University of Connecticut Athletics
UConn 87, Tulane 39 Quotes
2/14/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
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UConn Head Coach Geno Auriemma
Feelings about today:
"We had a lot going on today, in addition to the game…Having those people out there at half court and having our kids interact with them made it really personal, so I enjoyed that. And seeing a lot of the guys from that '95 team was personal as well… Just getting them back here and talking about what's happened here, how much the place has changed and how different it is today. It's just good to be around them."
General thoughts on the game:
"I thought we did a lot of good things. There were a couple stretches where our transition stuff was so good, we made some great plays. I think Moriah added to what she did Monday night...Everybody's done what they're good at. We're playing well as a team. It starts with our defense as it does all the time… I think for the most part, we did what we normally do. We play good defense, share the ball, and get ready for the next one."
On what Morgan Tuck adds to the game:
"I was saying this earlier… Morgan may be the most unsung really good player in the country…When people talk about our team, I know that Stewie, K, and Moriah get all the attention.. For our team, and what we need… she's one of those kids that it's like having more than one player when you have someone like that. For our team, she's perfect, and maybe as important if not more important than anyone we've had this year."
Junior Guard Moriah Jefferson
On getting off to a strong start in today's game:
"Yes, definitely, anytime you come off a big game like that (South Carolina) you definitely want to build off it. I think that we did a good job of that today."
On the dive play in the second half:
"I just saw the ball and said I'm not trying to get a back court violation so I threw myself out there, got it, and it threw it up in the air as hard as I could."
On how the offense performed today:
"Yes, definitely, we were doing some of the same things that we were doing against South Carolina…we shot the ball very well."
On the effort put forth today by the team:
"You come out in a big game and you don't want to move backwards…you want to move forward. We came out, we played very well, and I think it was a move in the right direction."
On playing in front of the 1995 UConn women's team:
"It was really important to play well, those guys did incredible things before we were even here. We tried to go out and give them a little show out there."
Redshirt Sophomore Morgan Tuck
On playing conference games the rest of the season:
"We don't want to look too far ahead and, yes, our next goal is to win a conference championship. I think its good to have those conference games, we don't have many left so we have to treat them as really important.."
On Tulane not taking a foul-shot in today's game and what it means about your defense as a team:
"That we just play hard, honest defense. Usually we don't go a game without having the other team shoot free throws. I think today we just did a good job of playing good defense. Yes, they are going to score, but when they did we came down the next possession and got a stop.
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Tulane Head Coach Lisa Stockton
What was it like to bring a team into this environment for the first time? How long did it take the team to forget all of that and just play?
"I think it was a great opportunity for us. I think in the first half we were nervous and in the second half we came out more aggressive. They have so many weapons. I think that's the one thing for us, to keep our focus and keep our intensity. That's a lesson we can learn from this. As we started cutting into their lead, then if we missed a couple of shift on defense, they would score on us. I think we learned a lot just about the level of intensity they played with. This is a great women's basketball environment. I'm very glad our kids had this opportunity. I think we're going to be a better team in the long run from playing here."
What did they make your team do differently?
"Play fast. They make us play fast. Also, because of their size they don't let us get a lot of opportunities in the paint. In the first half we had a lot of shots, they just didn't go in. In the second half we were able to get our shots, we hit some 3's and establish a little something on the perimeter. That was really key for us in the second half."
What do take from this that will help you down the stretch?
"We talked about the opportunities we missed, just our transition defense, doing a better job with that. Just taking the things we know we can take away without them making great plays. Just the little things that we can do better. We are trying to finish at the top of this league and we have a really good chance to do that. Trying to keep a focus in this environment? We can keep our focus in any environment if we can do that. I think that's a real challenge for our team, that when they make good plays we can respond."
On the offensive rebounds to start the game
"I think we hustled. I think we were tight on our shots. I definitely think that it helped. It was kind of keeping us in the game there, then we loosened up in the second half. I thought that took a lot of pressure off of our offense so we didn't feel as anxious on offense in the second half."
