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Quotes: Duke 70, Penn State 42
11/21/2006 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Duke- Penn State Postgame Quotes
Head Coach Gail Goestenkors
Opening Statement:
“I'm just really proud of the overall team effort. I thought it was some of the best defense I've seen our team play ? not just this team, but any team at Duke. I felt like we really were all on the same page. Everybody came in and gave us a lift and I thought we played their personnel pretty well. I just thought it was a great team effort on both ends, offensively and defensively, but I think it really started with our defense.”
On pressuring Penn State's point guard:
“We knew that [Brianne O'Rourke] had nine turnovers last time when we played them, and we talked about the fact that it would still probably be somewhere in the back of her mind. That was her first game, so we knew she's a much better point guard than she was a year ago. We wanted to just pressure really everybody. Lindsey [Harding], I think, really took it upon herself to deny her the ball back, which caused a lot of problems for them.”
On getting the ball inside and spreading the court:
“We wanted to go into Ali[son Bales]. We always do. We want to go inside-out, start the game that way, and when they started double-teaming her our guards did a really good job cutting off of her. We're such a young team and we're still learning to play with one another and find our spacing and find our gaps and understand who penetrates and who's going to be open for the three and those kinds of things to make one another better. We have really progressed over the last several games and as the season goes along I know we're going to continue to get a lot better.”
Alison Bales
On blocks:
“I think that it was just that our defense was really good. I really felt like our guards were rotating, so I felt completely fine going over to the opposite side to help. Our guards got beat every once and a while, so I was able to come over and help out.”
On being double teamed:
“We weren't exactly sure how they were going to play me, but coming into the game we did see that they were double teaming. When that happens, I need to recognize it and not force things up and our guys did a good job cutting to the basket.”
Abby Waner
On scoring in the second half:
“The coaches have been working with me all year on getting to the basket. I start to get complacent with the three point shot and the outside shot. To be a more complete player, I need to be able to get to the basket. So in the second half, Lindsey [Harding] kind of sat down and talked to me. She told me that I should get to the basket because they were flying out on me, so I think that's where the cuts came in. I think the fast breaks were just my teammates getting the ball up the court. We could tell they were tired and we're a good running team, so we took advantage of that.
“It definitely helps to get that momentum going, but more than anything it was the fact that we were getting those layups off of steals and everything tonight goes back to our defense. So if you play good defense, you'll get easy baskets and that definitely helped get the momentum.”
Lindsey Harding
On defensive fire, especially in the first half:
“For the past games that we've played this year, I've played decent defense. I've kept my player from scoring, I did that part. But the thing that I'm most proud of about my game is my defense and I wasn't showing that. I usually get so much more energy offensively from my defense, so I told my self that I was going to come out, pressure, try to get steals, and cause a lot of turnovers. That's kind of where it came from; past games, knowing that I hadn't pushed as hard as I can on defense.”
On playing 3 games in 5 days:
“I got used to playing. We were really excited, because we played Penn State in the past and we know how good their team is and their history. I think that we just came out flying and ready to go.”
Penn State Coach Rene Portland
On Duke's defensive effort:
"It was obviously very super. They held us to 17 points in the second half. I don't think we've handled that kind of pressure. We haven't seen that kind of pressure, and obviously they did a great job of limiting the things that we did."
On coming back at the end of the first half:
"Well, I think that our players came into this game thinking it was just a normal game, and when you're playing a team that is this highly ranked with this kind of experience it's not a normal game. So we wished to come out or hoped to come out a little more aggressive, we use the word “attack,” and we didn't do that. As we subbed them and they got to sit on the bench and watch it, I think they came back in and did a little bit, but nothing to be able to compete at this kind of level."
On playing against Lindsay Harding:
"She has great experience. Anybody that's been around the game as long as she has does. She's been able to run this program in a very unselfish way, and that's what we need our point guard to do. Our point guard, a few times tonight, tried to do things on her own, but point guards are supposed to make other people better. I think Lindsay does a great job of keeping things very balanced for the program."
Mashea Williams
On the difference in play between the first and second halves:
"Nothing really changed. I just tried to come out and help my team and attack like the coaches wanted us to. I think I was just getting in a little bit too deep, but we just have to stick together after this game and go in and work hard and get ready for the next game. We are also going to keep this game in mind because they did pressure us, but we just have to take it with a positive attitude and work hard."
Players Mentioned
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