Louisville Postgame Quotes
January 07, 2016 | Women's Basketball
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Head Coach Jeff Walz
(On what propelled the second quarter performance)
“I thought we did a much better job of moving the basketball. We did a really nice job of moving without the ball. This was probably one of the worst games that we've had, where we really got caught up too much in one-on-one and we didn't pass the ball very well. We stood and watched each other. When you play a team like this, the fans as well as they do, if you're stagnant on the perimeter as a guard when your teammate is driving, then when they kick it out to you it's a simple close out and you aren't going to have a shot. In that second period, I thought we moved better, and then when we did get a kick out we got some open looks and kind of made them scramble at times.”
(On the 21 turnovers for Virginia Tech)
“It was great. We really pressed once or twice to speed them up at times, but I thought we did a really nice job in the halfcourt of turning them over. When you're playing a team like this, possessions are at a premium. I thought we did a great job of trying to speed them up and then at times making them as uncomfortable as we could.”
(On Mariya Moore's big shot)
“Yeah, it sure was a big one. I think Arica Carter got it up to her in the corner. It's going to be a lot of ball games from here on out where everybody is going to try to run Mariya (Moore) off the 3-point line. You really don't want to lose her in transition, and I thought Tech did a great job of that. She didn't get too many easy looks tonight and that is something we're going to have to continue to work on with her. We're going to have to work on her pull up jump shot try and give her more than just a game behind the three point line.”
(On 3-0 record in the ACC)
“It's better than 2-1. It's a big start, for us especially back in November when we started off 1-4 and weren't playing that well. I'm not sure anyone expected us to be 3-0 right now. We've still got a lot of work to do, we have to continue to get better. We're very easily 1-2 as we are 3-0 and I'm smart enough to know that. We're not going to sit here and be all excited that we're 3-0. We know we have a lot of work to do to keep this thing going.”
(On breakdown in third quarter)
“We just didn't score. We missed a lot of open shots; we were very stagnant offensively. Defensively, I thought we did a great job. We held them to 13 points. When you can hold a team to 45 points and their most productive quarter is 14, you've done something defensively. It's been a long time since I sat here and played in any games where you're looking at a 10-minute stretch where both teams score five points, for them the second period us the third. I really appreciate our fans; it wasn't the prettiest thing to watch. They really got into the game, they really got behind them, and it was a great bargain.”
(On Myisha Hines-Allen staying effective despite four fouls)
“She has to learn to continue to be able to play hard. At the same time you've got to play smart. You can't pick up a technical foul when it's not even needed. That counts as a personal, now that's her third then she gets her fourth and it takes you out of the game. I was really pleased that she was able to play all ten minutes of that fourth quarter. I thought she played hard and wasn't tentative and backing off of people and allowing them to score which sometimes happens when players get in foul trouble. We're going to continue to work to be more efficient offensively. If you had told me we were going to be able to win tonight and Mariya Moore was 1-8 and Briahanna Jackson goes 4-14, I would have told you it's probably not going to be a good night. I thought Asia Durr made a few big baskets for us. I really just have to get her to shoot more she has to be more aggressive, she's a little too passive right now.”
(On 6-7 person rotation tonight and if it will continue in future)
“No, it's just the way they play. Virginia Tech has four guards out there at times they're so efficient offensively that for our freshman it was a game, and I told them before the game started, that every possession was going to be a premium. If you go out there and have two break downs back to back and give up four points – you're looking at a final score of 56-45 and you give up four on back to back baskets because of break downs you can't do that. When you're getting into games where you're getting 73-74 shots if you have a two-three minute stretch where your freshman have some break downs you can still recover from that. But I knew tonight every possession was going to be really important, especially on the defensive end so I wasn't able to put them out there. I told them at half court, it's one game you've got to come to work tomorrow and get ready for a Duke team that does not play like that. Tech is the only team in the league that I've seen on film that is deliberate as they are. It's a credit to them, they're 13-2, they won at Tennessee, and they won at Penn State so they've had some very impressive wins playing the way they play.”
(On tickets being sold for Sunday's game against Duke)
“I haven't even been caught up on what's been sold or not. I'm hoping we have a great crowd. I know our game is at 1:00. I think the men play at noon at Clemson. It's unfortunate that we're both playing at the same time, but hopefully we'll get a big crowd to come out because it should be a great game on Sunday.”
(On if these conference wins are mattering for resume)
“Oh gosh, yes. You have to win these. Our win against Georgia Tech, I think is going to be a good win by the end of the year because Tech is going to win some ball games. Our win against Florida State, the Michigan State win. We've had some really good wins and this Virginia Tech win is going to be one too because they're really good. I'm really impressed with how well they play.”
(On Briahanna Jackson getting 1,000th career point at Louisville)
“I think it's great, I was really excited for her. Having played a year and a half at Central Florida, when you look at it she's really gotten a 1,000 points in two seasons. She played a year and a half there and she's played half a year here. It's pretty impressive to get 1,000 points in two seasons, really pleased for her. The kid loves the game, she works hard and she'll continue to get better as she puts more time into it.”
(On what makes Duke good)
“They've got good players. They've got some talented players, they got good size. Azura Stevens played with Mariya and I on the U-19 team over in Russia. It's going to be a ball game. We're going to have to play our best and I think our kids are going to be excited and looking forward to the challenge.”
(On Myisha Hines-Allen's double-double)
Myisha: "I guess the rim [what she focused on]. For the rebounds, coach talked about Cortnee not being the only one getting offensive boards and I got six of them, so in my head I was thinking rebounds and then points."
(On Virginia Tech's physicality)
Myisha: "They were physical, but I don't think they are the most physical team we've played. They play smart basketball. They got into our heads and we can't have that happen again. The two technicals we got were not good ones and some of our fouls were not smart ones, so we just have to play smart and not let teams get in our heads."
(On second quarter vision on the court)
Briahanna: "We just played our game. At halftime, we said not to let up on defense so we tried to focus more on getting stops and that helped us to go on runs on offense.”
(On Briahanna Jackson's 1,000 point milestone)
Briahanna: "There is no other place I'd rather get it. I am so excited. I didn't even know I was even close and it was a great surprise and I'm really happy to share it with this team and this program. It's a memory."
(On 21 turnovers forced versus Virginia Tech)
Briahanna: "I thought we would get that much, but coach probably didn't. That's just how we play. Teams just want to give us the ball. I expected it, but I don't know if anyone else did."
(On if it feels like a different team following 8-game win streak)
Myisha: "We are coming out more aggressive. We aren't looking at any team like we should beat them by 30 or this is a really good team so let's just play our hardest. We are coming out and not looking at the names on their jerseys and just playing our game. We knew what we were capable of at the beginning of the season, but we weren't able to accomplish that goal. It's starting to all come together and that is why we are winning."
(On upcoming game versus Duke)
Myisha: "It's going to be a huge game. I remember playing them last year and they are all tall, so it's going to be a battle of the boards. If we win the board game, I think we will win the game. Coach talked about Syracuse forcing them into 25 turnovers, so we have to get aggressive and get stops and steals from that."
(On keys to rebounding better in games)
Myisha: "Crash the boards."
Briahanna: "When she doesn't get a rebound it's because she didn't crash, but every time she does, she's crashing and getting touches."
(On Durr coming off the bench and having a big game and continuing to improve her game)
Myisha: "We know when she's in what she can do, but she just has to get more confident in her play. We want to give her the ball and have her keep shooting because we know it's going to go in."
Briahanna: "She had a good week in practice, too. I think that definitely helped her feel confident for this game."
