Sideline Dispatches

Saturday, March 20, 2010

Postgame Stats

Same story as the first half, really. Princeton shot just 28.3 percent for the game, and St. John's shot 45.8%. That's really the entire difference. Neither team could hit from beyond the arc - both were 1-10 - and both teams rebounded at about the same rate (Princeton grabbed 16 of 44 available offensive rebounds, St. John's 14 of 39). The Tigers had more turnovers, but that didn't decide the game (16-12). The Red Storm attempted more free throws, but Princeton made more.

The only difference was the shooting. Especially in the first half, Princeton was getting makable shots but they weren't going down. They ended up shooting 40% in the second half, finally finding some net, but couldn't come up with enough stops near the end to make it a game.

Individually, Rasheed paced the team with 11 shots, but needed 14 attempts to reach that number. Allgood shot just 3-10 from the field, well below her average, and Edwards was just 3-14; both finished with eight points. Edwards paced the team with a season-high 13 rebounds, while Polansky had four assists.

For the victors, Da'Shena Stevens shot a remarkable 9-13 from the field, finishing with a game-high 19 points. The Red Storm also got double-doubles from Shenneika Smith (13/12), and from Centhya Hart off the bench (10/11).

Princeton was able to dictate the pace - the game clocked in at 66 possessions, below the Tigers' average - but they couldn't put the ball in the basket, which is ultimately what it's all about.

Stay tuned for further coverage of this game from the Daily Princetonian online and in Monday's issue.

Update: I doubt most of you care all that much now that the Tigers are eliminated, but No. 14 Louisiana Tech's Shanavia Dowdell has 22 points with five minutes left in the first half, the main reason why Tech is leading host school No. 3 Florida State by seven.

End 2nd, 65-47 St. John's

Princeton finally started to make a few shots near the end of the game, but it was too little, too late for the Tigers. There's no shame in losing to this St. John's team, though, that I thought might have been underseeded. The Red Storm gave undefeated UConn its toughest test of the season (granted, 14 points is not extremely close, but that's UConn for you). And St. John's is definitely playing its best basketball now - they're probably 8-10 points better now than they were at the beginning of the year.

1:06 2nd, 63-43 St. John's

St. John's brings out Smith and Hart, to applause. Meanwhile, senior Tani Brown, in the waning moments of her collegiate career, is still diving for loose balls.

1:45 2nd, 61-41 St. John's

An Edwards runner rims out, but Princeton forces a turnover on the other end. Miller misses a jumper from the elbow, but redeems herself by drawing a foul on Stevens. Rasheed exits, to the applause of the crowd; although it didn't end the way she would have liked, it's hard to have a better rookie season than she did.

3:52 2nd, 61-41 St. John's

Allgood gets another shot to drop, pulling the Tigers back within 20 at the last media timeout. FSU fans are now here in full force, as the sidelines are now probably 80% full.

4:15, 61-39 St. John's

Rasheed is starting to take this game over offensively, driving from the top of the key and hitting a pull-up jumper. Tigers still can't get stops, though.

5:50 2nd, 55-37 St. John's

Da'Shena Stevens can't handle a feed under the hoop, and St. John's turns the ball over. On the other end, Rasheed makes a beautiful pass from the free throw line to Edwards cutting backdoor, the kind of play I'm sure head coach Courtney Banghart wishes she had seen more of earlier this game.

6:48 2nd, 55-35 St. John's

Rasheed makes a very athletic steal in transition, but is stripped going to the hoop, and the ball goes out of bounds. Princeton runs a nice inbounds play and gets Micir open under the basket, resulting in a three-point play.

7:13 2nd, 55-32 St. John's

Cheryl does a nice job of defending Da'Shena in a Stevens-on-Stevens matchup, but the latter rebounds her own miss and finishes. Micir misses a pair of triples on the other end.

9:06 2nd, 53-31 St. John's

After a turnover, Princeton brings its starters back, minus Allgood and plus Stevens. Edwards drives but misses a tough floater in the lane, the rebound is a held ball, and the arrow points to the Red Storm.

10:00 2nd, 52-31 St. John's

Kate Miller swishes home a long two from her favorite spot, the right baseline. But Sky Lindsay answers on the other end with a jumper from the top of the key.

11:23 2nd, 50-29 St. John's

After a pair of free throws from Allgood, Krystal Hill almost banks in a three from NBA range, but it spins out. Johnson is called for a foul on the other end, and Joy McCorvey is shooting two.

13:03 2nd, 50-27 St. John's

A Rasheed jumper from the right baseline falls, and the Red Storm switch into a zone, forcing the Tigers to shoot from the outside. Rasheed misses a six-footer, and Johnson airballs a three, while Smith picks up four points on the other end.

14:00 2nd, 45-25 St. John's

Sky Lindsay hits an acrobatic layup, but Laura Johnson answers with Princeton's first three-pointer of the game.

Around the Country

No. 1 Tennessee has a commanding lead over No. 16 Austin Peay, 49-22. In other action, No. 7 LSU is beating No. 10 Hartford 51-22, and No. 5 Michigan state holds a slim 51-46 lead over No. 12 Bowling Green.

And in the men's bracket, Villanova and St. Mary's are tied at 17. BYU and Kansas State tip off at 8:05, during my plane ride home, which angers me because I think that game will be great.

15:15 2nd, 43-22 St. John's

St. John's is running a full-court trap, not a strategy you usually see from a team with a 20-point lead. It works once, forcing a turnover that leads to a fast-break bucket by Smith. But the next time down the court, Princeton beats the press, resulting in an easy layup for Rasheed.

16:22 2nd, 41-20 St. John's

Princeton called for an offensive foul off the ball, which has been relatively common for them this season - they're physical to create space, but if the refs are calling tight, they can get burned. St. John's misses on the other end, but a loose rebound leads to a bucket and one from Da'Shena Stevens.

18:00 2nd, 38-20 St. John's

After another look that goes in and out, Micir finds Polansky for a backdoor layup. But Stevens answers with a pair of layups, extending the lead to 18.

Halftime Stats

Really, the entire game boils down to this: Princeton is shooting 20% (7-35) from the field, without any made threes. That's easily their worst shooting output of the season, and would even be lower than any they've allowed.

The perplexing thing is, from my vantage point right in the Princeton frontcourt, I don't feel like they're taking that many low-percentage shots. They're not getting the wide-open looks that they often have, but considering the fact that they're playing against a top-20 team I feel like they're getting pretty good attempts. I don't know if it's the big gym (which sometimes is said to affect shooting) or if they've just been unlucky, but the shots aren't falling. Up and down the lineup: Edwards is 2-10, Allgood 2-8, Rasheed 2-7, and Micir 0-7.

St. John's is 15-32 from the field (47%), which is the entire difference. Princeton is outrebounding the Red Storm (12 of 28 possible offensive rebounds, compared to 6 of 20 for St. John's), losing the turnover battle but only 7-4, and even in free throw attempts. Edwards is having a terrific day on the glass, with 10 boards already.

Although the game seemed pretty hectic near the beginning, this is actually a slow-paced game: 33 possessions, below Princeton's average. They'll want to pick up the pace in this half, though; more possessions means more scoring opportunities, which they need to get back in this.

End 1st, 34-18 St. John's

Micir gets an open look from beyond the men's line, but it too gets halfway down and comes out. Princeton goes into halftime down by 16 - the largest deficit the Tigers have faced at any point this season.

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