Foul on Santucci. Non-shooting

Then a foul on Bravo-Harriott. Non-shooting

Eagles take a timeout with 3:24 to go. Toledo down 11

EMU scores and it's 65-52 Eagles

Foul on Eastern. Non-shooting

Woody scores and it's 65-54 Eagles

Foul on Bravo-Harriott (I think). Non-shooting

Foul on Santucci and the Eagles are in the bonus

First one good.

Second one good. 67-54 EMU

Held ball and the arrow gives it to the Eagles. Another Toledo turnover

Eagles going to the line after a foul on Boyd.

First one good

Second one no good. 68-54 Eastern

Boyd going to the line after an Eastern foul

First one no good

Second one no good

Foul on Woody with 1:28 left sends Eastern to the line

Jim says they're going to the monitor

Never found why they went to the monitor.

Free throws are good and it's 70-54 EMU

Less than a minute left

UT comes up empty

EMU can't score

Cunningham gets a 3 and it's 70-57

Eagles dribble out the clock and win by 13

Win the MAC (Tournament), graduate one starter and going into the 3rd week of MAC play this following season residing in the absolute cellar of the league? Unreal. Too many turnovers, too little defense ---however, kudos to McIntyre. Usually go to EMU for the game every year but not feeling well today and just wasn't up to facing the cold today---just as well, I guess. Still a lot of ball to be played this season but definitely need to work on a few things.

Despair!

Looks like Rokkanen may have played her way out of a starting spot. Just not a great decision-maker with the basketball. Santucci, despite her deficiencies, is probably better. Cunningham has disappeared. Just not enough weapons left, and even the defense has been a bit inconsistent. I want to think that things will get better, that suddenly we'll be a good team, but I fear that's an entirely irrational expectation.

I agree with T-Town. This state of affairs was so totally unexpected. How is it possible that we're this bad?

Rockets did not win one quarter of the game against Eastern! They are playing very poor basketball. It starts with nearly 20 turnovers every game. Sloppy and careless control of the ball. And don't shoot good enough or play good enough defense to overcome the lost possessions. I always respected the tough defense which Cullop's teams played but Akron and Eastern, who are not the powers of the conference, time after time had wide open easy looks. And rebounding remains a problem which will continue given the lack of size and unwillingness to block out. Given all that its hard to see how they can turn it around and be competitive against the string of Ohio U, Ball State, Northern Illinois and Buffalo. And 6 of 14 players sit on the bench and contribute nothing. Wow! Thank god for McIntyre or we wouldn't score 30 points a game.

(01-06-2018 05:02 PM)Dwight Wrote:  Despair!

Looks like Rokkanen may have played her way out of a starting spot. Just not a great decision-maker with the basketball. Santucci, despite her deficiencies, is probably better. Cunningham has disappeared. Just not enough weapons left, and even the defense has been a bit inconsistent. I want to think that things will get better, that suddenly we'll be a good team, but I fear that's an entirely irrational expectation.

I agree with T-Town. This state of affairs was so totally unexpected. How is it possible that we're this bad?

I agree that Rokkanen is not the answer and Cunningham is a big disappointment. I think that the problem is there are only 3 MAC level starters on the team.

(01-06-2018 05:13 PM)temoxley Wrote:  

(01-06-2018 05:02 PM)Dwight Wrote:  Despair!

Looks like Rokkanen may have played her way out of a starting spot. Just not a great decision-maker with the basketball. Santucci, despite her deficiencies, is probably better. Cunningham has disappeared. Just not enough weapons left, and even the defense has been a bit inconsistent. I want to think that things will get better, that suddenly we'll be a good team, but I fear that's an entirely irrational expectation.

I agree with T-Town. This state of affairs was so totally unexpected. How is it possible that we're this bad?

I agree that Rokkanen is not the answer and Cunningham is a big disappointment. I think that the problem is there are only 3 MAC level starters on the team.

Right now, yes, 3 MAC level starters. But we know that Santucci can be a very good MAC player, because she has been. I really think for her it's a matter of extreme confidence issues. In my opinion, Santucci is our number one hope, with Cunningham being the number two hope. If those two can return to form, this will be a different team. (I'm trying to talk myself out of my despair.) We'll remain weak at the four, and our depth will remain a weakness, which I certainly didn't expect prior to the season.

(01-06-2018 05:33 PM)Dwight Wrote:  

(01-06-2018 05:13 PM)temoxley Wrote:  

(01-06-2018 05:02 PM)Dwight Wrote:  Despair!

Looks like Rokkanen may have played her way out of a starting spot. Just not a great decision-maker with the basketball. Santucci, despite her deficiencies, is probably better. Cunningham has disappeared. Just not enough weapons left, and even the defense has been a bit inconsistent. I want to think that things will get better, that suddenly we'll be a good team, but I fear that's an entirely irrational expectation.

I agree with T-Town. This state of affairs was so totally unexpected. How is it possible that we're this bad?

I agree that Rokkanen is not the answer and Cunningham is a big disappointment. I think that the problem is there are only 3 MAC level starters on the team.

Right now, yes, 3 MAC level starters. But we know that Santucci can be a very good MAC player, because she has been. I really think for her it's a matter of extreme confidence issues. In my opinion, Santucci is our number one hope, with Cunningham being the number two hope. If those two can return to form, this will be a different team. (I'm trying to talk myself out of my despair.) We'll remain weak at the four, and our depth will remain a weakness, which I certainly didn't expect prior to the season.

Cunningham hasn’t been the same since her suspension, whatever that was all about.

Both teams in our basketball program just don’t play tough/physical, and just about every other MAC team (if not all but us) have gone to that playbook. We get outmuscled an awful lot. Game has changed, but we didn’t.

(01-06-2018 06:20 PM)bcunn3128 Wrote:  

(01-06-2018 05:33 PM)Dwight Wrote:  

(01-06-2018 05:13 PM)temoxley Wrote:  

(01-06-2018 05:02 PM)Dwight Wrote:  Despair!

Looks like Rokkanen may have played her way out of a starting spot. Just not a great decision-maker with the basketball. Santucci, despite her deficiencies, is probably better. Cunningham has disappeared. Just not enough weapons left, and even the defense has been a bit inconsistent. I want to think that things will get better, that suddenly we'll be a good team, but I fear that's an entirely irrational expectation.

I agree with T-Town. This state of affairs was so totally unexpected. How is it possible that we're this bad?

I agree that Rokkanen is not the answer and Cunningham is a big disappointment. I think that the problem is there are only 3 MAC level starters on the team.

Right now, yes, 3 MAC level starters. But we know that Santucci can be a very good MAC player, because she has been. I really think for her it's a matter of extreme confidence issues. In my opinion, Santucci is our number one hope, with Cunningham being the number two hope. If those two can return to form, this will be a different team. (I'm trying to talk myself out of my despair.) We'll remain weak at the four, and our depth will remain a weakness, which I certainly didn't expect prior to the season.

Cunningham hasn’t been the same since her suspension, whatever that was all about.

Both teams in our basketball program just don’t play tough/physical, and just about every other MAC team (if not all but us) have gone to that playbook. We get outmuscled an awful lot. Game has changed, but we didn’t.

Janice Monakama, for all of her deficiencies, was a big body who provided toughness and consistent scoring. We miss her far more than I would have ever believed. That was just plain ugly.

(01-06-2018 07:32 PM)H2Oville Rocket Wrote:  

(01-06-2018 06:20 PM)bcunn3128 Wrote:  

(01-06-2018 05:33 PM)Dwight Wrote:  

(01-06-2018 05:13 PM)temoxley Wrote:  

(01-06-2018 05:02 PM)Dwight Wrote:  Despair!

Looks like Rokkanen may have played her way out of a starting spot. Just not a great decision-maker with the basketball. Santucci, despite her deficiencies, is probably better. Cunningham has disappeared. Just not enough weapons left, and even the defense has been a bit inconsistent. I want to think that things will get better, that suddenly we'll be a good team, but I fear that's an entirely irrational expectation.

I agree with T-Town. This state of affairs was so totally unexpected. How is it possible that we're this bad?

I agree that Rokkanen is not the answer and Cunningham is a big disappointment. I think that the problem is there are only 3 MAC level starters on the team.

Right now, yes, 3 MAC level starters. But we know that Santucci can be a very good MAC player, because she has been. I really think for her it's a matter of extreme confidence issues. In my opinion, Santucci is our number one hope, with Cunningham being the number two hope. If those two can return to form, this will be a different team. (I'm trying to talk myself out of my despair.) We'll remain weak at the four, and our depth will remain a weakness, which I certainly didn't expect prior to the season.

Cunningham hasn’t been the same since her suspension, whatever that was all about.

Both teams in our basketball program just don’t play tough/physical, and just about every other MAC team (if not all but us) have gone to that playbook. We get outmuscled an awful lot. Game has changed, but we didn’t.

Janice Monakama, for all of her deficiencies, was a big body who provided toughness and consistent scoring. We miss her far more than I would have ever believed. That was just plain ugly.

That;s 3 uglies back to back.

Women's Basketball Soars Past Toledo 70-57.
http://www.emueagles.com/news/2018/1/6/w...70-57.aspx

I just don't know what to say about this team. They had some not so great outings in the OOC season, but the Dayton game seemed to show the same kind of team that finished last season, and I thought they just needed some time to gel together, so that type of play became the norm.

But the last few games they look like a completely and totally different team. For all the issues with the offense, it was the defense against EMU that was just terrible. No way EMU should be able to score 70 on this team, but UT looked very, very slow and disorganized on defense. In all 3 MAC games the opponents ran the floor better in both directions. Rockets have not been getting steals and fast breaks which was a staple of the offense last year. I think that has been a big reason why offensive production is down. The team used to feed on those opportunities and then go on runs where they would put 10 or 12 points up in a bunch. Not doing that at all this year. I seem to remember Cullop saying before the season that this team had more speed than any she had a UT, but they certainly haven't shown it.

I honestly don't think it's a matter of talent. I think they have all that, but there's something that happened to the chemistry of the team it seems to me. Players are trying to do things that they shouldn't - e.g. Cunningham is a scorer, but she seems to spend a lot of time trying to be a playmaker, which often doesn't turn out well. Maybe it is a leadership problem - Janice and Sophie were clearly the leaders of the team, and there is a void there now. There isn't one player who acts like a coach on the floor, directing players and encouraging good plays and calling out the bad ones.

Never expected such a quick fall after last season.

(01-07-2018 10:40 AM)northcoastRocket Wrote:  I just don't know what to say about this team. They had some not so great outings in the OOC season, but the Dayton game seemed to show the same kind of team that finished last season, and I thought they just needed some time to gel together, so that type of play became the norm.

But the last few games they look like a completely and totally different team. For all the issues with the offense, it was the defense against EMU that was just terrible. No way EMU should be able to score 70 on this team, but UT looked very, very slow and disorganized on defense. In all 3 MAC games the opponents ran the floor better in both directions. Rockets have not been getting steals and fast breaks which was a staple of the offense last year. I think that has been a big reason why offensive production is down. The team used to feed on those opportunities and then go on runs where they would put 10 or 12 points up in a bunch. Not doing that at all this year. I seem to remember Cullop saying before the season that this team had more speed than any she had a UT, but they certainly haven't shown it.

I honestly don't think it's a matter of talent. I think they have all that, but there's something that happened to the chemistry of the team it seems to me. Players are trying to do things that they shouldn't - e.g. Cunningham is a scorer, but she seems to spend a lot of time trying to be a playmaker, which often doesn't turn out well. Maybe it is a leadership problem - Janice and Sophie were clearly the leaders of the team, and there is a void there now. There isn't one player who acts like a coach on the floor, directing players and encouraging good plays and calling out the bad ones.

Never expected such a quick fall after last season.

You may had hit on something. I wonder if Sophie, given the outgoing and positive person she is, wasn't really valuable to the team chemistry. One thing I noticed particularly in the last two games is that the opponent gets to all of the loose balls first. And they seem to get all of the contested rebounds. Not to hit on St Fort but there was a contested rebound in the Eastern game where she appeared to have position and the ball, lost it to an aggressive opponent who then put it up as a shot after offensive rebound and missed the bunny, then moved inside St Fort for a second offensive rebound and put it back up for two points. Really bad play by rocket.