Shocks v Panthers

[WuDrWu]

I was so tempted to make the title Shocks v Cows.


No breaks for WSU as they are getting hammered all over the court and UNI's beefy posts are getting away with murder.

Nevertheless, WSU hung tough for most of the half. It started to get away just a touch before the break when UNI took a 5 point lead, but the Shocks were able to get to half only down 4, 27-23.

UNI is good, and it's going to take a special effort in the second half to pull it off, but they are playing with heart and aggression and they have a chance.

:wsu_posters: :goshocks: :posterwu: :posterwsu:

[dregn]

Need to work on our shooting and find a rebounder...

[The Mad Hatter]

This was just a game where our shots weren't falling, and you can't afford that against a team as good as UNI.

In spite of the margin, I thought we played a good game, just couldn't finish our looks. I'm proud of the way that this team is playing and hope they will get a shot to continue in some level of post-season play.

[oldtimewomen's hoopcoach]

This is a different Shox team. They're tough! A little more experience and they will finish their shots and shoot with confidence against good teams. Great returners and they will be in the hunt next year. They will get a post game tourney and keep the momentum going.

[WuDrWu]

I hope they can pick up where they left off this season, and not spend 1/2 to 2/3 of the year trying to "figure it out".


They looked really, really good in the tournament.


:wsu_posters: :goshocks: :posterwu: :posterwsu:

[1972Shocker]

Need to find us some makers to go along with Haleigh who was outstanding in her two tournament games and has been playing very well to close out her junior year. She may have ran out of gas at the end of today's game. You just won't win many games shooting 30% from the field (including 1-10 from beyond the arc) and scoring only 44 points. No doubt about it, the team with superior basketball skills won today.

Jessica has the potential but for some reason has struggled a little from the field this year. Maybe concentrating on becoming a pretty good point guard took away from her shooting. We will see.

Jaziman also shows some promise although she has about the flattest shot you will find. 140 lbs vs 220 lbs makes it tough for her.

Chynna is a 2-guard mentality in a power forward body. Seems like her favorite back-to-the-basket move is lead with her shooting arm into the defensive pressure, which works occasionally, but also is relatively easy to defend,.

Michelle and BreAnna are physical players who will really battle but neither possess an abundance of basketball skills at this point.

Not sure what made Morgan the forgotten women. She only played 6 minutes in the two games which I find odd considering she developed into our best perimeter threat this year. Obviously, Jody wasn't happy with something. Perhaps her defensive and rebounding efforts were not up to par.

Alicia made some strides in her floor play during the year, she really hustles and has a great attitude, but she and Heather were brought in ostensibly to provided some outside firepower this year and it did not happen. Heather who is also a wonderful young women just may not have the athleticism to compete at this level. They combined to go 29-121 on their 3-point attempts (24%). Here is hoping one or both of them catch fire next year.

It will be interesting to see how Krystle Henderson will impact the make-up of the team next year. Also hope we get a healthy Kelsey Jacobs back. However, perhaps the biggest loss this year was Sheena Johnson.

Shannika Bryant had the size and physical tools that gave you hope she might develop into a solid presence in the paint. Unfortunately, she left the team. Not sure what was behind that although when I met her earlier this year I could sense she might be a little home sick.

With normal progression from year-to-year I'm hoping the Shocks will move up a couple spots in the league next year.

As far as post season play is concerned perhaps the CBI is the best option for us this year. Gives us the best shot to play multiple games which could be very helpful for next year.

Overall the season did not meet my expectations, but I was pleased with the way the Shocks finished over the last month.

[1972Shocker]

MSU defeats INS 84-79 to move into the finals against UNI.

Probaby the two best teams in the league, which is somewhat unusual for the MVC in recent years.

Should be a good game.

[oldtimewomen's hoopcoach]

Well done in summing it up '1972. If Chrystal and Kelsey come back healthy and the two new recruits can contribute we'll be a team to watch. They could use some post fundamentals. Drop step and attack the hoop, don't fade. Sancho and Heather both are limited athletically. If they could shoot the lights out from the 3 they could help, if not, they don't fit at this level. Let's keep the momentum going.

[The Mad Hatter]

Well done in summing it up '1972. If Chrystal and Kelsey come back healthy and the two new recruits can contribute we'll be a team to watch. They could use some post fundamentals. Drop step and attack the hoop, don't fade. Sancho and Heather both are limited athletically. If they could shoot the lights out from the 3 they could help, if not, they don't fit at this level. Let's keep the momentum going.

One thing to keep in mind with our offensive game is that the coaches had to spend a lot of time getting the defense working the way they wanted it to (and have succeeded in doing so), but that kept us from spending as much time in practice developing the offense, both as a team and individually. Now that the defense is running well, we should be more able to focus on developing this team's offensive game.

I know that the coaches have been working more and more with developing low post moves for our bigs. As upperclassmen, I think we will see a lot more polished and developed offensive game from Chynna, Jaz, and Michelle.

The 3-point shooting is the biggest question mark. Both Alicia and Heather have the capacity, but haven't shown it in the games yet. The encouraging thing is that it is not uncommon for JUCO players to emerge in their second seasons. Just look at Morgan:

Morgan's 3-point percentage as a Junior: .241
Morgan's 3-point percentage as a Senior: .392

If either Alicia or Heather (or both) can settle into the DI game in their second season and shoot well from the outside like Morgan did, it makes us a much, much better team.

[1972Shocker]

Northern Iowa blasts MSU 69-41 to win the MVC Tournament and will represent the MVC in the NCAA Tournament.

The pretty much did the same thing to MSU that they did to the Shocks defensively. MSU shot 29% from the field (incuding 1-10 on 3-pointers). MSU contributed to their woes by making only 6-17 free throws.

Personally, I'm glad to see UNI win the Tournament. They are clearly the cream of the crop in the MVC this year and they clearly deserve to represent the MVC in the NCAA's.

Good luck to the Panthers in the NCAA Tournament.

[shoxlax]

UNI is coming to Wichita for its regional game.

In its infinite wisdom, the NCAA sent the Kansas State ladies to Storrs, Connecticut.

[1972Shocker]

#4 Michigan State (26-5) vs #13 UNI (27-5)

#5 Green Bay (32-1) vs #12 AR-Little Rock (23-7)

Not to take anything away from these teams, but obviously the NCAA is not really focused on building interest in women's basketball outside of the dominant programs.

This group of teams may make this a hard sell in Wichita.

[JayJ79]

Any Shocker fans planning on going to the game to cheer on your conference sistren?

[1972Shocker]

Any Shocker fans planning on going to the game to cheer on your conference sistren?

I have had my 2 all-session tickets for some time now.

1. I was hoping for a better year by the Shocks and an upset win in the MVC Tournament -- did not happen but UNI is undoubtedly the most deserving team to represent the MVC. They are playing very well and who knows what could happen, although a win over Michigan State would be a pleasant surprise.

2. I knew #1 was somewhat of a long-shot but the main reason I bought tickets was to send a message to the NCAA that Wichita will support NCAA Tournaments in Wichita and hopefully build our resume to get an opportunity to host in the Men's Tournament. One may not have anything to do with the other, but it can't hurt.

Hopefully, the Lady Shocks will continue to improve and find themselves in an NCAA Tournament in the next couple of years.

[The Mad Hatter]

Any Shocker fans planning on going to the game to cheer on your conference sistren?

I'll be there and will certainly be rooting for UNI. Aside from them succeeding being good for the conference, I've been a fan of Tanya Warren for some time now. She is a fine coach and her teams play the game the right way.