What a great game!
Feb 16, 2024 22:55:32 GMT -8
via mobile
gnawitall, beaverbeliever, and 8 more like this
Post by beavadelic on Feb 16, 2024 22:55:32 GMT -8
Stretches were far from artistic, but the grit that the Beaver women displayed in the face of some serious adversity and a feisty (often nasty) opponent tonight resulted in an absolute masterpiece.
I found myself liking UCLA (the embodiment of their unlikable coach) less as the game progressed, as they came out of the chutes Uber-aggressive and the officials played right into the chaos. I’m a huge fan of tough man D where people move their feet and work together, but I hate grabbing and pushing, and a reckless elbow knocked a great player out of the game early. I wasn’t shocked that someone might get hurt with the way that the zebras swallowed their whistles early, but this was more than an unfortunate mishap. When the best player on the floor ends up heading to the hospital in the first quarter due to recklessness, it could be a severe game-changer.
Without Raegan in the game, Betts was able to take the night off defensively, stay out of foul trouble, and pitch a tent in the block offensively. She showed some nice footwork and a decent stroke as well, but the Beavs fought uphill all night. Kudos to Timea and Talia for sure. They were both so tough, and willed us to staying within striking distance, and props to the rest of the team for stepping up. What a great team effort, with several women making significant contributions to help keep us close.
The last 9 seconds were magic for anyone who is simply a fan of hoops. The Bruin wing hits a 3 to put them up by 1 with 9 seconds left. Talia takes it to the hole and scores with 2.9 left to put us up by 1 again. Betts drains a pretty shot from the foul line with 1.1 left, then Talia hits a spectacular contested 3 at the buzzer. I was pretty certain that someone hit the winning shot 4 times in that last 9 seconds. Talia finished high and fully confident on the game-winner. It may have been the best finish I’ve seen, where neither team really “lost” the game. In a very real sense, it was simply that the last team with the ball got the win.
To top it off, I got to watch the game with my 10-year old granddaughter. She reminded me down the stretch that OSU has never lost a football or basketball game that she has attended. As a longtime football season ticket holder, I’m pretty sure that the rest of my family is out of luck next year, as I’ll be taking her to every game. After the game, we joined the “8 minute mingle”, and my granddaughter was able to get an autograph from Donovyn, who is her favorite player. What a great night.
I found myself liking UCLA (the embodiment of their unlikable coach) less as the game progressed, as they came out of the chutes Uber-aggressive and the officials played right into the chaos. I’m a huge fan of tough man D where people move their feet and work together, but I hate grabbing and pushing, and a reckless elbow knocked a great player out of the game early. I wasn’t shocked that someone might get hurt with the way that the zebras swallowed their whistles early, but this was more than an unfortunate mishap. When the best player on the floor ends up heading to the hospital in the first quarter due to recklessness, it could be a severe game-changer.
Without Raegan in the game, Betts was able to take the night off defensively, stay out of foul trouble, and pitch a tent in the block offensively. She showed some nice footwork and a decent stroke as well, but the Beavs fought uphill all night. Kudos to Timea and Talia for sure. They were both so tough, and willed us to staying within striking distance, and props to the rest of the team for stepping up. What a great team effort, with several women making significant contributions to help keep us close.
The last 9 seconds were magic for anyone who is simply a fan of hoops. The Bruin wing hits a 3 to put them up by 1 with 9 seconds left. Talia takes it to the hole and scores with 2.9 left to put us up by 1 again. Betts drains a pretty shot from the foul line with 1.1 left, then Talia hits a spectacular contested 3 at the buzzer. I was pretty certain that someone hit the winning shot 4 times in that last 9 seconds. Talia finished high and fully confident on the game-winner. It may have been the best finish I’ve seen, where neither team really “lost” the game. In a very real sense, it was simply that the last team with the ball got the win.
To top it off, I got to watch the game with my 10-year old granddaughter. She reminded me down the stretch that OSU has never lost a football or basketball game that she has attended. As a longtime football season ticket holder, I’m pretty sure that the rest of my family is out of luck next year, as I’ll be taking her to every game. After the game, we joined the “8 minute mingle”, and my granddaughter was able to get an autograph from Donovyn, who is her favorite player. What a great night.