Syracuse Player Quotes
Syracuse vs. Marquette
Carrier Dome, Syracuse, N.Y.
January 14, 2006
Sophomore Center Vaida Sipaviciute
On defensive adjustments:
“We were supposed to double every time to the post. My player was on the high post, so I was helping. We just didn’t rotate properly, and I think that’s the biggest mistake we made.”
On the difference between conference and non-conference play:
“It’s getting harder because we’re in BIG EAST play right now, so the teams are much bigger and stronger. We need to pick it up. I need to play stronger with them. I think that’s the most important thing. They’re doubling me, so it’s getting harder and harder to get the ball and go to the basket.”
Freshman Guard Jenny Eckhart
On the impact of turnovers:
“I think it greatly affected the game. The turnovers came at the wrong time and they did capitalize on them, which was unfortunate for us. I think we’re becoming a better team. We’re starting to click more and more and slowly but surely we’re getting to where we need to be. I think once we start really gelling as a team and get used to how everyone plays, the turnovers will be much lower. If you look at every game, they’re not that bad, but today it came at the wrong time and turned the game in their favor.”
On her confidence level:
“I’d say it’s gone up. I came in prepared to deal with this situation – Coach Cieplicki prepared me for it. The team is behind me. I know it’s difficult being a freshman and running the point guard position. It’s definitely a huge transition, just the level of the game in general, but for me, I think my confidence has gone up.”
On playing man-to-man defense:
“We’ve been working so hard on our man-to-man defense, and I think we improved a lot in it. Earlier in the year when we played man, we had to get out of it because we weren’t doing a good enough job. We’ve worked our butts off in there and practiced our man-to-man defense so hard this whole week. I think we’ve made a lot of improvements.”
On BIG EAST play:
“The pace of the game, the intensity and the physical nature of the game is so much more. The intensity in the post…it’s so tough down there. They (SU’s post players) do a pretty good job of handling it. The pace of the game is faster and the offense of the other team is much better, so it makes our defense work that much harder. Just overall, it’s a huge step up.”
Redshirt Freshman Forward Sara Antolick
On what the strategy was going into today’s game:
“With them on offense, our main goal was to double-team and force them to turn baseline and have a person come to the weak side. In the first half, we did really well with that. We got a little mixed up and a little tired. For us on offense, our main thing was to get the ball and don’t do any frilly moves – just go right to the board. A good plan that we had was for one person to get the ball and double-team, then another person would cut and they’d be wide open. That was the main reason we got a lot of points in the post.”
On if rebounding is easier out of a man defense than a zone:
“I think it is, because in the 1-3-1 I was out more on the wing, while in man I’m right down on the girl down low. It makes it easier to box that person out.”
