Colorado University Athletics
Texas-Colorado Quotes
February 11, 2010 | Women's Basketball
Colorado Head Coach Kathy McConnell-Miller
General
"I thought we got off to a disappointing start, and that is not the way we anticipated coming out. The players felt good coming into this game as far as there mindset recovering from Baylor. We had a couple of good, hard practices, but Texas outhustled us. They were extremely physical, and we didn't respond well to that and didn't get off to a good start. I thought the second half was considerably better, and switching to the zone helped a little bit to get some more steals. I thought we consistently struggled to score because of the physicality of Texas."
On Texas' Physical Play
"I don't think it surprised us. I just didn't think we handled it. The expectation was that we were going to get in passing lanes, and we worked all week with the pads. I think the stretch that we have is a tough interior and up front line. We have three, four, and five players that are physical. They got some deflections and got some good steals that led to layups, and I think it rattled our guards."
On Starting Fr. Center Melissa MacFarlane in the Second Half
"I've been consistently pleased with Melissa in practice. The offense that we run is not very conducive to her because she has to handle the ball on the perimeter quite a bit. We felt like coming into this season, and coming into the Big 12, that Courtney [Dunn] was going to our center. [Melissa] has to handle the ball on the perimeter, whether that's a hand-off or reversing the ball through the high post. Therefore, she hasn't seen a lot of minutes; but we are making some adjustments to hopefully see her. She played at Baylor and took five fouls on [Brittney] Griner. She doesn't have fear of playing in the post, and she likes to be in there. I think with more game experience she is going to get better. She is going to be around more athletic players and learn more positioning and footwork, as opposed to Courtney, who we feel has a little bit more finesse."
On Playing Underclassmen
"If you're implying that I am resigning myself to play all freshmen and sophomores, no. I just thought Melissa gave a considerable effort, and in the second half, I didn't have to coach effort."
On Spears' and Dunn's Lack of Playing Time in the Second Half
"I was disappointed with the way we responded in the first half, and the effort and the energy that was on the floor. When we went to the bench, I thought we got good minutes. With KellyJo [Mullaney] and Chelsea Dale, I thought we got some good energy off the bench. I know Bianca [Smith] didn't hit her shots, but she gave us some energy. I just didn't feel the energy with that lineup."
On Turning the Ball Over
"I know two players have twelve of them, and that is over half of our turnovers. We worked all week with our taller, longer male practice players on Chucky knowing that [Brittainey] Raven was going to guard her. I just think Chucky is trying to feel her way into the Big 12, and she is going to make a lot of mistakes, but she typically responds well with rebounds and three-point plays and hitting open shots. I think with her, at this point in her young career, you have to live with those turnovers and know that she is giving you a great deal. And Spears, on the other hand, is too far down in her career to turn the ball over six times in the game. We have to get her refocused and get her some easier looks. The last three games, you look at her statistics, and she is just struggling. She's our leading scorer."
On Not Responding to Big 12 Competition
"It's a mentality that you have to play every possession like it is your last, and what has been most disappointing, is the way we played in the first half. Clearly, I need to look at the lineup and some of the rotations I have in there. We haven't gotten off to a great start the last three games."
On the Five Game Losing Streak
"I think anything can happen. I think how they respond will show what kind of team they are. We're playing some young players, but they've got some experience. Chucky has minutes in the Big 12, and she played 36 minutes tonight, and 12 [points] and six [rebounds] in the Big 12 is not a bad statistic. I looked out there at one point, and we had Chucky, Alyssa [Fressle], Meghan [Malcolm-Peck] and Melissa and Kelly Jo. Chucky is the only one who is averaging double figures. We just don't have those go-to players, and that is a struggle for us, because we just don't have some consistent scoring. 50 points is not going to win many games in the Big 12. As far as where we go, we are at a point where they can tank it, but I don't think it is going to happen."
Texas Head Coach Gail Goestenkors
General
"I just felt like we were really focused. And we knew against (Texas) Tech we didn't come out with the kind of energy that we needed to. And we were playing Colorado the same way with our switching on screens. It was an opportunity for us to show that we are better than what we showed against Texas Tech as far as our focus and energy, I know the score was not indicative of the way we started. I just felt we had really good focus and were determined to start out better than we did with Tech."
On Playing with a Big Lead
"There was a time when we built the big lead and then we substituted and (Colorado) hit a couple of shots. They went on a 10-4 run. It was a momentary lapse, and then I thought we got it back and we finished the half strong."
On Forcing Turnovers
"I credit our defense. I thought we did a great job of getting up and the passing lane. We switched up some screens and gave them some different looks maybe than they have seen. I thought we were really ready to play. I thought our quickness caused some problems."
On Keeping Opponents to 30-percent
"There is definitely improvement in team defense. We were very disappointed with the way we started the Big 12 Conference with the two 90 point games. I think since that time we have made a greater commitment."
On Cokie Reed
"I think Cokie just continues to gain more and more confidence. Her teammates, I think, they do a great job of getting her the ball as well. Anytime she gets the ball we believe she can score, whether it's on the low block or at the high post. She has got a nice shot from up there as well."
On Having a Deep Team
"It's a byproduct of the players that we have. Brittainey (Raven) is probably our most valuable player, but everybody is so important on our team. We play ten players every single game. Everybody knows how important they are, and knows they need to come to play. We don't have one player that is averaging 20 points a game, but we have a lot that are averaging 15 points a game. And that is the way I like it; it's more difficult to defend."
On the Difference in this Game
"I think it was our defense. I thought our team defense was very good tonight."
On Playing on the Road
"(Colorado) is very dangerous at home. They play much better at home than they do on the road; most teams do. We felt we would be in for a battle, I thought we had just great focus and energy throughout."
Texas Players
Ashleigh Fontenette, So., G
ON BIG 12 PLAY-"I think we definitely turned our conference season around. We started off pretty bad, so we wanted to come out in the next few games to show we are a better team."
ON FORCING TURNOVERS-"I think our main goal coming in was just to run a pressure defense and get the turnovers because we are the best off the breakaway."
ON THE 14-0 START-"It was pretty good, but we talked to the older players who played here last year and they had a 14-0 lead last year and Colorado came back and beat them. We wanted to make sure that we didn't give up."
