University of Connecticut Athletics
UConn vs. St. John's Post Game Quotes
2/13/2010 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Feb. 13, 2010
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Head Coach Geno Auriemma
On Tina Charles's night being the biggest game she's had in the regular season
"Yeah, I would say so, especially the game was played. You know, I thought the way Tina started the game - I had asked [associate head coach] Chris [Dailey], I said `How many layups she's going to miss in the first half?' `Five to six because she'll be all beside herself or whatever.' But I thought she got her composure pretty well and worked really, really hard. I would say today we won - it was Tina, one, St. John's, zero. That's kind of how it went today and she played great at both ends and it couldn't come at a better day, I guess, for her and we needed her."
On Charles's start of the game and getting the induction ceremony and subsequent emotions out of her system coming into play.
"Probably. I think the fact that we couldn't make anything from the perimeter made it even harder for her because we couldn't, we couldn't break her free. She didn't have to guard anybody. I don't know the last time we shot 30 percent from the floor and I don't know that we took a lot of contested shots. I think a lot of them were open. But, if we can't make those shots, it's going to be really tough on Tina. And I thought in spite of that, she still managed to do what she did, which makes it even more, more incredible that she did - she finished with the numbers that she finished with."
On her game feeling even bigger than the stats showed
"Yeah. I was surprised at halftime that it was what it was. And then I looked back and I realized yeah, no one else...has made any shots and no one else is getting any rebounds. This is - it's the game that I've been trying to tell you guys that we go into a game, you know, and we stand there and just jack up jumpshots and none of `em go in and we stand there and jack up another and it doesn't go in. And you better hope that you've got enough inside that you can compensate for that. And tonight we did. Because our defense wasn't creating any offense for us tonight."
On the game being a good measuring stick to see how team will react when things aren't in sync
"Yeah. Yeah, that's always a good thing. It's always enlightening I think to a certain degree when you have to win a game differently than the way you've been winning them. When you're used to just coming down and - we made 11 3s at Louisville, we made a bunch down at DePaul and now suddenly you make none, and you've got to figure out a different way to do it. Or we caused 20 turnovers against somebody and scored 35 points and then today, we don't score any points off turnovers. You know, you've gotta - you've got to be able to win a lot of different ways if you want to be standing at the end. And today was another way to win without playing - and St. John's had a lot to do with that, I think. They don't turn over the ball. They're really good at protecting the basketball. They try to isolate guys one-on-one and there's not going to be a lot of passes that you're going to be able to intercept. So you've got to grind it out. You've got to grind it out. And that's what we did."
On having a game like Oklahoma being good so soon after a game like tonight's
"I don't know. I mean, I think the Oklahoma game is certainly going to be played a little bit differently than today's game. I think it's obvious that, you know, watching Oklahoma play in previous years that there's a lot of, a lot of up and down. And they've got tremendous talent, tremendous ability. Their point guard's as good as anybody's that I've seen around the country. They certainly have enough offensive talent, even without Whitney [Hand]. So it's going to be a little bit different of a game than we played today."
Senior Center Tina Charles
What was this game like for you starting with the pre-game ceremony and the game you had?
"It was a bitter sweet moment, the way we came out and played, I thought it was embarrassing. The fact that we were able to grind it out was good. Before the game it was really emotional, because I know what it took for me to reach where I am at, just sticking with it and having confidence in my game, coach believing in me, and just never giving up."
Did it take a little for you to get over the emotion overcome the slow start and settle down?
"No, I wouldn't really say that it was what was going on before the game. We have been in plenty of situations where there is a lot going on around us like the Final Four my sophomore and junior year. We had a lot going on, but we had to focus on the game. We just didn't come out with all the energy and we didn't rally like we usually do."
What made today different?
"It was lack of concentration, just not taking a team as seriously as we need to. Coach put a point of emphasis that after you win a championship, because he has been through this situation a lot, that teams are going to come out harder on us. It is going to be a lot harder to get the success that we want so we just always have to keep that mind set."
On Scoring 13 straight points in the second half:
"I don't really pay attention to scoring 13 straight points in a row or anything like that. I was just trying to put points up on the board. We were trying to execute and run plays."
Are you going to look back on scoring 25 points and having 21 rebounds, and think of it as a good night for you? "Yeah definitely, when I come back or just years from now. I am just on to the next game with Oklahoma. I don't really have time to pay attention to things like this, but I definitely embrace it and take it in."
Junior Forward Maya Moore
On Tina Charles performance: "It was phenomenal! I am really proud of the way she carried us for most of the game. We have to be confident and know that if we give it to her she will score. Every game she does that it builds our team, builds us up."
How is it different playing against a team who has a mindset that they have a chance to win?
"It just depends on the type of team they are. You can't mentally set yourself up to fail before the game even starts. We have to go in there every game expecting a team that is confident, ready to play and competitive so that is what we expect."
Can you put a finger on what the problem was with shooting today?
"I feel like we weren't as together as we usually are. It's one of those things where when you are in the middle of the game, when things are jelling and you are working together and everybody is on the same page, your shots are just going to go in. I think a part of rhythm shooting and scoring, we realized is when our chemistry is really strong and we are all together. Sometimes when our shots aren't falling, you can tend to get kind of down on yourself and not stay as strong as a unit. Tonight we learned that lesson the hard way and we shot very poorly but I am really looking forward to how we respond to this. It gives us a great opportunity to learn from it and build on it for the rest of the season."
On Lorin Dixon's last second shot of the first half:
"It was big. I still think we weren't happy with the first half, but it gave us a little spark. Anytime you can make plays like that it is always going to boost your morale and build your momentum."
Head Coach Kim Barnes-Arico
Do you think Tina Charles was too much for you team in the second half?
"I think she was great. We tried to double team her and change up defenses and we still could not stop her. I think the greatest thing about her is that when she misses a shot she continues to go after the ball until she gets the rebound. She continues to work. She fights through double teams and has improved so much over the years. She was an All-American last year and tonight she played like the National Player of the Year."
What is your approach prior to playing a game against Connecticut?
"I try not to make the game that big of a deal. They already know it is a big deal. We tried to approach it as a regular game. Our mindset going into this game was to focus on four minutes at a time. When we got down I noticed everyone was looking at the score board. I kept telling them to focus on the next four minutes. Out of ten four minute stints in the game we won six of them. That was a great accomplishment for our team. The problem was that they won their four stints by a large margin. It was a great atmosphere for our team to play in. I told our team Connecticut is an outstanding team but they can make mistakes."
Sophomore Forward #3 Da'Shena Stevens
Can you talk about how your team is playing right now?
"We know the stretch that we have coming up on our schedule and know we have some tough games remaining. I think we have confidence going into every game so this game did not change a lot for us."
Did your team try and make this into a special game?
"I do not think we did. We had a regular practice and did not do anything out of the ordinary. I think if you do not think about the game and come out and execute like we know we can then we will have a good game. We cannot think about the other team and how they are going to play."
