Catching Ducks

Tomorrow Notre Dame plays UConn. The game will be on CBS (channel 7 around these parts) at 1pm tomorrow (Saturday). It should be a good game. These teams DO NOT like each other. They've played four times in each of the last two years: two regular season games, the Big East championship game, and the first round of the Final Four. Two seasons ago UConn won the first three and lost the last one. Last season they lost the first game by three points in overtime, lost the second game by double digits, won the Big East championship game a mere week later, and lost the Final Four game in overtime*.

Rebecca Lobo recently wrote about her excitement for the game:

"Connecticut versus Notre Dame has become one of my favorite rivalry games in women's college basketball over the past few years. The contests have been close and there is always something at stake. And when you add the players' and coaches' distaste for one another, the game becomes even juicier."

She concludes:

"These teams don't like each other. And that's one of the reasons I love watching them play. And since the game isn't being broadcast by ESPN, there's even a chance it'll be close (the Worldwide Leader's track record for close women's games this season isn't great). But no matter the final score, the game, like the matchups within it, will be worth watching."




*Kelly Faris got them into that overtime. She had help, of course, but when I watched it, I was blown away but what an amazing series of plays she made. The play-by-play shows that, with 1:22 left, UConn was behind 65-61:

1:22 Faris steals the ball
1:21 Tiffany Hayes (UConn) misses a layup
1:21 Faris rebounds
1:20 Faris makes a layup

Now it's 65-63.

0:51 Natalie Achonwa (Notre Dame) misses a layup
0:51 Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis (UConn) rebounds
0:44 Faris is fouled and makes two foul shots

Now it's tied at 65.

0:29 Natalie Novosel (Notre Dame) misses a jumper
0:29 Bria Hartley (UConn) rebounds
0:18 Skylar Diggins (Notre Dame) steals the ball
0:12 Faris steals the ball back
0:11 Diggins is forced to foul Faris. She makes both of her foul shots

Now UConn is up 67-65.

In the last six seconds, Diggins missed a laypup, Novosel got the rebound, and made a game-tying layup to send it into overtime.

But from 1:22 to 0:11, it was the Kelly Faris Show. She had two steals, one rebound, and six points. It was AMAZING. I think I need to dig up my tape of the game.....

Labels: UConn basketball