University of Connecticut Athletics
UConn-Xavier Postgame Quotes
12/19/2020 4:38:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Head Coach Geno Auriemma
On the shooting in this game:
"The goal for us every game is to be a well-balanced team. We are trying to take a certain amount of three pointers and hit a certain percentage. Job number one is you have to get those. We only got 58 shots which isn't a lot, most of the time you're going to get 60 or change. I think we played really well balanced, had points coming from behind the arc, in the lane, and on the block. It always looks great when the ball goes in."
On Christyn Williams' play today:
"I think the thing you have to be able to do, that I think Christyn is doing, is you have to become really efficient on offense. It doesn't matter whether you get 15 or 20 shots, a high percentage of those have to go in. The way you shoot a high percentage is when you take great shots, at the appropriate time. It's the sign of a player maturing and learning when to do things. I talked to the players a lot on how basketball is a game not about how to, but when to. It's all about knowing when to take that drive, that pass, that open three. I think as Christyn plays more games and she stays aggressive, that is only going to get better and better."
On having multiple options on this team:
"The one thing that is significantly better than last year is we are a much better passing team. That creates more opportunities for everybody and I think the ball moves better. We're able to use the whole court and we get rid of the ball quickly. We have a team that's willing to pass the ball, which might be unusual in today's game. They want to pass it and for the most part we are a pretty good passing team. I'm sure Paige will get a great Christmas gift from our opponents because she loves to pass it to the other team whenever we get a big lead."
Junior Guard Christyn Williams
On having more options this year:
"It's very different, we have players that can come off the bench and contribute just as well as the starting five. That helps a lot especially in big games or when we've played a lot of games and can rest our legs."
On the first quarter performance:
"I thought we did a great job in our press defense. We were able to get a lot of steals and get out in transition and that fueled our fire for the rest of the game."
On how a quick start helps her:
"Personally, it gives me a ton of energy. I love to get out in transition and when I can get a few buckets early on it helps me throughout the game."
Junior Forward Olivia Nelson-Ododa
On her rebounding performance:
"After realizing I need to produce better, I put it upon myself to get better at that. Xavier is a very rebound based team and they love to crash the boards. So for the entire team tonight, crashing the boards was an emphasis."
