Postgame Quotes - Mizzou Women's Basketball vs. Tennessee-Martin
12/22/2014 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
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Mizzou head coach Robin Pingeton
Opening statement...
"I'm just really proud of our players. They played with great toughness, great resiliency. I don't think I coached a really good game tonight. I wasn't prepared for their 1-3-1. I hadn't seen it a lot on film this season. I didn't have our girls properly prepared for that. I just think as the game went on, our girls got a better feel of different passing angles, different opportunities we had to take advantage of, offensively.
"Defensively, I thought we did a nice job. Most importantly, I'm so proud of our toughness. Our grit. The passion we played with. It's a special group of young ladies."
On her team's overall effort on the boards...
"These girls worked so incredibly hard in the offseason. We were really positioned to take our program another step forward this year. We've had a lot of curveballs thrown at us. I know this. I know as we go through these challenging times, as we go through this adversity, there's no doubt in my mind these girls are going to rally around each other. They are going to continue to find a way to compete. We're not going to feel sorry for ourselves. We're not going to hang our heads. That's not going to help a thing.
"This is a group that will not be outworked. This is a group that has continued to stay the course. They're not going to stray from that. It's hard. It's emotional. This break could not come at a better time, I think, emotionally, mentally, physically. This is a group that is extremely resilient and committed to staying the course."
On Bree Fowler's rebounding ability and what was the catalyst...
"Her athleticism. Her toughness and being a senior, having been around the block. She competes every possession. It was disappointing how she came out in the second half. I subbed her out. But she said `Coach, I've got it. I'm ready.' You've got to trust your seniors. She knew what she needed to do in there. When she came back in during the second half, she did a much better job for us."
UT-Martin head coach Kevin McMillan
Opening statement...
"If I thought they were going to hit 13 threes, I wouldn't have thought we had a chance. It was kind of sloppy, a lot of turnovers. They killed us on the glass. I thought that was the difference in the game.
"I thought for about 35 minutes it was a really good game. The other five minutes, neither of us really liked it. That's sort of my take."
On Mizzou forward Jordan Frericks' play...
"She just physically dominated the inside. They were just strong, physical plays. The game had to hinge on something, and that was what it kind of hinged on. Missouri is not that great of a rebounding team, I told the team to don't make them a great one. And we did that. But Jordan (Frericks) did most of that."
On overall effort on the road against an SEC team...
"I thought our kids did a great job battling. Missouri's got a good club. They beat Wake by 15 the other night. They've got a chance to get better, if they can keep from getting everybody hurt. Bless their hearts."
Senior Bree Fowler
On whether there was an emphasis in rebounding at practice...
"Everything is a focus coming into the season, but rebounding is one of those things that's going to help you win games. Rebounding is the second things that's going to help you win games. We're very conscientious of going to the boards."
Senior Morgan Eye
On her thoughts when Bri Porter went down...
"It's pretty emotional, she's our sister so it's really rough. We're all just praying for Bri right now. I think it was also a spark in the game that really helped our team. It was a point in the middle of the game where we really huddled together and wanted to win the game for Bri. I told her at the end of the game that she was the reason we won that game. It was a big spark for us at a time that we really needed something. She gave us that spark that allowed us to go and get that win.
