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7 p.m.
Women's Basketball
vs Countdown to Craziness
Quotes: Duke 81, Houston 35
11/19/2006 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Houston Head Coach, Joe Curl
Opening Statement:
“I told Coach Goestenkors after the ballgame that I wished we had been more competitive because what a great basketball environment. I'm very proud to come here and I appreciate the opportunity to play Duke at our place next year. We had no excuses at all, none. They are just bigger, stronger and faster, and the score was probably worse than it looked and it looked pretty bad. We were playing too much one-on-one and we played with the scoreboard. Right now when we are going through what we're going through, we cannot look at the scoreboard whether we're up ten, down ten, up twenty, down twenty; we just have to play every possession like it is gold. I was a little disappointed that we didn't do a better job there. I love the place and I love the crowd. This is a very smart basketball environment and obviously a very well-coached team in your Blue Devils.”
On the Cougars' game plan:
“We had a little bump in the road with video exchange. No one's fault; it just happens. I said, ?That's probably good.' They're bigger, stronger and faster and we have to worry about our tempo right now. We have to worry about us. We knew they were big, strong and fast. I think it was 12-0 at halftime on offensive put-backs. We wanted to be up 12-5 and it was 12-0 them. We wanted to get to the foul line and they played so hard defensively and were so well positioned that we couldn't get to the foul line. Then our younger kids got a little bit weary and the roof kind of caved in. Our game plan was to just play the best basketball we could in one of the best basketball arenas in the country. Certainly I won't forget the environment, the score, or anything as we grow back to what we can become. We'll have four kids a month from now and we'll be a totally different basketball team. But I wanted to be competitive today because you'll never get this day back and that was one of my key points that I said to the kids. Not only are you not going to get this day back, you're not going to get this forty minutes. We had a couple of little bumps on the road out there when we sort of bumped heads with each other and the kids cleaned it up right away. I was happy to see that with our kids.”
Duke Head Coach, Gail Goestenkors
On the game as a whole:
“I'm more pleased with this game than with the last. We wanted to make a concentrated effort to share the ball more. After the last game, we were shooting off one or two passes and everybody was trying to create things for themselves. We feel like we're at our best when we create for one another and share the ball. That was what we talked about and worked on yesterday and I think that in the first half all but three of our baskets were assisted. That's what I was most pleased with; we really looked to work the ball more and share.”
On the intensity during the game:
“I thought the energy was better today; it's still not where it needs to be. Certainly for the Penn State game, that's going to be a battle and we're going to have to bring all of our focus and energy to that game.”
On the shooting woes:
“The good news is that we're getting really good looks. Now we just need to make sure we put them down. That's just going to be a process. This is a young team, a new team; we're asking players that haven't had as many shots to take more shots and make more shots than they have in the past.”
On defensive strategy:
“All of these games offer something different to work on. I told the team that this was a complete opposite team from Marist. Marist liked to run a five-out motion, lots of passes, work the shot clock, not particularly athletic, high basketball IQ. This team was one that was extremely athletic, liked to go one on one, not make many passes and then put up a shot. This time we wanted to work on our quarter-court defense. Both the man-to-man and the different zones, things that we may need against Penn State, so that we can have the videotape on them and then break it down for practice tomorrow and make sure that we're fine-tuned for the next game. I thought our man-to-man defense was probably our best defense tonight. Our zones were not very effective; they missed shots but they had open shots.”
On Abby Waner's increasing maturity:
“Abby has always played really hard and now she's learning to play smart as well. She's always been a great shooter but she wants to be a great player, so she knows that it takes more than just spotting up for the three. She has to penetrate, find our post players and understand what's working for us and where we have the mismatches. I think she's grown a lot. She has a better understanding of the game this year and what it takes to be a great player and a great team, than perhaps she did last year.”
Senior Guard Lindsey Harding
On eliminating turnovers:
“We just have to keep attacking. It's when we're passive is when we begin to be careless with the ball. But when we attack and create for each other, it opens things up and makes passes a lot easier.”
Senior Center Alison Bales
On the looks she got today:
“Our guys did a really good job of getting the ball inside today. It was a focus for us from the last game to share the ball more and I thought tonight we did a really good job of that. Inside, outside and the guards especially, just getting into the post, penetrating and skipping; they did a really good job with all that.”
Freshman Guard/Forward Bridgette Mitchell
On the energy today:
“When I go in, it is a boost of energy. Once everyone is excited, I feel more comfortable. Once I first go in, I'm a little flustered because all the juices are flowing. But once I'm out there, for about a minute, I calm down and relax and get set up into the plays.”
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Players Mentioned
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