Early in the season this looked like a major test for the young padiwans. NDSU was picked to finish towards the top of their conference and always seemed to be a battle for whoever played them. For some reason, they came into this game with a record similar to the Sisters’, but not really having any wins of note. The only comparison we had was their loss to Drake at the Knapp on Friday. The fact they played Drake relatively close made me think this still could be a closely fought battle.
Coming out of the gate, both teams were very scrappy and NDSU grabbed a quick lead. But it wouldn’t last long and before you knew it the ladies had jumped out to a 17-6 lead and looked solidly in control. Well, looks can be deceiving and NDSU started taking advantage of offensive miscues and some defensive breakdowns (mainly how we shifted in our switches and matchup problems) to creep back in. NDSU would go on a 12-4 run of their own and it was something like 21-18 before the ISU offense would find a spark in the second quarter. What we saw that worked was getting the ball inside to Crooks for her soft layups and good ball movement to find open looks short and long. Really, the offensive variety was pretty good. There were pretty mid-range jumpers (Diew had a few of those) and some three balls that found nothing but net. By the half, the Sisters had re-taken control of the game 42-27. Scoring was perfectly equal between quarters and 21 points in a quarter is VERY good. Of particular note was the 6-11 shooting from deep that negated some very nice treys from NDSU. But it was the inside game that really was the difference so far.
The second half was pretty much all Iowa State. The ladies took that 15 point lead and slowly but surely expanded it. Coach Fen was using a variety of lineups and we saw Belanger, AJ and Brown all take turns running the point. AJ is definitely turning into a very nice floor general, but still struggles with her shot too much. But she can def distribute the ball. The second half was mostly smooth sailing until the offense hit a lull and NDSU started whittling down the lead again and got it under 20. And just like in days of yore when Ashley Joens would just take over a game…that is what Brown did. She took the point position and started to make things happen and whatever hope NDSU had was gone. The team started firing on all cylinders again and it was time to sit back and enjoy watching what the youngsters could do. By the time the dust had settled, the ladies had a very convincing thirty point win 89-59.
Observations
POG - Brown strikes again. This may have been one of the better beginning to end games the freshman has had this season. I didn’t detect any lulls, see any sloppy passes…nothing. She just scored 16 points, had EIGHT assists and pulled down 13 rebounds. Not a bad day at the office. Oh yeah, 7-11 from the field. And ZERO turnovers. Yep…def POG.
The posts - so what happened inside? ISU outscored the smaller (girth not height) NDSU squad 34-12 in the paint. There was a very distinct difference between what we saw from Crooks and Natabou. Crooks NEVER dribbles when she gets the ball in close. It’s just turn and soft shoot…basket. Natabou has developed the habit we see in too many posts of dribbling, staring at the ball while she does it, and putting up a shot when not completely aware of where the basket is. This results in many shots that are too hard and miss. BUT, Natabou moves better on defense than Crooks and that made a big difference today as there were shooter mismatches that resulted in a post having to defend at the three point line. Crooks couldn’t do it well. Natabou did. Natabou had a nice 11 points and 7 boards. Some highly contested. Crooks brought home 13 and 5. So we got 24 and 12 out of our combo. Very nice.
The guards - we saw shots from pretty much everyone. Belanger had 15, Joens 6 and AJ 3 points. Our guards are becoming known for their assists and today the team had 20 on 33 made baskets. The guards had 7 of those. There are bright spots from all three and areas that need to improve. AJ handles the ball very well. Lots of confidence. Just needs to get that shot we know she can make to start falling. Only 1-7 tonight. We need to find ways to get Belanger and Joens clean looks at the basket. It seemed like Joens was covered with a blanket on the offensive end. She’s still out there scrambling. Belanger was very productive as screens helped her get free and when she is open…boom.
Diew - she was on today. Mainly some very nice mid-range floaters that were like silk. 12 points is a good day for her.
Bristow - She showed her athleticism today. She can sky and pulled down 7 boards. She worked hard inside and this resulted in her getting fouled a lot. 6-6 at the line and 11 points on the day. We will take that from her any day of the week.
Outstanding stat - the ladies shot 59% from the field today. Inside they were almost unstoppable.
Free throws - We got back to the Fennelly mantra of making more than the opponent shoots. NDSU made 10 of 11 and the sisters hit 14 of 19. Crooks and Natabou need to keep practicing at the line. There is zero consistency in how they shoot those free throws. It’s like they are still searching for their shot.
What I saw today was continued growth as a TEAM that we’ve seen for three games now. The ladies seem to be figuring things out and that makes them more dangerous than ever. There is one more tune up game before another challenge against UNI. Will be another double header next Sunday with the ladies having the early game followed by the men at 5.
I like what I’m seeing on the court. Pieces are starting to fall into place. There is flow to what’s happening on the court. There is comfort in knowing how to play with each other. Those early season lumps are paying dividends and confidence is growing. It’s starting to get very interesting in Twister Sister country.
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