Well from the what I saw of the 3RD Q, we made some good plays, fought well for rebounds, Devin moved well off ball to get into open spaces, but it was part of a pattern in which we start slow and get behind, fight back well, start slow again, only to finish strong but can't catch up. It wasn't always the case this season. At our best, we've imposed our game from the start, ous 2ND Q's were our best defensively, and we finished strong as our 4TH Q's were our best offensively.
But along the way through a turbulent season, the patterns are more akin to today's game than yesterday's or those of the past. Post-game Pop was frustrated with our lack consistency which for various reasons has fluctuated this season. Despite the ups and downs of the season, we shouldn't Jekyll and Hyde out way through one game and another at this point of the season.
We went from seven in double figures last game to four in total, from all five starters to two. Many were open looks that just didn't go down. Now last game was as a rare outlier in terms of our very best scoring. We poured in 17 3s whereas in this one we shot 8-31. It's not that we're expected to score over 140 points every game. And we did outpace them 101-79(!) yet they still scored 128 on us. So our young guys who finished the 4TH Q helped win the Q and brought us to within a respectable range. Pop praised the group that finished the game, saying if we'd have hustled as they did we could have had a different result.
I like that we outpaced them (though we have to mak it work for us) and that we out-rebounded them. But a 33-21 advantage of theirs in assists - Pop said we had none in the first half -- is this true?! -- and the factors that contributed to it need a pattern shift, one where we're resolute, and focused, and responsible for ourselves and for one another. One more win and we're in the play-in. We have to push through for it.
NOTEWORTHY ACHIEVEMENTS
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