George Washington University Athletics
GW/Richmond Post-Game Quotes
2/5/2009 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Feb. 4, 2009
NCAA WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
Feb. 4, 2009
Richmond 55
@GW 49
Post-Game Quotes
GW Head Coach Mike Bozeman
Opening Statement
That had to be one of our worst defeats this season. One of the things I was saying after the last game was what makes this team good or special or the potential to be special is the fact that we have someone that can step up every night. Tonight it was just across the board a lack of intensity needed to win a conference game.
It had to be one of the ugliest games in the history of women's basketball. I'm ashamed of that performance - not just by the players. We are a team. We went on that six-game winning streak as a team and we just came out here and played miserably as a team. Other than that, I will make this promise though... you'll never see us play in that manner again. You'll never see us with that lack of intensity again. Not next game. Not the game after that or the five after that. You'll never see a GW women's basketball team play with that lack of intensity ever again, as long as I'm here.
On the team's road woes coming home?
I won't say that after one bad performance. I think that this was out of character. I don't think this was the character of this team. This is going to sound ridiculous but I love this team. I love the pieces that are here with this team. I still know that we are going to be there in the end. This was definitely a flat tire in the vehicle of success. Like any person who is well prepared or any car that is well equipped, we have a spare. I believe this team is a very good one. You have to give Richmond credit, they came in here short-handed. They took advantage of the situation - which you are supposed to do if you are a good team. We'll be back."
What is it about Richmond?
I don't think it was them tonight. I think it was us. It's not one player. It was a group effort. You have to give them credit because they took advantage of it. If you don't have the answers or you don't know what the problem is, you're in trouble. I don't think we are in trouble because we know what the problem is. We are still 6-1 in the last seven. We don't win the national championship with this game or we don't lose it either. We definitely can't play like this again."
On the turnovers. Have you focused on that in practice?
A ton. This is not a glimpse of this team's character or this team's potential. We all took a night off on a night we had a game. This has got to be something I have to be accountable to in that regard. I'm not just saying my team did it, but as a coaching staff we have to push the right buttons and tonight I didn't do that."
Did the confidence coming in turn into over-confidence?
You can say that for the first half or the first half of the first half, but at some point you have to turn it around. I thought we were going to do that at the beginning of the second half, but it ended."
The snowball effect, does that stop or do you keep that momentum going despite the loss?
We can because we know what got us to where we were. We'll just go back into the lab and duplicate that and get that formula going again.
GW senior center Jessica Adair
What is it about Richmond that gives you a lot of trouble? I don't want to say it's Richmond by itself, it's a lot of us. Knowing what we are supposed to be doing. Richmond is a pretty good team, they wanted it more than we did tonight. In this game we made a lot of adjustments from the first game but we didn't execute. It's a lot of us. If you take pride on what you are doing on the basketball court, things can be stopped.
How were you feeling coming into the game coming off a win streak?
We felt how we looked. They beat us by one point last game, but we just didn't bring it. It's one thing to look like you are ready to play and another thing to actually play. We didn't bring the effort. We need to bring a lot more effort. Effort and heart are what we should play with for 40 minutes. We came out strong in the second half but it dwindled.
GW senior guard Yolanda Lavender
I think that's the biggest key right now is to go a little harder. Get in the gym a lot more, when the lights are off not just in practice but on your own.
Richmond Head Coach Michael Shafer
On the rivalry concept
It's a rivalry game, though I think for a long time it's been hard to say it's a rivalry game - we haven't been winning against GW. I'm not sure it was a rivalry game for them as much as it was for us. When I recruited our freshman class I made it a point that they understood how important this (series) is to us. I think with the success George Washington has had over the years, I think GW is the team (to beat). I think our players have wanted to beat GW because that's the team that has been the model of the A-10. When you boil it down and you are a competitor, you want to play the best team and GW has been the best team in this league. Tonight we stepped up to the challenge.
