Washington at Saint Mary's
November 30, 2001 | Women's Basketball
Nov. 30, 2001
Washington at Saint Mary's
Nov. 30, 2001
Washington head coach June Daugherty
"This is a tough environment to play in. We kept fighting back. We were able to fight back and get over the hump. Obviously, our rebounding and our zone were a huge factor in the second half.
"The first half was probably one of the ugliest halves we've ever played, but gosh darn it, we stayed with it. I believe we left it all out on the floor tonight. We never gave up.
"Every time the team came back to the huddle, we told them to just keep fighting. The team really responded to that and built on that. Our zone was fantastic in the second half. It really took them out of their tempo. 55-39 rebouding advantage - that's the ballgame right there.
"Emily (Autrey) did a super job on defense. She ran the floor great and got them tired. Emily was constantly running the floor. She took some tough hits tonight but she bounced right back every time."
Sophomore guard Giuliana Mendiola
"I'm just happy to come out alive. Our main goal was to out-rebound them and we did that. We struggled offensively. What makes us most proud is that we pulled it out with our defense.
(on sister Gioconda's diving save and basket by Cheryl Sorenson) "Gio brings pure heart to the game. That's what she's all about. That was a huge play. I was happy to see Cheryl ahead of me. I knew I wasn't going to outrun anyone.
"Defense and rebounding were definitely the keys to the game. We have to give credit to Marques Tuiasosopo. He gave us a long pep talk Friday night. He told us to play for each other, for your teammates, play from your heart. That fired us up.
"Once we tied it up, we knew we had the momentum."
