Post-Game Quotes
November 29, 2003 | Women's Basketball
Nov. 29, 2003
Washington vs. Oklahoma State
Post-Game Quotes
Washington Coach June Daugherty
On general comments: "We knew that we were going to get tested, first with Gonzaga and then with Oklahoma State. Both teams were really athletic, and we're really excited about the direction we are going defensively. Forcing a team like that to have twenty-seven turnovers and out rebound them the way we did. We were able to get into our running game the way we wanted to tonight and do a lot better things then we were able to the night before. Our bench really came in and contributed, more than the last couple of games. We want more scoring and more touches from everybody. Tonight we had a couple kids close to double figures. We were getting better results defensively and it was fun to see us score eighty nine tonight."
On guarding Nina Stone: "We did a good job covering her. She was scary coming into the game. A couple different players guarded her tonight. That was one of our goals and sit down and play by position and make the help come so all they will see is bodies."
On Jill Bell: "There should be a stat here called 'changed shots'. She out worked people and they overloaded with their short corner offense and it didn't work. She had a huge game. I thought she played well last night also, but she got into foul trouble. Tonight she did a good job defensively and it was tough to throw lobs over her."
On whole team contribution: "One of the things we talked about over the last couple games is that we need to move the ball around. When we spread the floor we have a lot of kids who can knock it down. We have to get more people involved and to do that we have move the basketball around better."
On defensive intensity: "We have three seniors who have a huge sense of urgency who set the table. I don't have to say much, because they do it for me. They know what it takes, because they've been there. They show great leadership."
On rebounding: "A lot of it is our defense and our early rotation with our drops. We know our rebounding responsibilities in the zone and our team is athletic. Our team is hungry for boards and they get after it. The intensity is improving each night."
GUARD Giuliana Mendiola
On shooting better: "I haven't been shooting the ball too well, so hopefully this gets me going and we can win a championship here. I was thinking too much about my shot, but tonight I started to relax. I got some easy looks to get me going, then once I hit some shots I gained some confidence and kept shooting."
On being MVP: "I don't care about that, we just care about winning tournaments. Anyone can step up any given day. The seniors are here to lead this team in whatever way possible. We just want to win."
On aggressive freshmen: "They're fierce, they don't back down. As a freshman, you may not be the leading scorer right away, but you can bring your intensity. All the freshmen this year battle and that's the type of player I am, it's how I grew up. I'm excited about it."
GUARD Gioconda Mendiola
On defense: "I like to play defense and go out there and put a lot of pressure on them. Create havoc, get steals, and run, that's the kind of basketball we want to play. A lot of our success has to do with buying into the system. It's a lot different than last year, so some people were afraid it wouldn't work at first, but we're having a lot of success with it so far. During crunch-time we know we need to pick up the defense. For some reason it clicks and we all play tighter because we know we need a steal."
On flagrant foul by Skibbe: "It should have been called a flagrant foul and it was, but she apologized, so it's alright. I defended my team because this is my team and I'm going to protect my team. I think I would have done it even if I was a freshman."
On taking more shots: "I'm confident in it, but it hasn't fallen yet. I don't want to be one of those point guards who don't need to be defended. I'm willing to take the shot and they feel good, they're just not going in."
