April 4, 2009

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Post Game Quotes

South Florida 75, Kansas 71

April 4, 2009

Head Coach Bonnie Henrickson

On the team struggling to score at the end of the first half:

"We just had trouble scoring. That is when our bigs need to be able to step up and give us something inside and our guards need to get that extra pass."

Thoughts on the post season run:

"We are not celebrating; obviously we did not win it. We can let South Florida celebrate. There is a lot of pride in our locker room with how we played down the stretch. It is not like we got in the WNIT because we got upset in the conference tournament. We had to come from under to make a great run and that is a credit to our kids' perseverance and pride in our program. I just couldn't be more proud of how they finished, how tough they played and that those kids played for what is on the front of their uniform. They are proud of this program and proud of where they go to school and I think that showed."

On winning the town over:

"I think so, they are just so upset in the locker room because it means and hurts so much. The fans were camping out when we got here, they were screaming every time one of our players walked in from the parking lot and the players were a little shocked by that, but excited about it. It is because when you win, you play like you do, and you are who you are off the court all of that matters. It makes people want to come and cheer for you. Plus this is the most basketball-crazy place in the world."

Junior guard Sade Morris

On making a run late but not being able to finish:

"We thought we'd be able to pull it out since we made the late run, but we couldn't get stops and that's what ended up killing us."

On cold shooting:

"It happens.  When it happens we need to go somewhere else to get it, whether it's boxing out or getting layups, but it just happens.  We just didn't make shots at a bad time."

Senior guard Ivana Catic

On what went wrong:

"I think we just didn't play defense the way we have in the past.  We didn't contain or box out.  We gave up a bunch of rebounds and they converted them.  That's how we got ourselves in a hole."

Freshman forward Aishah Sutherland

On not letting the game get out of reach:

"We got a couple of three-point plays.  We got hyped and wanted to finish well."

On the game's influence on next year:

"Next year we'll be in the NCAA tournament."

Junior guard LaChelda Jacobs

On making it this far:

"I think it's a big momentum changer for the program.  We won't be here next year.  We will definitely be in the tournament next year.  We know how it feels now.  A lot more people are stepping up and we're just going to carry that with us and keep rolling."

On teammates that have stepped up:

"Danielle (McCray).  Everyone down the line has stepped up for us.  We will embrace our freshmen coming in next year and teach them what we have learned."

Junior forward Danielle McCray

On what sticks out in the last minute of play:

"The fouls and offensive rebounds.  We were down by one and then they got a score.  We kept fouling and they did a good job of going to the line and making free throws.  When the game is on the line, you have to foul and it comes down to making free throws."

Sophomore center Krysten Boogaard

On what they're expecting next year:

"We're expecting to go to the NCAA tournament, but this was a great experience for us.  It is a good lead-in to next year."

On the big crowd:

"It definitely affected us in a positive way.  It was really exciting to see everyone come out and support us."

South Florida coach Jose Fernandez
Opening Statement:
"First of all, I want to comment on what a great basketball atmosphere this was.  I've been at South Florida for nine years, and we've played at a lot of places, but this atmosphere was totally tremendous.  Coming into an arena like this, that is so rich with history, was special, especially for our seniors.  They finished their careers in Allen Fieldhouse, and that is something they're going to remember for the rest of their lives.  I think it was a great championship game.  I want to recognize Kansas' efforts and what a great job Bonnie (Henrickson) has done and what they did to get here.  I couldn't be prouder of our kids, coming into this environment and winning on the road."

On the solid defense on KU's Danielle McCray:
"We had (Jazmine) Sepulveda on her a lot.  We were in a no-catch situation with her.  Anytime that they interchanged on the baseline, we switches on those screens.  What we did with (Janae) Stokes and Shantia (Grace) was to go double her off of the catch and into the dribble just to get the ball out of her hands.  I think she's an unbelievable future.  She's going to be a pro.  She's got 3-point range and a great body.  She can get to the rim.  We were really concerned with her, even more so for the numbers that she's put in during the last 10 games of the season.

Senior Guard Shantia Grace
On the game:
"I just had to sit-back and take care of the ball and let the game come to me.  I had a couple bad shots at the beginning of the game, so I just had to settle down.  In the second half, I was the go-to player so I had to suck it up and play hard.  I had to get my team going."

On the crowd:
"At first, it was loud.  It was so loud that my ears were ringing and I couldn't hear myself breathe.  It was loud.  But after you play for a couple minutes, you just tune the crowd out and play your game.  We've been playing well on the road all year, in the Big East and in the WNIT.  We knew that the crowd wouldn't be a factor if we just stayed together and played hard."

Freshman Guard Jasmine Wynne
On the crowd:
"We had to stay together.  The crowd can't score, so we decided that we had to stay together as a team."

On if she had seen anything like today's crowd before:
"No, I have not. Even at UConn, it was a big game, but this was an even bigger game.  It was fantastic."