Upcoming Event: Women's Basketball versus Holy Cross on November 9, 2025 at 1 p.m.
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1 p.m.
Women's Basketball
vs Holy Cross
Quotes: Duke 72, Hampton 37
3/20/2010 5:30:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Duke Head Coach Joanne P. McCallie
Opening Statement:
“It was a very good, strong game from everyone. I thought that it was just a total team focus and game, taking advantage of everything we could. Obviously we subbed a lot of people and played a lot of players and the intensity was maintained. I thought we had great intensity throughout, we took care of the basketball, we shot the ball well and I thought that we played some pretty good defense. It was really great to be back after being gone for several days and we're very excited for the next game.”
On the out-of-bounds alley-oop in the first half:
“We've run that play all season long in practice, so we've been running it since November. You don't always have the opportunity to have the ball on the sideline. We've run it a couple of times throughout the season. The joke of it is trying to get the pass high enough, we always tease our point guards that the pass is too low. I know the crowd appreciated it, but it's something that we've practiced 100 times. I didn't even have to diagram it in the timeout, we just called it. They executed it and it was fun for the players, they're thinking finally it worked. Karima [Christmas] is extremely athletic and she made a heck of a play and it was also a great pass by Jas [Jasmine Thomas].”
On Keturah Jackson's play and her mindset:
“I think KJ is just an incredible person, a total team player and will do whatever it takes to get the job done. I don't think I've coached many people like KJ, in terms of her heart and soul and her commitment to her teammates and the team. She's just trying to play hard and attack and take what's there. I love the calm that she presents; I think the calm comes from being in graduate school in Fuqua, being older. I'm sure that in the back of her mind she knows that we create our own future at this point with games. I think it's just the nature of KJ, she attacks out there to do her job and to do what she can for the team.”
On Alison Vernerey's play:
“Alison is just so confident and aggressive. I've never known any post players who are willing to take two charges, let alone in the same game. She is very confident, aggressive and I thought that she was getting hit all over the place, any rebound she had to get people off her arms in the process. The fact that we didn't turn the ball over and stayed strong with the ball is incredibly important for the next game because of the athleticism that will be on the floor.”
On the upcoming matchup against LSU:
“LSU is an excellent basketball team, they're very athletic. You have to start with Alison Hightower, one of the best players in the country; a left slasher like no other. She played well today, but her teammates didn't need her to play super like she's capable of playing. They're a terrific team all the way around. Now that we're matched up with them, I'm going to have to go back through the films more carefully. They've got a player they rely on and who is willing to answer the bell, [LaSondra] Barrett is terrific on the inside; they've got a lot of depth in their post players. At this point, everyone is good and everyone is really good at this point. LSU is a tremendous defensive team and so are we, so I'm not sure what that means for the matchup.”
Duke Junior Guard Jasmine Thomas
On Hampton's energy and how they handled it:
“I think that we started with a lot of energy as well. I think we started too fast and were rushing some things on offense. Eventually we settled down and got into the flow of the game and were able to get stops on defense and then came down, take our time, and get some good shots on offense.”
On her solo effort in the first half and what it meant to the team:
“That was just me being aggressive and making plays. Everyone was playing off of each other and that allowed me to create and find some space within the game.”
On what can be gleaned from the game regarding the offense:
“Just how many weapons we have on this team. I think that everyone is capable of attacking and scoring and also setting each other up. Usually in games like these, when we do have a large margin or are up by a lot, we tend to throw the ball away and get careless with it. So the fact that we only had 11 turnovers was something good from us out of this game.”
Duke Senior Guard Keturah Jackson
On Hampton's energy and how they handled it:
“We were all so excited to play that we let our excitement get the best of us. We were able to finally settle down and let the game come to us.”
On her assertiveness in recent games:
“I just took what the defense gave me. I am trying to be more aggressive and contribute to the team more wherever I can. Mostly I was just able to take what they gave me.”
On the mentality of the team coming into the game:
“I think everyone was engaged and contributed. We were all in tune. Another word that can be used [beyond business-like] that goes along with focus is hungry. It helps our focus knowing that we're hungry and that we cannot take any game for granted.”
Duke Freshman Center Allison Vernerey
On her performance against Hampton:
“I did my best. I think it was a game where we had to be aggressive … It was a great start for this tournament and for the following games. So I was just trying to be really aggressive and set the tempo for the next games.”
On her knowledge of the women's NCAA Tournament while living in France:
“Yes, kind of. You hear more about the men's tournaments, but obviously you figure out that there is a women's one, too. I did because I was interested in basketball, but you hear about it. It's not that famous, but you hear about it.”
On the experience of her first NCAA Tournament contest:
“That was cool. That was good. It's just the feeling that it's only the beginning though, so that's really exciting. But I really feel like there is something more that is going to come later so it's going to be even better.”
On how playing on the French national team compares to playing in the NCAA Tournament:
“The biggest difference for sure is all that is not on the court, actually. There are some differences on the way we plan everything, but the biggest difference is about the coverage, the media, the excitement that people have about playing basketball and playing this tournament. You see that people are really involved and really care about it, and I think that's really great – and that's not always the case when you play.”
“This is more exciting. I feel like this makes it more fun. You enjoy more, you can get hyper, you can get more excited, you can kind of let your emotions go out, and that's something I've never experienced. So I really like that – all the fans, bands, cheerleaders – I've never had that. There is no band, there are no cheerleaders on either team [in France] – it's only the U.S. that they do that. Especially for women's basketball, you don't have any cheerleaders [in France]. And so all that makes it more exciting.”
Hampton Head Coach David Six
Opening Statement:
“First of all I want to congratulate Duke. They're a great team that Is well coached with tremendous athletes. I also want to say that I am equally proud of my team. They had a tremendous year.”
On the future of the Hampton program:
“We are very young and an up and coming program. I think there were times when we knew we belonged on the floor. I don't think for one second that we were intimidated, we just didn't execute well. We weren't caught up in the hype of playing a good Duke team. Everything happens for a reason, and we'll be back.”
On what this means to Hampton:
“I want to be clear that we had a tremendous season. This means so much to this university and to the alumni. This means a lot for the people of Hampton University and who we're carrying the torch for. This is what our fans have done all season and I expected the same today as we came off the floor. As far as the loss is concerned, I just have to keep it positive. We had a great season. We were picked sixth in our conference and still won the MEAC Championship with seven freshmen and four sophomores. What we have to do now is take the blueprint from the Dukes, and the Tennessees and the UConns, and understand that they started somewhere too.”
On the feeling of making the NCAA Tournament:
“It's a great feeling, especially with us being so young and me being a first year coach. Our goal is to bring this program to the day when Hampton University knows the end before we win the MEAC. We want to play good teams outside of our conference so that we know that we're in the NCAA's before we win the MEAC.”
Hampton Sophomore Guard Bernadette Fortune
On Duke:
“Duke is a great team, but we just made too many turnovers. I needed to be more aggressive.”
Hampton Junior Forward Quanneisha Perry
On Duke:
“They are a great team. We tried to go with our game plan, but we couldn't do the things that we needed to do. They rebounded the ball really well, and we had too many turnovers. They were just really aggressive. Once we broke the press, I guess we relaxed, but we weren't strong with the ball, and you have to stay strong, and we didn't do that at all.”
On the experience of playing in the NCAA Tournament:
“We can just look back and say that we had a great season, and now we will go back and continue to work hard. Hopefully we will get another championship and have a better NCAA result next year.”
On the energy of the crowd:
“I don't think Duke's crowd really affected us. At our place, the fans are crazy. I just want to thank our fans, the boosters and our administrators for coming out and supporting us. Our fans were loud the whole game and I really appreciate them coming.”
On when you can forget about this game and reflect on a great season:
“My teammates and I aren't happy about the outcome of this game, but at the same time, you can't dwell on it. We have a good team and good players coming in next season. We have a lot to look forward to in the future.”
Hampton Sophomore Jericka Jenkins
On the Hampton fan base:
“I noticed that they were very loud the whole time. It was nice to have our fans here. It means a lot especially when you're playing on someone else's home court and they have home court advantage.”
On the season as whole:
“For me right now, it's really hard because from the beginning of the season to the end we just built up and became great as a team, and then this loss is just hard because it makes it seem like everything you've worked for is down the drain. But, this one game doesn't determine our season, it doesn't determine how good or bad we played during the rest of the season.”
On how this experience affects returning players next year:
“I think it helps us because we know how it was in the beginning and the feeling of this loss, and we know just how it feels right now. I don't want to ever feel like this again. So get here, and then just play your hearts out.”
Opening Statement:
“It was a very good, strong game from everyone. I thought that it was just a total team focus and game, taking advantage of everything we could. Obviously we subbed a lot of people and played a lot of players and the intensity was maintained. I thought we had great intensity throughout, we took care of the basketball, we shot the ball well and I thought that we played some pretty good defense. It was really great to be back after being gone for several days and we're very excited for the next game.”
On the out-of-bounds alley-oop in the first half:
“We've run that play all season long in practice, so we've been running it since November. You don't always have the opportunity to have the ball on the sideline. We've run it a couple of times throughout the season. The joke of it is trying to get the pass high enough, we always tease our point guards that the pass is too low. I know the crowd appreciated it, but it's something that we've practiced 100 times. I didn't even have to diagram it in the timeout, we just called it. They executed it and it was fun for the players, they're thinking finally it worked. Karima [Christmas] is extremely athletic and she made a heck of a play and it was also a great pass by Jas [Jasmine Thomas].”
On Keturah Jackson's play and her mindset:
“I think KJ is just an incredible person, a total team player and will do whatever it takes to get the job done. I don't think I've coached many people like KJ, in terms of her heart and soul and her commitment to her teammates and the team. She's just trying to play hard and attack and take what's there. I love the calm that she presents; I think the calm comes from being in graduate school in Fuqua, being older. I'm sure that in the back of her mind she knows that we create our own future at this point with games. I think it's just the nature of KJ, she attacks out there to do her job and to do what she can for the team.”
On Alison Vernerey's play:
“Alison is just so confident and aggressive. I've never known any post players who are willing to take two charges, let alone in the same game. She is very confident, aggressive and I thought that she was getting hit all over the place, any rebound she had to get people off her arms in the process. The fact that we didn't turn the ball over and stayed strong with the ball is incredibly important for the next game because of the athleticism that will be on the floor.”
On the upcoming matchup against LSU:
“LSU is an excellent basketball team, they're very athletic. You have to start with Alison Hightower, one of the best players in the country; a left slasher like no other. She played well today, but her teammates didn't need her to play super like she's capable of playing. They're a terrific team all the way around. Now that we're matched up with them, I'm going to have to go back through the films more carefully. They've got a player they rely on and who is willing to answer the bell, [LaSondra] Barrett is terrific on the inside; they've got a lot of depth in their post players. At this point, everyone is good and everyone is really good at this point. LSU is a tremendous defensive team and so are we, so I'm not sure what that means for the matchup.”
Duke Junior Guard Jasmine Thomas
On Hampton's energy and how they handled it:
“I think that we started with a lot of energy as well. I think we started too fast and were rushing some things on offense. Eventually we settled down and got into the flow of the game and were able to get stops on defense and then came down, take our time, and get some good shots on offense.”
On her solo effort in the first half and what it meant to the team:
“That was just me being aggressive and making plays. Everyone was playing off of each other and that allowed me to create and find some space within the game.”
On what can be gleaned from the game regarding the offense:
“Just how many weapons we have on this team. I think that everyone is capable of attacking and scoring and also setting each other up. Usually in games like these, when we do have a large margin or are up by a lot, we tend to throw the ball away and get careless with it. So the fact that we only had 11 turnovers was something good from us out of this game.”
Duke Senior Guard Keturah Jackson
On Hampton's energy and how they handled it:
“We were all so excited to play that we let our excitement get the best of us. We were able to finally settle down and let the game come to us.”
On her assertiveness in recent games:
“I just took what the defense gave me. I am trying to be more aggressive and contribute to the team more wherever I can. Mostly I was just able to take what they gave me.”
On the mentality of the team coming into the game:
“I think everyone was engaged and contributed. We were all in tune. Another word that can be used [beyond business-like] that goes along with focus is hungry. It helps our focus knowing that we're hungry and that we cannot take any game for granted.”
Duke Freshman Center Allison Vernerey
On her performance against Hampton:
“I did my best. I think it was a game where we had to be aggressive … It was a great start for this tournament and for the following games. So I was just trying to be really aggressive and set the tempo for the next games.”
On her knowledge of the women's NCAA Tournament while living in France:
“Yes, kind of. You hear more about the men's tournaments, but obviously you figure out that there is a women's one, too. I did because I was interested in basketball, but you hear about it. It's not that famous, but you hear about it.”
On the experience of her first NCAA Tournament contest:
“That was cool. That was good. It's just the feeling that it's only the beginning though, so that's really exciting. But I really feel like there is something more that is going to come later so it's going to be even better.”
On how playing on the French national team compares to playing in the NCAA Tournament:
“The biggest difference for sure is all that is not on the court, actually. There are some differences on the way we plan everything, but the biggest difference is about the coverage, the media, the excitement that people have about playing basketball and playing this tournament. You see that people are really involved and really care about it, and I think that's really great – and that's not always the case when you play.”
“This is more exciting. I feel like this makes it more fun. You enjoy more, you can get hyper, you can get more excited, you can kind of let your emotions go out, and that's something I've never experienced. So I really like that – all the fans, bands, cheerleaders – I've never had that. There is no band, there are no cheerleaders on either team [in France] – it's only the U.S. that they do that. Especially for women's basketball, you don't have any cheerleaders [in France]. And so all that makes it more exciting.”
Hampton Head Coach David Six
Opening Statement:
“First of all I want to congratulate Duke. They're a great team that Is well coached with tremendous athletes. I also want to say that I am equally proud of my team. They had a tremendous year.”
On the future of the Hampton program:
“We are very young and an up and coming program. I think there were times when we knew we belonged on the floor. I don't think for one second that we were intimidated, we just didn't execute well. We weren't caught up in the hype of playing a good Duke team. Everything happens for a reason, and we'll be back.”
On what this means to Hampton:
“I want to be clear that we had a tremendous season. This means so much to this university and to the alumni. This means a lot for the people of Hampton University and who we're carrying the torch for. This is what our fans have done all season and I expected the same today as we came off the floor. As far as the loss is concerned, I just have to keep it positive. We had a great season. We were picked sixth in our conference and still won the MEAC Championship with seven freshmen and four sophomores. What we have to do now is take the blueprint from the Dukes, and the Tennessees and the UConns, and understand that they started somewhere too.”
On the feeling of making the NCAA Tournament:
“It's a great feeling, especially with us being so young and me being a first year coach. Our goal is to bring this program to the day when Hampton University knows the end before we win the MEAC. We want to play good teams outside of our conference so that we know that we're in the NCAA's before we win the MEAC.”
Hampton Sophomore Guard Bernadette Fortune
On Duke:
“Duke is a great team, but we just made too many turnovers. I needed to be more aggressive.”
Hampton Junior Forward Quanneisha Perry
On Duke:
“They are a great team. We tried to go with our game plan, but we couldn't do the things that we needed to do. They rebounded the ball really well, and we had too many turnovers. They were just really aggressive. Once we broke the press, I guess we relaxed, but we weren't strong with the ball, and you have to stay strong, and we didn't do that at all.”
On the experience of playing in the NCAA Tournament:
“We can just look back and say that we had a great season, and now we will go back and continue to work hard. Hopefully we will get another championship and have a better NCAA result next year.”
On the energy of the crowd:
“I don't think Duke's crowd really affected us. At our place, the fans are crazy. I just want to thank our fans, the boosters and our administrators for coming out and supporting us. Our fans were loud the whole game and I really appreciate them coming.”
On when you can forget about this game and reflect on a great season:
“My teammates and I aren't happy about the outcome of this game, but at the same time, you can't dwell on it. We have a good team and good players coming in next season. We have a lot to look forward to in the future.”
Hampton Sophomore Jericka Jenkins
On the Hampton fan base:
“I noticed that they were very loud the whole time. It was nice to have our fans here. It means a lot especially when you're playing on someone else's home court and they have home court advantage.”
On the season as whole:
“For me right now, it's really hard because from the beginning of the season to the end we just built up and became great as a team, and then this loss is just hard because it makes it seem like everything you've worked for is down the drain. But, this one game doesn't determine our season, it doesn't determine how good or bad we played during the rest of the season.”
On how this experience affects returning players next year:
“I think it helps us because we know how it was in the beginning and the feeling of this loss, and we know just how it feels right now. I don't want to ever feel like this again. So get here, and then just play your hearts out.”
Players Mentioned
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