UCLA 69 OREGON 64

UCLA looked very good in the second half against Oregon.  On Sunday, the Beavers can't afford to get out to a bad start in the first quarter like they did against USC tonight.

And SI showed her real self again at the end of UCLA game.  What piss poor behavior.

In the final 10 seconds of the game Sabrina appeared to angrily bark something at teammate Gildon and pushed her too when Gildon gave up a rebound to UCLA after UCLA missed a free throw.

SI was forced to foul (her 5th foul so she fouled out of the game) and immediately stormed off the court, heading to the hallway or locker room with an angry scowl on her face before the game was even over...behavior described by some observers as a "temper tantrum".

SI did reappear for the after game hand shakes, but appeared to shake her head more than once while in the line.

Wow. That sounds bad. Apologize about the double post.

The person she should have said something too should have been Greaves. Gildon is what she is- a short slow tweener put in to play against faster taller players from UCLA. Greaves played her 33 minutes and only gave Giomi 7. He pulled Giomi out when she was called for a questionable travel and she never returned. He does that all the time with her. He has a really quick hook for two seasons now. 

Now Gildon got 8 rebounds but her lack of height and not enough quickness to compensate cost the Ducks on defense and lost rebounds. The last one she gave up being just the most obvious. That last rebound she gave up would have given Oregon the ball with enough time left to tie the game. Ionescu totally took her player out of the play, but Gildon allowed her player to get around her and beat her to the ball on the other side of the free throw lane. 

Gildon is listed as 6'1" but is probably closer to 6'. Giomi is the fastest player if not the quickest on their team at 6'6" . . The defensive ground she covers is vast and she still has the quickness to recover and position for rebounds. You have to be an idiot to not recognize the advantages on defense a player like that presents.


Last season when McCowan was eating the Ducks alive on the offensive glass, Greaves used Gildon, a tall guard and the other 6'2" forward to try to keep her off the offensive glass. They were just too short because McCowan just went over the top of them with O put backs. He never once used Hebert or ever inserted Giomi, but just stuck with what didn't work and it cost them that game as well. This is why he plays Gildon over Giomi. He will always chose someone he considers a better offensive player even if they are a critical defensive liability. 


It was obvious that they never should have lost that game the way the did, which is why Sabrina was visibly ticked off. But as I stated Gildon is who she is and should have never have been in the game under those circumstances. The player she was to block out was not only taller but also much much quicker than her. Talk about favoritism. Greaves was the coach of Gonzaga University of which Gonzaga high school ( where Gildon comes from ) is affiliated. They came to Oregon in the same year. Gildon was a highly rated high school player who's skills do not translated well to the college game, because she is basically a tweener. A post player too short to play at the next level without the quickness or athleticism to compensate.  Greaves stubborn stupidity lost them that game.   

Queen Sabrina stormed off the court and retreated under the grandstands with 11.4 seconds to go, her team down 5 and with posession. The game was by no means decided. What a terrible (but revealing) message for a star player to send to her teammates. At home, no less.

For a college newspaper the emerald is pretty good, they tend to tell our like it is about schmuck sports.

Apparently Sabrina also threw a water bottle in the tunnel: "Oregon was down by five with 11 seconds left in the game when Sabrina Ionescu fouled out. A trainer handed her a water bottle as she walked toward the team's tunnel. Ionescu grabbed it and chucked it into the tunnel, spraying water on the ground as she stormed off the court." This came from the Daily Emerald (https://www.dailyemerald.com/sports/no-oregon-drops-first-home-game---to-ucla/article_07cc1270-373c-11e9-acaf-7bb7dec000cd.html).

I wonder if she had to clean it up?