GW/UMBC Post-Game Quotes
11/15/2008 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Nov. 15, 2008
NCAA WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
November 15, 2008
@GW 75
UMBC 56
Post-Game Quotes
GW Coach Mike Bozeman
Opening statement
"In the first half, Phil did a great job of throwing us off without a post. It took us a little while to adjust to that, but I'm pretty proud of the team for making the adjustments from the coaching staff, particularly at halftime. I credit those adjustments and the girls' attitude and ability to make them for how the game turned out. But UMBC came in pretty prepared. I thought their style would be tricky to play, especially against a traditional lineup like ours. But we have the team that has interchangeable pieces. In the second half, we went a little smaller, and we were more effective."
Talk about the resolve of the team to come back from 15 down.
"In practice, we talk about playing the game as opposed to playing the score. I feel confident that if we stay disciplined to our system and the players play to or above their level, we can come back. I was never concerned about us not coming back; I was concerned about making our level of play higher."
How much did Ivy Abiona's block near the end of the first half help shift the momentum?
"It was a great change. I figured Ivy was going to be the one to set the tone defensively because of her athleticism. That's something we missed last year. She's a phenominal athlete, one of the best in the country. I thought that was a huge play. It gave our guards the opportunity to settle down, and it helped us with controlling the basketball.
What did you like from your freshmen in their first game, and what can they improve on?
"I liked their poise...One of the things I learned about Tara Booker from the exhibition game was that I need to get her on the floor more. She spreads the defense and she's a big-time shooter. She brought that over into a real game, which was a pleasant surprise. Tiana Myers, I expect that from her. Kay-Kay Allums--there's no fear in those guys. I don't know if it's because they're so young, they don't know what they're doing, but I like it. That gives us a lot of depth, which we didn't have last year."
What did Antelia Parrish and the other upperclassmen contribute today?
"They provide a lot of leadership. Antelia is sometimes so passive and so unselfish, it's hard to get her into the groove. My biggest frustration is whether I can get her to stop being unselfish. She's always going to be a passer, but she has to take on more of a scoring load this year. Our next task is to get Jazmine into her flow, and get Jamila Bates on the boards. I just want everyone to get into a flow and get into a role with this team."
How importnat was it to go into halftime with the lead?
"It was very big. All the time we were down, I felt we were always on the edge of making a strong run. I was confident that we were about to do it at any minute. For that to happen gave me the confidence that we could get into a flow that we needed to take the game to victory."
Senior center Jessica Adair
Did the team rely on you because UMBC didn't have the height GW has?
"I'm relied upon every game. I knew they were smaller, but I want to come out with the same consistency in every game and play hard."
What can you take from this game?
"There are a lot of things. We have to go harder from start to finish. Our intensity level in the first half wasn't as high as we would have liked it to be. Just little things we need to fix offensively and defensively...We have to want to win games. This is my last go-round, so I need to help keep up the intensity to keep us on track."
Freshman guard Tiana Myers
You looked pretty comfortable out there for your first start.
"That translates from practice where we go hard and the coaches have confidence in me as well as my teammates. It helps me to transfer that energy to the court in a real game situation."
When you were trailing, were you confident you would come back?
"Yes, I had faith in my teammates that we could pull it together. It's just that we were anxious, it was the first game of the season, and you're going to make mistakes. We calmed down and executed plays, which got us back in the game."
Freshman forward/guard Tara Booker
Any comments about doing well in your first game?
"It's all about preparation, and the senior leadership that we have on the team. It helps us bring the energy to do well on the court."
UMBC Coach Phil Stern
Opening statement
"Believe it or not, I'm really happy with our performance tonight. We have a new style of play where we try to get up and down. We started out great tonight, we took it right to them, which I'm really proud of. This was the third year in a row that we've started out with them, and it was by far our best effort. A little foul trouble might have slowed us down, we got a little tired. They're so big and strong, they just wear us down."
Was it intentional to make Carlee the center of your offense?
"We really couldn't pound the ball inside because of their height advantage. We really didn't play anyone over six feet tonight. We wanted to make it a track meet. As the season gets going, we'll start posting our forwards and our guards a little bit. We have other ways we can score...But this is the stage Carlee likes. She has her best games against Top-30 teams."
How big was it for GW to get the lead back right before the half?
"I talked about that with my staff at the last media timeout, that we can't let them get the lead because that is the big momentum changer, especially at home in front of a nice crowd and with their experience. If I could take it back, I wouldn't have gotten that technical, but we had only shot one foul shot. That might have been the turning point in the game."
Junior guard Carlee Cassidy
Talk about your hot start
"At the beginning of the game, I was getting some open looks because we were getting out in transition when we were fresh, so I was getting it and shooting it from the wing...After a while, they started recognizing me and knowing where I was."
