UAB/OU 2:00 Sunday

[sybarite]

UAB
Starters

32 Rachel Childress 5-10 Sr. Conference Freshman of the Year in 2016-7. Started every game as soph and Junior. All-Conference USA. National leader in career three pointers made (?). Shoots 41.8% career threes. Was 8 for 15 for 26 pts against S Alabama in the opener.

3 Angela Vendell 6-2 Sr. Spain. Started all 34 as a soph and all but two as a junior. Averages 3.6 pts, 4.7 Reb.

0 Miyah Barnes 5-5 Sr. Started 27 games as a freshman and every game since. averages 9.9 pts, 4.8 Assists. Hits 36.5% of threes

12 Trista McGee 6-1 redshirts Sr. Career Ave 3.9 Pts, 2.1 reb

34 Imani Johnson 6-0 Sr. Career Ave 5.4 Pts, 3.1 Reb

 

[sybarite]

UAB reserves

10 Sara Rosenfeld 6-0 Soph Began the year with 4 points and ten rebounds against A. Alabama.

23 Lea Kerstein 5-8 Redshirt Jr Began the year with four points and 4 assists against S Alabama Played in every game as redshirt Fr and Soph.

55 Zakyia Weatherby JC transfer, JR Scored 9 pts, 3 reb against S. Alabama

2 Sam MItchell Fr 3 rebounds in opener

1 Margaret Whitley 5-8 Soph

The team appears to be similar to OU in style. But, UAB has four returning starters, three of whom have started for three years together now. They have an experienced core, but are green elsewhere. No real height.

 

[sybarite]

The Tatyana Perez that was the leading scorer for Prairie View was Nancy Mulkey's point guard at Cypress when they won the state title. She went to Tulsa for three years, transferring this year.

Ana appears to be the team leader. She had a great game against OCU, especially on defense. But, she was a little out of control against Prairie View. Trying too hard to be THE star. She has the quickness to be among the best in the Big Twelve this year. Her shooting is more stable than last year, her defense is beautiful, and her movement is superb. That said, she was just a bit off against PV.

Madi is finishing this year. Last year, she often got the ball where she could score. But, she was a bit off on a lot of her shots. This year, she seems to have the confidence and focus. She got us out of the box last night, scoring six of the first eight. Finished with 14 points and 13 rebounds in 23 minutes. Two steals, an assist, and a TO. She has arrived and seems to be able to do what she wishes----against OCU and Prairie View.

Taylor is a bit more mobile, gets her shot off quickly, has learned to look for her spots. With the other teammates moving around, she is getting open, and she hits. Missed a layup (too far under), killed from three. She also is passing better and playing good defense. These three could all be All-Conference, at least second unit.

Gabby Gregory: things just happen around her. She is big enough to compete on the boards and doesn't seem to mind playing tough. Had 10 points and 7 rebounds. I think we can expect at least that as an average this year. She still has a lot to learn. But, she finally got over the jitters in the fourth quarter against OCU. She can hit the three. I like her better inside. I think we have a scorer that we needed.

Tatum has really improved. Last year, she seemed to make errors. She makes some really good passes, gets to the rim herself, and makes things happen. Last night, she had 7 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 block, 1 steal, and 2 TOs, in 19 minutes.

Kamryn Lemon has some talent. She isn't good with the team yet. She had 7 points, 3 rebounds, and 3 assists in 19 minutes. Also fouled out. She can get to the rim. She can play good defense. She just makes some mistakes because she doesn't know yet who can do what. We are better off at point with she and Tatum.

Mandy. Sherri still loves her. She did get 6 rebounds in 21 minutes. She also missed a couple of cripples (2 of 4 from the field). She is a hard worker. I just wonder if we shouldn't be giving Aspen and Claire more time. Aspen is a finisher. Nine points in seven minutes. With a girl hanging on one arm, she caught the ball with one hand, put it up and in. Strong. Immovable.

Claire and Nydia show talent. They just aren't settled into it yet. Disappointed in Jessi a bit. She has the skills. She is making mistakes like a freshman. The others have shown that they are sophs now.

Looking forward to Scott.

This team can play defense.

 

[Mac]

Madi is really proving us with some real paint production thru our 1st 2 games... if she can keep it up and score vs some taller teams, maybe we can have a better then expected season... I think Liz could be a similar player, 6’2 and 6 foot inside is small, but only a few teams in the big 12 go bigger, Iowa st, KU, k st, and Texas. Where OU is small is in the backcourt, but since Taylor isn’t a point guard and since she’s one of our best 3 scorers she has to be out there...

 

[sybarite]

OU won, 82-75. Will play Missouri State (3-0) at 7:00 11/14 in Norman.

OU box


https://soonersports.com/sidearmstats/wbball/individual;team=home
Ana 25 Points, 8 steals, 8 rebounds, fouled out
Madi 24 Points, 13 Rebounds, 9-10 on FTs dominated this game.
Taylor 17 points, 6 rebounds, 4 of 10 from 3
Tatum 4 assists and a rebound in 7 minutes, led team in assists
Kamryn 6 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists---showed her talent.

Neither team shot well. We fell apart a little in the second half. We played better defense. Led in rebounds. UAB had a senior team, and they came back from 18 down to make it interesting simply by seniors making plays while we made mistakes. But, Ana, Madi, and Taylor kind of took over at the end to hold them off.

UAB was a good, senior-laden team. We did a really good job taking Childress' shot away from her. She ended up with only 6 points and was 0-6 from three. Barnes (25 points) showed she can drive, pop, and hit threes. They have more than just Childress.

We won fast break points, 25-6.

Both teams shot almost the same, although they shot better late. We had 3 more rebounds, 4 fewer turnovers (16-12), but the real difference in the game was 13-1 steals leading to a lot of fast break points.

 

[sybarite]

Missouri State 77 #23 Minnesota 69 (in Minneapolis)
Missouri State 79 Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 51 (in Springfield)
Missouri State 72 Boise State 69 (in Boise)

They are playing well, winning these plus two exhibitions. I hope Jackie Stiles can give us some advantage with her knowledge of a team on which she coached last year.

 

[SoonerinNC]

We should have won by more against this team. Madi may have had her best game as a Sooner but she was the only one at the top of her game.

Simpson was abused by the taller players. She gave up 8 of the first ten points by UAB and was in foul trouble the whole game. She also missed some layups.

Ana came on pretty strong but was forcing the offense most of the game and looked out of rhythm and rushed on many of her treys. She is a good player, a scorer so she had another 20 plus game.

Taylor rushed some of her trey attempts even beyond her usual quick release. Also some were a little long even for her. they did a pretty good job of limiting her looks.

We seemed to be forcing the offense most of the game with poor shot selection, poor finishing around the rim and pell mell drives to the hoop with little chance of finishing.

Good news on the turnover front with only 11.

Defense was decent the first half but we had a real hard time staying in front of the drivers and often no help defense. Handled the trey attempts pretty well until we began to give up the 15 point lead.

We have to be better than this to finish in the top of the Big 12.

 

[scrybe]

We should have won by more against this team. Madi may have had her best game as a Sooner but she was the only one at the top of her game.

Simpson was abused by the taller players. She gave up 8 of the first ten points by UAB and was in foul trouble the whole game. She also missed some layups.

Ana came on pretty strong but was forcing the offense most of the game and looked out of rhythm and rushed on many of her treys. She is a good player, a scorer so she had another 20 plus game.

Taylor rushed some of her trey attempts even beyond her usual quick release. Also some were a little long even for her. they did a pretty good job of limiting her looks.

We seemed to be forcing the offense most of the game with poor shot selection, poor finishing around the rim and pell mell drives to the hoop with little chance of finishing.

Good news on the turnover front with only 11.

Defense was decent the first half but we had a real hard time staying in front of the drivers and often no help defense. Handled the trey attempts pretty well until we began to give up the 15 point lead.

We have to be better than this to finish in the top of the Big 12.

Reading some of those comments, it's obvious you and I watched two different games.

 

[SoonerSpock]

I watched the same game as SiNC.

 

[SoonerinNC]

Just curious Scrybe, which comments do you disagree with? No axe to grind, but always interested in another point of view.

 

[scrybe]

I watched the same game as SiNC.

Did you sit together too? LOL

 

[Sweetest OU Girl]

I'm not sure we are all watching the same games. Everyone has been begging for some defense. and.....

Ana had 8 steals against UAB and is averaging 5 steals per game in our first 3 games.

That is impressive. Can she keep it up? If so, it would be beyond impressive. But it does show serious effort. If you were actually at the game, you know she is playing at a very fast pace - especially on defense. The people around me were really amazed at how hard she was playing. It was a pace you don't see very often.

 

[sybarite]

I enjoyed the Sooner Sports Talk show tonight with Jessica interviewing Ana.

There is a difference this year. Last year, we were looking for Shaina and Ana for any form of leadership, being our only two sophomores. We didn't really have seniors or juniors. This year, when one struggles, there is someone else to take charge.

Madi absolutely dominated the game against UAB when Ana and Taylor came out a bit cold. Ultimately, they all found a way to contribute, and we avoided the huge droughts that we have had because there was nobody after the first or second scorer. They are different types and take advantage of different aspects of the opponent.

We have others who are averaging 5.0 to 6.5 per game to give some help. We really didn't have that last year either.

A key factor is that we didn't have the type of defenders who could get the steal to stop a run. Ana, Madi, and Tatum have been doing that. There are options this year that we didn't have.

 

[SoonerSpock]

Did you sit together too? LOL

Nope nor did I sit with you or Syb.

 

[scrybe]

Just curious Scrybe, which comments do you disagree with? No axe to grind, but always interested in another point of view.

Sorry it took me so long to get back to you.

I also have no axe to grind, SinNC. If fact, I don't even own an axe.

There was no particular comment that concerned me. It's the overall tenor of this and many of your posts. A win over a good team like UAB should elicit at least some positives about the performance of a few players other than Madi.

Oh, well.

 

[SoonerinNC]

Thanks for your response.

I am usually a glass half full person and have been a strong Sherri supporter in the past. I feel that we are no longer competing for championships.

I watch a lot of womens basketball. Have seen Oregon, Notre Dame, Oregon State, Stanford, Mississippi State, Maryland, Kansas State, Baylor, South Carolina, Baylor and Iowa State. The recruits they have and the size of their inside players scare the heck out of me. We have a shot at Iowa State and Kansas State but they have big inside players. A lot of international recruits and key transfers for many of the top teams.

I think your observation that the tone of my posts are more negative is probably accurate. I am an ex-coach so I probably am naturally more critical of poor shot selection, sloppy defense and forced offense. I do believe that we are a better team this year but don't think we have been tested by a really good team yet. I will keep your thought in mind in future posts.

 

[scrybe]

Thanks for your response.

I am usually a glass half full person and have been a strong Sherri supporter in the past. I feel that we are no longer competing for championships.

I watch a lot of womens basketball. Have seen Oregon, Notre Dame, Oregon State, Stanford, Mississippi State, Maryland, Kansas State, Baylor, South Carolina, Baylor and Iowa State. The recruits they have and the size of their inside players scare the heck out of me. We have a shot at Iowa State and Kansas State but they have big inside players. A lot of international recruits and key transfers for many of the top teams.

I think your observation that the tone of my posts are more negative is probably accurate. I am an ex-coach so I probably am naturally more critical of poor shot selection, sloppy defense and forced offense. I do believe that we are a better team this year but don't think we have been tested by a really good team yet. I will keep your thought in mind in future posts.

Fair enough.

 

[SKSooner]

We should have won by more against this team. Madi may have had her best game as a Sooner but she was the only one at the top of her game.

I agree. However, I would say that's an encouraging sign. We look like we have plenty of room to improve and still controlled the game from start to finish and beat a good basketball team. That's new. I think we could have blown the thing open even earlier if Robertson didn't get in early foul trouble.

Simpson was abused by the taller players. She gave up 8 of the first ten points by UAB and was in foul trouble the whole game. She also missed some layups.

It was not Simpson's best game, and I agree she didn't finish a lot of plays. She needs to finish those plays.

Ana came on pretty strong but was forcing the offense most of the game and looked out of rhythm and rushed on many of her treys. She is a good player, a scorer so she had another 20 plus game.

Ana did look a little bit rushed at times, but she also looked like an All American at others, especially on defense. The energy she brings is incredible. Again, I find this encouraging that she didn't play her best basketball and was still easily the best player on the floor. She can push the basketball. Her weakness is that she tends to get going too fast and needs to slow down. That shouldn't take away from all of the great plays she makes, though.

Taylor rushed some of her trey attempts even beyond her usual quick release. Also some were a little long even for her. they did a pretty good job of limiting her looks.

I don't know that she is rushing anything other than she's clearly worked on getting the ball out of her hands much quicker than a season ago. That is going to pay enormous dividends for us against more athletic defenses that can limit her touches. She hit 4/10, and she's such a good shooter, we're calling that a bad shooting night. I'll take 4/10 on a bad night anytime. She's 10/21 for the year from 3.

We seemed to be forcing the offense most of the game with poor shot selection, poor finishing around the rim and pell mell drives to the hoop with little chance of finishing.

We did take some bad shots, but we also missed a lot of chippies. Perhaps Simpson is not going to develop into a good finisher, but it's hard to imagine telling someone not to shoot the ball from 2 feet with your defender pinned underneath the rim. I would like to see her shooting less of the 15-17 foot jump shots. That's just not her game.

Good news on the turnover front with only 11.

Defense was decent the first half but we had a real hard time staying in front of the drivers and often no help defense. Handled the trey attempts pretty well until we began to give up the 15 point lead.

I thought we did a great job of forcing them to dribble in and take long, contested two point shots in the first half. In the second half, UAB moved the ball a lot better, used ball fakes, and was much more intentional about finding open players. They hit a few threes in the second half, which changed the game. Good defense on our part, good adjustments on their part, which is exactly what you would expect from a good basketball team with a lot of seniors.

We have to be better than this to finish in the top of the Big 12.

Agreed, but it's November. We just beat a good basketball team (one we could not have beat last year) that won 26 games or something last year. The thing I like about our team is that we have a lot more potential. This is not our ceiling. We are going to continue to get better.