Jan. 3, 2010
Recap |
Box Score |
Notes
Auburn Head Coach Nell Fortner
On today's game...
"I thought we had a chance to get one here at home to open up the conference. It just kind of snuck away from us. I thought Mississippi State at around the 11:30 minute mark put it in another gear. That's what teams do when you're senior-dominated and have a chance to win a conference championship. I thought they took their game to another level and we didn't respond to it. That was the difference in the ballgame. We've struggled of late shooting the ball and we didn't shoot the ball well today, either. I thought we got good looks. We will continue to keep shooting the ball. We just didn't shoot it well today."
On struggling from 3-point range in the last three games...
"We had two games in San Diego where we didn't hit a three. I can't explain it. I thought our shot selection was good. I thought we got really good looks in the first half where we should have extended our lead to 10 or 12 with the looks that we got and should have gone into halftime with a little bit of a lead. I can't explain it other than, it is what it is right now. Kids have to get the confidence and believe."
On getting to the offensive boards...
"We killed them on the offensive boards but we didn't turn them into points. You've got to credit Mississippi State for a lot of that. When Chanel Mokango is in the game, she's long and lanky so it's hard to go back up on them. I didn't think KeKe (Carrier) was finishing well around the basket today. She had offensive boards that weren't getting put back. We just didn't turn them into points, which was unfortunate. And on the other end, I thought Mississippi State was turning its offensive boards into points."
On Chantel Hilliard...
"She's hurt her knee and it will be evaluated more tomorrow. She hurt it against San Diego State last week. She'll get it tested this week to see exactly what it is, but we don't think it's an ACL."
On the turnovers in the second half...
"We had six at the half and 11 in the second half. That hurt us, but that's when Mississippi State turned up the defensive pressure. They got tips from behind and took balls out of our hands. They had 14 steals and we didn't respond to that defensive pressure. We didn't value the basketball enough."
On the game getting out of hand quickly in the second half...
"At the 11:30 minute mark, they really turned up the defensive pressure. We really did not respond. At that point, we were turning it over and not getting shots and they were scoring in transition. We went from being up by one to down by seven and it just snowballed from that point. We couldn't get it back because we couldn't knock down shots. I think we hit a three and cut it to six, but couldn't get any closer than that."
Auburn Player Quotes
Guard, Alli Smalley
On today's game...
"Obviously, Mississippi State is a tough team and it's a tough game to have as the first conference game of the season. It's a good thing we had them at home. I thought we played really well with them. I thought we could have beaten them. We just broke down towards the end of the game when they raised their level of play and we didn't. That's something we've got to work on. We've got to knock down shots. We're missing a lot of good, easy shots. At the beginning of the game, we had a bunch of open shots and we didn't capitalize on them."
On the game getting out of hand quickly in the second half...
"I can't really put my finger on what happened. We got soft on offense and defense. They were knocking down everything they put up. We've still got to get out to those shooters. That's how the game got away from us. We were turning the ball over."
On the effect of Chantel Hilliard's injury...
"Our numbers are already low, but anytime you lose a player, it hurts. She was starting to play really big and she was coming around. Hopefully, we'll have her back soon."
On shooting struggles in the last three games...
"When we played at San Diego State, they have a kind of funny gym, so I was thinking maybe that could be contributing to our poor shooting. No one was shooting well. We got back here tonight and we still weren't knocking down our shots that we can normally hit. I think we've all got to get in the gym and get our confidence back up."
On allowing a shooting slump to lower your confidence...
"I think it subconsciously gets in your head. I don't know what it is. I think it's a confidence thing now. We've got to get it out of our heads and get out of this slump. At the beginning of the season, me, Blanche (Alverson) and Nicolle (Thomas) were knocking down five or six 3-point shots a game so we've got to get back to that because that's huge for us."
Center, KeKe Carrier
On having to step up in the second half...
"I only played a little bit in the first half so I knew I had to come in and step it up. I was in foul trouble, so I had to play smart in the second half and try to make a difference. They were still getting shots on us. We didn't pick it up to their level in the second half. I was just trying to be a force because I didn't get to do too much in the first half."
On the team's strong offensive rebounding...
"We got a lot of offensive rebounds like we wanted to but our problem was that after we got those offensive rebounds, we didn't go back and finish. It was their defensive pressure in the second half. They just kind of cracked down on us in the second half. We didn't make our shots in the second half."
On shooting struggles in the last three games...
"We've been practicing a lot over the last couple of days after the tournament. We've been practicing shooting and everything and doing two-a-days, but we're going to get back in the gym tomorrow and move forward and keep working on our shots."
Mississippi State Head Coach Sharon Fanning-Otis Quotes
Opening Statement...
"We found a way to win. I just kept emphasizing good shots. At halftime, rebounding was a real concern. It showed that Auburn hustled and beat us to spots. So to win a game with this rebounding difference is big. Our shooting percentage was better in the second half. I thought we did great making the extra pass, we were a little more patient and it gave us some good looks. I think the scoring from that gave us confidence. W came up with some deflections and steals. Another key stat for us was turnovers. We kept it positive and forced 17 turnovers. Also, our free throws were important. First, getting to the line then hitting them. So those statistics were able to negate our rebounding. We found a way to win. We were coming in to this game, like Auburn with an adjustment. Auburn is used to having size and experience in their rotation. We were coming in with Tysheka Grimes out. It was recent so we have only had a couple of practices to adjust. It was a concern, because we had some players in different roles. I am very proud of the adjustment we had to make as a team. I am very proud of our effort and finding a way to get it done, which is important. You have to make adjustments when you are in tough situations. It was a great team win "
On dealing with KeKe Carrier...
"She really gave Auburn a lift. She was 4 for 4 with her first free throws. It was great for their team for her to get to the line and connect on those shots. We tried to front her and help from the weak side. When you don't have that help form the weak side, she shoots a high percentage. It first starts with pressuring the ball. If you don't have pressure on the passer, it is an easy look and it makes it that much more difficult. Blocking her out, we had to get two steps, usually you have to get one, but with Keke you need two. She is a great presence around the rim. We had difficulty there, but it goes back to some deflections and help, which got us in transition. I felt the pressure defense and transition offense was very important to us. We pressured their shooters which made it easier to guard her. Auburn is a hard team to guard, but we found a way to do it as a team. "
On game planning for Auburns poor 3 point shooting streak...
"Three of Auburn's players have a good enough percentage which makes have to guard them. When Morgan Toles got into the 15 foot range she would knock those down. So, you can't let people get the ball were they want it. You always have to contest shots, because you don't want a player that has missed some shots to have a break out game. At some point you are going to say, 'let them shot', but our concept of pressuring the passer, we have to respect the shooter and try to keep them were they are so they can't develop confidence. "
Mississippi State Player Quotes
Guard Alexis Rack
On team's performance...
"It was a good team win. When we stepped it up in the second half, we hit some big shots. Our post players played extremely hard in the win."
On how this win prepares you for SEC schedule...
"It's a confidence booster. We've lost some close games before and we know every game in the SEC is tough. Getting our first SEC and a road win is pretty good. This gives us confidence heading into conference play. "
Guard Mary Kathryn Govero
On team's performance...
"We didn't play as well as we are going to have to throughout the rest of the year. Everybody stepped up in key places. We had people out but its good to get our first SEC win and a win on the road is always a positive. "
On how this win prepares you for the SEC schedule...
"The SEC is always hard to win on the road so you take everyone you can get. It's good to get one under your belt. We have a couple of home games coming up and we just need to practice and get ready for the rest of the season. There are no easy games in the SEC."
