Villanova Postgame Thread

[Tonyc]

The TOs made it close. Still to many turnovers. This is a team with alot of heart and guts that never gives up. Some how they keep it together though all theyve been through and the TOs. Man if those Tos were down to 12 or less a game we would be beating alot of teams by 20+. We found a way to overcome alot of things today and won. Pregame alot of fans didnt think we could win and defense helped it alot. Not a bad rebounding day either. Now we wait for Caroline to get healthy and maybe we hear something about Azzi.

 

[Fishy]

You didn’t mention the uppercut to Aaliyah’s chin that was called a turnover

Honestly, the fourth foul on Muhl almost reset my brain and anything that happened prior in the game or in my recent life was erased.

I watched with the sound off so I thought it was an offensive foul at first because it was, you know, an offensive foul. I could not believe it.

The official on the baseline there was so random in his calls - it was like he was just rotating through all of the his hand gestures just to practice them.

Plus, honestly, that this point in the game, I was all in on making fun of the Nova spray tans to anyone who would listen.

 

[Kaizen]

4) Edwards‘ basket to make it 54-50 was the game.

And Lou's 2 more pts secures the win at 56 - 50.

I also think Edwards' defense on Siegrist, 8-22, 21 pts is also the key..

 

[huskeynut]

Great win by UConn.

Tough defense all game. Aaliyah held Seigrist 21 points on 8 - 22 shooting. Controlled the boards and had a better shooting percentage than Nova. Grind out offensive performance with Lou, Aaliyah and Dorka in double figures.

Officiating was terrible, and I'm being kind. Aaliyah takes a shot to the jaw and no foul. Aaliyah called for a walk. Caroline hit in the head by Seigrist and no call. Olsen pushes Nika into a player and Nika gets the foul. Do they even know what a jump ball is? Seeing too much of this type of officiating.

Announcers - ugh.

 

[HuskerDo]

I must have missed something on the play in which Nika was pushed from behind, with a jump ball then called. Not a great call--as the announcers said--but it happens. Then I look up and Villanova is shooting free throws (missed both). Who was the foul on and when did it happen?

 

[Fishy]

And Lou's 2 more pts secures the win at 56 - 50.

That shot was damned near impossible.

 

[Ralph]

I missed something completely near the end, Nika had the ball two players went at her, one of them seemed to hit her in the face. Announcers seemed to be saying jump ball tie up. Then with no explanation Villanova is shooting free throws. What happened?

 

[ABCDFE]

Really proud how the team stepped up in crunch time. This game seemed to be slipping from them after they built a 12 point lead and then Caroline getting hit on the face. They could've folded, but battled back with timely shots especially by Lou.

• Nika - From the eye test she didn't have her best game, she provided no offense and had some blow bys on defense. It is what it is, without Azzi she just isn't as aggressive because she's needed to stay on the floor.
• AE- Overall I thought she played pretty well. I think when she sees the double team she needs to quickly pass back out and reset, too many times we're turning ball over with forcing the issue in the low post
• Dorka - Solid game by Dorka. I'm no expert, but it seems that Dorka gets pushed to the floor too often, kind of like crumpling. Not sure if this is strength or balance issue, but it's hard to see her bang with bigger posts
• Lou - Can't say enough about this gal, just so clutch and even though she's banged up she has a knack of making all the tough shots. Kudos to her.
• Aubrey - got some big rebounds and chipped in some points. Her defensive assigments today were tough. Hoping she can be a bit more offensive minded for us as we're having a tough time scoring. Wondering if Geno & Co. can draw up some plays for her in the post so given her athletic ability and scoring threat near the basket
• Caroline - Savvy player, really nervous every time she's down low getting a rebound etc. Hope it isn't anything serious from the hit to the face. Didn't shoot the ball much, but make some nice buckets in second half

 

[Urshurak]

Anyone know why Patterson is not getting any minutes. Did I miss an injury? I understand Bettencourt and to a lesser extent DeBerry but thought Patterson had played decent.

No offense. That’s why. In a game like this we need points, especially with Nika not scoring.

 

[Kat]

I have never seen a game where so many players, all on one team, got hit in the head/face by their opponents, most of the time without a foul being called.

 

[PAHuskeyFan]

OldDude should be the only thread starter on the BY.
Best win of the year.
AE gets hit in the mouth, no call.
Caroline gets wacked in the head, no call.
But the worst call, Nika gets tackled, not only no call, but the ball comes loose and they call a jump ball.

there was also the one where Nika was body blocked by the Villanova player into Siegrist... and Nika got called for the foul.

 

[Bama fan]

The officiating was awful, but in reality we shot 17-26 and Nova 6-12. The UConn ladies scrapped and clawed and did what was necessary. Taking a page from @LwrcasefaN , Cool Hand Lou done 'em in.

 

[UConnCat]

Something less than this was a penalty in the Super Bowl

 

[The deacon]

Credit to UConn's defense on Siegrist this time or did Villanova again not look to get the ball to their best player?

Lou scored 22 points on 12 shots and Siegrist scored 21 points on 22 shots. I love Siegrist btw.

The kindest thing I can say about the officiating in this game is that it was horrendous.

Very good win.

Well said all around, UConnCat. I'll just add because probably no one else will that Villanova got called for seven more fouls than the Huskies, and Maddy Siegrist was fouled often on her shots with no whistle. I suspect not many others will mention that.

That said, great win by the Huskies!

 

[HuskyNan]

That shot was damned near impossible.

Do you watch many women’s games? Lou is our RJ Evans. She’s shooting 48/46/86 before today

 

[#1florida]

The fourth foul call on Muhl was one of the worst I've ever seen. She was run over by Olsen (?) and plowed right into Siegrist, and got called for a foul instead of an offensive foul on Olsen. That's the same kind of play Fudd got hurt on, against Notre Dame.

Not to mention three different Connecticut players got hit in the face without a single foul being called.

Having said that, Connecticut played an outstanding defensive game, and a good game overall except for the absurd number of turnovers.

You are right, but, how did we all see those fouls on TV, and the refs standing close by on the floor, saw nothing. A lot of lean to Villanova on some calls.

 

[The deacon]

Lou-Maddie,one of them is considered in third place for player of the year. After this game guess which one should it be between these two.

Maddy, and Lou won't be close to third, probably second to Aaliyah on her own team.

 

[oldude]

Something less than this was a penalty in the Super Bowl

Philly had hometown refs in this game…

 

[veryolddog]

Well, a win is a win and this was a good win that positions UConn to move into the BE Tournament with a positive record. In this game, the only thing worse than UConn's shooting was Villanova. The UConn turnovers were just like they UConn wanted Nova to win. They gave Nova extra opportunities score. And the fouling, the play acting and referee calls made wife jump out of her chair and walk up the TV and scream language that I could not post on this board at the refs. And this is usually a very calm women.

When are they going to control the turnovers? Maybe the next game. Someday, someone is really going to eat UConn's shorts with these turnovers and it will all stop there for the rest of the season.

 

[Longtime fan]

Some thoughts on the Villanova game:

• This was a dog fight of a game between two really good teams who were fighting over the same bone. Everyone should know, don't ever try to take a bone from a Husky...
• It’s been 10 years since UConn had a conference matchup this BIG. While it isn’t quite ND-UConn, the game today between UConn and Villanova is the biggest WBB game yet in the NBE, with a national audience, NCAA tournament implications as well as conference tournament seedings in play.
• UConn’s win today over a very good Villanova team answers a lot of questions for the Huskies, and it certainly helps UConn’s seeding for the Big Dance. In addition, today’s victory practically assures UConn the top seed in the BE tournament, as the Huskies need only 1 win in their final 3 games to lock up the top seed, something that’s really important with the prospect of playing 3 games in 3 days with a very limited bench.
• Today, the refs got a little whistle happy on both sides, which clearly put added pressure on UConn’s limited rotation. Despite a bunch of fouls on everyone, the Huskies somehow managed the game effectively with a 6 players rotation.
• If you watch Villanova on offense, frequently, after they put up a shot, all 5 players sprint back on defense. Clearly the goal was to force UConn to try to score in the half-court offense as opposed to allowing UConn to get out in transition. It wasn't always pretty, but somehow the Huskies managed to put enough points on the board to come out on top.
• I guess that holding Siegrist under 30 points constitutes a moral victory of sorts. Aaliyah really worked her tail off battling the likely BE POY throughout the game, while holding her to only 22 points on 8/22 shooting.
• I kept waiting for a Husky to step up and win the game today. Today UConn got just enough from everyone, along with a HUGE SHOT & SOME FT's BY LOU to pull out a really hard-earned victory.
• Stat of the Game - UConn was +22 on the boards!!!
• UConn has faced some large, hostile crowds on the road this season such as ND, MD & TN. In addition, the Huskies have had some tough conference battles over the last few weeks. I have to believe those games helped the Huskies deal with the pressure of today’s game on the road against an outstanding Villanova team.

 

[LarryLegend]

Dorka had a double double on a sprained ankle

 

[UConnCat]

Well said all around, UConnCat. I'll just add because probably no one else will that Villanova got called for seven more fouls than the Huskies, and Maddy Siegrist was fouled often on her shots with no whistle. I suspect not many others will mention that.

That said, great win by the Huskies!

Villanova should have been called for 15 more fouls than the Huskies, at least.

 

[Bama fan]

I must have missed something on the play in which Nika was pushed from behind, with a jump ball then called. Not a great call--as the announcers said--but it happens. Then I look up and Villanova is shooting free throws (missed both). Who was the foul on and when did it happen?

Griffin

 

[Huskie02]

Great win. D was great. Nika showed poise after the 3rd foul.

Aubrey looks way off on both O and D and Nika with 0 points and 7 TOs, not her best effort.

What is the deal with all those tie ups when we were getting mauled?

We really need Azzi

Does anyone know Azzi’s status. I feel so sorry for the young woman. So highly rated coming out of high school. It seems like she has missed more games in her 2 years then she has played in.

 

[Hoops66]

For the first time in nearly 2 months I wasn't cringing every time the ball was passed around. (Well maybe a few times.) Having Caroline out there moving with and without the ball the passing was smoother, and I didn't fear losing my lunch. Also this was not quite the UCF-like slugfest that has been happening most of the time. Question. How hard can you hit the player with the ball on or off the floor before a foul is called instead of a jump ball?
PS, I almost did lose my lunch when Caroline went down. I hope she'll be OK.