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Post by nickpanther on Feb 16, 2020 19:10:16 GMT -6
panthers are in 5th at 8-6 in conference, would host the 8th seed( currently Oakland) if the season ended now.
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Post by skrapheap on Feb 17, 2020 9:58:06 GMT -6
IUPUI lost their second league game of the season to NKU at NKU. Looked something like the NKU win over Green Bay last weekend, except that IUPUI led after one quarter, and made a late push to make the final score close.
The Jaguars still have a three game lead over second place with three games to play. The remaining games are at home (where they have not lost this season), against teams they beat the first time this season. The first two of those could be competitive: games with Milwaukee Friday and Green Bay on Sunday. The season finale is against last place UIC. A 16-2 finish would not be a surprise.
The teams tied for second place, Wright State and NKU, meet Thursday night in Ohio. The Raiders won the earlier game in Kentucky. A win puts the Raiders on the inside track for the tournament double bye. WSU finishes against Oakland and Detroit Mercy on the road. NKU plays Detroit Mercy and Oakland on the road to finish the season. The Golden Grizzlies can be tough at home, and they will have two chances to play spoiler.
Green Bay finishes with road games with UIC and IUPUI, then home games with Cleveland State and Youngstown State. The Phoenix went 3-1 against those teams on the first pass, but needed double overtime to beat YSU. A win over IUPUI is a necessity for a shot at a double bye, but Green Bay would still need a lot of help to leapfrog WSU and NKU in the final standings.
Milwaukee is a game ahead of Cleveland State, and finish the regular season at home against the Vikings. That final game could be important for tournament seeding. The Vikings won the earlier matchup, but have gone 2-2 since; Milwaukee has won four consecutive games to pass the Vikings in the standings. I expect the Panthers to hold on to fifth place, but might advance higher with help.
A win against IUPUI would be a big step forward for Milwaukee, but they can't have the shooting droughts they have had in the last two victories. Oakland and Detroit Mercy both went on runs which reduced double-digit leads to single-digit leads. Against those teams, the Panthers were able to counter with runs and re-establish double digit leads and hang on for a victory. Against IUPUI, a prolonged drought will allow the Jaguars to put the game away. The Panthers have risen to the occasion in recent games against Wright State on the road and Green Bay at home; a similar performance against the Jaguars would make a big statement.
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Post by skrapheap on Feb 18, 2020 11:08:03 GMT -6
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Post by skrapheap on Feb 20, 2020 20:50:51 GMT -6
The only game tonight in HL Women's Basketball was the battle for second place, NKU at Wright State. The Raiders won by ten, 79-69. They outscored the Norse in three of four quarters. NKU never led in the game, although they tied the score in the second quarter a couple of time.
WSU is now 11-5 in league play to 10-6 for NKU, but more importantly they have the season sweep over the Norse. The Raiders have winnable road games at Detroit Mercy and Oakland next weekend to finish league play, so they have the inside track to the second seed and a double bye.
NKU also finishes against Detroit Mercy and Oakland, but they'd have to win both games and hope WSU loses both to pass the Raiders.
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Post by skrapheap on Feb 21, 2020 22:07:02 GMT -6
Against the league-leading IUPUI Jaguars, the Panthers did not play the same basketball that had propelled them to wins in the previous four games.
Instead the Panthers reverted to the poor quality of play of earlier this season. They experienced an awful scoring drought from the end of the first quarter through most of the second quarter and allowed the Jaguars to convert a two point deficit into a 15 point halftime lead. The Panthers managed to fight their way back, but when they finally had closed the gap to two points or so, their offense sputtered and the Jaguars were able to hold on for the win.
This was a winnable game if the Panthers play a halfway decent game. IUPUI was far from the well-oiled machine that beat the Panthers by 20 points in Milwaukee in January. The Panthers shot poorly and did not find the holes in the Jaguar defense that they found so readily in beating Wright State and Green Bay in consecutive games.
The Jaguars have now locked up the regular season championship and the top seed for the tournament. The Panthers have three games left against teams below them in the standings. They are pretty solidly in fifth place. They are tied with Cleveland State at 8-7, and will play the Vikings at home in the season finale. Before coming to Milwaukee, the Vikings have to make the trip to Green Bay. Odds are that the Vikings will come to Milwaukee one game behind the Panthers.
Sunday's game will be a predictor of the Panthers's fortunes. If they bounce back against UIC, i will be much more optimistic. They won't have to play much better to beat the Flames, but if they want to put themselves in the best possible position heading into the tournament, they need to put tonight behind them emphatically.
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Post by skrapheap on Feb 23, 2020 16:41:47 GMT -6
The Panthers managed to play one really good quarter in their game with UIC this afternoon. Fortunately for them, one really good quarter was enough to get them a win over UIC.
The Flames held the lead for more than half the game. The Panthers took an early 4-0 lead in the first quarter. They then went cold for more than five minutes, as UIC scored nine consecutive points to take a five point lead. The Panthers managed eight points the rest of the quarter, holding UIC to five more points, but the Flames led by two, 14-12.
The second quarter was pure disaster. The Panthers managed six points total, to 14 for the Flames, and UIC led by 10 at half-time, 28-18. The Panthers had one made three-point shot in the half, out of 14 attempts.
Milwaukee managed more points in the third quarter than they had in the entire first half, but were only able to reduce the UIC lead to five points at 42-37. The Panthers started the quarter slowly, and the Flames pushed their lead to its highest point at 13 less than two minutes in to the quarter. Milwaukee then started to pick up the pace, helped by three made three-point shots (out of six attempts), cutting the lead to four. UIC then pushed the lead back to eight before a Panther run reduced the lead to to five again.
UIC got the first bucket of the fouth quarter in the first 18 seconds, but Milwaukee put together a seven point run to tie the score at 44-all. The Flames got another basket, and the Panthers then score thirteen of the next sixteen points on consecutive three-point shots from Sydney Staver and Sydney Levy, a traditional three point play from Mckaela Schmelzer, and layups from Levy and Lizzie Odegard, to take a 57-49 lead. After four points from the Flames, Milwaukee scored a three from Alyssa Moore to push the lead back to seven. UIC scored four more points as their defensive pressure kept the Panthers from advancing the ball past mid-court for almost two minutes. Fortunately time was drawing short and the Flames were not hitting their three-point shots. Once again, the Panthers relied on their free-throw shooting to seal a win, hitting six free throws in 10 attempts in the last minute of the game. The final was 66-60.
The Panthers were led in scoring by Odegard with 16 points, eight rebounds, four assists, and a steal. Levy and Staver joined her in double figures: Levy had 12 points (two of four on three pointers) and Staver had 10 points, two rebounds and two assists.
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Post by skrapheap on Feb 23, 2020 17:18:09 GMT -6
The last weekend of play in the HL regular season could have a considerable effect on the tournament seedings, aside from the number one seed, which IUPUI has clinched.
The Jaguars are 14-3 with a single home game against UIC left to play. Even if UIC pulls off a monumental upset, the Jaguars will finish at least one game ahead of the second seed.
Wright State and Green Bay are currently tied for second in the standings at 11-5. Northern Kentucky is one game behind at 10-6 in fourth place. Cleveland State and Milwaukee are one game further back at 9-7 in a tie for fifth place. The Raiders and Phoenix have the inside track for the second seed, but NKU, Cleveland State, or Milwaukee could sneak in and snag the double bye with a lot of help.
Wright State finishes the regular season on the road against Oakland and Detroit Mercy, who are a combined 9-23 against the league. Green Bay has two home games, against Cleveland State and Youngstown State, who are a combined 15-17 in league play.
Friday's game between Cleveland State and Green Bay should be fun to watch, as both teams have a lot to play for. And Sunday's game between the Panthers and Cleveland State should be equally entertaining.
The Panthers best hope for tournament seeding is to win out, which would earn them at least one home tournament game. The Norse also finish on the road with Detroit Mercy and Oakland. Winning both games guarantees them a higher seed than Milwaukee or Cleveland State. Winning one of two would net them no worse than a tie with either Milwaukee or Cleveland State. NKU has the tiebreaker over Milwaukee, but Cleveland State has the tiebreaker over NKU. If the Panthers beat Cleveland State in the finale, that would give them a season split with the Vikings.
The Panthers and the Phoenix have a slight advantage in that they play their final games at home, where they both have won five of seven league games. Wright State and NKU finish on the road but against weaker competition. Cleveland State finishes on the road against stronger competition.
The Horizon League has been a fairly close race aside from IUPUi. The games in the last weekend could turn rest of the tournament seedings on their head.
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Post by skrapheap on Feb 27, 2020 21:17:33 GMT -6
The Panthers found a way to beat Youngstown State tonight. Tonight the key to the win was defense late in the fourth. After Youngstown State shot very well for three quarters (63.6 percent in the first half, 52.9 percent through three quarters), the Panther defense stymied them, working them deep into the shot clock possession after possession, and hurrying the Penguins into rushed shots which they missed. The Penguins were held to 2-14 in the fourth quarter.
The Panthers did not score as well as they have in the fourth quarter for the previous three games, but they managed to overcome a five point lead early in the quarter, hanging on to win 59-54.
Free throw shooting was important. The Panthers shot 75%, but they had seven more attempts than the Penguins, so they outscored them 12 to nine. Mckaela Schmelzer scored the last four points for the Panthers at the free throw line, on her way to a season high 11 points.
Lizzie Odegard lead all scorers with 19 points. Schmelzer and Brandi Bisping had 11 points; Bisping added 10 rebounds for her third double-double of the season.
The Panthers finish the season at home on Saturday afternoon, against the Cleveland State Vikings. The Panthers are one game ahead of the Vikings in the standings, 10-7 to 9-8. The Panthers need to win on Saturday to secure the fifth seed in the tournament. Cleveland State won the earlier matchup, so if they win, they tie the Panthers and they would have the tiebreaker.
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Post by skrapheap on Feb 29, 2020 16:06:01 GMT -6
Milwaukee needed to win today against Cleveland State to lock up the fifth seed for the tournament, and they did just that. They held off a determined Viking team to win 61-57.
The Panthers of late had gotten off to slow starts, and relied on improved play in the second half to pull out wins. Today they played better in the first half, especially in the second quarter, than they had in the past several games. They led 16-8 at the end of the first quarter, and by 11 at 36-25 at halftime. The Vikings outscored the Panthers in the third and fourth quarters, and tied the score at 55 with 1:12 left. Jamie Reit responded with a three-point make, and after an exchange of possessions drew a foul and made two free throws to put the Panthers up by five with six seconds left. The Vikings got a layup, and then fouled Bre Cera, who made one of two free throws to seal the victory.
Four Panthers reached double-figures in scoring. Reit, Cera, and Sydney Staver had 11 points each. Emma Witterhaus came in when Cera got hurt in the second quarter and proceeded to ascore 10 points and grab seven rebounds in about seven minutes before Cera returned. Reit also snagged 10 rebounds for a double-double.
Elsewhere in the Horizon League, regular season champs IUPUI routed Detroit Mercy last night. They had already locked up the number one seed with the double bye to the semifinals. Wright State and Green Bay, who were tied for second place, both won today. Green Bay has the tiebreaker over Wright State. The teams split their season series, but the Phoenix split with IUPUI, and the Raiders lost both games to the Jaguars. The Phoenix wind up with the second seed and the other double bye in the tournament. The Raiders will be the third seed and will host UIC in a first round game.
Fourth seeded Northern Kentucky played at Oakland in the finale, and the game turned out closer than expected. Oakland rallied and took the lead on three occasions in the fourth quarter, but the Norse held on to win the game at the free throw line. The win puts the Norse alone in fourth place in the standings at 12-6, and gives them a home game against Detroit-Mercy on Tuesday night.
The Panther win puts them in the fifth seed and put Cleveland State in the sixth seed. Oaland's loss puts them in the eighth seed, so they will come to Milwaukee on Tuesday night for a first round game. Cleveland State will host Youngstown State.
If the Panthers advance from the first round, they will most likely play the quarterfinal round on the road. Both Wright State and Northern Kentucky would have to lose home games in the first round for the Panthers to get a second home game. If the top seeds win in the first round, the Panthers would travel to Northern Kentucky tp play Thursday night.
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Post by skrapheap on Mar 1, 2020 17:05:39 GMT -6
Here's the scoop on the Women's BB tournament for the Horizon League: Double Byes: IUPUI (1st place), Green Bay (tied for second with Wright State, won tiebreaker) Tuesday, March 3rd, Opening Round:All games to be broadcast on ESPN+. Links at Horizonleague.org. At 6:00 p.m. CST the first three games of the tournament will tip off - 10th seeded UIC plays at 3rd seeded Wright State. Wright State swept UIC in the season series.
- 9th seeded Detroit Mercy plays at 4th seeded Northern Kentucky. NKU swept Detroit Mercy in the season series.
- 7th seeded Youngstown State plays at 6th seeded Cleveland State. The teams split the season series, each winning at home.
The last game of the evening is 8th seeded Oakland at 5th seeded Milwaukee, at 7:00 p.m. CST. The teams split the season series, each winning at home. The ESPN+ broadcast will be handled by the same broadcast team that did the Channel 24 broadcasts this season: Bob Brainard on play-by-play and Panther alum Maria Viall as the analyst. For those who prefer Matt Menzel, he will be doing the audio broadcast. There is a link from mkepanthers.com for his broadcast. Thursday, March 5th, Quarterfinal Round:Both games begin at 6:00 p.m. CST. Both Games will be broadcast on ESPN+. - The lowest surviving seed from the opening round plays at the highest surviving seed.
- The second lowest surviving seed from the opening round plays at the second highest surviving seed.
If the Panthers win and either Wright State or NKU lose on Tuesday night (not a high probability, but the league has had some interesting moments this season), the Panthers would be one of the highest surviving seeds and would host a quarterfinal game. More likely, the Panthers are one of the road teams if they make it to the quarterfinal round. Monday, March 9th, Semifinal Round:Games played in Indianapolis. Both games will be broadcast on ESPN+. - Lowest surviving seed from the Quarterfinals vs. IUPU. 11:00 a.m. CSTI
- Highest surviving seed from the Quarterfinals vs. Green Bay, 1:30 p.m. CST
Tuesday, March 10th, Final:Game Played in Indianapolis. It will be broadcast on ESPNU. Semifnal winners meet at 11:00 a.m. CST
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Post by skrapheap on Mar 3, 2020 22:57:27 GMT -6
After three quarters of tonight's tournament game with Oakland, i had no expectation that the Panthers would win. The Oakland defense was forcing Milwaukee shooters to rush their shots, and the Panther defense was for the most part not making the Grizzlies take difficult shots.
I know that they have put together comebacks late several times during their hot streak, but i feared they had fallen too far behind a team that had played a great game to that point. The Panthers decided that the deficit was not too great, however, and proceeded to work their magic, which extended their winning streak to four games, and made them winners of five of the last six and nine of the last eleven games.
The Panthers were lead by Sydney Staver, who overcame first half foul trouble to score 14 of her game-high 16 points in the second half. Coach Rechlicz said in her post-game comments that the coaching staff felt that Staver presented matchup challenges to the Grizzlies, so they ran plays to give her good shots and she delivered. The Panthers got 15 points from Brandi Bisping and fourteen from Lizzie Odegard. Jamie Reit did not shoot especially well tonight, but she hit some clutch shots in the fourth quarter rally on her way to nine points.
The other games in the HL Women's tournament were all routs by the higher seeds at home. The Panthers's reward for winning tonight is a trip to play NKU on Thursday night. The Panthers were swept by the Norse, losing by 20+ points on the road. They will need to play their best game of their season to advance to the semifinal.
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Post by skrapheap on Mar 5, 2020 19:35:06 GMT -6
The third matchup with Northern Kentucky was a replay of the first two, with the Norse winning, by 20 points.
My hypothesis is that playing "good" defense is largely a function of getting the refs not to call the fouls you commit. NKU was able to expand their lead in large part because they weren't getting called on the fouls they were committing. 14 fouls were called on the Panthers, to four on the Norse at the midway point of the fourth quarter. It's not a question of physicality. The Panthers are are physical as the Norse. The refs allowed the Norse to play physically, and called fouls at nearly every opportunity on the Panthers.
I have no idea how one goes about getting officials to call a game evenly. It's disgusting to watch the one-side officiating in the Horizon League. On the occasions where games have been called evenly, the Panthers have had success. They played five games against Green Bay and NKU, teams with a reputation for playing "good" defense. The game the Panthers won was the game, against Green Bay, where they weren't called for more fouls than their opponent.
I don't know that this Panther team could beat NKU if the game were officiated evenly. But I'd sure like to see if it is possible.
The other quarterfinal tonight was a shocker. Cleveland State traveled to Wright State and took it to the Raiders. The first half was close, with the Vikings leading 25-24. The second half was all Cleveland State. By the midpoint of the fourth quarter, CSU had expanded their lead to 17 at 57-40. The Raiders made a push late, but there was not time enough to dig their way out of the hole. The Vikings won, 63-52.
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Post by skrapheap on Mar 9, 2020 17:23:05 GMT -6
It will be top seeded IUPUI and second seeded Green Bay in the Women's Tournament Final tomorrow.
The Jaguars coasted to a 17-point win over Cleveland State.
The Phoenix pulled out a last second win over Northern Kentucky, 50-49. The lead changed hands four times in the last 50 seconds of the game: NKU took a 47-46 lead off an and-one, then Green Bay got a basket with about 38 seconds remaining, then NKU rushed the ball down the court and hit a tough shot with just over six seconds left. The Phoenix took an immediate time out, advanced the ball, and found an open player for a layup with three seconds left. NKU was out of time-outs, so they had to try a mid-court shot as time expired, which was off target.
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Post by skrapheap on Jul 21, 2020 14:21:20 GMT -6
Apparently i got distracted in early March...not sure why To write the ending to the 2019-20 season, IUPUI beat Green Bay in Horizon Women's BB Tournament Title game on March 10th, 51-37. The Jaguars led the league all season, and finished their tournament run with a thorough domination of the Phoenix, leading Green Bay throughout the game and holding them scoreless in the fourth quarter. The Phoenix offensive output was 30 points below their season average. Had the NCAA tournament been held, it would have been IUPUI's first Division I tournament bid.
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