Lady Zags vs USF Dons - Preview Thread

[ZagDad84]

Why most people who post on this board tend to look at the offensive stats, I have been a big proponent of defense wins games. In general, ES and JL get the opportunity to guard the best player on the opposing team, and with one exception, have held that player considerably under their season average for points.

Yesterday, the entire team took it to another level. Here are the top four (4) scorers for USF along with their season averages (pts/game) and their points from yesterday.

Anna, Seilund 16.0 Pts/Gm @ 44.4% Yesterday 6 Pts @ 42.9%
Michaela Rakova 11.8 Pts/Gm @ 40.2% Yesterday 2 Pts @ 14.3%
Kalyn Simon 10.2 Pts/Gm @ 46.3% Yesterday 5 Pts @ 20.0%
Shannon Powell 9.9 Pts/Gm @ 40.6% Yesterday 6 Pts @ 37.5%
TOTALS- Season Average = 47.9 Pts/Gm Yesterday = 19 Pts

You are not going to win to many games when your top scorers are held to 39.7% of their average. With the nit picky exception of a few missed switches leading to the ball handler not being picked up in the key (lay-ups), this was by far the best overall defensive effort by the ladies all year. Very few 3 pt shooters were left open yesterday making USF work for every shot.

Great Job ladies. Remember this for next Thursday, you will need it.

Oh, that game where the leading scorer was not held below her average? Gabby Green @ LMU. Hey coach, maybe before the rematch with LMU, you might want to consider guarding Gabby (6'2") with somebody other than ES (5'9") or JL (5'6") particularly when she plays in the key. ES and JL are simply no match for her down low.

ZagDad

[ZagDad84]

Better Late than Never. Here is the summaries of the Portland and USF games from the slipper still fits:

Women off to a 6-0 WCC start with another strong defensive effort

Gonzaga took care of Portland and San Fran despite the star’s struggles

By Sherlock93Conan Jan 15, 2018, 6:07pm PST

First came on the road versus Portland whose yet to win a game in league. On one hand, the Zags defense did their job by allowing only 10 points in the first quarter. Problem is, they scored just 10 points themselves. At the half, Gonzaga was only up three points, after another poor shooting display.

But it was the third quarter that proved to be the turning point, led by the Zag’s role players to push the lead to 15 behind capitalizing off the Pilots mistakes. They were able to hold steady in the fourth to win 70-56.

Jill Barta had her worst game of the season, scoring just four points in 20 minutes played. Laura Stockton had just two on the night herself. Zykera Rice led the team with 14 points, but it was the Wirth twins, who combined for 16 points and 10 rebounds. Freshman Jill Townsend had a great game off the bench, with eight points and six boards.

Once again, the Zags couldn’t hit a perimeter shot, going 3/19. But they held Portland to 3/13 from three-point range as well, and had 46 rebounds (23 off) to the Pilots 29 total. Making 10 more free throws than the opponent doesn’t hurt either.

Next came home versus San Francisco, where a 39-17 halftime score all but decided the game. The star of this game was backup point guard Jessie Loera, who had career-highs in both points (16) and assists (9) in the game. She was one of four Zags in double-figures, along with Rice, Barta and Emma Stach. Chandler Smith only scored four points, but had a game-high 10 rebounds. Gonzaga won 74-47.

Just like all the other games, Gonzaga dominated inside, winning the rebounding battle 50-37. They also took advantage of the Dons turnovers, scoring 24 points off of them. The key player for San Francisco was Anna Seilund, and she needed to have a big game if there was any hope for a win. She scored just six points on 3/8 shooting. As a team, the Dons shot 30% from the field and was 3/20 from deep. Gonzaga shot 7/19 from the arc, which for them is spectacular.

The Zags stand on top of the WCC standings at 6-0, but just below them are a couple of familiar names - BYU and Saint Mary’s, who each are 5-1. The Gaels handed the Cougars their only loss earlier in Moraga, and Gonzaga will try to avoid that same fate on Thursday.

Article Link: https://www.slipperstillfits.com/201...-6-0-wcc-start

ZagDad