George Washington University Athletics
12/13/2005 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Dec. 13, 2005
NCAA WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
December 13, 2005
SMU 58
@GW 76
GW Coach Joe McKeown
You won after being tied at the half. Is this a victory you needed? "Yes, we did needed it. SMU has a good, solid program. They really worried me because they are a good team, but aren't as well known as some of our other opponents."
You had the size advantage; why did you go with a smaller lineup in the second half?
"Our size advantage was actually a disadvantage. Their post players are very mobile, and will step out to shoot threes. They are hard match-ups for us. We didn't want to go big, so we went with a quicker line-up to try and match up with them. Our quickness really hurt them, especially on defense."
Why are the frontcourt players having difficulty scoring?
"They're betterplayers than that, yet we seem to be missing the easy shots. Chantelle and Jazmine are freshmen, and I don't think they're used to the college game yet. Whitney Allen is missing shots that she makes in practice. Jessica [Simmonds] attracts a lot of double- and triple teams, so her misses make a little more sense. We need to get out in transition to be more effective. But it is frustrating to miss so many easy shots, and it is scary in a way."
Were you surprised to see Sarah-Jo contribute 20-plus points?
"We see it in practice. She's starting to get more under control. Last year, she would just try to jump over everybody and take bad shots. Now, her shot selection is better. Her first step is as quick as anybodies that I've seen in college basketball; it's her second, third, and fourth steps that get her in trouble. She's making those 12- and 15-foot jumpers, which is important for her because she's going to get to the basket and get her share [of easy baskets]."
Kimberly Beck
You were sluggish in the first half, and came out strong in the second. What did you do differently?
"The energy in the second half was different. We came out in the first half sloppy, playing at their pace. When we picked it up, everything started rolling for us."
Was SMU's lack of height a factor?
"We were a lot more physical than they were, because we were bigger. That made it easier to get the ball inside to Jessica [Simmonds] and Chanelle [John]. They were smaller and couldn't really hang with us."
