After back-to-back turnovers in the second quarter, coach Shanele Stires called a timeout. Turnovers have plagued the team, as the Mustangs sport a 0.64 assist-to-turnover ratio.
“We’ve got to make better decisions with the basketball,” Stires said to her team.
The Mustangs’ solution was to feed senior forward Natalia Ackerman.
Immediately following that timeout, Stires drew up a play to get Ackerman the ball in the low post and a spin move over her right shoulder got her a bucket. Ackerman had the best game of her collegiate career finishing the game with 29 points, 13 rebounds with a steal and a block.
Ackerman led the Mustangs to a 80-67 victory on Saturday, Jan. 20 at Mott Athletic Center.
Working the Ball to the Inside
After a great performance from freshman forward Mary Carter last Thursday, the Mustangs (9-8, 5-2 BW) were working the ball inside to Carter and Ackerman.
Stires had the right game plan for a tough Bakersfield (4-12, 1-6 BW) team. Get the ball inside and let the bigs go to work. To go along with her 29 points, Ackerman shot an incredible 11 for 13 from the field and seven for eight from the free throw line.
Ackerman credited her teammates for supporting her after the game. “I think them hyping me up on the bench, giving me the ball, me looking in and out, we have just built a lot of chemistry together,” Ackerman said.
Mustangs Apply the Pressure
From the start of the game, the Mustangs brought a full-court press and a trap defense in the half-court to try to dictate the flow of the game. They continued to keep the pressure up throughout the game.
“One of the things in the game of basketball is you can quick shoot, you can run your offense with pace or you can dictate the pace of the game.” Stires said, “What we’ve talked to the girls about is that there’s kind of a sweet spot between playing fast but not rushing. We are still trying to figure out that happy medium and I think tonight in the second half you saw it.
The third quarter was the difference in the game as the Mustangs won the quarter 21 to 12 and they never looked back. Ackerman had 13 of her 29 in the third
To start the second half, the Mustangs forced three turnovers and turned those turnovers into six points. Junior guard Annika Shah forced two of those three turnovers, which gave her an assist and a bucket. Ackerman who leads the conference in field goal percentage had 13 of her 29 in the third.
Efficiency After Timeouts
The Mustangs were extremely efficient in executing their after-timeout plays. After the game, Stires said that one of the most important things for her team is moving the ball. “If we can get the ball inbounds and get the ball where it needs to go, usually we are very successful,” Stires said. “Tonight I think we did a good job of that.”
In their next matchup, Cal Poly will go on the road to take on Cal State Fullerton on Thursday, Jan. 25.