No. 1 Chattanooga vs. No. 2 ETSU
March 8, 2015
Chattanooga Mocs
Coach Jim Foster
On what the win means to him
“It means we're in the (NCAA) tournament. I felt strongly that we were in regardless. I think that would have been a first for this conference, but I think we forced them to give us a good seed. I think we deserve a good seed. We won a league that was a little bit tougher this year. There are new teams, better teams, with five teams over .500. ETSU has been the second-best team in this league. We played a great first half and they played a great second half, but we got our act together in the overtime. I think our defense stayed solid.”
On ETSU's second-half run
“It was a few factors. We have had stretches where we don't play very well offensively. We stop moving the ball. We get isolations and don't take advantage of what they are giving us. I've said all along, what allows us to escape those moments is that our defense doesn't let teams get away from us. In this case, they caught us, but the integrity of our defense held up, and we played a great overtime. We made good decisions and made it very difficult for them. It's a byproduct of who we are. We don't start a game knowing that Jasmine had 26 yesterday and she wouldn't score much today, so Chelsey gets 22. We don't know who is going to score for us on a particular day. A lot of times it's four people in double figures. That's who we are as a basketball team. We don't have superstars, but we have very good basketball players who, generally speaking, make very good basketball decisions. Sometimes our brains just lock.”
Chattanooga sophomore guard Chelsey Shumpert
On adjusting to ETSU's defense of Jasmine Joyner on the pick-and-roll
“We realized in the first half that the guard was open on the pick-and-roll a lot. They were playing really good defense on Jasmine, so it opened it up for the guards. It just depends on the game how the matchup and how they play us. Tonight we just executed well.”
On ETSU's second-half run
“I think we stayed calm. If you get nervous, you start doing things that you aren't supposed to. So to remain calm is the best way to go. Our team is used to that.”
Chattanooga senior guard/forward Ka'Vonne Towns
On the team's mindset during ETSU's second-half run
“I think we tried not to be nervous. We realized we had to execute on offense and play better defense when they did get on that run. We realized we had to pick it up right here, right now.”
On how it feels to win the tournament for a third straight year
“It feels pretty great. At the start of the season, we said we want to be right back where we were last year. So it feels pretty awesome.”
ETSU Bucs
Coach Brittney Ezell
Opening statement
“I feel like I've been beat up. I know the kids feel that way. I also feel like Russell Crowe in Gladiator. What a great game. What a great way to end our inaugural season in the SoCon, against an incredible opponent. Congratulations to Coach (Jim) Foster and his program. Like I said in my press conference after the semis, we have a little bit of work to do if we want to dethrone the champ, and I think that gap is closing rapidly and I think that is a testament to our kids. From where we were last year to where we are now, I don't even have the words. There isn't a combination of the 26 letters in the alphabet that I can use to tell you how proud I am of these kids. To play with guts and fight like they did, it's all them and I'm honored to sit in that first chair for them. I'm really proud of that group.”
On what sparked ETSU's second-half run
“I don't know if it was one singular act. I think it is the way our kids are built and the way we coach them on a daily basis. There is no lead that is insurmountable. There is no effort that should be spared. What we kept telling them is to keep fighting, because you never know. Some shots bounced long, they turned the ball over a few times and you're never in that situation if you quit. … Just keep fighting and just be a competitor. You have to compete at everything you do, and if it's not good enough, but you gave it your best, that's all anyone could ever ask of you. Looking in their eyes, they never doubted. They get that from me and their coaching staff. We don't let them down. They know that we are behind them 100 percent and they know if they lay it all out on the line, it's not the critic that counts, it's that kid out there that's busting her tail for her university and we had a whole bunch of them do that today.”
On Destiny Mitchell
“Destiny is an absolute warrior. You'd never know about the pain she goes through in her knees. To move from playing the 2 guard to the 5 for me, she's just a warrior, and there is no other way around it. She is such a quiet strength that our kids draw from because she battles bigger post players every night. She goes home with bumps, bruises and cuts that I don't hear about because she's not a complainer. She goes out and does her job. She is very workmanlike. She puts her heart out there every day and goes to work. She's one of the most beautiful kids you'll ever know.”
