Marquette University Athletics
Postgame Quotes
2/7/2009 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Feb. 7, 2009
Krystal Ellis on UConn's quickness...
"We were just as fast. I just think we couldn't hit shots and they could hit a lot of shots."
Ellis on play after her second foul...
"We stuck in there, but after that point, we stopped hitting shots. We weren't able to hit open shots and we weren't able to contest a shot."
Ellis on MU's early lead in game...
"We took good shots. We got people open to shoot them. We just didn't make them."
Ellis on UConn's overall talent compared to other basketball teams...
"We got to beat them first. That's the biggest thing: to beat the number one team. Any team can beat them. On any given day, any team can lose. They may be the number one team, but someone can beat them at one point."
Courtney Weibel on MU's attempt to beat UConn...
"They're really good. They're obviously the number one team in the nation. They have amazing players who play hard, but I feel like on any given night, any team can beat them. We play hard. We knock down some shot. They miss shots. You never know. There is always a chance."
Ellis on the impact that MU's early foul trouble had on game...
"It threw us off a little bit. We play with each other in practice so it didn't make that much of a difference. We all know what each other can do and what each other's strengths and weaknesses are."
Ellis on UConn's defense...
"They pushed us out, but I don't know. They help a lot. They don't want any open shots."
Ellis on difficulty of coming out second half and playing hard with a scoring deficit...
"You can't think about stuff like that. You just got to come out fighting, knowing that you want to get better and knowing that you still want to win."
Weibel on difficulty of coming out second half and playing hard with a scoring deficit...
"You can just never lose confidence. You just always have to believe that you can do it. They made their run. We could've made ours, even though it didn't happen. There's always a chance."
Ellis and Weibel on how to adapt to UConn's defense...
Ellis: "We just got to go to each other's strengths. We know that when Courtney comes in, we need to run plays for her to get plays and come off screens. It's just knowing what your other teammates' strengths are and getting the ball where they're best fit to score."
Weibel: "Whenever you get the ball inside, something good happens. We always try to get the ball inside. They were pretty good, but we still try to get the ball inside."
Head Coach Terri Mitchell
Opening Statement:
"The best advice that I can give my team after a game like that is forget it quickly and move on because we have 7 more games- 7 more extremely important games in the Big East- none bigger than Tuesday night against Villanova. What happened to us seems to be pretty routine for UConn to do against their opponents. The first 8 minutes are great, and after that, once they took the lead, it became a very slow hard night for us. We're just going to wake up tomorrow and focus on Villanova and not spend a whole lot of energy trying to figure out what happened to us. They are the number one team in the country, and they played like the number one team in the country."
On how Ellis's second foul influenced game...
"They were pushing us way out on offense, and regardless of Krystal going out, they pushed us way out and we weren't using screens. For their part, they were executing their offense-their down screens and their double down and just their quick hitters- and we were running into screens. Other people had to step up. It wasn't going to be whether Krystal was going to score a lot. She started well, and went out with her 2nd foul, and it was an interesting night in that regard."
On UConn's powerful three-guard setup...
"I just think that they have so many great players on their team, and when scouting them, you focus on their first five players obviously, because it's your job to, but you could focus on 10 players deep on their team and you could look at every person who came off their bench. We have to not be pushed out-we were pushed out- we had to not hit screens- we hit screens- and we obviously need to rebound- so things that we talked about that we didn't do that causes us to fall extremely short. I respect them. They are great. Everything that has been written about them they absolutely deserve. They are the best team in the nation-hands down. I watch a lot of basketball- every conference- and I think they are playing and getting into a groove, and for us, we just need to focus on Villanova."
On the key to beat a team like UConn...
"There's a lot of great players out there, and I think when you have great players committed to your team- there's players that want to go to UConn- and there's players that want to be on a team that beats UConn- so you have to get those players on your team that are up for the challenge and want to fight and wants to be the difference maker in that situation. In this day and age, the talent poll is growing. There is so many more players to choose from and look at and they all can't go there (UConn). Our affiliation in the Big East has really taken our recruiting to another level. We are just going to continue recruiting the best talent in this country to come help us compete against the UConns of the world."
On the difficulty of defending a team like UConn...
"Their athleticism is I think a notch above everybody in our conference. We still have 7 games to play so I don't want to offend any teams we haven't played. Up to now, the 9 games we have played- athletically, UConn has been a step above. We have to learn to deny better and match them and get out. It's a hard game to play. There was a lot of stoppage of play tonight which makes it difficult to find a rhythm."
On importance of BIG EAST wins...
"They are all important. But none are as important as the one that's right in front of you. We have 7 games- 3 on the road, 4 at home- it's hard to win on the road so you have to look at what you can do at home. Villanova is having an outstanding year, and no one is really talking about them. They are playing really great basketball right now. We have to focus our intensity for Tuesday night. We can't be limping into that game because of tonight. We have to be ready. We have to prepare them and stay fresh and take some days off after Tuesday because we are a little banged up right now."
On the challenge of not getting a successful offense put together...
"I think we got really good shots and we didn't knock them down. That's part of just players working out that anxiety or confidence. I try to give my young kids as many minutes as possible, because I figured that at that point it's important to feel and be out there and play. Courtney put up 11 three's and there wasn't one of them that I thought was a bad shot. She needs to be out there and keep getting stronger. I felt like in the second half we were much more deliberate. We ran the offense and used screens. We had shots we just didn't knock them down. Our players need to take the next step in their development- when they are open, they can't question themselves. It's probably a confidence issue at that point because we were down by so much. There's a difference between hitting a shot and then knowing you have to make this for your team. That's why I want them to forget this quickly because I can't have them walking in Tuesday doubting who they are. We are a good time. We are not going to let this deflate us. We are going to move on and be strong on Tuesday."
On the atmosphere of the arena...
"The atmosphere was great. I'm disappointed that we didn't play better, but fans need to keep coming out. We would love to have that spirit every time. If not Tuesday, it needs to be next Sunday for our "Pink Out" - our fight against breast cancer. They need to come out and take our situation of a game and use it for good and let's fight that ugly disease. "
Connecticut Players Renee Montgomery, Maya Moore and Kalana Greene
On how Connecticut pulled away after being tied at 20...
Renee Montgomery: I think it was our defense, nothing different on the offensive end. We just got a lot of stops in a row, and that's pretty much how you're going to run - don't let them score.
On a repeat third slow start in as many games...
Maya Moore: We come out with a certain energy level, hopefully, the one we want to be. Over time, we still maintain that energy level and that's going to test the other team and we pull away. I like to believe we play at a consistent energy level the whole time and that it's just a matter of time before you look up and you're up by 20 or 30 points.
On Lorin Dixon, Meghan Gardler, and Kaili McLaren all being on the floor for the run...
Maya Moore: I'm proud of the energy they brought. I thought Lorin was aggressive the whole game and that's why she did so well. Meghan is going to do her best to do aggressive too, and to be smart and just be physical down there and not be afraid to bang around with their post players who I thought were pretty physical tonight. Lorin made some aggressive moves to the rim and got fouled a lot, and that's going to get us on the free throw line. It was good, especially Meghan and Lorin.
On Moore's fifth consecutive double-digit game...
Maya Moore: I think I haven't been working harder this time of the season than I was in the beginning, but I just try to stay aggressive and keep working hard, and basically the numbers will come.
On if Krystal Ellis tallying her second foul with 10 minutes left allowed Connecticut to surge forward...
Renee Montgomery: Not necessarily when she goes out, I don't think that's a thing we did consciously. I think it's just when we look and see what the score is and look at the time, and know that we need to get a push going and go on a run. It helped us that their leading scorer went out but I don't know if that was something in their thought process.
On holding Angel Robinson to one point...
Renee Montgomery: I think the goal is that whatever somebody averages, we don't want them to get that. It's a team effort and just try to make them do things that they're uncomfortable with. Coach always tells us not to let them score in the way they like to score and make them do something different. Good players are going to make tough shots. We just try to make people do something different.
On why Connecticut is so resilient...
Maya Moore: I like to attribute that to our practices and I truly believe that's where we get tested the most - just our preparation in practice and the focus level that we have to maintain. We know that when we go on the road, that we are prepared and we feel confident, and whether or not you get the right calls or your shot is falling, our defense has been saving us this year and over the years at UConn.
On the difference between this game and the game two years ago...
Kalana Greene: I think we kept our intensity on defense and we ran the offense and had the shots that we wanted and the shots that they gave us. Just staying aggressive on defense and taking pride in our defense and holding Marquette scoreless for a long time is what kept us in the game.
Head coach Geno Auriemma
On Connecticut pulling away after the game was tied at 20...
I don't think there's any timeout that you say, "Look, let's go on a 20-4, 22-4 run." I think what we talk about is what Renee said, get a stop next time down the floor to make sure we get a good possession on offense, and get another stop. We basically play one possession at a time, but as you're playing those possessions and all of the sudden the team doesn't score three or four straight possessions for them, and we do. I've said this a lot of times back at home, but the pressure to score to keep us with us really starts to affect the other team. They know that if they go six or seven possessions in a row without scoring that it's going to be awfully hard to keep us from getting the points we're trying to get. Defensively, we had a team out there that was really able to handle them. I thought our guards did a fantastic job on their two guards (Krystal Ellis and Angel Robinson) who are really good players. I said back home that the greatest backcourt in Milwaukee history was Laverne and Shirley, but these two guys are pretty good. Like Renee said, we're trying to make you score and do things you're not comfortable doing, and I thought that last ten minutes of the first half, that's exactly what happened.
On how Connecticut has maintained their resilience this season...
It's not always a matter of if you're playing hard or is there an intensity level. You just have situations where if you make shots and if you have enough good players - which we do - and if you spread it around a lot - like we do - you're not so dependent on one or two people. We have the luxury of doing that. Over a period of time, we're able to score enough points, I think, and always play defense a little better than the other team plays. I think we put ourselves in a position for that situation not to occur but I know it's hard to and we're not going to be able to go through every game the rest of the season. If we do, great, but I'm not planning on it. I just think it's one of those things that happens. At some point during the game, we have the ability to pull away and so far we've been able to do that.
On the Marquette students...
They love me here. I remember a few years ago they were serenading me but like any other college crowd, they show their love and appreciation in different ways. I went to Catholic school, they know that, they love me here and I love them. They're a great group. It's when adults go goofy that you have a problem. When kids go goofy you know they were out earlier and they came here to celebrate, what's wrong with that.
On keeping the team ready to play with a target on their back...
We talked about that in the locker room, as matter of fact, after the game. One of the things I love about this building is the way they honor the past. I spent most of shoot-around today walking around reading all the great teams that Al McGuire coached and all the great history that is part of Marquette basketball. I especially loved the mural of Dwyane Wade and Travis Diener. They're on the wall and their back is to the camera and the sign says, "Tradition never graduates." One of the things that we've established at Connecticut is that we play a certain way, whether we're at home, on the road, in Madison Square Garden, in a ballroom in Cancun, in Milwaukee, in Chicago, in Washington, D.C., it doesn't matter. We play that way every game, all year long, regardless of who's on our team. We're not out here to beat Marquette. We didn't come here today to beat Marquette. Marquette just happens to be who we're playing today. If they beat us, great, but we want to play a certain style of basketball and a certain level that we're accustomed to, and that's the expectation level for us every single night. That's what kind of pushes us forward every year.
On Maya Moore's third double-double in as many games...
The things that make Maya a great player are when you watch her play, you think of all the individual skills she has and all the athletic abilities she has and the plays that she can make. What's really key about Maya is that her work ethic is so consistent - she works so hard on every possession, every day - practice, games, it doesn't matter. That kind of consistency produces the same kind of numbers, it seems, every night, every night. And now she's really committed herself to rebounding. Our two big guys are struggling a little right now, so she's taken on more of a rebounding role. That's what separates her from a lot of other players - she's able to give you that kind of performance every night. I'm not surprised, I kind of expect that from her every night even though that's a lot to expect. She's just playing at a really high level right now. She even contributed to a couple of Marquette's points by giving the kid the ball at the end of the half. She's just a nice kid all the way around, isn't she? Drives me nuts.
