Kansas State-Colorado Quotes

Colorado Head Coach Kathy McConnell-Miller

Opening Statement

“I don't think this is the way any of us wanted to end the season. We also didn't anticipate it ending this way. We are in a tough league and put ourselves in this situation. This game was typical of us when you reflect on the season as a whole. We've had some great moments and some not so great moments. We have very little margin for error. The difference in the game is Shalee Lehning. I think 12 assists is exceptional when you feel like you have them figured out but she finds a way. When she comes out with a triple-double like that it's hard to combat. They're a great team but we need to play better. Offensively we were better when we were getting stops and taking advantage of our transition opportunities. We weren't effective when we had to run our offense. When they started to control tempos is when it started to go south.”

On Playing Kansas State Again

“We're going to have to make some adjustments like not having [Alyssa] Fressle guarding Shalee Lehning for forty minutes. I think that's pretty exhausting. We're going to switch it up and put different sizes on them and I think that should switch it up. Lehning did a good job of reading the defenses. You have to remember the first time we played them she [Lehning] wasn't there, so they played a completely different game in that first one. So it was like playing them for the first time with Lehning there today. So guarding her is going to be the key.”

On Kansas State's Second Half Defense

“I thought they were fronting Kara [Richards] better than they had done in the first half. Our objecting was to skip and put one of our shooters on the opposite side so we could get an open look, but we weren't getting that skip. I think you can attribute some of the turnovers to [Brittany] Spears trying to get it into the post as opposed to skipping it.”

On Shalee Lehning and Alyssa Fressle

“She's exceptional. They go as she goes. She is a true point guard in that she understands the situations in the game. She's good at reading defenses and that's the savvy of a senior. I think Alyssa [Fressle]'s will is keeping her as strong as she is. I thin one year removed, Alyssa is going to be a much better player when she actually sees it. I think she's going to be the type that will watch every game played this year and break it down.”

Colorado Players

Kara Richards, Sr., C

On the Experience of Being a Senior

“I think the relationships you form on a team, there is nothing like those relationships, they will be with you forever.”

Brittany Spears, So., F

The Slow Start to the Second Half

“They went on a run, that's just basketball. They run their offense all the way through, and took quick shots throughout the game.”

On the Possibility of Playing Kansas State Again

“I want to play K-State again. We lost to them twice, but it doesn't matter who we play.”

Kansas State Head Coach Deb Patterson

ON THE WIN

“I thought we battled hard. I think there were segments of the game where we struggled. Our turnovers got us in the first half a little bit, but all and all, for a game on the road, I am satisfied. I thought we had good balance inside, and defensively, we probably had a few more breakdowns than I would have liked, but it's a big win. Any time you get a win on the road, it's a big win. I think for us it was a big win, because our last two on the road had been losses. We wanted to build off of the success we had on Wednesday, and get a little momentum as we head into the Big 12 Tournament. You have to gear back up every time you play somebody in this league, but it just felt good to get a road win.”

ON COLORADO'S RUN AT THE END OF THE FIRST HALF

“I just don't think we maintained the aggressiveness that we had to in the first half. We got a lead, and then we got a little tentative and we started to hold on to the ball a little bit on the perimeter. Once we started holding the ball, it backed us up, and we weren't really attacking off of the on-ball screens either. I feel like we were giving up ground, they [Colorado] were very aggressive, and that was what gradually got them back in the game.”

ON SECOND HALF ADJUSTMENTS

“We established early in the second half that Marlies Gibson was going to get touches, and she stayed very aggressive, and that was very important for us. To me, everyone bringing that disposition of not letting the ball die on the spot was pretty big.”

ON LEHNING'S TRIPLE DOUBLE

“I think it's pretty amazing that you come off of being sort of out of play, and being sick, and you go on the road and get a triple double. That's also a tribute to her teammates and their ability to finish in a lot of situations. Any time we have success individually, we look at the other players and how they stepped up. So the ability that our team brought to the floor to be more balanced today put pressure on their defense. She played with great passion. It's a special thing any time you see a kid in this league able to post a triple double. Our team brought great balance to the second half in particular. When we get that kind of balance, it allows her to be creative. The boards you work for; for the assists, her teammates were obviously a huge part of it. Her finishing ability in the second half was big too.”

ON FACING COLORADO IN THE BIG 12 CHAMPIONSHIP

“No one looks forward to playing a team three times in a row. But that's what we get. So we will just have to line it up and get prepared for it. I think in this league, if you ask someone who they want to play, they'll say, ?Nobody, someone outside of the conference'. I think more than anything, you'll have familiarity, and I think we will both have that familiarity as we head into tournament play. As I said, yesterday is done. Next time we take the floor is a new day, and everyone has that opportunity to bring a new game. I just look as, ?it is what it is'. I don't at all feel like there is any particular advantage.”

Kansas State Players

SHALEE LEHNING, Sr., G

ON HER PERFORMANCE

“I'm happy that we got the win. We fought hard, and my teammates deserve the credit. They made the shots that help me get the triple double.”

ON AGRESSIVENESS

“We started out really aggressive, but we started to fade a little bit in the first half. We got complacent and they made the run on us. In the second half we came out more focused. We were like, ?we have to come out aggressive for the whole twenty minutes.”

ON SEEING COLORADO IN THE BIG 12 TOURNAMENT

“It's always tough to beat a team even three times, though we have already beaten them twice. It's one of those things where we are on a neutral court, so there is no advantage there. It'll be a fun matchup ? they are a great team and they'll have a couple of days to prepare for us again, so it's kind of an ironic turnout. Any game in the Big 12 is a tough game, and maybe now that we have beaten them twice, they'll come out with more revenge. We have to focus on what we have to do, not on how many times we have played a team.”