Any news if Gabi Harrington's injury (if there was one) is serious? Seemed like she was clutching her hand or forearm when she left the court (my view wasn't great) but saw her back on the bench in the 2nd half which was good. Heard also might just have been sickness?
Tough game for the LG. They had some opportunities early as South Dakota was missing a lot of wide open shots but couldn't get any offense going themselves. South Dakota reminds me of some of Selvig's teams (great strong, team defense where everybody communicates well and is in the right positions).
I don't really know what was wrong with the offense tonight. Early on it almost seemed like they were playing tight or lacking confidence. South Dakota did have a solid defense but outside of the high hedge (like the men do) and great help-side rotation, it wasn't necessarily high pressure like Sac State or others. Yet, there were just so many poor, ill-advised, sloppy passes from the LG. Too many times LG players picked up the ball before somebody was even open, like their only thought was "I need to get rid of this ball." Nobody was consistently looking to score except maybe Mayhue and to a lesser extent Henderson. Sometimes, I wish McKenzie would be more selfish offensively. She's got one of the best shots, a good handle, good body control, and can score through contact but doesn't necessarily look to take over.
It seems once again one of the main weaknesses of this team is the perimeter defense. I was glad when Shannon went to matchup instead of zone after halftime. It seemed to help even though South Dakota started to shoot better, most of the shots seemed more difficult. I think the ladies always play hard but it's almost like they don't understand the difference of being a half step quicker/earlier, etc when in zone. Maybe they need to watch Al Pacino's "We Fight For That Inch" speech in Any Given Sunday or read Sam Parker's 212 - The Extra Degree. Or maybe when watching film do a comparison with the men's tape. Point out that if Oguine or Moorehead get out of position and are rotating to the backside shooter just how much they sell out to adjust the shooter's shot. Even if they are in or near the key, do you rarely not see them go flying at the shooter, sometimes ending up in the stands. The last LG player that I can think of that would sell out and jump into the stands like that was McCalle Feller. Many times the LG players will be in the area, in position, but don't close out on the shooter. haha maybe they need a drill/reward when they intentionally foul the shooter in practice or something. The half-step quicker concept and mindset could help in a lot of areas like rebounding and cutting off drives, too.
I liked that Stockholm was being used more inside instead of just on the wing. She has improved her outside shooting (which last year had to have been in the mid twenties for season shooting percentage), but still has nice size and power that is a shame to waste by playing around the arc. She did have a tendency this game to get fouls down low, though.
Also, Goligoski seems to have improved her ball-handling and quickness while with the ball. That will really help when teams have to guard more than just her jump shot.
Not a real great outcome tonight but South Dakota is currently #8 in the mid-major poll. I think this team has the potential to be special and return to their dominating ways by next year if they can replace Jace. Hopefully, they get Madi, Stiles, and Harrington back soon for this year, though.
