Syracuse vs. Providence Post-Game Player Quotes
Syracuse vs. Providence
March 2, 2009
Carrier Dome – Syracuse, N.Y.
Erica Morrow, So., G
On running a man defense:
“It was fun. It’s just good to know that we can switch it up and be effective.”
On winning the regular season finale:
“It’s always good to get a win. It’s good for our program. It’s especially good going into the BIG EAST Championship. It will help us get our confidence back up and get us on a roll.”
On the key to the first half:
“I think it was about shot selection, taking good shots, being patient on offense, crashing the boards and getting second chance points.”
On Providence’s second half:
“Like Coach [Hillsman] said, they’re a great basketball team and they have great players, but they started packing the paint a little more and making us play a little further away from the basket. Like [the other coach] said, we just weren’t hitting shots that we were hitting in the first half. To know that we could lock down defensively and just get a good win.”
On whether she thought Providence’s run was too close:
“Definitely, but basketball is a game of runs. We knew they were going to make a run, and hopefully we could be the better team that could stop them during their run and lockdown defensively.”
On whether they surprised Providence playing a man defense:
“I’m sure a lot of teams didn’t think we were going to go man. Like Coach said, 28 games of zone and watching all tapes of zone, and we come out with man and we’re effective at it – that’s kind of changing the game plan around at the heat of the moment. I’m sure it surprised them a little bit, but they adjusted well.”
On how much the team played man-to-man defense:
“Probably a lot more. I can’t put together numbers, but I feel like we probably played man 90 percent of the game – one of our man defenses. We switched it up a little bit; we went back and forth.”
On the importance of the win:
“It was really important for our team. For everyone that was here last year that has been through the rollercoaster of Syracuse basketball, we’re just glad to get back and win basketball games. Hopefully we can get rolling in the BIG EAST Championship and get a few more wins to add to our resume and hopefully continue and play post-season basketball.”
On Chandrea Jones:
“Chandrea is tough. She’s quiet, but she’s tough. She’s an unbelievable scorer, and a great person on top of it. I get on her a little bit, yell at her, and she quietly yells back. Chandrea is just a great all-around person and she’s going to be really successful.”
Chandrea Jones, Sr., G
On the win:
“It’s always good to win at home. It was my last home game here, so it was nice.”
On the last two years:
“It’s been great. Coming from junior college and making the transformation to the best [Division I] conference is hard, but I adjusted pretty well.”
On the importance of the win:
“It’s really important. [Erica Morrow] said it’s going to get our confidence back, and hopefully we can get on a roll.”
On her trips at the free throw line:
“It wasn’t pressure, I just didn’t make it.”
On the key to the first half:
“Shot selection. We tried to get the ball to the basket.”
Nicole Michael, Jr., F
On Providence’s second half run:
“It was just being confident and not giving up. This team doesn’t give up, no matter what. We just had to be confident and knew we had to pick it up and stop those runs.”
On the team’s success in the first half:
“We came out confident. We don’t give up. We came out playing hard. Coach’s speeches at the beginning of the game really [help]. We came out, played team ball and played hard.”
On the importance of winning:
“We have to keep winning. We can’t win and then lose again. We are going to the BIG EAST Championship, so we just have to keep winning.”
“We have to keep winning. We can’t win and then lose again. We are going to the BIG EAST Championship, so we just have to keep winning.”
On the ball movement in the first half:
“We played like a team. Everybody on our team can shoot. Everyone was comfortable with whoever shot the ball and we crashed the boards and kept on moving.”
On whether they will play more man-to-man defense:
“Probably. Honestly, I think we probably will play more man.”
On starting out fresh in the BIG EAST Championship:
“We just have to prove that we’re a better team than we were playing. We just have to keep playing hard and playing as a team.”
On the difference between last year’s and this year’s BIG EAST Championship:
“It’s a big difference, but we just have to keep playing. Hopefully we get into post season and keep playing and showing the community that we’re just as good as last year – I think we are. We just have to keep playing hard.”
