Head Coach Ceal Barry

GENERAL?“It was a battle, it was a really hard fought battle. It was not an easy win, CSU had four players in double figures that kept the game close. As far as our players go I am very happy, Kara (Richards) had some points early, Whitney (Law) hit some key three pointers; her timing could not have been better.”

STOPPING PERIMETER SHOOTING- “All four of our guards did a good job extending on defense, Veronica and Yari had very solid defensive efforts. There was two minutes were our pressure was not ideal but we had thirty-eight good minutes.”

CONFIDENCE-“Confidence wise it is huge, VJ (Veronica Johns-Richardson) really led well and that is important for our team; our senior came out and led us to victory. It can change our season to an extent, I am going to be realistic, but a key win over a good opponent can give our team a lot of momentum.”

KARA RICHARDS- “Yes, it definitely helped, and as the game went along it did not hurt that we started to call plays for Kara, that helped a lot.”

DIFFERENCES-“The big difference was the perimeter players were more patient in getting the ball into the post player. It was not just one (pass) and done.”

Senior, Guard, Veronica Johns-Richardson

ON BEATING IN-STATE RIVAL CSU?“For me personally it was my last time to play CSU, and it feels great to go out on top, and it feels nice to get back on track and be on the winning side of things.”

ON KARA RICHARDS INSIDE PRESENCE?“Seeing Kara (Richards) be aggressive gives us so many different looks and allows us to have a presence in the middle.”

ON MATCHING UP AGAINST CSU GUARD VANESSA ESPINOZA?“(Vanessa) Espinoza's really good and has a good 3-point percentage, but she's not a perimeter shooter. She is a penetrater, she's so quick and so strong I just tried to stay in front of her and keep a hand in her face. It's fun to go against a good guard and she's a great guard.”

ON 10-DAY LAYOFF FOR FINAL EXAMS?“ Every team has to go through it, we're going to do well on them, then go back to practice and get back to it. Right now finals are our focus.”

Junior, Guard, Whitney Law

ON MAKING 3 3-POINT FIELD GOALS?“We do spot shooting everyday in practice, and it's something that I could do in the off-season with my knee injury and something that Coach Barry helped me work on. I'm not a 3-point threat, it's not what I want to do, but if I'm open and my teammates get me the ball I'm going to try and knock it down.”

Freshman, Center, Kara Richards

ON GAINING CONFIDENCE AFTER POSTING A CAREER HIGH 16 POINTS?“It felt good. After fouling out in Wyoming my confidence was pretty low. It's all mental and I'm young so I'll get through it.”

COLORADO STATE QUOTES:

Colorado State Head Coach Chris Denker

We did not respond how I would have expected us to based on the way we have been playing and practicing. We didn't give ourselves our best chance. We got behind and then got a sense of urgency, which helped us get back into the game. But you can't give up as many points in the paint as we did and win the game.”

Colorado State Guard Vanessa Espinoza

“I thought we made a good comeback, but it was too late. We gave up too many points in the paint. We turned the ball over too much and that seems to be a pattern for us. We didn't respond to their pressure defense and we just didn't play well tonight. We have to learn from this game and keep playing hard. Basketball is a rollercoaster sometimes and we just have to come out and fight harder.”

Colorado State Guard Sara Hunter

“We let them go on runs and we didn't answer until the very end. They were hitting their shots, hitting the boards and doing everything. They denied the ball a lot and we had a tough time getting into our offense.”

Colorado State Forward Melissa Dennett

“We practiced the last two or three days for this game, and it's just disappointing the way it ended. We realized it was a tough team and they were well prepared for us. Our run late in the game was intense. There was definitely some hope there. But we need to come out and do that from the beginning.”