(11-27-2019 09:44 PM)kazoorocket43 Wrote:  

(11-27-2019 09:39 PM)H2Oville Rocket Wrote:  

(11-27-2019 09:17 PM)kazoorocket43 Wrote:  Davis 4/12 shooting with 4 turnovers, Santucci 3/11 shooting with 3 turnovers and Black 1/12 shooting including 1/11 from 3 point range. And Davis + Santucci are the second and third scorers in the game. This is the second of five games where Black was offensively a complete nonfactor. Can't win without her being an offensive threat. And why did Whitaker play only 8 minutes? Memphis and Valpo should have been winnable playing at home. The next two, Belmont and Duquesne away will both be more difficult. There is the real possibility that this team will start 1-6.

Don’t have an answer for Whittaker. She looks like she struggles to get up and down the court some but you’d think she’d get SOME minutes. Our beef inside was giving them trouble in the first half. That’s two straight games someone has shot an absurd% on 3s to beat us.

Maybe they wouldn't shoot such an absurd 3 point % if someone would get out and contest those shots. It was clear pregame that Valpo is a perimeter shooting team, a la Ohio, so why weren't our defenders ready to defend that type of offense?

We missed some defensive assignments for sure but let’s face it- it ain’t easy to make 8-10 even when unguarded. Of course it’s equally difficult to make 2 of 27 or whatever. A blind woman should be able to do that well.

I believe Whitaker's minutes were limited because of Valop's more-or-less 5-player motion, 5 guard offense. They were tall, but every player was moving and looking to take 3s. Only 1 Valpo player didn't take a 3, and she was a sub that only saw 8 min on the court. Whitaker is just not quick enough to move with those players and get out to the line from what I have seen. Heck, even Beacham for all her athletic ability had a very hard time getting out to cover the shooters. Of course, there were also still a lot of defensive misses - two defenders going with the same player, sinking down to far to help in the paint while your player is 20 feet away waiting to take a 3, etc. Those later things should (hopefully) improve as the season goes on and they play together more and get more game experience. But we will have to see.

(11-28-2019 09:05 AM)northcoastRocket Wrote:  I believe Whitaker's minutes were limited because of Valop's more-or-less 5-player motion, 5 guard offense. They were tall, but every player was moving and looking to take 3s. Only 1 Valpo player didn't take a 3, and she was a sub that only saw 8 min on the court. Whitaker is just not quick enough to move with those players and get out to the line from what I have seen. Heck, even Beacham for all her athletic ability had a very hard time getting out to cover the shooters. Of course, there were also still a lot of defensive misses - two defenders going with the same player, sinking down to far to help in the paint while your player is 20 feet away waiting to take a 3, etc. Those later things should (hopefully) improve as the season goes on and they play together more and get more game experience. But we will have to see.

Davis was the guilty party on trying to poach in the lane on a couple occasions. After Tanwoman hit three straight somebody should have lived in her shorts. Once she had a second half miss she never took another shot, but by then the damage was done.

(11-28-2019 09:05 AM)northcoastRocket Wrote:  I believe Whitaker's minutes were limited because of Valop's more-or-less 5-player motion, 5 guard offense. They were tall, but every player was moving and looking to take 3s. Only 1 Valpo player didn't take a 3, and she was a sub that only saw 8 min on the court. Whitaker is just not quick enough to move with those players and get out to the line from what I have seen. Heck, even Beacham for all her athletic ability had a very hard time getting out to cover the shooters. Of course, there were also still a lot of defensive misses - two defenders going with the same player, sinking down to far to help in the paint while your player is 20 feet away waiting to take a 3, etc. Those later things should (hopefully) improve as the season goes on and they play together more and get more game experience. But we will have to see.

I think you're right about Cullop's reasoning, but I still question the wisdom of that reasoning. Maybe Whitaker struggled to cover Valpo's shooters, but Valpo also didn't have anyone to cover Whitaker. This is my point. Cullop adjusts her lineup according the other team's strengths. I would love to see Valpo change its lineup to match our size instead of us changing our lineup to match their agility. And I'm not just talking this game. It's been Cullop's pattern forever. When I complained to my daughter about this last night, she said it's because Cullop's top priority is defense, and that explanation makes sense to me.

Certainly we did not fare that well in the second half without Whitaker.