Louisville vs. Washington State
December 18, 2012 | Women's Basketball
Dec. 18, 2012
Recap | Final Stats | Photo Gallery 
Louisville Head Coach Jeff Walz
(On the run after the game is tied at 11) "Yeah its 11-4 and I'm pleased with the effort, but we missed three straight layups that should have been 17 to 4 and were rolling from there. I thought we played hard but we have to figure out a way to make layups and make free-throws. There's not much I can teach them with that, I mean it's a layup."
(On Bria Smith's performance) "It was by far the best game she has played possibly since she has been here. I just thought she was really excited to be out there, her energy was high and she defended great. She got us going when she went in the game. I know she can do that every night, I mean she was 5 of 7 from the field and missed a wide open layup; the kid should have been 6 of 7. That's what she has to do, but the reason I think she played well is because she practiced well the last two days, and that's what I have to get her to understand. It's not a secret, when you actually practice hard then you perform well."
(On the good ball movement in tonight's game) "It's a lot better; we've been working on trying to pass the ball and trying to make the extra pass and just the simple pass. I thought we did a really good job at that today. When you play a team who plays a zone you have to get the ball moving, you can't sit there and hold it because then the zone adjusts and shifts back over. We got the ball out of our hands and found open players."
(On if the team is where it should be going into Big East play) "Unfortunately were not, are we where we'd like to be no. I've got Shawnta' Dyer out with an ACL, I've got Tia Gibbs not playing yet, I've got Asia Taylor not playing so are we where we want to be no, but we are where we are. I'm pleased with our effort. I think our effort has been good now all we have to do is continue to play."
(On the lineup adjustments they have had to make due to injuries) "I'm just doing what I can do. I'm trying to figure out what's going to make us good. I told Sheronne Vails today `I don't care what you do but you have to rebound for this team' because she has not been a rebounder. She's been averaging about 1.3 boards a game and at 6'4 you can't do it, if you can't rebound I can't have you on the floor. So I was really pleased tonight because I thought she hunted the basketball and went after the ball. She comes up with seven rebounds but she had her hand on about 10 or 12 of them . I have to get that from her every single night."
(On Monique Reid playing only 2 minutes tonight) "Yeah Monique got two minutes tonight. Her knee was a little sore before the game. It is what it is. I'm glad we didn't need her. I really wasn't expecting this score. I was expecting the ball game to go down to the wire. I mean it is a team that just beat Ohio State two or three days ago at home. It was a four point game last year when we played them there. So, I am glad we didn't have to play her much. That was great. But at the same time we have to get her back to where she can play some minutes because we are going to need her in the Big East."
(On if Tia Gibbs will be able to play again this season) "I don't know. She is fighting through everything. She is a great kid. If she can play, she will play. Right now am I counting on her to be in the lineup? No. But if there is a way she can get back, I know she will. At this point and time, like I have told her before several times, there is a lot more to life than playing basketball. If putting her out on the floor puts her in harms way, then no I am not going to do it. So unless the doctors tell me she is good to go, she won't step on the floor. We are just going to keep doing what she has been doing. She says she has been a little bit better right now, I don't have penciled in to play."
(On usually having a few objectives before every game, what were those and did the players meet them) "Well one was we had to rebound the basketball. That's what I told them. I said you have to rebound the ball, and I thought we did a very good job of that. Our other one was to pass the basketball. I thought tonight we passed it extremely well. I did not give them a set number of assists they had to reach, but I said I want to see the ball moving. I thought we did a great job of that. Are we going to turn the ball over only eight times a game? I doubt it, but if we can get this thing down to where it is between 12 and 15 then that is a good number for us. Because we force a lot too. Even out at Colorado they were averaging about 15 or 16 turnovers a game, and we turned them over 25 times. So when you are forcing teams to turn the ball over, you are going to possibly turn it over more too."
(On Shoni Schimmel having a better shooting then than the past few games) "It sure was. I thought she took good shots. Her last three was way too far out. That's where she needs to know that she should step in and take a 21-footer instead of a 25. If she is 10 of 12, then sure take that from there. She still has to learn where she is at on the floor and be aware of that. But I thought the other ones she took were good shots. I thought we reversed the ball and set some good screens. It was nice to see the ball go in for her. I thought she played a pretty good floor game for the most part, which is what we have to have from her."
Sophomore Guard Bria Smith (On what sparked the first half run that resulted in a large lead) "I think we just picked up the defense. We started pressuring them more and they started turning over the ball more and we were able to score off of that."
(On her performance tonight) "I feel like everybody is working hard in practices and it's just turning over into the games more. As we move along with this (season) we are going to get better and better."
Junior Guard Shoni Schimmel
(On her shooting performance tonight after recent struggles) "It felt good to get shots up. It's been difficult the past few games. But for this game to come out, and them be in their zone, it's a lot easier that way. Just to be able to get some shots up, it was great. We were moving (the ball) all over so everybody got shots up tonight."
(On keeping confidence in her shot) "It's still always there. Sometimes more than others."
(On the assist total being higher than last game and passing the ball around) "It was something Coach Walz has stressed since we got back (from Colorado). It was something for us to think about and look for that extra player or extra pass. We worked a lot on it in practice so finally it went through from practice and followed up in the game. It was great for everybody because everybody got wide open shots. So, it worked."
Sophomore Forward Sara Hammond
(On the game plan without Shawnta' Dyer) "Shawnta' is a big contributor to our team. She's one of our leaders on the team. She gets us going - her defense, her rebounding - and you all know the past couple of games she really got going. Our post coaches just told us that people need to step up. People that haven't been playing as much or haven't been contributing as much, this is your opportunity and we need you as a team. People are starting to do that - Sheronne Vails and Cortnee Walton. Sheronne Vails got out there and rebounded. She had five offensive rebounds. We are all just working hard in the post. It's an everyday thing. It's not like since Shawnta' has been down that our coaches are all of a sudden saying we have to contribute more. We are doing it for her too because we know how much she wants to be out there."
(On having to rebound more with Shawnta' Dyer out) "Yes. Shawnta', she was our second leading rebounder on the team and of course you know how strong she is. Cortnee (Walton), even though she is a freshman, she's taking this opportunity to step up and she's been working hard in practice. Sheronne (Vails), you know our coaches are really challenging her. With her size and her length and the ability that she has to score and play defense we are really going to need that. Especially in the Big East."
(On the teams defense in the first half) "That's what it starts with. Coach always tells us our defense contributes over to our offense. Bria Smith got two or three steals there. Shoni (Schimmel) is guarding the point guard really hard. It just takes a team effort. Once one person gets going, that brings the energy and everybody just keeps going along. Bria really got us started and it contributed over to the offensive side."
