Just got back from the Schar Center and while the result of tonight’s game was a heartbreaking loss there were a lot of positives to take out of the opener for the Panthers.
The Panthers had seven players score 6+ points and eight players in total scored from the field. They hit 10 three-pointers, including a Terrell bank shot at the end, and shot over 44% from the floor. Anna Hager had a particularly good night hitting 3 triples in a row to start the third period and leading the team with 15 points. There’s a high ceiling on this team offensively when they take care of the ball.
The Panthers were tough on defense and on the boards in a way that they haven’t been in a long time. They actually substantially outrebounded the taller Phoenix, 35-26. Nevaeh Zavala, Anna Hager and Jaleesa Lawrence were key in the rebounding effort. The team in general showed a great toughness and effort on the boards for most of the game.
HPU had 22 bench points. Lauren Scott came off the bench and looked like a natural shooting the 3. Dom Nesland was impressively poised for a freshman. She not only hit a couple threes but also look comfortable handling the ball against a tough Elon defense. Shak Baskerville was also great off the bench and was successful a number of times cutting into the Phoenix defense. It was great to see her comfortable and playing aggressively.
Things really only went wrong for the Panthers when they weren’t taking care of the ball. They committed 24 turnovers to Elon’s 11 and many of those turnovers were live ball giveaways that led to run out layups and jump shots. The Panthers also seemed a little gassed in the fourth quarter and I think Elon wore them down a little bit. The good news is that these are two things that completely fixable for the Panthers as they get healthier get more experience playing tougher in live action.
Finally I hate to even say this but the FT discrepancy in this game was an absolute joke. There’s zero chance you watch this game and come away with HPU committing more fouls than Elon. With that being said, this team showed maturity and never hung their head or let it distract them. Kudos to them for fighting and continuing to attack even when the whistle wasn’t going their way.
I came away seeing a lot of potential in this team. I’m sure Banbury and her staff will have plenty of film and areas of improvement to point out in practice this week, but overall I was impressed with the fight and work ethic the team showed tonight. If they keep that up the future of this season is bright, regardless of the score tonight.
So what’s next? Well the lady Panthers host the Davidson Wildcats on Sunday. Davidson is a very good basketball team that was picked 4th in the A10 preseason poll. It will be quite the challenge for the Panthers but obviously still a game they can win if they clean up some of the mistakes from the opener.
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