The Lady Hokies play Florida State New Years Eve at 12 noon in Cassell Coliseum. The game is on
ACCNx. Jon Laaser and Mack McCarthy are calling the game. FSU is 3-1 with wins against Florida, 81-75, LOLUVA, 69-51, and Pitt, 67-53. They lost at Clemson, 69-72. The Hokies beat Pitt 88-71.
FSU shoots and makes a lot of free throws. They shoot 79.7% from the line and average 7 more FTs than their opponents. They are 3rd in the ACC in opponent shooting percentage at 35.3%. They are 2nd in scoring defense at 58.67 ppg. And 2nd in blocked shots(5 per game) and 2nd in steals(9 per game). The Seminoles have had 3 different players lead the team in scoring in 4 games; and 3 different players have led in rebounding. They shoot 42.7% overall and 25.4% from 3.
Brokke Wyckoff is the interim head coach as Sue Semrau takes the season off to be with her mother, who is battling cancer. Semrau is expected to return next year.
The Hokies will have a height advantage against the starting five; but the first player off the bench is 6'5" River Baldwin, who plays about 16 minutes per game in relief of Valencia Myers. The other four starters average over 30 min/game.
Starters:
Kourtney Weber, #10,5'10" Jr Guard. Leads the team in scoring at 16.8 ppg, shooting 57.9% and 42.9% from 3. Has committed 10 TO to 5 assists; but also has 8 steals in 4 games.
Morgan Jones #24, 6'2" Jr Guard. Shoots 48.8%, only 0-1 from 3. Averages 3 fouls per game.
Bianca Jackson #0, 5'11" Redshirt Junior Guard transfer from South Carolina. Shoots 28.8% and 16.7% from 3.
Valencia Myers #32, 6'1" Junior Forward. Shoots 56.3%, has not attempted a 3. Averages 3 fouls per game. Fouled out once this year.
Sammie Puisis #2 6'1" Sophomore Guard. Shoots 32.1% and 22.7% from 3. Shot 40% from 3 as a Freshman.
Others:
River Baldwin #1, 6'5" Sophomore Center. Shoots 52.9%, has not attempted a 3. Averages 3 fouls per game and fouled out against Pitt. Watching her and Kitley underneath should be interesting.
Bejedi #5, Wilkinson #12, and Nicoletti #33 play 10-14 minutes per game and don't score much(2.5-4ppg). Lassiter #3 plays 5 min/game and has not scored.
Season stats:
FSU averages 71.5 ppg and has allowed 62.8 ppg. They are at the top of the league in several defensive categories. The Hokies will can not be careless in this game. FSU lives off of turnovers and steals. And they block a lot of shots. Points in the paint will be earned this game; but if the Hokies can hit from outside, the game may open up for them.
FSU is not a big 3 pt shooting team. Weber is their best outside shooter at 42.9%, but she has only made 6 three points shots in 4 games. Puisis has made 5; but she only shoots 22.7% from 3 this year. However, players have a way of having career games against us; let's hope this is not the day Puisis finds her shot
I think the Ladies should win this one; but the zebras may be important. FSU is not deep and if we can get Myers and Baldwin in foul trouble, this game could go very well. In fact, if we can get any of their top 6 in foul trouble, their bench below that group has not contributed much.
Go Hokies!
Comments
This is where getting Myers in foul trouble may backfire. Kitley would own Myers down low but will struggle against Baldwin. Similar to how she struggled at critical moments against Notre Dame.
I expect a big game out of Jones and the Hokies need either Amoore or King to find their shot from outside. Definitely can't afford a goose egg from King in ACC play.
The refs are active in this one. Called 5 fouls in the first 6 minutes. FSU leading scorer with 2 alresady.
Really terrible 2nd quarter. Hokies already with 14 turnovers, many of them unforced mistakes. Kitley sitting a good portion of this game is concerning, starters in general sitting too much.
And FSU, which so far is shooting 36% from 3 this season is shooting 54.5% today. They have made 7.5 threes per game so far this season and they have 6 in the first half.
My only real complaint about the officials, with as active as their whistles have been, the lack of over the back calls has been aggregious
Now down 15 and really not looking good. Missing open shots, lazy on defense.
Yeah that was their worst quarter of the year by far. They might has well called it the landing strip with how they let FSU drive to the hoop there.
Jones has had her worst game of the season.
Hard to beat a team that you did not think had an outside game, and they come in and shoot 60% from 3.
I am no longer disappointed I had to work and missed this game. I will do something else while drinking the beer fridge dry to avoid temptation in Dry January, instead of watching the replay.
Girls seemed to wake up in this one with about 6 minutes left. Way to late. Zero production from the bench. Hard to defend the one making 35-37 footers. She hit what, six threes? Foul line though was the real difference. FSU got essentially a third of their points at the line.
FSU with 10 threes and 21 points at the line. 51 of their 73 points. Pretty ugly effort though in the 3rd quarter. Heads down, no hustle, allowed easy baskets to let the Seminoles pull away
The last two games have been disappointing. I fell like we are better than both Notre Dame and FSU; but we did not play well. The Ladies don't seem to be able to maintain their concentration for stretches of the game. But when they get it together, they play very well as they did late in the game today. If they want to continue to try to get the ball to Kitley underneath, they are going to have to learn to pass away from the defender. I don't know how many times I screamed at the monitor today. She's 6'5" tall through the ball in high. They keep trying bounce passes and waist high passes. If she catches those, the defense collapses on her and she can't get the shot off or make a pass. She need to catch the ball high and just shoot over most of the players defending her.
They are going to have to play much better next Thursday against NC State. Or they will get run out of the gym. And none of my suggestions about Kitley are going to work against Cunane; she is one of the few players in the ACC who are better than Kitley.
NC State game is going to be ugly. The Wolfpack is a different level this season