Postgame Quotes: Wake Forest at Virginia

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Wake Forest at Virginia
Feb. 24, 2012
Postgame Quotes

Virginia Head Coach Joanne Boyle
On thoughts on emotion and importance of the win:
“I am just so proud of the team and the fight that they had in the second half and just the will to win. We did not play our best basketball in the first half and they could have come out and hung their heads but they didn’t. They fought and they knew what they were fighting for. It was Senior Night, we were playing for the sixth seed and trying to get to 20 wins so there was a lot at stake. I was just so proud of them.”

On shooting percentage and defense:
“[Wake Forest] was hitting shots in our zone, so we went into our man … we actually came out in the second half and we decided they were setting a lot of ball screens and that we were just going to try and trap ball screens and make them kind of fly the ball over the court. They got some turnovers; they got some easy transition and I think it caused them to kind of relax a little bit on the defensive end. We got some good looks at the basket in the second half.”

On coming out flat in first half and turning it on in the second half:
“It varies. But we are led by our seniors and we have to stay aggressive and when we are not aggressive we are not as good as we can be. I don’t know if they are waiting for someone to take the first punch but we have to be the team from the start of the gun and just go after it. They’ve got to change that mentality especially going into Tallahassee. First half I thought we really rushed our shots and we took bad shots. We kind of took shots according to their defense. They were flying around and being really aggressive and we just took off-balance, very quick shots and we were not settled. I thought we did a much better job in the second half.”

On discussion at half -ime:
“We challenged them at halftime. We talk about all the little things; some of those things being the toughness factors and rebounds which is also a part of the toughness factor and we challenged them. At halftime they had scored 12 points off of second chance points and they had maybe 10 off of transitions off of our turnovers. So we just challenged it them if they are going to play more physical they are going to give this game away and they really responded in the second half.”

Virginia Senior Forward Chelsea Shine
On the win:
“I thought honestly I was going to be a lot more of a mess after this game. There wasn’t much time to sit and wallow about what this game meant personally because this was a huge night for our team and a really big game with a lot on the line. We were just so focused and had a rough first half and then responded well. It’s a great night. It’s a great feeling to go out with this win. I can enjoy it now. These past four years have been amazing for me. There is just so much that goes into it, and I’m just so grateful for everything that I have experienced here. This win will hopefully propel us into some great postseason action. That is really what each game is about from here on out.”

On what changed in the second half:
“Our team sometimes can have a tendency to do that. When we get down like that and have a rough first half, it happens occasionally. I think we do a great job of coming back and responding so well. I feel once that fire hits you can see. There are moments in games where you can tell that fire is lit, and there is no stopping us at that point. The other team may score here or there, but we go on a run. Everybody’s energy is so much better, and if that is not there from the start it is sure to come at some point during the game.”

On getting the 20th win of the season:
“So much is on the line. This was our 20th win, which is a huge statement in so many different ways to so many different people. That was great. Twenty wins and locking in sixth place for the ACC was a goal of ours. Tallahassee is business trip, and Coach Boyle said it in the locker room, we are not content with 20 wins. We are not going down there satisfied. We are going down there to finish the regular season out with a win and get some good momentum going into the ACC Tournament.”

Virginia Senior Guard Ariana Moorer
On coming back in the second half:
“We just wanted to be patient. We didn’t want to get it all back at once, so we just kept chipping away. My teammates helped me get open so I was able to create shots.”

On last home game as a senior:
“I’m a little emotional here and there, but it was a great win for me and Chelsea at our last home game.”

On the first half vs. the second half:
“We started getting sloppy, but we try not to let our defense dictate our offense as much. In the second half we regrouped as a team and took it home.”