Postgame Quotes

Dec. 6, 2006

Recap | Final Stats | Notes |

Head Coach Bonnie Henrickson
On the game:
“We are proud of the kids in the second half. We told them at the media timeout that we were going to try to cut it (the lead) to 15 and it ended up being 12. We were just trying to make it (the comeback) into simple increments because young kids think it’s going to happen in one possession. We forced them into 29 turnovers and I told them `If we are going to shoot it this bad, then we need more shots.’ I thought we did that, and we got some opportunities in transition.”

On South Dakota State:
“Give South Dakota State credit for how they came into the gym and held on at the end and made free throws. That’s why they are good. That’s why they’ve had a good year in their transition to (NCAA) Division I.”

On the second half:
“I thought we got help off of some screens. We guarded, we created, we had a lot more traffic in the lane, our weak side help was better. In that first half, we made them shoot layups to get up by 20 points. In the second half, they didn’t get an easy look. We were tough, physical and smart. Defensively, we can be that good, but we can’t expect to win 48-47. We have to be able to score; offensively, we have to be better.”

Kansas Player Quotes

Freshman Guard Kelly Kohn
On playing point guard:
“The more time and experience I get at the point guard position at practice the more confident I am in the game. There are still a lot of things I need to work on, but it is times like this when we are under pressure that I am able to build confidence to run the position.”

On the first half:
“It was frustrating, upsetting and embarrassing. It was a shot to all of our pride in the first half. It is not acceptable for us to be down 20 points at half; we should never have been down the whole game. We are young, but that is not an excuse. I still hold our team to high expectations, and our loss tonight is unacceptable.”

On assuming the leadership role:
“I’ve always felt that I have been a leader for this tea. Playing at the point guard position you have to be able to direct people on the court and that carries over into a leadership role. I feel the more I am able to step up, be a spark and give us energy, the more I am going to have the chance to step up into the leadership role. There is a lot that we can take with us from the game tonight and there is still a lot that we need to work on.”

Freshman Forward LaChelda Jacobs
On starting versus coming off the bench:
“You have to be ready when Coach calls your number. I do want to start, but it is not the most important thing. You just have to be ready when you are called. I think I have been ready in the past and I will continue to do that.”

On Kansas’ potential:
“I think if everyone plays their role, does what they are supposed to do and plays physically on defense and offense I think the sky is the limit for us.”

On the game:
“I was most impressed with how hard we fought back. It was a good thing for us. We didn’t lay down; we just kept fighting. As our teammates see that, they will begin to fight to. We can’t do it with only two or three players.”

South Dakota State Quotes

Head Coach Aaron Johnston
On the game:
“This is a really good indication of what a momentum sport basketball is. It is hard to get momentum and it is hard to keep momentum. I thought in the first half we clearly had it and were very comfortable and very good offensively. In the second half, it was the complete opposite. Kansas had momentum and they were far more aggressive. It was really two exact opposites for each team depending on the half. In the second half, we had as many turnovers as we had points. Some of those were forced by great defense by Kansas and some of those were some youthful mistakes or things that we can do much better. It was just a game of momentum from the first half to the second half.”

On defeating a Big 12 team:
“I do not think we look at this and think this is a landmark, but it is a big win. It is as big as beating USC, Virginia and anybody. It was a fun win, but I think the thing that was really good for us in this win was we had some really big plays when things were not going well. They had just hit a three to tie things up, but Megan (Vogel) came back and hit a big three. Sometimes in basketball on the road, the right play at the right time is more important than playing a great game, and I think we can take some things from this.”

Freshman Forward Maria Boever
On the game:
“It was really exciting. We went out there tonight with a great mindset that they are a big school and that it would be a tough game. We had to give it all that we had. It felt very good.”

On the discussion at halftime:
“We felt really good at halftime, but we knew that we would have to keep it up throughout the game and that it was not going to be easy. I think we came out up by 20 and we felt very content, but we knew we had to come out and play better. They just got on top of us.”
On winning the rebounding battle:
“We practiced so much (on rebounding). That was one of the big things that we tried to work on and we came out here and just put it to them.”

Junior Guard Andrea Verdegan
On the halftime discussion:
“In the huddle, we said that we were not content and that we wanted to keep going. I think our enthusiasm was there, but Kansas came out more aggressive than we did and it got us back on our heels. Once that happened, we had a downfall from there. It was not that we did not let up, it was just that Kansas just took it to us.”

On staving off a Kansas comeback:
“We looked at each other and just thought, `calm down, we are alright.’ There was a timeout and little by little we just kept it together. Once we went to that zone, I think that really helped us. We kept them scoreless for a couple possessions and I think that helped us get our momentum back up.”