University of Connecticut Athletics
UConn-Temple Postgame Quotes
2/9/2019 4:11:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Head Coach Geno Auriemma
On the team's offense:
"I think a lot of the shots that we were taking a couple weeks ago that weren't going in are going in now. All of a sudden, the points pile up and I think things are moving a little bit smoother. We are getting good shots, the ball is moving well, people are being unselfish like they usually are, and like I said, we made more threes today than we probably made the month of January."
On senior Napheesa Collier:
"I mean those people that were around two years ago when she was a sophomore, I think they got to see one of the all-time great seasons that I have been a part of anyway at Connecticut basketball. She is just about duplicating that. I don't know that there is a better player anywhere that does as much every night. I'm sure people already made up their mind about who the best player in the country is, or who the national player of the year is, but I just don't know that there is anyone that on every single night does all the things that Naphessa does."
On junior Crystal Dangerfield:
"One of the best things that you can do when you have the ball in your hands all the time is put the ball in someone else's hands for an easy shot, and all the great guards that we have ever had have been able to do that. I think it's taken Crystal a while to understand that it's not necessarily what it looks like, you just have to get the ball to the right people at the right time in the right place. For the most part, that's what is happening right now, and to know when it's time to shoot it for yourself. She seems to be in a pretty good space right where she has that figured out. When you have our three, when they are playing at a real high level, that's why we can score a lot of points."
Senior Guard Katie Lou Samuelson
On communication with Crystal Dangerfield:
"Crystal and I think alike and we're able to see things, so she's definitely the easiest person for me to communicate with on the court. I think we both feel that way about having a quick understanding of what the other person wants. Usually we're always spot on when we give each other a look on an out of bounds play or running down the court."
On the team's uptick in assists and offense:
"I think the way we've been preparing for these games, we know we need to come out and fix the little things. I think we've been focusing on the smaller things instead of the bigger picture overall…we're focusing on executing every single time and I think that's bringing it all together."
On Napheesa Collier:
"She's just so involved in everything. She's got her hand on every loose ball. It doesn't get much better than what you saw tonight from her. It might be pretty hard for anyone to top that. It seems like she's always in the right spot, always knows where her best scoring ability is, where she's going to cut with success and she's really developed a whole, all-around game with the assists and passing…just those little things she's been building and adding in."
On preparation for South Carolina:
"We want to come out and play really well against a top team. It's been a while since we played well together against a top team and we want to put our best foot forward. We don't want to have these stalemates when we don't know what we're doing on offense, or it kind of looks jumbled. We want to make sure we're executing, doing everything right no matter what the outcome is."
