NCAA Second Round Post-Game Quotes
3/21/2011 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
March 21, 2011
2011 NCAA Women's Tournament - Second Round
Monday, March 21, 2011 - McCarthey Athletic Center, Spokane, Wash.
Final Score: No. 11 Gonzaga 89, No. 3 UCLA 75
NO. 11 SEED GONZAGA BULLDOGS SECOND ROUND POST-GAME PRESS CONFERENCE QUOTES
Head Coach Kelly Graves
Opening remark:
"First of all I do want to congratulate UCLA on a great season. They are a tremendous basketball team. I want to credit the entire team. I thought we played extremely hard tonight. I'm really proud of our effort, especially being down again like we were our last game. Courtney (Vandersloot) and Kayla (Standish) both came up big for the second night in a row. Especially with Courtney, the pressure she had on needing 10 more points and to do what she did was phenomenal. I think she showed everybody why she should be an All-American and probably the best point guard in the nation."
On the crowd between the two games:
"Obviously, when you are in the heat of a battle you don't pay as much attention to that. I know it was loud but I was still trying to get my point across to the team. It was a tremendous support we got from the Spokane community. I'm not going to lie to you, I really do think it helps. Our team fed off that tonight. But in the end they still have to make baskets, still have to make the free throws down the stretch and still have to get that rebound."
On the level of play the first two rounds:
"Both of these were good college basketball games, no question about it. Tonight I thought both teams really played well. I think a lot of people thought it would be a grind out game and early on you can tell both teams wanted to run. I told my team in the timeouts early I like the pace. We were down a little bit but I wanted that fast pace and we kind of got it going. To score 89 points coming off a 92-point effort I think shows when this team can get that tempo going we are hard to defend. But it was fun. It was a great college basketball game. It was a wonderful atmosphere for the NCAA tournament."
On UCLA game plan:
"I don't know if that was what they set up to do but I think the pace of the game Courtney (Vandersloot) was able to get through their pressure and so it one's of those natural things that just kind of happens. I don't know if that was their plan but they are certainly capable of running."
On the flow of the game:
"That's what good team's do. Good teams will always make runs but I thought defensively we made them take a couple of questionable shots late, got some rebounds, got some run-outs and made our free throws down the stretch. Right up until the end that game could have gone either way. Fortunately, we made some plays late and it went our way."
On if a play on either end caught his attention:
"I thought every time they challenged and made the basket we would come down and answer. It seemed we always made that basket we needed to. Janelle Bekkering struggled a bit tonight but boy did she hit a big three when we needed it. Obviously, having the ball in Courtney's hands down the stretch is incredible. It's comforting to know if you foul her late, she's going to make it."
On comparing the last two Sweet 16 trips:
"They are all special. Last year was special. It came down to the final possession which made it a little more dramatic and intense. This wasn't quite that way. But I think our mindsets a little bit different. I think going in we felt we can win these two games here whereas last year maybe we surprised ourselves by doing it.
"I think if you ask them individually I think they will tell you we deserve to be here and even win more games."
On being down at halftime and any adjustments needed to be made:
"I thought we broke down a little bit defensively in the first half. We got out of character and I did tell them at halftime we were five individuals kind of moving around on the floor instead of one cohesive group so we cleaned some things up. We lost the integrity of our defensive game plan a few times. "We emphasized the game plan again. There were no miracle adjustments. We reiterated what we needed to do and got a good start in the second half. I thought we had good game plan going in. We just didn't execute it as well as we should have early."
His thoughts on why UCLA fouled so many times late in the game:
"They had to get the basketball back. Fortunately, we made the free throws. It's good strategy. It just didn't work tonight.
Senior Guard Courtney Vandersloot
On UCLA's press:
"That's what they do and they are good at it. They are long, athletic and they get their hands a lot on the ball. It's tough. It seems like they cover a lot of ground out there and you can tell they work on it. It's something that has definitely helped them throughout the season."
On the milestone of 2,000 career points and 1,000 career assists:
"I haven't really had time to think and let it settle with me but it's an honor and great. I never would have thought I'd be sitting here today saying this. But to do it in front of my home crowd is unbelievable. The win puts the cherry on top." On the crowd:
"Just like against Iowa, it was a tough game. We really fought toward the end of the game and started feeling fatigue. I thought the adrenaline from the crowd helped. It's crazy to think the last 20 minutes of the game you don't even feel tired because you are so amped about that crowd. I didn't think it could get louder but it did. We were just happy that we were here in front of our home crowd."
On her playing style in the first and second halves:
"Kayla (Standish) carried the weight for a lot of the time and it's tough to do when she is being played against big, aggressive posts. At some point someone needed to step up with her and go with her. That's something great about our team is that we have people to be able to do that. We have players on the wing that opened up the lanes for me and it kind of worked out that way."
On what she saw in the zone:
"They play so high in their zone and it seemed they were out in the perimeter a little bit. Kayla does a great job of finding the gaps in the zone. It's tough to guard a player like that when she's so versatile."
Junior Forward Kayla Standish
On the crowd:
"With them behind us it pushes the adrenaline. At halftime it didn't feel like 20 minutes we were capable of it, but once the adrenaline gets going and the crowd gets louder, you are calling out screens and they can't hear you. It was amazing with the crowd being loud like that and behind us."
On the team's effort:
"It was now or never. We deserve to be going where we are going and we needed somebody to step up. I'm surrounded by awesome teammates who can get the ball to me. Everyone's effort was amazing and we were not going to lose this game."
On if she realized she had 30 points with 10 minutes left in the game:
"I did but everyone else kept scoring and everything was clicking."
On if she had ever been in the zone where she couldn't miss:
"I don't think so. Not here I don't think, but with the crowd and the atmosphere once it gets going it keeps going."
Junior F Katelan Redmon
On overcoming UCLA's defense and scoring 89 points on the Bruins
"I think we were able to break their pressure really well and that made us able to get out and fast break a lot better. I think we were able to get some rebounds early and break their pressure quickly and stop their defense pressure a bit more." On not getting rattled during the last few minutes of the game
"I think our goal was just to stay calm. Obviously, they're going to go on a run. Basketball is a game of runs and we just wanted to make sure we stopped it [their runs in the second half] then, and I think we did. I think we continued the momentum."
On if the team was trying to get the win at home for the seniors' last game at McCarthey Athletic Center
"Honestly, I don't even think we talked about it being their last game in McCarthey. There was just so much focus on moving on and we're going to go play in the [Spokane Veterans Memorial] Arena."
On the heading to the Sweet 16 in your hometown
"I think it's going to be amazing. I think we're going to sell out the [Spokane Veterans Memorial] Arena. I think we can do it. With how great our crowd is here, I think we'll be able to sell out the Arena. We're going to have a great fan crowd there, too."
Senior Guard/Forward Janelle Bekkering
On playing your last game in the McCarthey Athletic Center:
"Honestly, I didn't even think about it. It was just another game, that didn't even cross my mind. We were just focusing on getting the win."
On advancing to the Sweet 16 in Spokane
"Obviously we're excited. I think we can sell it [Spokane Veteran's Memorial Arena] out and it will be just as loud as it was here [McCarthey Athletic Center]. We're just really excited."
