Feb. 2, 2003
Missouri head coach Cindy Stein
On the game:
"I'm very proud of this team today. We really tried to focus on our game plan. That's been our emphasis now - going back to the basics and really focusing on the game plan. These young ladies did that today, they had outstanding play throughout, and we hit big shots throughout. I know we have to play them again, but it's nice to have this kind of victory at home in front of all these people."
On Missouri's first win after a loss against Texas Tech:
"It was huge. Anytime you lose like that you want to get the next one as soon as you can."
On executing the game plan:
"We had gone over the last couple of days in practice what they look for. The thing that makes Colorado so good is they have a counter to every defense you have, so your kids can't be thinking everything, they have to react quick. I think our team did a good job. It's done through communication, and they have good chemistry out there on the floor."
On the play of Stretch James:
"She's very competitive. It goes right from the beginning of the game when she does our little team chant. She gets the kids fired up with a lot of energy. She plays with a lot of confidence and we know that we have somebody to go to."
On the play of Megan Roney:
"Megan's been getting better and better. ... I thought she did a really good job, especially with Melanie being sick. When Megan can come in and play the way she does, that's invaluable. Someone coming off the bench and doing those little things and doing it well, obviously that's huge."
Missouri junior forward Evan Unrau
On the impact of the crowd:
"Defensively, we were struggling a bit at times, and I think the crowd got into it and realized that we needed a little help, and they were there when we needed it."
Colorado head coach Ceal Barry
on the loss:
"In general, I think our decision-making sometimes is really poor. You can't be a poor decision-maker and run the offense that we run. I think the key was us turning the ball over 13 times in the first half, which we compounded by missing quite a few free throws in the second half. Our total concentration was disrupted. We didn't have a starter who didn't turn the ball over. That's just been our problem this year."
on the decision not to play starter Sabrina Scott in the second half:
"I just felt that when you're down 18 at halftime, you've already given that group [of players] a try. I've seen this before, at Kansas State. So I decided to go with some younger players, and I felt they gave us a little fight and toughness. I felt Scott was struggling guarding [Evan] Unrau, so to me the eight points [Scott] had weren't as important as other things."
on Missouri junior forward Evan Unrau:
"I think Evan has improved a lot on her outside shooting. A couple times we were in a stance but weren't really pressuring her, and she just shot the ball right over the top. She's always been strong on the boards, and she continued to do that, but I thought her outside shooting hurt us as much as her rebounding.
Colorado junior center Tera Bjorklund
on Missouri's defense:
"They did a good job. They were playing me high-side, and if they weren't denying me that way, they were trying to push me to the outside. That can definitely limit us as far as getting me the ball. We have to work on moving the ball around and finding better angles."