Kutztown Golden Bears 59
Cheyney Wolves 72
Recap:
The ladies hung in the game for over three quarters, but in the end, they could not overcome Danielle Jones and the playoff-bound Cheyney Wolves. KU fell be
hind 18-6 in the early stages, but fought back and actually led at points in the second half. As has been the case throughout the 2007-08 season, however, the Golden Bears were unable to pull off the win, likely costing themselves a playoff berth for the second consecutive season.
Key Stat:
The Golden Bears actually outshot the Wolves from the field, but their three point shooting was awful. KU was just 1-of-13 from beyond the arc, while Cheyney was much more impressive at 8-of-14 in the trifecta department.
Key Moment:
KU trailed by just 7 points with 2:27 to play and still had an opportunity to make a comeback. From there, Lutfiyya Muhammad nailed two free throws, Danielle Jones stole the ball twice and scored 6 points, Muhammad hit two more from the charity stripe, and Tamika McFadden hit a free throw to complete the game’s scoring.
Golden Performance:
I almost feel like I should give this award to Cheyney’s Jones, because, like her or not, she was on fire in the final minutes of the game, all-but-single-handily finishing off the Golden Bears. With that said, I like to focus on KU during these articles and Rachel Wisemiller was a huge contributor for coach Malouf. Wisemiller came off the bench and played 28 minutes, scoring a career-high 21 points on 8-of-14 shooting from the field. She also had 3 assists, 3 rebounds, and 2 steals. She is also listed as having 6 turnovers, but that is a scoring error…so ignore that.
Not-So-Golden Performance:
With the exception of Wisemiller, the KU guards struggled mightily throughout the contest. Lara Dellegrotti, Meredith Starr, and Vivian Melvin combined to hit just one of 14 shots for a grand total of 6 points. They also combined to commit 10 fouls and committed at least 8 turnovers. If anything, Dellegrotti did manage an impressive 8 assists. Runner up for this award is the persistent technical issues during the early stages of the second half. There were 2 long delays as the staff tried to correct issues with the scoreboard and shot clock. But, hey, at least we had entertainment. Cope Hall turned into Saturday night at Shorty’s for a while there…you know…except without the good music.
Side Thought:
Where on earth was Katie Dovey and Chauntelle Schroeder? Schroeder is coming off a 13 point game (in 8 minutes), while Dovey has been playing well in limited action. Combined they played 0 minutes. Maybe I'm missing something, but I don't understand.
Impact:
Mid-game dance party aside, it was not a happy day for the Kutztown Golden Bears. They fall to 4-7 in the PSAC East and 11-15 overall and need some help if they hope to be playoff bound.
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10 comments:
What happened to Weidensaul???
She has a short leash and can't make more than a mistake or two without being benched for the game.
Why??? All of a sudden? Maybe there is more to it??
Let me start by saying that it is extremely hard to figure out what coach Malouf is thinking. I've known her for around 4 years and I've watched her coach for 5. A player's ego/attitude and the player-coach relationship often has a direct relationship to her playing time. That, in MY opinion, is sometimes appropriate and sometimes it is not. But that is another story.
Rach has lost a lot of playing time during her career due to her turnover issues and questionable shot selection. This is not the first year this has happened, so I wouldn't consider it "all of a sudden."
I agree she should have a longer leash because she can score (at will when she's on) and because she is a decent defender, but I do see Coach Malouf's point of view at the same time.
What I don't understand is why start her and then only let her play 5 minutes? Better off going with someone else. Messes with their heads this way.
I can't say I totally disagree with you there, but if you know Coach Malouf, you know is not lenient on upperclassmen. If you make a mistake or two, you sit. Is that fair? Sometimes, yes. Other times, not so much.
To make a case for Ray, sometimes players like her need to get some of the rust off before they really can get in the zone. How much momentum and confidence can any athlete build in only a minute or so of work?
From what I saw of her I think she forces way too many shots and that is why all the turn overs. Yeah she is a good shooter, but someone else might be making all the shots she misses by not passing. No one can shoot all the time and not make mistakes, esp on this level, if she would have learned in her freshman season you cannot force so much, she could have been the best.
I think Malouf gave her too much reign this season, she has alot of good players and didn't give many of them the shot they might have turned the tide with.Of course it is easy to sit on the outside and tell someone else what to do.
I am starting to think KU needs a different coach. 2nd year no playoffs when just 3 yrs ago they had a really decent record. They need to learn how to win. The sad part is ALL these girls come from winning programs, with winning coaches.
I'm surprised every year that they don't turn out better than they do. The competition is always decent, but KU always seems to have the talent to win 8-9 games in the division. Unfortunately (and I don't know if this is a recruiting or coaching issue), there is always something that the team is really awful at - might it be protecting the ball, finishing games in the second half, etc.
Like you said, it's easier said than done, but at the same time, when does being a fringe playoff team every year become not quite enough?
I suppose we will see what happens, because something certainly needs to change.
I agree totally, all these girls (women) KNOW how to win, they have done it in HS. OK college ball is different but everyone else adjusts. Look at Millersville, West Chester, East Stroudsburg and even Cheyney this year.
What is wrong with KU??? Is it team chemistry? Coaching? Selfishness? Someone should soon figure it out, I'd be nervous if I were the coach.
I'd imagine Coach Malouf has decent job security, but I'm not about to elaborate on that. Only AD Greg Bamberger and company know that for sure.
As for why we can't seem to manage a year of dominance like Millersville, ESU, West Chester, Cal, Edinboro, Shippensburg, etc. have in the last few seasons, I don't have an answer.
Fortunately for the athletic program, KU is growing fast which will hopefully lead to even more talent (nothing against the current crop of course) and even more success for women's basketball.
Only time will tell, but your concerns, my friend, are certainly legitimate.
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