One of the advantages of driving for two hours on the way home from Hilton is having the chance to think about the game. Think about what I thought I saw and what actually happened. Reflection. In the case of this game my perspective changed just a little bit from my initial reactions.
KSU came out in a spread zone defense that met our three point shooters above the arch. It made our around the horn passes more difficult and disrupted that flow. Initially, I felt that we should attack that zone and use motion to go inside. But, it didn't happen. We were living and dying by the three. If one came open the ladies were chucking the ball up quickly. When we went inside it was successful, but it didn't happen often enough in the first. I mentioned the word "quickly." Everything about this game was fast. Everything.
On a positive note, Fritz got off to a good start tonight. She hit our first three and followed with another two points later in the quarter. Diew started. Kane and M&M rotated in early. Coach played with his lineups throughout the quarter trying to find just the right mix. It would take a while to find the one that worked...and typically it was the starting five.
While ISU would take the lead and not relinquish it in the first, KSU closed the gap at the end of the due to some defensive breakdowns that led to free throws or wide open shots. What seemed like a comfortable 1st quarter lead evaporated rather quickly as the quarter ended 18-15 with the sisters in front.
Our offense was a mess much of the 2nd. Their zone is frustrating us. Kane is far too slow on defense. The ladies can't hit a three which is all it seems they are shooting. A good friend texted me and said, "It appears the 2nd is our bad quarter tonight." I hoped he wasn't premature. As fast as the game was moving the defenses were causing problems at both ends. KSU would tie it at 20 while our offense sat in neutral.
Donarski answered the bell with a three, but it just seems KSU is letting us shoot threes and cutting off passes inside to Ashley. As soon as she gets the ball they double and triple team her and a lack of offensive movement didn't leave her with an outlet. I'm not paid the big bucks to coach, but it just seems more movement though the lane would help to bind them up.
Just as she did against OU, Donarski came to the rescue with some treys to move ISU ahead again. KSU answered with three straight treys and that lead again disappeared at 31-29 sisters.
Very messy end of half as the KSU defense continues to frustrate the sisters. It's 32-29 state at the half.
The second half is where things really got interesting. This is where some of that reflection i had comes to play. While the first half was more than a bit chaotic on both ends of the court, the second half is when this team seemed to find itself. It was almost as if they were trying on different clothes in the first half and in the second they found something that fit. It was smothering defense.
The 3rd started off still a mess including the officiating (which was suspect all night..mainly by being inconsistent). But the ladies started to move the ball and move people including drives inside. Fritz and Joens both scored layups to help build a 9 point lead before a KSU timeout. It was 46-37 just under 5 min. With each KSU possession the crowd was getting louder as the ladies clamped down on the purple kittens. Every move KSU made was met by switching defenders, double teams, and stops.
KSU would make a small dent in the ISU lead, but solid defense allowed the lead to stretch to 11. Unfortunately, a defensive breakdown would allow KSU to hit a wide open trey at the end of three to close to 51-45. While the lead was only six, it was clear that some very good things were happening.
The fourth is when we saw this "new" ISU team really gel. The defense continued to lock down on KSU and the misses added up. Even better, after being out-rebounded in the first half (Yes, I did check this time) the ladies were not giving KSU many second chances. One particular sequence of events saw Emily get incensed (I can't use the word I wanted to use) after being hit in the neck while on defense. She did one of her "let me show you how it's done" drives for two and the harm and followed with an arm pumping trey.
At this point the ladies seemed to be playing to milk clock and kept KSU scoreless on the other end for the last 4-5 minutes of the game minutes. The best part was that the defense was doing just that. Kane came in to spell Diew and KSU went on a short 6-0 run. Just an observation, but she just slowed things down too much on both ends. On the offensive end she took a couple of feeds inside that resulted in no points. After watching this high speed game it seemed like when she got the ball things went into slow motion. Yes, that is being overly critical, but that is just how it seemed. As Coach Fen later said, this wasn't the type of game that fit Kane or Izzi. The dagger that was the final blow was Ashley hitting a trey to spread it to 9 with 2 minutes left. KSU was in desperation mode and the shots just weren't falling as our defense never let up. Final score 67-56 for the sisters.
Observations
I mentioned the defense. I can't remember seeing such hustle play on that end of the court in a long time. We've all seen us double team and get caught out of position. Not tonight. Bodies were flying all over the defensive end of the court. I like it.
POG - I was critical of Ryan last game and this time she's the POG. 14 points, 11 boards and 8 assists with only 1 turnover. Add in a couple of steals for good measure. It was good to see her emotion on display on the court tonight. She was definitely doing a "General Patton" out there.
Joens - it may have seemed like a quiet night for Ashley, but KSU focused on her (duh). Drives inside were met with double teams and she didn't get much help. She still found her way to 14 points and 9 boards. That inside pressure led to 4 turnovers.
Donarski - she was the second quarter savior. I believe she had 12 at the half and only picked up 2 more, but she kept us in it. As usual, her defense was STELLAR on Serena Sundell. Sundell might be looking behind doors for a while wondering if Donarski is there.
Fritz - BEST game of her career. She has played two AMAZING defensive games in a row after being assigned OU's top scorer over the weekend and today getting the task of stopping the league's top scorer. Wow. She frustrated the living crap out of Gregory who came in averaging nearly 22 points per game. Held to 9 tonight including a late meaningless bucket. AND Fritz put in 14 points of her own along with grabbing 7 boards. We need this every game.
Diew - 8 points, but where she shined tonight was...guess...defense. She managed the middle in the key and was fantastic. 7 boards, 2 blocks, 2 steals. She was good folks.
M&M - she got some minutes tonight as many on here hoped. Sadly, it didn't yield much statistically, but did offer nearly 10 minutes of rest for some of her teammates. I hope she finds her shot and can provide 6-8 per game.
The team had been hit with unprecedented tragedy over the weekend. They had to answer. They not only did that, but they started (IMO) to find a new identity. The level of team play increased. The defense was outstanding in the second half. When the defense is good the offense follows. The level of emotion being shown on the court was a positive thing.
Next up...Texas. This will be a different beast. They have some traditional size and this is where Kane and perhaps Izzi can really contribute. UT isn't the powerhouse they were thought to be starting the season (for a variety of reasons), but they are still very dangerous. They will be physical. They will use full court pressure. They are big in the middle. So, the ladies will need to take that next step in developing this new identity on this trip to Austin.
BTW...good news...and scary...OSU beat Baylor tonight. Does that mean OSU (on a rebuilding year) is better? Baylor not so much? Probably both. But it sure contributes to the chaos that is the Big 12. ISU is back into a tie for first at 3-1.
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