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Postgame Quotes vs. UIC
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Dec. 16, 2016
Head Coach Joanne Boyle
Opening statement:
“It’s nice to get back in the gym and playing games after 12 days of finals. Trying to get some of the cobwebs off and get back into the flow of games now.”
On game-planning against UIC:
“An athletic team, they probably played more zone tonight then I’ve seen but it’s not like we didn’t anticipate that. They want to spread the floor, they want to dribble-drive against you, they want to attack the rim. We tried to speed them up a little bit, tried to turn them over. They’ve been a team that’s averaged 20 turnovers a game so we tried to change defenses and keep them guessing. I think in the end, the third and fourth quarter were much better than the first half. I think we got out to a slow start and that was disappointing but we turned the corner when we got to the third and fourth quarter.”
On what to improve on for the Georgia game:
“Definitely taking care of the ball. I think decision-making. The word I used is that I think we were just sloppy tonight. Sloppy with the ball, we weren’t pounding the ball. We were not aggressive. The third and fourth quarter looked different then the first two, but we definitely need to be more on point. We have to be more disciplined, we have to be more engaged, we have to be more of the aggressors on Monday, get them back on their heels a little bit. They’re a really good team and we’re going into their place and we’re going to have to be better than we were tonight in terms of being disciplined.”
On Felicia Aiyeotan’s night:
“She was 8-of-9, and I think any time she steps on the floor our guards are really looking towards her. Obviously, she’s 6-9 and she’s an easier target for them. She has a little bit of an advantage, as they’re able to see her a little bit more. I thought they got the ball to her well at certain crucial points down the stretch in the third and fourth quarter. She did a good job, was able to get her wind, and played 16 minutes for us tonight. That is about her average, but it was nice to see her get as many baskets as she did tonight.”
Junior Guard Aliyah Huland El
On changing the offensive game going into the second half:
“I think it wasn’t necessarily an offensive change, it was more of a defensive change. We decided to get away from the buzz. We decided that we have to get stops and whatever defense we are in will cause a good offense.”
On the importance of continuing to shoot well with a large lead:
“It keeps you as a team in rhythm on offense. If you stop taking the open shots, then that just alters the rhythm. So it’s very important to take open shots whether you need them or not, so it was a nice job.”
Freshman Center Felicia Aiyeotan
On getting back into the game after being away for so long:
“Just being off for a little bit sometimes messes up your rhythm. If we do the little things that we need to do, like rebounding, playing defense, things you don’t necessarily need to be good in but you just put in your effort, then that would have changed the outcome of the first half.”
On causing many turnovers in the game:
“It was just being active with our hands and running to the spots. In the first half we were a little stagnant and once we made that switch defensively, we were able to get some steals while sometimes they just threw the ball out of bounds. Even though we forced some turnovers, that is something we are going to have to get better at moving forward as we face better opponents.”