University of Connecticut Athletics
UConn vs. Pittsburgh Post Game Quotes (Jan. 22, 2011)
1/22/2011 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Jan. 22, 2011
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UConn Head Coach Geno Auriemma
On how the "Magnificent Seven" played tonight:
"There was not a lot of flow to the game today. It was going to be a struggle to get anything done. I'm not sure. Except for when Lorin Dixon was in the game it didn't seem like a lot of good stuff was happening. It seemed like a lot of stuff was forced. When Lorin was in, she changed the game the whole time. In the first half especially it looked like we were going to play well and then we weren't. Pittsburgh did a good job of keeping the pace at a walk and not letting us get a lot of run outs. They took advantage of a couple of defensive mistakes that we made and it wasn't until the second half that we got organized better defensively and that made all the difference in the world."
On the play of Stefanie Dolson, especially her defensive effort in the second half:
"A couple of the fouls in the first half were the kind where you shake your head. They didn't involve anything. I thought she was really, really aggressive in the second half. I'm not surprised. I thought yesterday was her best practice since she's been at Connecticut. Not even close, yesterday was her best practice here. Maya (Moore) is Maya. We go to her so often and she delivers so many times that it almost becomes commonplace. I can't put my finger on it, but we struggled today."
Is it good for the team to face this adversity and overcome it for a win?
"I think anytime you win and don't play well it's a good thing for your team. It's easy when every shot is going in and every bounce is going your way. It's easy when it's the way it was Monday night. I think teams learn a little bit when they can't get a break and can't make a shot and every pass you throw is either late or off target. I think for a team that's growing it's important to go through those things."
Do you think the players think they are machines at times?
"I think all the wins and the blowouts and how easy it looks sometimes, there's a feeling that it happens so easily it's expected every minute of every day of every game. I did talk about that. Missed shots, struggling to make free throws and making mistakes, those are all part of playing basketball. The effort part, that's non-negotiable. The other part, you miss shots and some people think `I'm not supposed to miss any shots because I play at Connecticut.' I think Tiffany (Hayes) struggles the most with that. She misses a couple of shots and it really effects her. That has to change or it's going to be hard for us to be a really good team. She needs to grow out of that, or maybe she won't. That's what's going to have to happen if we want to be really good."
On the play of the freshmen in the run that UConn went on:
"Both of them are good players. They don't shy away from the competition. Bria's (Hartley) not worried about taking the ball to the basket and getting a shot blocked, she's not afraid of making a mistake, and certainly Stefanie (Dolson) isn't either. They both came here to play basketball at Connecticut and that's what they're going to do. They are both going to make their share of mistakes but that's how they are going to learn."
UConn Players
Maya Moore
On pulling out the win and overcoming the struggles tonight:
"I was really proud of the way that we pulled it out tonight. There was a stretch there were we couldn't pull it to within 10 points, but we kept fighting and the coaching staff said it well in the locker room, it's okay to struggle, sometimes you are going to struggle, we aren't machines and we have off nights as far as shooting. I felt like the second half we brought a better effort and that's why we were able to pull out the win."
This game felt like a Rutgers game, is this a measure for the Rutgers game coming up?
"Hopefully not. Hopefully we can come with a better start because that was an unacceptable start to the game and if we go into the game that way it may not come out in our favor. We are really going to have to grow up from this game and make sure that this doesn't become a habit. The teams just keep getting better and we are going to have a tough test on Wednesday."
What are the problems that you saw offensively?
"Offensively, sometimes we don't take the best shots. I personally had more turnovers then I wanted to and because of the turnovers we didn't even get any shots that we wanted. I thought once we stopped rushing we could get any shot we wanted and that is what we need to get momentum. We got good quality shots at the end of the game and that is what helped us get the win. I was really proud of the way that we got stops and ran our offense and we were doing the things that we always do."
How important was Stefanie Dolson's second half?
"It's always important no matter what the situation is. For her to come in and do the things that we have been working so hard on during practice, being strong in the post, playing smarter and continuing to work on not getting fouls is a big help for the team. When she came back in she did a great job of not fouling and picking up her fourth. I think the more she plays that way and finishes inside and gets rebounds the more confident she will be."
Stefanie Dolson
How has your conditioning allowed you to play more and more each game?
"I try to work on that during practice and just keep pushing myself as hard as I can during each drill and the coaches have done a great job of pushing me as well. I just have to know that in practice if I go hard in every drill and even transitioning from drill to drill that will help me in games and it has helped me tremendously so far. In games like this I am able to stay in and still do things unlike the beginning of the season."
How do you know when to pass the ball and when to take it in?
"I guess it just depends on reading the defense. If I get the ball on the side and somebody is on my back there is no reason why I shouldn't take the ball to the basket and get fouled or get a shot. If I see someone coming double then I will pass it back out and get an open shot, or if a guard makes a great cut and they get an open shot then that is who I will pass it to."
How did your mindset change after you got your third foul?
"It didn't change that much, I knew that I still had to stay aggressive on the defensive end so that we could get the offense going. I just had to move my feet and not let them get around me because that is when I tend to foul. I focused on not making dumb fouls also after my third foul."
Pittsburgh Head Coach Agnus Berenato
On how her team performed today:
"I thought that the game today was awesome for 35 minutes. I really felt that we came into this game to compete. We came in saying that we were going to shock the world, we were going to upset and get a win. I really felt that we worked extremely hard, we were well prepared... I think Connecticut is an amazing team and definitely it was an honor to come and play for a sold out crowd but I was really proud of my team because I thought that they competed. We went on that five minute stretch where we couldn't score. We couldn't get to the line, we gave up some and ones, I felt that that was really critical there at the end of the game."
On not being able to get to the foul line:
"It's really disappointing that we didn't get to the foul line, it's not like we didn't try to get to the foul line... I felt like we really did attack... in the first half, we had 22 points in the paint without the free throw. We did not have a free throw until the end of the game. I guess we didn't do enough to get to the free throw line... we like to attack. We really like to go off the bounce."
On Maya's performance:
"I thought at half time it was the Maya Moore show. She had 20 of 34 and that's what great players do. Great players step up. I thought we did a great job in the second half on her (Maya). We just couldn't get to the line and I think that really hurt. Maya steps up in big games and every game is a big game in the Big East. I love watching her play."
Her feelings on an encouraging loss:
"Yes, I do feel encouraged. We have had a tough stretch up to this point with the teams that we have played. The only thing that I kept telling my team was to come in here to compete... we never looked at it as a 40 minute game; we looked at it as a possession. One possession at a time and I told them to really enjoy it. Before the game I made them all just look around the arena because I think all you guys in Connecticut take that for granted. What you have here doesn't happen in any other gym across the nation. For me to be able to compete in that kind of environment, you have a great student crowd, you have a great fan base, and you have a very educated fan base. It is a fun fan base to play for. I was highly encouraged (about her team's performance)."
On what she told the team after the game:
"They have to realize, I think that UConn is still the number one team in the nation. To me they represent the number one team in the Big East and I felt that for 35 minutes we played with them on their court in this amazing environment. I think they should take great confidence in that. We are not the team we were yesterday; we are the team of tonight."
