Well, this one wasn't as easy as the first 3. We struggled early on and MSU looked to be firing on all cylinders. I was worried we were going to get run out of the gym. MSU's zone confused the hell out of us and we couldn't find a way to get the ball inside to Crystal, Jade and Harp. Coach B called a timeout and settled the troops and before you knew we inched our way back into the game. We ran a modified three-man weave, before either settling for a jumper or passing in the low post. It also didn't help that Toliver and Crystal were in early four trouble and sat out most of the first half. At halftime the score was 33-29, which is way better then it could have been.
The second half was a different story. We knew we were the better team and asserted it early, by scoring 5 quick points to take the lead. MSU answered, but we matched them and then it was shot for shot until Shay buried a 3 from the right wing to give us the lead for good. Down the stretch we didn't score a bucket, but made all 10 of our free throws to seal the deal.
This was a great win and proves that we belong in the Top 10. Tomorrow becomes the key test as we face top-ranked and yearly Final Four participant, Tennessee.
Box Score | Game Story
Positives
Resiliency. Despite struggling with our shot, we didn't give up and continue to fight, which in the end resulted in us winning the game.
Depth. With Toliver and Lang in foul trouble, Marissa and Jade had to play extended minutes and it resulted in them keeping us in the game. The story indicates that Marissa scored 11 points in a row at one point. Also, we had five-players in double figures again.
Crystal's rebounding. The girl is a beast when she wants the ball. Late in the second half she was going up there and grabbing the ball with authority. Then she swings her elbows around to clear out some room and we are off and running.
Shay's decision making. Shay had to play the point with Kristi out and she did a great job. She looked for the open person and even passed up a shot (yes, I know, I was shocked as well).
Our defense. Instead of turning this into a scoring fest, the team locked down on D and forced MSU to take stupid shots or contested ones. The Spartans only shot 26.5% in the second half.
Free Throw Shooting Down the Stretch. We aren't the best free throw shooting team, but to make all 10 down the stretch lets teams know they are going to have to do more than foul us near the end of games.
Negatives
Shay's Free Throw shooting. She missed five of them. Yes five. She used to be automatic from the line but this year she is missing at least one a game. That needs to change quickly and I am sure it will.
Quick Shots. Several times we would come down the court and not get into our offense and just fire up shots. This results in missed rebounds and let's the team back in the game. Usually when we are on a roll we want to put the final nail in the coffin so we take a quick shot, but we need to settle down and get the best shot.
Foul trouble. We keep picking up ticky tack fouls early in the first half, which forces us to go to the bench early. Fortunately, we have other scorers on the bench, but we don't need to be taken out of our rhythm right away.
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