OSU WBB vs Westmont Exhibition Game: November 1, 2024

My takes are a bit different.

To summarize: the returners are stepping up. They were all active on both O and D. They got off to a slow start but found their flow in the third quarter and absolutely dominated. Then some subs came in, we lost the momentum, and the game ended up closer than it should have been. I totally disagree with the comment above about Sela being gassed in short minutes. I was impressed with how many minutes she got and she was *not* gassed, but playing hard and well throughout. No one was shooting well but overall all four looked to be ready to step up their games a notch.

As for the newcomers, the only one to make a case that she belongs on the floor with the core group was Cat. She had some good drives, showed some range, and played some good D. It's a shame that her game overlaps with AJ as much as it does, but she looked like she really wants to be the fifth starter.

Of the rest, no one really distinguished themselves - or disqualified themselves, either. When any of them had the ball in their hands it was obvious that they hadn't enough time together to play as full speed. Individually there were more positive plays than negative plays, but as a group they had a hard time getting good looks and they left some soft spots in the defense.

I left Gill optimistic. The biggest questions I had going into the game was whether Sela would be ready to play 25-30 minutes a game (and be effective) and whether we could fill the hole at the 2-spot. The answer to the first is, "Looks good so far" and to the second is, "Cat and AJ can do it for sure, Tiara has a good chance, and there are others with potential."

PS: Susana did play for a few minutes in the 4th. She was 0-1 from behind the arc.

gnawitall-

And while everyone knew what the PAC-12 was, I'm sure there are those who follow the Atlantic 10 who are not sure what the WCC is. Distance tends to do that in the case of non-power conferences.

I am very harsh, probably because I grew up watching men. I went, and would say:
I wish the bigs had worked more on catching the ball. Every pass coming into the paint is not going to be perfect. RB was good at this. Kelsey was not last year, and I hope she improves.

We shot very poorly in the 1st half, and the other team did not. Hence the close score. When they were open, they made it. We did not. We missed lots even from very close range. If we had made those, we would have pulled away in the 1st half.

When the guards or small forwards drive into the paint, go with the mindset to score. Not to pass out to someone who will clonk a 3 pointer. Eventually they will guard you, and the 3 pointer will be more open. Every player needs to be a threat to score. The game is about putting the ball through the hoop. Less family, more greedy.

Kennedie especially makes me nervous that she doesn't move on the inbounds pass, just posts up with her arm out. Maybe because the person guarding her last night was smaller, but the best move here is to give a little push and then cut across for the inbounds pass. If you give up one turnover here, that can be the difference. Ralph would not approve.

Not to be too negative, the defense was good all game, great at times. I will always be a big AJ fan, she had a nice baby hook in the key. I wish she would just be that person, not a spot up 3 point shooter. I also think Cat is a solid addition, and I expect her to come on, over the course of the year.

2ndGenBeaver - - thanks for posting the Eggers article......And thanks to Kerry Eggers for being a long-time, dedicated reporter, and analyst, of OSU sports....
I have not read much meaningful about the WBB team thus far - of course it's still very early in the season - but I think I learned about as much about this year's team in this article as anywhere else.
Perhaps everywhere else.

Eggers is obviously a fan of Rueck and all of the good things he has done for WBB at OSU, but he's also level-headed in his expectations of this year's team and even-handed in his assessment of its limitations....It's very nice to read informed journalism now and again.

At any rate, a good article. Thanks again to 2ndGenBeaver for posting....
GO BEAVS!!