Interesting game in several ways. Virginia has some serious flaws, most importantly defensive intensity. We exploited that all night, getting to the foul line a ton. If we had been "good" there this game would have been over lots earlier. VA also has a head case or two who lose composure when they don't get points.
Our girls were "moderately" on-the-job but they looked to me like they knew that they were better. That always makes it tougher when you don't have a Natalie Achonwa to kick their butts when they're slacking.
Muffet still sees this I believe, and she's playing Madison Cable more in key situations, rather than Mabrey --- I hope that whatever's going on with Mabrey's intensity {nuisance injury?} "goes away" because we still need her threat.
BUT I REALLY want Cable on the floor a lot --- there was a sequence in the second half when she personally stopped three VA plays in a row [with the absentee announcers noticing only the one where she took the charge.] Madison is the "salt" in the middle of our "pepper" [for those wondering, that is a basketball reference about rock-solid stability vs volatile flashy play], and we need that sort of lunchpail come-to-work-every-play athlete.
I also liked that Taya Reimer was working hard on high post defense: "showing" very strongly on all picks. I'll bet that Muffet has gotten in her ear on that. We got beat a lot on foul line jumpers, and I believe that it was mostly on Jewell.
I also liked that Muffet played Mychal Johnson a lot --- something says to me that she "wants it" more than most, has loads of natural talent, and when she gets her jump shot together is going to be really good. She's the second ball-handler and I wish that we would let her run the offense more [instead of Jewell] when Lindsay gets a breather.
A good slightly off game.... lots of positives.