The flames were flaming and the Dukes were being cooked for dinner and that is probably the best way I can describe tonight. I am sure Brown and company are enjoying their cooked meal of Duke Dog. It was a well deserved win for them. With that said, the Lady Dukes just didn't have it tonight. When the game started they were good defensively. They pressed, got rebounds, and made shots, and then 8 minutes left in the half, Liberty started hitting threes, started to get rebounds on both ends of the ball and suddenly, JMU found themselves down 8 at the half.
It would be wrong for me to say that this team doesn't want to win, because they do. Every team that steps on the court, field, mat, or wherever wants to win. Tonight, I thought we held onto the ball to long, we didn't follow-up on our shots, we failed to rebound on offense. I will not say there were times where the team fought hard, because they did. But that doesn't negate a bad night on the court. Just how bad was the offense tonight? Well, JMU shot just 26% from the 2-points and were 15-56. In 3-point attempts, we were 6-22 at 27 %. In other words, JMU shot just under 27% from the floor.
Defense, still the same story inside, and just like Richmond, we didn't defend the perimeter. JMU was burned multiple times from the three when Liberty was able to get open looks. I am not sure what to think or how to fix it and I am glad I am not Coach Brooks. Maybe we need to play man-to-man defense the whole game, maybe we should just run a simple triangle offense. Just don't know.
Our players need to toughen up. Push the opposing players around a little. They need to take command and show who is boss. When Coach Brooks stated that we were soft, we are. If I were playing JMU, I would run up the middle all day long, and screen to allow the open three because at this point in time, JMU will not be able to defend against it.
All is not lost though and there is still time to right the ship. You can see the disappointment in their eyes and in their demeanor. They need encouragement, they need confidence, they need the fans to say we believe in you and we know you will put it together. Lady Dukes, it is time for you to show us who you are, how tough you are. Go out there and bloody someones lip, be mean, stop being nice, because the greatest competitors in the world are competitors who go out and take what is theirs and they can care less if you are standing in their way. They will push the defender/ball handler over and use them as a stepping stone to get the needed prize. If you want to "Get It Back," then "Get It Back!"
Today's final 60-48 Liberty
Notes: The referring was some of the worst I have seen. With that said, I will not blame the refs for tonight's loss. http://www.jmusports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=14400&ATCLID=205820500
Update: Recommend that you listen to KB's post game presser. A very interesting post game with a lot of reflection. Talks about not playing as a team and pressing too much. Also talks about how the team just isn't trusting each other on the court during games. States that JMU is playing better on the road than they are at home.
Update: Recommend that you listen to KB's post game presser. A very interesting post game with a lot of reflection. Talks about not playing as a team and pressing too much. Also talks about how the team just isn't trusting each other on the court during games. States that JMU is playing better on the road than they are at home.
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