Post Game Quotes
11/15/2012 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Nov. 15, 2012
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Opening Statement...
"I am really proud of our team. I am really happy with the way dealt with adversity there in the second half, especially on a night where things offensively weren't going our way. I thought it was a great team effort at different times, and big shots from different players. A couple of big steals there in the second half from Lianna and Sydney. Great team win, we have a lot of work to do on the defensive end, I thought our full court press was really effective, but when we got into the half court I think we need to work on it. I give Western Illinois credit, they are a hard guard, they execute their motion offense extremely well and have a lot of different kids that can knock down shots. I think they are a good team and there is reason why they played Iowa State to single digit game for 35 minutes and I think they are going to win a lot of games this year."
On starting lineups...
"I don't know for sure. I felt like going into this game, it was more personnel driven matchups. Once we break down Wichita State, which is our next opponent, we will see if we need to make an adjustment coming out of the gates or not. This is high character team. They all want to start. They were all superstars in high school. It's going to be hard. We are going to have to make some tough decisions. I truly believe that this is a team that is committed to what is on the front of their jerseys. We are going to play a lot of kids, and they are all going to have a very important role. We will deal with that when the time comes."
On the increasing level of competition...
"I think that's why you play the game. I think that they, they understand that competition is going to get nothing but tougher and that's why they are here. They thrive on that. I think they are looking forward to the challenge. And when you are up against those kinds of teams, you see what you are made of. I think it is going to be fun. It's not going to be a perfect journey. We are going to hit some bumps in the road here and there and there is going to be some great celebrations and some devastating defeats. But that's all part of the process; they are all committed to each other and they are committed to this program and that is what makes this journey so worth while."
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Freshman Lianna Doty
On taking a leadership role as a freshman...
"I guess at first it was a learning process but I know all my coaches have done a great job of helping me fill that role, and my teammates have helped me out a lot with that. I mean anytime you go to a new team it's always difficult to step into a leadership position, but I've done that my whole life. Again, it's really come down to my teammates and coaches making me feel comfortable in that position, helping me out, and expecting me to take that leadership role."
On her physical endurance on the court...
"I mean that's why we went so hard all summer. I know I play a very up-tempo type game, so I know when I'm working out in the summer I want to be in the very best shape so that's not an excuse for anything on the floor. I feel like, you train so hard over the summer and pre-season so that when you get on the court it's just fun."
On how the team handled a tight, back-and-forth scoring process...
"I think the main thing was we kept our composure. We'd hit a three, then they'd hit a three, but we didn't let that deflate us. We stuck with it, played our game, and then finally we broke them down and that's when we got our run. But we didn't deflate."
On Doty being added to the started lineup...
"She brings phenomenal energy. It was different I would say, but it was more energy added to the lineup. We went a couple days practicing with four guards like we did. It was different, but I liked it."
On the balance of the team from a point-guard perspective...
"It's fun. I mean it's hard to guard us, we're fast. We've got people that can drive to the basket and come off screens; they've got to be able to guard us on screens, they've got to be able to guard us on the drive, and then we've got the kick out so we have people that can shoot the threes. It's a fun game that we're playing right now."
