Marquette University Athletics
Postgame Quotes
1/16/2011 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Jan. 16, 2011
TAMPA, Fla. -
Head Coach Terri Mitchell
About the game overall...
"We talked a lot at half time that the game is 40 minutes, and really laid out the adjustments we needed to make. South Florida did a fantastic job of taking us to the hoop. We needed to rotate better and really stay down on defense and make them shoot over us. It was a wake-up call for our team, but we were very calm. We followed the game plan and took our confidence out there. It was about chipping away, and that is what we talked about. We had 20 minutes (in the second half) to see if we could chip away."
"After the first media timeout we were in the same spot, down seven points, but I thought we played better and played with better energy. If you look at the statistics, neither team shot great, but we shot better in the second half. The game really comes down to defense and as I tell our players, 'your defense can never take a possession off. You do the defensive work and your offense will come.' We missed a lot of easy shots in the first half and I could see the discouragement on their faces. I said those same shots will be there, just let it come to you, we are going to make them but always take a defensive stand."
About the play of Sarina Simmons...
"Sarina came alive in the second half against West Virginia and was a difference maker. What the great sign for us was that she was that difference maker again today. Even when she was in foul trouble we needed that weak-side rebounding. I thought she did a tremendous job of getting stops, rebounding and really being selective about the shots she was taking. She had two big and-1s that were great momentum changers for us. Just huge baskets for us. That is what really stands out to me. She thought through those, she didn't disappear and knows she is a significant scorer."
About it being a total team effort...
"As always, it was a total team effort. If you look at our stats, how we spread out our rebounding and scoring, and that we out-rebounded a team by 11 shows the focus that we had. It was tough. I give South Florida a ton of credit. They are a good team and for us to take a stand on the road and come back and win the game speaks volume of the character of this team."
About the play in which McMorris made the 3-pointer to go ahead by 6...
"She had just hit a three and I wanted to give her another look, a different look that we have never shown before. I trust her. She is a senior with complete focus and those two shots she hit late in the game were huge. Add six assists to her stat line and you have a complete game. She did a lot of that while she was in foul trouble in the first half. These seniors continue to learn to play while in foul trouble and know they are still able to impact the game."
