Postgame Quotes

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Postgame Quotes
Florida State 80, Virginia 75
John Paul Jones Arena
Jan. 23, 2009

Virginia Head Coach Debbie Ryan
On the game:
We have had some incredible games over the last couple of years. We are very evenly-matched teams. We go in at halftime and it was 38-38. Everything was even. In the second half, they got a lead and then we fought back and cut it to one, twice. I thought our defensive intensity at those points were not good enough to win the game. All we needed was a stop. After Lyndra’s free throws and Monica’s free throws (after the Florida State technical foul), we just needed to get a stop and we didn’t do it. That was the most disappointing thing for me. We didn’t get the stops when we absolutely had to have them. It was right at the end of the shot clock; that was where the game was won and lost, on the defensive end.”

On Lyndra Littles’ jumper with 20 seconds left:
“It was funny because she kind of looked at me for a second but she had the open shot. I probably would have wanted her to get in the paint and she was, just about. It was a good shot for Lyndra. That goes 99 percent of the time. She was alone; she could have made the shot, there is no question about that.”

On Monica Wright:
“I don’t worry about Monica not shooting the ball well. She can bring herself back. We have to maybe take a look at where her shots were coming from; it looked like she had pretty good shots. I thought we had good looks, we just weren’t making them. If you’re shots aren’t going you have to play defense and that was the part of the game that I was most disappointed in.”

On the ACC this season:
“I didn’t think it was going to be anything but crazy. It’s been interesting but you have to win your home games. My team knows that. You can’t play in this league unless you can win at home.

On Clemson:
“They are very athletic and much improved from last year. They will be at home so we are going to have to really play well against them. They are a good team.”

Senior Forward Lyndra Littles
On Florida State’s early lead:
“Yes we dug a hole early, but I don’t think it was so much that because we cut it back to one. It was the face that we didn’t get a stop. We didn’t execute.”

On the loss:
Games like this are harder to digest because you fight so hard to get back in the game and then realistically, you lose by three points. We ended up losing by five because we put them at the free throw line. Sometimes it’s easier to take a 30-point loss as opposed to a game so close. You go back to the little things. Every possession really matters.”

Junior guard Monica Wright
On Florida State’s 10 3-pointers:
“It was a lack of execution on our part. We were definitely prepared for them; we knew exactly who their shooters were. They knocked their shots down when they needed them. Florida State is a team that beat Georgia Tech and is doing very well in the ACC. They came to play tonight.”

On the team’s first lost at home:
“I have to commend the crowd because they definitely got us back into the game. We needed them and they gave us energy. We feel bad to let them down like that. We shouldn’t lose at home but it happens and we are just going to have to get better.”

Florida State Head Coach Sue Semrau
Opening Statement:
“What a great Virginia team, and a great crowd. Those two things really make this place a special place to come and makes ACC basketball what it is. I am proud of the way our team came out in the second half. I felt like Virginia really had their way in the first half. They played the way that they wanted to play, and it wasn’t until the second half that I thought that we started to play our style of basketball. Even with three kids fouling out I thought we did a good job of digging deep to come up with a big win tonight.”

On all Florida State starters finishing with double digit points:
“Dang, that’s good. I like that. I like the balance that we have. It makes us difficult to guard, and I think it gives our kids confidence to know that any one of them can step up at any time.”

On Virginia Coach Debbie Ryan:
“I just have so much respect for Coach Ryan and the job she’s done here over the years. She knows what she has and she plays to the benefit of what she has. She has some great athletes, so they can get up and down.”

Florida State Center Jacinta Monroe
On the second half turnaround:
“It says a lot about this team’s composure and the way we stick together. We came together much more than we have in the past and that’s what we continue to reiterate in the locker room. We just stay together no matter what.”

On the final 30 seconds:
“It was intense but we stayed focused. We stayed together, got rebounds and pulled the game out.”

Florida State Guard Courtney Ward
On Florida State’s best stretch of the second half:
“We didn’t focus on just looking at one person. We went out and really played team basketball. The more we look at our other options, the better shots we get. We can’t go to the same person over and over again.”

On 5-0 ACC start:
“We just want to keep playing like we’re playing right now.”