Syracuse Post-Game Quotes
Syracuse vs. Binghamton
December 2, 2004
Post-Game Quotes
Head Coach Keith Cieplicki
On the game:
“I thought we established the kind of tempo we were looking for in the game in terms of trying to get up and down, and obviously, we shot the ball very well. This was probably our best 40 minutes of the year so far and we had a lot of positives at both ends of the court.”
On switching the defense:
“Our goal overall was to not let them get into any rhythm with any defense. We knew we’d give up some scores along the way but we felt the trade off with tempo and with trying to keep them (Binghamton) on their heels a little bit…the trade off would be in our favor. It’s a little give and take and I guess as coaches we were just committed to hanging in there and sticking to the game plan.”
On the team chemistry and how they have adjusted to his system:
“Every group is different and this group enjoys each other and I think there are a lot of players that love being in the gym and I think that is contagious. I think by their play you see that they all share each other’s success and when you have those kind of things going for yourself with people, everything else really does take care of itself.”
“We’ve got to just nurture this group and I think the older players are doing a fantastic job with the younger players and there’s a great dynamic there. We’re enjoying it but everyday I feel like people are just trying to look out for each other and to me that just breeds nice team chemistry.”
On SU’s defensive effort this season:
“I think overall we are rebounding better. We’re not giving up a lot of easy second shots. I think we’re pretty active defensively and I think the players are doing a good job recognizing whose who and what we’re trying to take away from people. We combine those things and we’re not making a lot of turnovers that lead to easy transition baskets.”
On Lauren Kohn’s recent scoring spree:
“She was all rookie last year and she knows she’s good. She’s a kid who comes ready to play, like most of this group. She’s doing a great job and she deserves all the credit for it.”
Sophomore Lauren Kohn
On Binghamton’s defense:
“We tried to keep the tempo in our hands and I think we did a good job of that. Everyday we practice pressuring each other and then having the defense press us so it wasn’t something new for us. We knew what to expect.”
On this year’s team:
“I think everyone has a lot more confidence in each other. Everyone is so much more dimensional than we were last year and it gives us a lot more freedom to just go out and play and not worry so much to do specific things.”
Why Syracuse was scoring mostly from the perimeter:
“Anytime you have great posts like we do…it’s tough for other teams to guard us because our posts and perimeter players can score. Tonight they were concentrated on shutting down the post and our guards really stepped up. It’s going to come and go. Other times, our perimeter players are going to be shut down and our posts are going to be left to score.”
Senior Chineze Nwagbo
On her scoring and the adjustments made in the second half:
“The adjustments made were with our guards. They were hitting threes from the outside and when you hit threes from the outside, it makes the defense come away from the double and post, allowing the post to go one-on-one. Other than that, I was just being patient and I took what the defense gave me.”
On how the team reacted to Binghamton’s pressure:
“I think the most important thing was that we never came away from our game and we never let Binghamton rush us.”
On the team chemistry:
“I think there’s a stronger correlation on and off the court. We’re a tight knit team and we go out and give a hundred percent at practice. It’s knowing your teammates and taking the time to know what type of people they are, how to talk to them, how they play, what passes they can catch and those are the little things that help teams become better teams.”
Freshman Sara Antolick
On the chemistry of the team:
“We gel really well on the court, but also after practice and during the weekends we hang out with each other so we’re like a family. That definitely helps on the court.”
