Jan. 21, 2011
Recap |
Box Score
Auburn Locker Room
Head Coach Nell Fortner
Opening Quotes...
"This game was like having a root canal with no anesthesia. It wasn't pretty. Our games
here have always been tight and low scoring. We struggled during the first half, but we
woke up. We had a mature second half, and came out with a bang when we could have
folded."
On Alli Smalley...
"She (Smalley) had a great second half scoring all of her 11 points. She played a little
tight at first, but hopefully she got that out of her system and will continue to loosen up. "
On Auburn's Defense...
"Our defense has kind of been our bread and butter this season. Mississippi State had
some opportunities and missed some good shots, but I feel like our half court defense had
a lot to do with that."
Mississippi State Locker Room
Head Coach Sharon Fanning-Otis
Opening Comments...
"In these league games, we have been fighting back a lot, and you want to be
able to come in here and say what a great win that was. That is not the case
though. As this team continues to progress, we have to try to get ourselves into a
position to win. When we say to go through a screen, we want you to go under
the screen. We cannot give up that crucial layup that gives them the lead late in
the game. If we say to lock and trail number five [Alli Smalley], you make sure
that she does not make a three like she did at the end of the game. We have to
get the rebounds at the end of the game at the free throw line. Winning is tough
in this league. Auburn has a very good group of seniors that have been through a
lot. They have lots of athletic kids and play a lot of people. We play seven or
eight players a game, and that is about the number of people we will continue to
play. We cannot have missed matchups. We cannot miss buckets. We cannot
have players not being aggressive. I think [Catina] Bett had 11 points at the half,
and she had some open shots in the second half that she missed. She has to
have that confidence to make those shots in the second half. She understands
the game and is a good player. She just has to make those shots. We have to
play tougher. When we get knocked down, we have to get back up quicker.
Auburn has beaten some good teams. They came in here at four and one in
conference play. We have to look at that game as an experience that shows that
we can win. We have to look each other in the eyes and know that we can win
the game. Tomorrow we have to start preparing for a very good Georgia team.
Georgia has a great team and they are very athletic."
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On scoring drought in second half...
"So much of the game is in the player's mind. We had about nine consecutive
possessions in the second half with no points. We have to do the simple things.
We did a good job of guarding them in the first half and held them to under 30
percent. We have to turn around and do that again in the second half. When we
miss shots, we cannot lose our focus on the defensive end. We are not mature in
that aspect of the game yet."
On opportunity to win first conference game this season...
"That was the best position we have been in to win the ballgame. We rotated a
lot of positions and tried to do some different things. We are going to try to take
this group and progress with them. We hope to bring the younger players along,
but right now we want to progress with this group."
On Auburn's zone defense in the second half...
"When you are facing a 1-2-2 defense, you have to attack it the right way. We
were passing the ball too soft against the zone. You need to attack the zone
once you make that initial pass. We have been driving into a crowd this season
and turning the ball over, so we tried not to do that tonight. Playing against a
zone like that is not really something you can draw up. You have to read and
react to that. We wanted to get the ball in the middle and look to the back side.
We were too cautious to not turn the ball over. Hopefully we will get more
aggressive as a team with our entire game as we progress and play with more
confidence."
# 4- Porsha Porter; Jr. G
On almost getting their first SEC win...
"We definitely had a chance to win this game, but at the end we could not hit any shots. It
happens some games, and we just have to get in the gym and work on our shooting. We
have to learn how to finish close games and get the win. Other than that, we just have to
get in the gym and keep shooting."
On playing through fatigue...
"We have to bring focus and energy. When we bring focus and energy, no one can play
with us. At the end of the game I think we ran out of energy, and we could not get the
stops we needed to win the game. We have to push through it and stay focused."
#3- Diamber Johnson; Jr. G
On feeling like this game should have been a win...
"Well our shots had not been falling all game, but in the second half we were up by five,
and I just felt like our shots were going to start falling. We were getting stops on defense,
and I just really felt like we were going to win this game. They had an answer for every
mistake we made tonight and that definitely cost us. It is a learning experience though,
and we will take this and grow from it."
On being more aggressive on offense...
"That is something we are always working on. I am not used to driving to the basket
every time. I have gotten better at it, but I still need to work on it. Being aggressive gives
all of us more confidence, and we just have to finish."
