University of Connecticut Athletics
Collier, Nurse Lead No. 1 UConn
2/4/2018 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Recap | Box Score | Photo Gallery 1 
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Head Coach Geno Auriemma
Geno on the response after coming off the South Carolina game
"Our fans? I thought our fans were great. The response of our team was kind of like 'eh' we had stretches where we played really well and we had stretches where we didn't play well at all so I guess that is sometimes to be expected...I thought the third quarter was really good and half of the first quarter was really good."
Geno on keeping Crystal out and Kia taking control of the team
"It takes away one more perimeter player so we can spread the floor out as much, we need Napheesa to take shots then if that happens, which she kind of did in the first half. Napheesa, Z, and Gabby all prefer to be in the lane. I thought Kia and Lou were really good and Kyla came in and gave us some great minutes."
Geno on Kia's 1500 point career
"The play where she ran back on defense, she deflected and we got a steal and outran everyone coming the other way and got a lay-up. I thought that pretty much typifies Connecticut basketball. I think some of our other guys would do well to emulate that. That was about as good as a play that I have seen in a long time and that is how she has been since the day she walked on campus. She is a great competitor and I'm not surprised she has scored 1,500 points."
Cincinnati Coach Jamelle Elliott
Geno is now 35-0 when coaching against former assistants or players. How close do you think one of you is to breaking through?
"Well you never know, every time you play the game you hope it is going to be the one. You know we had the opportunity to beat them. Every time we play we have the opportunity to beat them, but it is going to be a tough one. It is hard to beat a juggernaut. You almost have to play a perfect game so, you know I am proud to be a part of this coaching tree. Hopefully [Geno] will coach so he can continue to give his coaching tree a chance to beat him."
Your team has obviously made strides this year and you are still .500 in conference, what lessons do you want them to take from today?:
"We are just trying to take all the positives. We scored a lot of points against the number one team in the country. You know, we gave up a lot of points, but we scored a lot of points and there was a lot of positives that came out of the players that we have out on our team that don't necessarily play a lot. They came in confident and gave us a lot of good minutes."
How happy were you with the play of Shanice, especially in the first half?:
"I think she set the tone, I think she set the tone with her outside shot. She kept us in it for a little bit in the first quarter. I thought Antoinette Miller came out in the second half and made five threes. You know any play that you make against UConn in a situation like this you got to be happy with the confidence you can take out of that game."
What is the goal for the rest of the regular season?:
"To win every game."
Senior guard Kia Nurse
On 1,500 points
When I came here I wouldn't have been able to say that I think I'm going to be a 1,500 point scorer. I'm really grateful for the opportunity and how much I've been able to grow since I've gotten here thanks to the help from all the coaches and teammates who have come before me.
On being back on the point
My old stomping grounds. I'd say thank you [sophomore guard] Crystal [Dangerfield] for that. But, you know, when you've been here for four years and you run pretty much a similar offense all the time, part of my job being an older player is to know where everybody needs to be when they need to be there. So, kind of just making sure we're at the pace that we want, running offenses that we want and defensively we know what we're doing so it was nice.
Senior forward Gabby Williams
On coming into today's game
I think this is when teams are most vulnerable after big wins like that because you kind of get a lot of confidence, a little bit too much or you kind of let your guard down a little bit. So I think this is the time that we notice that and we have to recognize that and know that we need to move forward.
On Kia's 21-0 run
Just defense and just overall energy and I think the focus turned up a little bit.
Junior forward Napheesa Collier
On sophomore guard Crystal Dangerfield
Crystal can see the floor so well so you know if you're with Crystal and you're running with her she's going to get you the ball. She doesn't even have to look at you to give it to you.
On the number of assists
Just knowing who you're passing it to and where they like to get it also helps a lot so the fact that we play a lot together I think helps a lot.
