane is much more limited at this point.
Fritz eventually got into foul trouble and this may also be why Diew saw so much of the court. It seemed like every time Fritz came in she fouled someone rather quickly. Usually as a result of a defensive lapse. Have to say she is aggressive, but still is finding her way a little bit.
During the third Soares didn’t score and Ashley was "held" to 7 points. Others picked up the slack as the sisters widened the lead by four to end the quarter ahead 80-52.
The fourth quarter was predominantly subs playing. From about the seven minute mark on Joens, Ryan, Soares, and Fritz were on the bend. Donarski would join them shortly after getting some practice running point. It allowed the Lions to get some uncontested baskets as our defense became a bit ramshackle at times. Seven of those shots were three pointers which made the game seem closer than it really was.
What was interesting to watch in the fourth was the reaction of the coaches and team to something that normally would send Coach Fen into a tizzy. Columbia would leave their starters in and put on a full court press. You've all seen it before. Usually, Coach would reinsert the starters to a stop to it. Well, he didn't even flinch. He watched this deep team handle the press fairly well with only a couple of turnovers. What a change. One of the fourth quarter highlights was watching Izzy Zingaro use her size to bang inside for six points. She handled the ball well and when it was fed to her she has learned to go up rather than dribble.
In the end, the sisters had too much fire power and a sticky defense that just overpowered the Lions. Final was 99-76. Again...the game wasn't this close in the end.
Observations
Joens - wow. She played one of the best games of her life tonight. She clearly looked to be one of the top players in the country as she rang up 33 points, 10 boards and 3 assists while only playing 33 minutes. Think we could handle 1 point per minute from her all the time? I was in awe watching her tonight.
Ryan - She is definitely the floor general. Very few mistakes (only one turnover which was of the "what was she seeing" variety) and no level of defense caused her problems. She has this look on her face that she's going to school you behind the shed. Very solid game with 13 points, NINE assists and 8 boards. She was everywhere.
Donarski - I just marvel watching her play defense. Every time the coaches bring her out of the game she deserves it as she is giving everything she has out there. Clearly frustrates whoever she is on. "Only" 7 points, 2 boards, 6 assists, and 2 steals.
Fritz - she's finding her way slowly, but surely. Keep in mind that this is her seventh game as a Cyclone. I catch myself thinking she should or shouldn't do something because it seems she's been around longer. Man, she is aggressive and she can shoot. The look on her face would scare me if I were ever on the court with her. 9 points, 6 boards, 2 assists in only 19 minutes on the court. Has to clean up the fouls, but she's really growing.
Soares - limited to 21 minutes, she got this team going in the first half as the ladies fed her inside. Would you believe no three pointers this game? Only took one slightly off balance one. Still ended up with 15 points and 5 boards. As she gains experience at this level and endurance she's going to be a monster. One thing we saw her do tonight was getting on the floor. She was going after loose balls. Apparently the coaches told her to not worry about fouls. And...she didn't have a single one. Add a couple more blocks to her ledger as well.
The bench. I've talked about the primary subs of Kane, Diew and M&M. I told my wife during the second half that we miss having Jordao available. Her mobility would be a nice compliment and sub for Soares. No highlights for Dawkins or King this time around.
Columbia - this team...and I mean team...can shoot the three. If anyone has even a little light to look through they will put it up and score. They hit EIGHTEEN threes on the day. They put up 42 of them for nearly 43% clip. They are going to def win a bunch of games this year.
Next up - this is where things get serious. The sisters haven't had an easy schedule so far and that's good. It's about to get three magnitudes tougher this week. As they travel to the Phil Knight Invitational in Portland, OR they get to start with a 6-0 Michigan State team (a very untested MSU team) on Thanksgiving day. After that the Sisters will get either #13 North Carolina or #21 Oregon next Sunday. Tough, but valuable experience.
Fun note - while they don't really matter right now, ISU will likely move up in the rankings after three teams in front of them (Iowa, Texas and Louisville) all lost this week. #4 anyone?
Everyone have a wonderful Thanksgiving, be safe, enjoy family and be sure to watch our Sisters in action Thursday!
