Valpo Game Thread

[dozer1981]

Re: Valpo Game Thread

Gotta hope that TCU falls a few spots and that opens up on for us in the ap poll. Should move into it this week.

[bub94]

Re: Valpo Game Thread

Just so I'm not the only one to say it but Coach mentioned it on his post-game interview. These refs were bad (he even said it---also said he isn't supposed to comment on the officials but you never know what these officials are going to call). The younger male ref was the least horrible of the 3. He just didn't seem to make any calls. The other two should have their whistles taken away. They took Jennifer and Maria out of the first half with fouls.

Valpo just dominated the boards. Not a good rebounding night for the Jacks. Jill hit some nice 3's in the first half and Rotert hit some good ones to start the second half and that seemed to get the team going. Agree with Coach that Stacie could have had a 20 point game if she hit her free throws. Only 9 turnovers the entire game. Valpo had over 20. Looked like Valpo's offense was drive the lane and wait for the Jacks to double/triple team and hope their bigs get the rebound or the refs call a foul. Nice win even though the Jacks started with another slow first half.

[2002jack]

Re: Valpo Game Thread

I was at the game, refs were very inconsistent on fouls and travel calls.

Very nice all around team effort, go Jacks!

[bub94]

Re: Valpo Game Thread

I was at the game, refs were very inconsistent on fouls and travel calls.

Very nice all around team effort, go Jacks!

You know how long I was waiting for them to finally call the one 3 second call on #55 from Valpo! And it wasn't until the second half when that did finally call (which their coach couldn't believe either). You just never knew what they were going to call and what they weren't going to call. That was the inconsistent part of the officiating.

[Jacks#1Fan]

Re: Valpo Game Thread

Some times i wonder about how the coaches rotate players in. Sunnaborg I thought was a great spark for us in the first, but I havent been listenin the whole time but has she been in yet in the second? With Boever and Rotert in foul trouble I would think he would sub a taller player who has been playing well in.

I talked to Jennie Sunnaborg's dad after the game, and he said she had been having some back problems this week. Based on how good she played in the first half, I'm assuming she was hurting some and there was no need to put her back out there. As to rebounding, I'll say one thing for Valpo -- they did an excellent job of getting position and blocking out.

Hey, we're down 10 in the first half and win by 14 -- pretty good performance again overall. There should be absolutely no reason the AP poll wouldn't have us in top 25...but knowing it is a media vote, with lots of voters who probably don't have the slightest idea who were are and don't do their homework. I am hopeful that seeing us in the top 25 of ESPN, they will check us out and throw some votes our way. Next up, UNI, after Christmas and then we hit the road for the conference.

[RowdyRabbit]

Re: Valpo Game Thread

Great game by the ladies today. Way to come back and win again.

Also want to throw out a holla to the guy I lambasted in the UC Davis thread....about having nothing good to say about the ladies at the UC Davis game....you were much more tolerable to be around at today's game. For that, I commend you.

[Stl_VU_Fan]

Re: Valpo Game Thread

Kudos to the Lady JackRabbits. It looked like your defense tightened up a lot in the 2nd half, and your ball movement was a lot better in the 2nd half too.

We had to rely on your radio play-by-play because of the weather, and I thought the guy did an excellent job. Good luck in The Summit League.

By the way, a member of our message board was curious about the huge disparity between your men's team and your women's team: http://valpofans.proboards28.com/ind...9&page=1#22689. I couldn't answer his question and am curious myself.

[RowdyRabbit]

Re: Valpo Game Thread

SDSU held Valpo's top scorer, Kulaga, to 4pts but, Hochstetler was on fire today (24pts (almost 50% shooting and 7-9 from the line). I don't even remember her missing that many shots, I would've guessed she shot around 80%...that running floater was killer!

What surprises me is Valpo's big girl, Zabielewicz, only averages like 3 pts and 3 boards a game. (2pts, 7 boards today). I saw she had a knee brace, maybe bad knee affects her play, but I'da thought being a big like that, she'd still be able to pound it in the middle and be a top scorer on the team.

Also, pulled this from Valpo's post game write up..."with a crowd of 1,531, it is the seventh straight game Valpo has played in front of more than 1,000 fans.."

http://www.valpoathletics.com/news/w..._SDSURecap.php

Seemed like a weird thing to mention....Valpo must not get very good attendence for their women's program.

[shinman]

Re: Valpo Game Thread

to stl_ vu_fan, thanks for your gracious comments, good luck to your ladies the rest of the season also.

[bub94]

Re: Valpo Game Thread

I talked to Jennie Sunnaborg's dad after the game, and he said she had been having some back problems this week. Based on how good she played in the first half, I'm assuming she was hurting some and there was no need to put her back out there. As to rebounding, I'll say one thing for Valpo -- they did an excellent job of getting position and blocking out.

She did have a very nice first half. We needed it too with Maria and Jennifer both on the bench with 2 and 3 fouls respectively. She was really wanting the ball down low. All that with back pains. Not bad.

[zooropa]

Re: Valpo Game Thread

Stl. VU fan:

You'll find all sorts of theories about the disparity between the men's and women's team.

In fact I would say that a major difference is that the WBB coach had a recruiting and coaching model that transitioned to D-1 much more effectively than the MBB coach. I would say that AJ has a system into which he plugs a very specific type of player, where Nagy perhaps grew to be too dependent on attracting the best talent available to D-2 schools during the last few years of the D-2 period.

With SDSU being a D-2 powerhouse, I think Nagy may have leaned a bit too much on reputation when it came to recruiting, and the last class of the D-2 period and the first couple classes of the D-1 period were terrible.

However, Nagy has definitely changed his recruiting strategy, and it remains to be seen if he can implement the kind of team focused "no super stars, everyone pitches in" attitude that you absolutely need in order to succeed in D-1 at the mid-major level.

[JACKGUYII]

Re: Valpo Game Thread

I know it's hard to argue with a 12-1 record against great competition, but I continue to think we are launching way too many low percentage 3 point shots which creates some of the early deficits and droughts. Kristin Rotert arguably our best long range shooter along with Jill Young took 13 shots and 12 were 3 point range and she made 3. I think Kristin is capable of creating her own shot with her quickness that doesn't necessarily have to come from 3 point range. I know she has won some big games for us with her ability to hit that big three, but IMHO I think she can score a lot of points by getting closer to the hoop.

[bub94]

Re: Valpo Game Thread

I know it's hard to argue with a 12-1 record against great competition, but I continue to think we are launching way too many low percentage 3 point shots which creates some of the early deficits and droughts. Kristin Rotert arguably our best long range shooter along with Jill Young took 13 shots and 12 were 3 point range and she made 3. I think Kristin is capable of creating her own shot with her quickness that doesn't necessarily have to come from 3 point range. I know she has won some big games for us with her ability to hit that big three, but IMHO I think she can score a lot of points by getting closer to the hoop.

AJ actually commented that Jill took some early 3 point shots and that was why she was on the bench for a while. I think the same could be said at time for Kristin too. I think an open 3 will always be there for the women's team, so passing the ball around for a while isn't a bad thing. Best play in the second half was one where Jennifer passed up a 3 and passed the ball down low to Stacie for I believe a chance at a 3 point play the old fashioned way.

[zooropa]

Re: Valpo Game Thread

which creates some of the early deficits and droughts.

I don't know about that. IMO, it's as much about the team playing with a certain 'anxiety and nervous energy', as AJ described it on the Thanksgiving live chat.

With the vantage point I had on the Utah Utes game it was beyond obvious that the lady Jacks were playing 'tight' early on. Their body language, the shot selection, shot mechanics, all of it looked like a team that was awful nervous--even on its own home court.

I think that they have a tendency to get too keyed up before games, and that they may need to change their pregame routine, or something, so that they can play more relaxed early on.

[Stl_VU_Fan]

Re: Valpo Game Thread

What surprises me is Valpo's big girl, Zabielewicz, only averages like 3 pts and 3 boards a game. (2pts, 7 boards today). I saw she had a knee brace, maybe bad knee affects her play, but I'da thought being a big like that, she'd still be able to pound it in the middle and be a top scorer on the team.

She's a JUCO in her first year at this level, I don't know if that has anything to do with it. She's the size we haven't had for awhile now

Also, pulled this from Valpo's post game write up..."with a crowd of 1,531, it is the seventh straight game Valpo has played in front of more than 1,000 fans.."

http://www.valpoathletics.com/news/w..._SDSURecap.php

Seemed like a weird thing to mention....Valpo must not get very good attendence for their women's program.

It's true, unfortunately. A journalist who blogs for Valpo recently called out the student body for such a poor showing at the Purdue game. Unfortunately, in Valpo it's the Men's team that gets most of the attention.