Postgame Quotes vs. UAB - Nov. 11, 2011
11/11/2011 9:32:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Postgame Quotes
UAB at Chattanooga
Chattanooga, Tenn. - McKenzie Arena
Nov. 11, 2011
Head Coach Wes Moore
On opening the season with a win:
"We were fortunate to win tonight. You have to give UAB a lot credit because they have a nice team. They made it really difficult all night for us offensively. We did not get many open threes. They made it hard for us to run our plays. Our kids hung around and it was not always pretty, but opening night rarely is. I am proud of our kids for being able to get it done at clutch time. The last five minutes we made some shots and made some plays when we had to. The big thing, too, is that we made free throws with the game on the line, which is something we did not do in the first half."
On Tenisha Townsend hitting some clutch free throws down the stretch:
"You feel comfortable when she is up there and she wants the ball in those situations. Obviously, that is important when it is your point guard. You have to have somebody at that position because they are going to have the ball in their hard that can step up there and knock them down."
On the play of Taylor Hall:
"Taylor is a nice player for us. She shot the ball well, but also her rebounding was big. She did a great job on the boards and gave us some extra looks from offensive boards. She also did a nice job on the defensive end when we had to have a top down the stretch, when we could not give up any more offensive boards. Every possession was so critical.
"The scary thing is that they had 62 shots and we had 44. Part of that is we turned it over. We did not make them turn it over. They got some offensive rebounds and we did not. Those are some things that we are going to have to clean up. Obviously, going where we are going if we don't clean it up in a hurry, then it is going to be scary."
On dealing with Baylor's Britteny Griner:
"During preseason practice, we have worked on some things, but to be honest with you if you let her burry you. It is not going to matter what you do because she is going to turn around and score over you. It is going to be a big challenge for us. I wish that we had Faith [Dupree] eligible right now just because it would give us an extra body to grind on her and an extra five fouls if you need them. I have been telling people all week that I would rather be 1-0 going to Baylor, then 0-1 and going anywhere else. I understand with this Baylor team, it was a no brainer. I knew as soon as last season ended that they would be No. 1 in the county when they opened the season. We are going to see the best. The scary thing is that we had a pretty embarrassing day at Tennessee last year and Baylor beat them. We are going to have to go down there and not be intimidated and not worry about the name on the shirt, and try to just compete."
On the solid play of Tenisha Townsend:
"Tenisha is a senior now. Hopefully, she understands the importance of taking care of the ball. I thought she did a nice job last year as far as our assists to turnover ratios being one of the best in the conference. She can knock down the three. She hit a couple of big threes tonight for us. She has to understand that there are times to kick it and distribute it and there are times to take that open look. I think she is getting a good idea of that right now."
Junior Kayla Christopher
On gaining confidence by hitting a big shot:
"It was very important. It was a big shot. Coach Nikki told me when we got out of the huddle to just shoot the ball. Everyone else feeds off of shots made."
How important was it to get this win to build confidence:
"It was very big. I think it showed a lot about us to. We hung in there down the stretch and pulled it out. It was a very big win for us all around. A lot of times last year, down four points near the end of the game, we might have lost the game. This year, we stood in and came out on top."
On playing No. 1 Baylor in the WNIT 2nd Round:
"We have to just go down there and play our game. We know it is a big challenge, but it is also a great opportunity."
Sophomore Taylor Hall
On getting a double-double in her first career start:
"A big part of it was crashing the boards and making sure we boxed out on defense because we knew that was how they got most of their points. I just focused on that and I knew the shots would come."
How much better to you feel in this system compared to last year:
"I am so much more comfortable. I know what (Coach Moore) is looking for and what he expects. It is not easier, I am just getting used to it."
