Mizzou / South Carolina Post Game Quotes
Mizzou Women’s Basketball
Postgame Quotes
Mizzou 62, South Carolina 60
Head Coach Robin Pingeton
Opening Statement…
“I appreciate everybody being out here today and covering this game. First and foremost, I really appreciate our crowd support. We have an incredible environment and they were a great sixth man for us today. That place got really loud at times and I appreciate them being here. Dawn Staley has built an incredible program at South Carolina and they have a fantastic team. That is a team that can definitely compete for a national championship this season so we have a lot of respect for them. I am really proud of our players. I thought they played with great poise and resiliency. I really thought that they believed that they could get the win tonight. There were some breakdowns and we had some turnovers early. We missed some rotations and our spacing wasn’t what we wanted at times but they continued to have really tight huddles and were able to talk through making adjustments. It was a great win for our team. I am happy for our team and happy for our program.”
On limiting South Carolina’s offense…
“I can only imagine how frustrating it must get at times for both Wilson and Coates. They are both phenomenal players and they demand so much attention. I know everyone game plans a little bit differently but we felt, going into this game, that they were a little more consistent from the perimeter then they have been in the past. We knew we needed to have good ball pressure but when we weren’t guarding the ball we needed to have that sense of urgency to dig in and make it tough to enter the zone. We knew we were going to have to take some chances. We knew we couldn’t stop everything against South Carolina because they are a really talented program.”
On Sophie Cunningham…
“I would say that she is mature beyond her years on the court for her to be doing what she does. I think the calming feeling that she gets coming from her teammates too helps. You have to acknowledge what a special player Sophie is. She is such a hard guard because she is physical and strong, she can post and she can create off the bounce. She can shoot the three, too. One of the best traits about Sophie is that she is one of the most unselfish players that you could ever want to have on your team. She’s got great court vision and she is not afraid to make that extra pass so she really does a little bit of everything. We knew we were getting a special player coming in. I think she will always credit her teammates and it is truly a great team effort.”
On meaning of the win…
“I am really happy for our fan base and this community. They have been on this journey with us. It has been fun to see them so invested in what we have been doing. I’m really happy for our current players because they have worked really hard. They are such a close-knit group so it is fun to see the fruits of their labors pay off. It is also a credit to our alumni that were here today, the players that came before these guys. Those players were in the early stages of trying to build the program and what that looks like in regards to the standards and expectations that we set on and off the court. To be able to pass that torch to the next year is great. We will continue to move the needle in the right direction. We are not one of those elite programs yet but we are definitely making some giant strides and moving in the right direction.”
On looking ahead to the next games...
“We felt like we have had a couple games in the last month that were really important wins but you always feel like you need one more. I don’t think you ever feel like you are safe yet. I told the girls that this game doesn’t matter if you don’t go get Ole Miss so you are already looking ahead at the next game and can’t really enjoy the moment for too long. I think it was a really important win, maybe not a must win but I think it certainly helps us in regards to what postseason looks like and the seedings.”
Mizzou sophomore guard Sophie Cunningham
On emotion at end of game and tackling Coach…
“I’m glad she tackled me back, but that was such an awesome feeling. I have never experienced that before in all of my career. Shout out to just this team and our program and our fans. I mean that was just such an awesome environment and our team didn’t waver at all. Just to have that feeling afterwards and just our whole bench coming was something I will never forget.”
On Lindsey going out…
“It was a little bit of extra motivation. I mean, I hate to see any of my teammates go down, but every time I went to the free throw line I thought about her and I think she’ll be good.”
On last play...
“I don’t really remember much of it, but I know I was on the wing. I was supposed to get a screen but somehow I ended up having two or three people on me. I gave it to Doty, who got it right back out, then I shot faked, I drove and saw Wilson there, so I pass faked and went back in and just layed it up back at the rim. It was a really, really cool play.”
On having Juanita Robinson in the building…
“Juanita is just a special person. She has gone through a lot that a lot of people don’t know, and she has been through even more now. She is a tough soldier so for her to be in the stands today meant a lot. I said in the locker room before we went out, there are a lot of alumni here but I think we should do this for Juanita. We have to win because she is in the stands. She has just been through so much, so that gave us a lot of motivation.”
Mizzou senior guard Sierra Michaelis
On emotion at end and tackling Coach…
“I mean she is a lot stronger than she looks. It was just a really cool moment. I mean there was still time on the clock for them to have the possession. It was a really cool moment to celebrate with my teammates and coaching staff.”
On what win means for career…
“I mean I said this and I’ll say it again, our crowd was amazing tonight. My freshman and sophomore year we had about 500 to 800 people here and it was pretty hard to play in because we had to create our own energy. Last year and this year, the crowd has grown so much. We are playing in front of 5,000 people, which is pretty much how it is around the rest of the SEC schools. It is just really cool to play in those kind of environments. It is huge for the senior class and just like Coach (Pingeton) said, passing the torch on to the underclassmen.”
On having Juanita Robinson in the building…
“Juanita came in at shootaround, and like Coach (Pingeton) said, she’s never stopped a practice for anybody before. We all went and hugged Juanita, talked to her for a couple seconds, and then went back to work. It was just an amazing to see her. I hadn’t seen her since it happened, so it was awesome to see her.”
South Carolina Head Coach Dawn Staley
On what changed from when the Gamecocks were leading the game and using a high amount of defensive pressure to Mizzou countering and getting the win…
“We turned the ball over. We turned the ball over, which led to some extra possessions for them. I thought we fouled too much and let them back in the game. They just got momentum. The crowd stayed in it and stayed engaged. It was a game of runs, and obviously, they answered that run.”
On what Sophie Cunningham did to keep scoring against the Gamecocks’ defense….
“She stays engaged. She figures out ways to score in a lot of different ways and she put us back on our heels on a lot of places on the floor. “
On how she plans to rally her players in preparation for the upcoming SEC Tournament and the NCAA Tournament…
“It’s life in the SEC. This is what we signed up for. If you can’t get up for this league, then you’re probably playing the wrong sport. “
On whether her players were emotionally weary after an important week of basketball for the team…
“No, I thought we rebounded well from Connecticut, and we played well against Vandy (Vanderbilt). I felt we were in a good place, and I still think we are in a good place. Sometimes, it’s just hard to continue to win, and this place has always been a hard place to win at.”
On the atmosphere of Mizzou Arena during the game….
“It was great. Obviously, it certainly helps. I think Missouri was 13, now 14-1 in this building, so when you put some energy in here it gives your team an extra boost to make plays, and they made plays down the stretch of this game.”
On South Carolina shooting 3-of-18 from the three-point line and it’s impact on the game …
“When you leave people who think they can really shoot the ball open for as long and for as much as they were open…we bit the bullet and wanted to get one to fall. Sometimes, when you’re trying to get one to fall you lose sight of what is happening out there on the floor and who is having a great game, because A’ja Wilson had her way. You lose sight of that.”
