University of Connecticut Athletics
UConn-Dayton Post Game Quotes
11/27/2011 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Nov. 27, 2011
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UConn Head Coach Geno Auriemma
What was the difference between freshman Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis' play from yesterday to today?
"Like most good shooters, [Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis] likes to think that they don't worry about a bad day. That's a part of basketball. What you don't want is them to start feeling sorry for themselves or pass up open shots. That's the last thing you want to happen."
What do you take away from the three games played this weekend?
"When we're good we are pretty good and we're not we are something less than good. I don't know what that is. Sometimes when you're not good you're awful or you're just bad or sloppy. When we're good we're really good. When we're not playing well and we're not in sync we throw the ball away too much. That has been my biggest complaint over the last two days."
Were you relieved that Baylor won today so that they remain No. 1 and UConn remains No. 2?
"Last time I checked you had to have some All-Americans on your team to be number one. Don't those two things go together? I don't think it would be fair for us to be number one."
What are your thoughts on the team's record-long 89-game home winning streak?
"I don't think about [records]. I guess Maya Moore and Lorin Dixon didn't lose a home game when they were here. That's pretty incredible when you think about it. I don't think that happens very many places. I love the consistency of our program. I like how we approach things every year. We're hard to play against home and away."
Freshman Forward Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis
What did Coach Auriemma say to you this morning about continuing to shoot?
"He told me to stop being a baby and if I am missing, keep shooting. It doesn't matter. I'm not helping the team if I don't shoot. A good shooter doesn't worry about how many shots they've missed. They just keep on shooting and does everything else to help their team."
Is that a good feeling, to know that even when you are 0-8, you're coach wants you to shoot more?
"Definitely. I know my coaches have confidence in me and that makes me have confidence in myself. I know I can go out there and not have to worry about having missed eight shots in a row and feeling like the coaches don't want me to shoot. So, it's a good feeling, not having to worry about that."
Were you a streaky shooter in high school?
"There were games just like that. I don't think that I was 0-, that's pretty bad. But, there were games that I rarely made a shot and the next game I'd come out and hit all of them. So, I don't know. I'm trying to get out of that right now thought. I don't want to be a streaky shooter."
On the pressure from others to perform up to their expectations
"I don't really feel pressure from what other people's expectations are. I know that my team has confidence in me and my coaches have confidence in me. As long as I keep playing my role and doing what I can to help them, I think that I'm doing a good job out there."
Sophomore Forward Stefanie Dolson
On progress through the tournament:
"With the way we approach the game. Our first game we came out we didn't execute offense or play like a team. I think we did a much better job at being the aggressors and executing our offense and playing really great defense. We did a really great job today in our press. Our full court defense really sparked our offense, getting steals and stops. So all in all I think we are a better team."
On setting NCAA home record and not losing at home:
"I didn't know about that. I think it is pretty amazing and goes to show that when we play at home, whether here or the XL center, we come out with the same intensity. For the amount of games I've been in, you come out the same every day and practice and come out the same for games. You work as hard as you can because being at home with the fans you have that environment around you that you just want to play your best."
On Kaleena turning around from yesterday:
"Coach always gets on her back about whether she misses and how it shows maturity to keep shooting and know that you are going to make a shot."
Dayton Head Coach Jim Jabir
What did you get out of this tournament?
"I just spent 20 minutes telling our kids that what we saw is what we want to be. How hard they play, the cuts they make, everything they do, they are in pursuit of excellence every single possession. That is a great lesson to learn. I think we are talented, I think we are an NCAA Tournament team, but if you can't play at the level they play at, you are not maximizing your abilities. I think Coach Auriemma is an amazing coach and he's brought in motivated kids and they work super hard. It is a great lesson for us to learn if we are smart enough to learn the lesson."
Do you get more out of this game against UConn or the two wins you had this weekend?
"I think both are important. The two games previous we played really hard. Today we couldn't run one offensive set because their pressure took us out of everything. It's valuable, because now we know what it feels like to play at another level. Hopefully we will learn from it and try to emulate it and play on that same level as they were. So both were valuable."
Outside shooting and replacing Daugherty seem to be an issue this season. What do you need to do improve in those areas?
"The last two games before this one I wouldn't say our outside shooting was a problem. We made a million 3's yesterday - I think we had a record for makes and attempts. We do miss Daugherty for sure. She was able to make plays off the bounce. I think Andrea Hoover will be able to do that at some point. She's a freshman and she has to learn that. We miss Kristen a great deal. Their (UConn's) pressure took us out of any kind of offense we wanted to run."
