Colorado University Athletics
Players Mentioned
Colorado-UCLA Quotes
February 28, 2014 | Women's Basketball
Colorado Head Coach Linda Lappe
General
“I'm very proud of our team. The last four halves felt like we were getting back to who we are and what Colorado women's basketball is all about. How we stepped up defensively in the second half was outstanding. I felt like watching it, we had six or seven defenders on the floor at any one time. I would probably bet that UCLA felt the same thing. I thought our help side was tremendous. Our work on UCLA's big three scorers, and [Thea] Lemberger, [Atonye] Nyingifa and [Nirra] Fields was good. You have to give those guys credit. They have to do a lot for their team, and they're really good players, three of the best players in the conference. They have a really good coach in Cori Close. I just liked the way that we stepped up in the second half and really wore them down and how our defense led to our offense was key. We weren't scoring very well in the half court, and we were able to get some stops and easy baskets in the offensive end.”
On Importance of Defensive Intensity in Post-Season
“I've been saying it for about three or four weeks now that we're getting better. Even though other people couldn't see it, I could see it. I could see it in how we were playing, I could see it on film, and I could see it in practice. Really since the Utah game at their place, we've been working hard and getting better. Now we're starting to get that edge that we didn't have. We feel like the season is not over and we want to play well as we go down the stretch here. We are playing our best basketball and this is when you want to be playing your best basketball.”
On Feeling Pressure For Post Season
“We felt like our backs were against the wall long before [now]. We needed to get better. That was the key, and we weren't good enough. Now we're good enough and we're starting to get that sense of urgency. You never know why it comes together when it comes together, but it doesn't mean it's just going to happen from here on out. We're making things happen and we're making plays. Our players are making plays. They're stepping up and playing together. I don't care who does it. Somebody does it and someone steps up and it's a different player all the time. That's what's fun.”
On Jen Reese's Injury
“It's just a shoulder injury. That's all we know right now. Hopefully we'll have her back soon, but who knows.”
On Holding UCLA to Twelve In Second Half
“We told our team at half time to play like we were twenty down. I felt like that's what they did. They had that great sense of urgency. They made that run to cut the lead to four and the turning point was when Jamee Swan took the ball out of [Corinne] Costa's hands at the top of the key. It was a good defensive play and just a toughness play. She didn't make the layup, but I think it was probably better that she didn't make the lay up. We saw two players right behind her following-up and we got the rebound and made a play from there. We got to the free throw line. We need more of those toughness plays. I think everyone did a good job and that last group on the floor played tremendously well together.
Colorado Players
On the Win
“It felt great. I feel like we're finally starting to click and carry things over [from practice]. We had a great second half against Arizona, and I think we carried it over to this game.”
On Consistent Second Half Improvement
“It's just a mentality and we've been talking about that since Arizona. Coach [Lappe] has been talking about how we just need to flip that switch. It's in our minds because we know what our common goal is and how we want to get there; we are all dedicated and on the same page.”
On Winning Without F Jen Reese
“Everybody steps up when somebody goes out on a great team, somebody always steps up. I think we all did a great job of stepping up together and not just one individual.”
F Jamee Swann
On the Win
“It was great to win, not only to get the win, but to play in front of our home crowd and be 'us' again.”
On Winning Without F Jen Reese
“I think it's like a family thing. When someone in your family is injured, you do the best you can to make sure that they know you care. We weren't going to let her go down without a fight.”
On Looking Ahead to Pac-12 Tournament
“I think that we just take it one game at a time and for now, we're focused on Sunday, and as soon as we get into the Pac-12 tournament, we'll focus on them [UCLA]. It's going to come down to who wants it more.”
UCLA Head Coach Cori Close
General
“I give all the credit to Colorado. They were the tougher team. I think Linda [Lappe] is a great coach, and I think she's one of the best coaches I've been a part of, and I respect her immensely. She got her team to play tougher and play harder than us.”
On the Colorado Lead
“I think, honestly, their bench players especially stepped up and ours didn't. I thought especially when Jen Reese came out, it could have been, 'oh, it's going to be too hard,' but they weren't in the pity pond at all. They came out and fought stronger, and I think they fought for each other. It meant more to them tonight than it did to us, and I give all the credit to Colorado. Their players stepped up and made plays, they took pride in the physicality of their defense and they made their offense easy by how hard they played on defense. I know that's the way Linda coaches them, they followed her game plan and it paid off for them. I hope my team will respond in a different way, but I want to give all the credit [to Colorado] because they asserted themselves and they were the tougher team.”
On Goals for the Rest of the Season
“My goal is the same every day: to coach my team to get better that day and to play what we call beyond mentality. We didn't do it tonight, my challenge will be the same to them tomorrow. How much does it mean to them, then?”