Oregon-Baylor Post-game Quotes
03/21/05 | Women's Basketball
NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament, First and Second Rounds
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Postgame Quotes, Baylor vs.
Oregon Head Coach Bev Smith
General Comments: “It was a very disappointing loss for us and I think that the reason why it hurts is because of the year that we have had and the commitment that our players have put into this season. It is hard to look at the big picture at a time that we thought our season was just beginning. It was fun playing here in
On feelings on this season: “It is a little bit easier for me to look at the big picture in comparison to them, because when you are playing the game and you are putting your heart into it, it is a little harder to deal with a loss like this. I am very proud of our coaching staff and our players for committing to each other. We have overcome a lot of adversity over the last couple of years. This is a program that when I came into it it had gone to the postseason for ten straight years. There have certainly been some things that have happened in the program, but we needed a new face and a bit of a resurrection in terms of what the program was all about. I think that we slowly did that and we did that on these three players. We put the team on Andrea Bills back. We had Cathrine take the load as well, and then we had Corrie come in as a transfer as well. Not once did they ever think about giving in, after all of the serious injuries that they have suffered. They demanded that our team keep up with them even if they were on the sideline rehabbing. Andrea Bills has been an unbelievable warrior for this program, because she is just so solid in what she brings to practice every single day. Now that we are back in the NCAA tournament, but unfortunately we suffered a loss. Only one team is going to end up going out on a win at the end of the year and that is the team that wins it all.”
On players gaining experience from the NCAA tournament: “I think that playing in the postseason really helps us. We are a very young team besides those three seniors. Losing Chelsea Wagner this year was tough for us, because she was a really tough player for us both offensively and defensively. To lose her and to battle back into the postseason says a lot about this team. We had a couple of freshmen on the floor for us during these games and we have a returning class of some good red-shirted players. I think that by watching this and being a part of it, because I know what it takes. We are going to be very young at the point guard position next year, because I think that it is hard to fill the shoes of Corrie Mizusawa. That is going to be something that we are going to have to develop. Our players can't see that now, but they will see it when they wake up tomorrow that we have a great future with some great returning players.”
On Baylor: “They seem to have a quickness to their post game. Abiola Wabara is a real x-factor for that team because she is a good defender and very tough. She does all of the dirty work and I think that she did a great job of riding Cathrine Kraayeveld. I felt that there were some tough calls, but you have to deal with that and play harder down the stretch. Their quickness inside and their ability to defend is something that was hard for us at first and it took a little bit of time for us to adjust to them. Kim does a great job coaching this team and they know that ball is going inside and it should. Sophia Young is a great player and her ability to turn around and elevate is amazing. They are disciplined to get her the ball and I think they have a great chance of ending up in the Final Four because of their athleticism.”
NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament, First and Second Rounds
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Postgame Quotes, Baylor vs.
Baylor Coach Kim Mulkey-Robertson
General Comments: “Well, we're back in the Sweet 16 and for our program that is monumental. We made it there last year. We're heading home to
On the team's slow start: “It was
On the team's defense: “I'm not sure of this, but that might have been the lowest point total that we held an opponent to all season ... is that correct? I thought our speed and quickness was very obvious in a lot of situations. They're big and that concerned us. I thought they were going to do what they do best and we were going to do what we do best. I thought Chelsea Whitaker gave a lot of help down on the post. When they would turn to make a move, we would reach down there and get some steals.”
On Sophia Young's mom: “I'm happy for Sophia. Her mother got her visa and is going to have the opportunity to see her daughter play for the first time in
On the
On playing a different style of team in
On Chelsea Whitaker's condition: “It's just a little whiplash. Her head kind of went back and hit the floor.
On whether or not her team has Final Four qualities: “I think we do, but you have to understand you have to bring it to the floor every single night. There are teams still left in the tournament that have Final Four qualities. It's going to get tougher each step of the way. I like our demeanor. There wasn't much celebrating there on the floor. Sure we're happy, we're ecstatic, it's great for
On Stephanie Blackmon's defense on
On the team's reliance on Sophia Young: “There's difference between a team relying on a player and just putting all your marbles on her. They're comfortable because Sophia has bailed them out many times, but they're also confident to play without her. She just brings a comfort level to the floor, but at the same time we don't panic and think we can't win without Sophia. That's because we have a bunch of young ladies that believe in what we're doing and believe in their own abilities. They understand that we can win with our without Sophia, but it sure makes it a lot easier when we have her. Many games have been won by this team and not necessarily with Sophia and Stephanie, but with what other players unexpectedly do. An example of that tonight would be Latoya Wyatt. I thought she was valuable defensively and her last two games were very solid for us.”
NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament, First and Second Rounds
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Postgame Quotes, Baylor vs.
Baylor Players
POST STEFFANIE BLACKMON
On early struggles: “I didn't know that they were double-teaming the ball. As soon as I would try to put it on the floor somebody behind me tipped it away. Eventually, when I got back in, when she took me out, I turned it around.”
On 18-0 run: “I think we kind of settled down and kind of saw what their defense was doing.”
On playing in Sweet Sixteen for senior year and not playing last year: “I heard them chanting, ?Sweet Sixteen,' and I'm glad to be back there again. Like coach said, we are going to go back home and go to class tomorrow and prepare a couple of days and then head out to
On Chelsea Whitaker: “
FORWARD SOPHIA YOUNG
On 18-0 run: “I think our defense was really good, at one point, and they had a lot of turnovers and we looked for them a lot. I guess I would give the credit to the defense, for forcing turnovers, and giving them one shot out on the floor.”
On finding shot: “I guess I just got into the flow of the game really early. Going into the game we knew they were really big players and we knew that we had to try to go at them, or try and create foul trouble or create space whenever I tried to make a shot. That is what I did early, try and create spaces. Eventually, I got a shot off and luckily it went in.”
On using quickness: “Whenever we caught the ball and didn't face up they would double-team us as soon as we caught it. After we started facing up we started getting open a lot more, and we got to create our own shots a little more.”
On watching 18-0 run from bench: “Steffanie was really big-time for that 18-0 run that we had. It was just great to sit on the bench and see everybody. I think that one time I looked up and saw four Baylor players rebounding the ball. Just keeping them to one shot every time down the floor. Like I said, our defense was pretty great and our offense was awesome. We just tried to attack and be really aggressive one defense.”
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Postgame Quotes, Baylor vs.
GUARD CORRIE MIZUSAWA
On what the season meant to her: “I think we've had an awesome season. Coming in as a transfer from St. Mary's, I couldn't ask for anything more. All the things I wanted coming to
On Baylor Defense: “I think a lot of the things was more us in the first half. We had a lot of turnovers; many of those were just mental mistakes. Dribbling when we shouldn't be -- when the guards came down, we just dribbled right into them. It gets frustrating. They went on a big run in the first half. Other than the first half we could have had a ball game, we were playing with them the entire second half. Our shots didn't fall and theirs did, it just so happened that we made a couple of mental mistakes that we usually don't make and that cost us the ballgame.”
FORWARD CATHRINE KRAAYEVELD
On defense denying the ball: “They played great defense, but we had a lot of turnovers in the first half. We were careless with the ball. That's something you try to fight through. They did a good job denying us the ball. We had to look at different things and just pass the ball around. We were doing very well for the most part. We had a slump there, we were turning over the ball and not hitting our baskets.”
On Baylor's Athletic Defense: “Their posts are not what you call true posts, like we may have on our team. They are very athletic players and they take advantage of that.”
On what the season meant to her: “I'm proud of the way that we worked so hard, in the spring and in the fall. We worked hard to get here and we got here, and I'm proud of that. I'm disappointed that we lost but I'm also proud of the accomplishments we had this year.”
CENTER ANDREA BILLS
On what the season meant to her: “I think it meant a lot, to set an example and to lead for the younger girls. Hopefully we helped set them up for the next couple of years that they play. Towards the end it's kind of disappointing, but we know we have a future ahead of us playing basketball still. We will still support
On Baylor's athletic defense: “Their athleticism didn't really bother us, it wasn't a big deal. It was hard because we weren't allowed to play as physical as we were used to be playing. They use that to their advantage.”
GUARD BRANDI DAVIS
On Baylor's 18-0 run: “Baylor's a good team. We came in here ready to go and ready to bring it to them, but they weathered the storm and unfortunately we couldn't.”
On shots not falling: “For me personally it feels like the whole tournament, and throughout the Pac-10 tournament, nothing was falling. As far as the team goes, it's really just felt like there's a lid on the basket, but those are no excuses.”
On walking away with no regrets. “We did what we had to do. A lot of people didn't believe in us. They placed us sixth in the Pac-10, I think, in the pre-season, and we finished second so we did big things this year and we can be nothing but proud of that.”
On Baylor's post players: “Their post players are awesome players. Like I said, they weathered the storm ... they did what they had to do in order to bring out the win, and that's what good teams do.”
On what the seniors mean to her in the program: “They are dear to my heart. I hate to see them go, but we have another season next year, another tournament to come to. I wish them the best of luck in whatever, and [addressing the players] I love you guys.”
NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament, First and Second Rounds
Bank of
Postgame Notes
Baylor 69,
Baylor extended its school-record winning streak to 16 games.
The Lady Bears advanced to the Sweet Sixteen for the second straight season and improved their record in Second Round NCAA Tournament games to 2-1.
Baylor's 29 wins tie for the fifth-most in school history and the most since 1978-79 (33-8). The Lady Bears also won 29 in 1980-81.
Corrie Mizusawa finished her career with 622 assists and 612 points, becoming the first player since Cincinnati's Michelle Koenig (1988-90) to play at least 2/3 of her team's games and finish with more career assists than points.
Sophia Young scored 25 points, an NCAA Tournament career high and the most ever scored by a Lady Bears player in the tournament, beating her 23 vs.
Steffanie Blackmon (17) scored double-figures for the 28th time this season.
Cathrine Kraayeveld (15) was the only
Baylor went on a 18-0 run midway through the first half to take control of the game.
The Ducks committed 16 turnovers in the first half while hitting only eight field goals. Baylor came up with 11 steals.
Chelsea Whitaker and Sophia Young had five steals apiece, Baylor NCAA Tournament records. Both players tied season highs for steals.
The Lady Bears earned their fourth NCAA Tournament win in school history by 20 or more points.
The Ducks lost for only the third time this season by 20+ points, but the second time at Bank of America Arena (81-57 at
