George Washington University Athletics
1/27/2006 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Jan. 27, 2006
- NCAA WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
January 27, 2006
Fordham 34
@ GW 67
Postgame comments
Coach Joe McKeown
On the team's strong defensive performance
"Our defensive effort was good from the opening tip and that's something we've focused on in practice all week. We had a few breakdowns at UMass, which was unlike us. It was a good week to focus on the defensive end. We created a lot of havoc, a lot of turnovers. And we were able to convert off of that better in the second half; we seemed to rush too many shots in the first half."
Is the team maturing as the season goes on?
"At times I think we are. We had a lot of injuries early, and we're just now getting players back in the line-up....Having Jessica Adair and Lisa Steele to come back and get minutes is a big lift for us. We still don't have that line-up rotation that coaches really strive for. But when those players come back, it really helps us."
You have a lot of good post players now. Is it difficult to get them all enough minutes?
"It is, and I'm concerned about that because they're really working hard in practice. Trying to get them gametime minutes has been a big challenge. Sometimes you want to go with experience and play Whitney Allen and Jessica Simmonds. But Jessica and Jazmine [Adair] have played really well. Jamila Bates can help us, though she hasn't had many opportunities."
How important was this win after the loss to UMass?
"We just wanted to send a message that we were not going to play like we did last Sunday. That wasn't acceptable. And that's how we practiced this week. We have another big challenge Sunday at Richmond; they're starting to play really well. Then we've got Xavier...it doesn't get any easier. But I'm always more concerned about us than our opponent."
On Lisa Steele's comeback
"She's had a lot of tough luck [with injuries]. She's a fighter and she battles it. She keeps coming back up. She has tremendous courage. The problem is getting her minutes in practice where there's contact, where she has to run the floor, and play in game conditions where you have to block and defend. She needs to get used to playing again, not just doing drills and shooting. She's a zone-buster, which is what we need because we've been a little bit streaky there."
G Kimberly Beck
How important was this game after the loss to UMass?
"After our loss to UMass, everybody thinks they can beat us. The whole theme of this week was to send a message--that was not us. So to come out strong and win tonight was very important. We've got to keep it rolling, and I think we're going to do the same thing at Richmond--keep it rolling."
G Keenan Cole
You've come out very strong in the past few games. Is that by design? "Not really. I like to come out and get off to a strong start. If the shots go in, that's great. But the main thing is to come out with a lot of energy and help the team out."
With Lisa Steele back, are you trying to improve your game?
"Lisa's a great shooter, so that makes me constantly work on my shot. She always plays hard in practice, so it's incentive for all of us to bring it all every day."
