Quotes
Nov. 16, 2004
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Head Coach Bonnie Henrickson
On the game:
“We needed to make a free throw. I couldn’t do much as a player, but I know that I could make a free throw. It came down to focus and concentration which is indicative of our performance tonight. There were a lot of reasons we lost, but I think that the most telling was at the free throw line. We are very capable of shooting 70 to 75 percent at the free throw line, night in and night out. There is absolutely no excuse to go 11 for 25 from the line. Full scholarship athletes should be able to make free throws. We never got in an offensive set or an offensive flow and struggled at the point to recognize what they were in. We will have a lot to learn on film from this game. There will be a lot of lessons to learn and the most important thing is that we come back better.
On Erica Hallman:
“They picked Erica up at the point and we couldn’t get her to look at the block. She struggled, but that is a responsibility of hers to be able to handle that and still get us in an offensive set. We had multiple possessions of not being in anything, which isn’t good for us because we are not going to beat anyone in five games of one-on-one. We have to play together offensively.”
On playing the first regular season game:
“It is a test of our character right now to see how we bounce back from this game in both our practices and the first game against Texas-Arlington. We have Thursday, Friday and Saturday to practice and then we have to concentrate on game Sunday. It will tell us a lot about who we are with, what happens between now and the first game. We are not going to beat ourselves up over what happened in this game. As long as we can grow and get better, tonight’s wasn’t for nothing.”
Junior Forward Crystal Kemp
On the game:
“Shots, including free throws, just weren’t falling tonight. It is the worst thing in the world to miss a free shot, and that is something we are going to have to work on. Free throws weren’t the only excuse, we just weren’t mentally prepared.”
On Kansas losing the lead:
“Once we started turning the ball over, we got a little bit frustrated. We were trying to force things that weren’t there and then it was just downhill from there. They just weren’t giving us what we wanted offensively which led to a lot of mental errors.”
Senior Guard Aquanita Burras
On free throw shooting:
“We shoot free throws everyday in practice, but it seemed like tonight they were just really long. We don’t really miss that many free throws in practice, tonight was a mental thing.”
On Kansas’ offensive performance:
“They were pressuring us a lot out there defensively and it was hard for us to hear what the point guard was yelling out. Their pressure made it hard for us to set up our offense, and that is something we are going to have to work on.”
West Coast Head Coach Jerry Gatewood
On the game:
“I think we were able to pull this one out because we have been together for six games. With the schedule we have had, we have played in some tough arenas and I think that prepared us for this. I think if this game was played a week ago they (Kansas) would have won. They probably need to be a little more free-willed and let the ball move a little more. I think they were tightening themselves up by not playing fluid.”
On team defense:
“We were able to change our defenses and keep them off balance. We did the same thing to Tennessee and bothered them as well. We are a good defensive team and just cannot put the ball in the hole as often.”
On Crystal Kemp:
“I think she has a really good shot and can play against most schools like Texas Tech. She has a big body, is strong and has good hands.”
