|
|
|
|
|
Stanford's season ends in a bad matchup with UW
By Morris Phillips March 12, 2010 |
|||
|
|
|||
|
Offensive rebounds? Repeatedly. Reckless charging fouls? Ouch. And embarrassing, emphatic blocked shots? Yeah, Matthew Bryan-Amaning greeted Stanford with one of those too. Empty possessions? Too many to count. In the first 18 minutes of the Stanford’s semifinal matchup with No. 3 Washington, the Cardinal scored 16 points and they were greeted with a whole lot of frustration. Simply, the matchup with the Huskies was bad for the Cardinal, with the quickness, leaping ability and overall size frustrating Stanford and essentially putting a lid on the basket at the Cardinal’s end of the floor. With Washington able to turn to several long defenders like Quincy Poindexter, Justin Holiday, Venoy Overton or Elston Turner, Stanford’s 1-2 punch of Landry Fields and Jeremy Green was stymied. The pair settled for a bunch of tough, off-balance shots and that was clearly reflected in their final numbers. Green finished 2 for 14 and made just one 3-pointer and the Pac-10’s leading scorer shot 6 for 15 and had a whole lot of company whenever he attempted to get to the basket. In his final collegiate game, Fields had the right strategy, squaring up the initial defender, while trying to determine his path to the basket and passing on jump shots. But once he entered the lane, the Huskies swarmed, leaving the foul line as Field’s last resort. Meanwhile Stanford’s ball handlers, Jarrett Mann, Drew Shiller and Da’Veed Dildy got a lot of attention too, as Washington denied easy entry passes and paths to Green and Fields in their sweet spots. The numerous missed shots and empty possessions fueled Washington’s running game, which was effective once the Huskies found their shooting touch. The fact that the Huskies shot just 28 percent in the opening half never really mattered. The Cardinal trailed by nine at halftime, but quickly fell out of range when Washington shot 51 percent after the break. Now Stanford can first take pride in its showing against Arizona State, which erased the bad taste of their losses in their final three home games. In addition, Coach Johnny Dawkins will welcome his heralded recruiting class that is rated in the top 10 nationally; featuring 6’8” Josh Huestis and heralded point guard Aaron Bright. |
|||
|
|
|||
|
|
|||