George Washington University Athletics
1/15/2006 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Jan. 15, 2006
NCAA WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
January 15, 2006
Xavier 58
@ GW 64
Postgame comments
GW Coach Joe McKeown
It looks like the team is playing with a lot of chemistry.
"When you're a coach, you're always looking at how this game will affect the next one. We need to clean up our turnovers, and a lot of them today were unforced... We've had different injuries and line-ups, but the chemistry of the team is strong. We're still looking for some more consistent play from the 5th starter and the bench."
How do you prepare your team for the big road stretch?
"With this kind of team--seven new players, five of whom are freshmen--you have to focus just on the next game. Rhode Island beat Xavier and is giving everyone fits. We'll try to be as consistent as we can, and keep the intensity level in practice up. Certain places in our league aren't hard trips, like Richmond. But other places like Saint Bonaventure and Duquesne can have weather implications."
You collected a lot of points in the paint today. Was that intentional?
"We weren't shooting well from the outside. Kim Beck didn't have a lot of looks, and when she did, a lot of them were in-and-out. We're just trying to attack the basket a lot more and see if we could beat them off the dribble. But it was tough; Xavier had everything congested in there. It looked like the Beltway at five o'clock."
Do you think GW deserves some national attention?
"Sure, why not. [Laughs] It'd be nice to help with recruiting and get some attention to the program. But I don't spend a lot of time on it with the team. Some of it is political...We've played the 8th toughest schedule in the country, so they can't say we haven't played anybody. So to answer your question, yeah, we do."
C Jessica Simmonds
How hard it is to play with Tara Booth on both sides of the ball?
"I have my teammates to depend on. They help me a lot. Though she got some open shots, we were still there trying to do whatever we could to stop her today."
Were you trying to share the ball more?
"I think because I'm the focus of a lot of teams' scouting reports, they tend to double-team me a lot, and that creates a lot for my team. So I have to look for open players. My teammates are always there, so I give them the ball."
F Sarah-Jo Lawrence
It seemed like Jessica was always able to find an open player
"She's a phenomenal passer. W e just have to show ourselves a little and she can find us. Most teams are doubling her. Wherever I go, she usually finds me, so it's easy playing with her."
You're 4-0 in the conference and about to go on the road. How much pressure does this put on you?
"We feel like we are where we should be, and that we were the team on top all along. No matter what the votes looked like, we still felt like we would come out on top. And we still feel that way. Other teams are going to want to beat us bad, but we're not going to let that happen."
G Keenan Cole
Compare this year's Xavier game with last year.
"Having struggled against them in both games last year, we came out more focused. I don't think there's really that big a difference between last year's team and this year's team. We were more prepared and focused on coming out strong right from the beginning."
Xavier Coach Kevin McGuff
Opening statement
"We came out and really let George Washington's pressure get to us and disrupt our offense. In the second half, we started with much more poise. We played better, and gave ourselves a chance to win. But they made plays at the end of the game and we didn't. That's why they won."
What changes did you make going into the 2nd half?
"More than any tactical changes, it was the mentality of how we were playing. They had us back on our heels with their pressure. We didn't react very well. In the 2nd half, we attacked better when we had the ball, and that allowed us to get shots that we didn't have in the first half."
How do you prepare for a team like GW, especially since they don't have a star like Anna Montanana?
"They've probably gotten better without Montanana, which is weird to say. They look like the have great team chemistry. They share the ball on offense and their defense is outstanding."
What are your thoughts on Jessica Simmonds?
"She played an excellent game. She's a really talented post player, so we came in and double-teamed her, and dug hard off our guards. She had 7 assists, so when we double-teamed her, she found open people and that was really effective for them."
I think they're excellent. Their defense separates them from a lot of other teams. It's really tough to get good shots, and they're an excellent rebounding team. It won't surprise me to see them crawling up in the Top 25 shortly because they have that type of team."
