Post by pap49cba on Jan 15, 2015 8:12:04 GMT -5
Temple Head Coach Tonya Cardoza
Opening Statement
“Obviously it’s great to be back in Gampel. It’s one of the best basketball venues around. As a coach you don’t want to come here and be on the losing side of it. I’ve won so many games here, to come in and lose it’s unfamiliar territory for me. We were up against one of the best teams out there and were definitely outmatched. I felt like my players competed. We talked about how teams, when they come to this building or see the name on the front of the jersey, the game is already over, and I felt like we still went out there and competed. Obviously we were outmatched, but I felt like we put in a valiant effort. They’re a really good team. They shoot the ball well and have a great inside-outside combination. Hopefully one day we will get to that point.”
On the play of UConn in the paint and the discrepancy in points in the paint during the game
“You watch film on them and they have Kiah Stokes and Brianna Stewart, and you can’t go in and challenge them if you don’t have a post player. They’re just going to sit there and wait. I felt like it was going to be difficult for our guards to do what they do best and that is beat people off the dribble because they are there waiting for you. So we were forced to shoot a lot of 3’s because those are the only shots we thought we were going to get that were open. We’re not going to get points in the paint when you have Stewart and Kiah Stokes in there waiting for you.”
On the play of Morgan Tuck:
“She’s just playing with so much confidence right now. Maybe sitting out last year and watching the team helped. She has really raised the level of them. I think that some people thought that when they lost Stefanie Dolson and Bria Hartley that this would be the year, but she has definitely taken in upon herself to improve her game. She’s shooting such a high percentage. There is no way that we can match up with her one-on-one and even a double team. She might be undersized for them, but for us we needed three guys to keep her out of the paint. She can score either way. She’s just playing really good basketball.”
Opening Statement
“Obviously it’s great to be back in Gampel. It’s one of the best basketball venues around. As a coach you don’t want to come here and be on the losing side of it. I’ve won so many games here, to come in and lose it’s unfamiliar territory for me. We were up against one of the best teams out there and were definitely outmatched. I felt like my players competed. We talked about how teams, when they come to this building or see the name on the front of the jersey, the game is already over, and I felt like we still went out there and competed. Obviously we were outmatched, but I felt like we put in a valiant effort. They’re a really good team. They shoot the ball well and have a great inside-outside combination. Hopefully one day we will get to that point.”
On the play of UConn in the paint and the discrepancy in points in the paint during the game
“You watch film on them and they have Kiah Stokes and Brianna Stewart, and you can’t go in and challenge them if you don’t have a post player. They’re just going to sit there and wait. I felt like it was going to be difficult for our guards to do what they do best and that is beat people off the dribble because they are there waiting for you. So we were forced to shoot a lot of 3’s because those are the only shots we thought we were going to get that were open. We’re not going to get points in the paint when you have Stewart and Kiah Stokes in there waiting for you.”
On the play of Morgan Tuck:
“She’s just playing with so much confidence right now. Maybe sitting out last year and watching the team helped. She has really raised the level of them. I think that some people thought that when they lost Stefanie Dolson and Bria Hartley that this would be the year, but she has definitely taken in upon herself to improve her game. She’s shooting such a high percentage. There is no way that we can match up with her one-on-one and even a double team. She might be undersized for them, but for us we needed three guys to keep her out of the paint. She can score either way. She’s just playing really good basketball.”