Jan. 2, 2003
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Coach Mattox Quotes
On the effort of the team…
“I was very pleased with the play of our team tonight. I thought we did an excellent job with our press. We’ve been working on the press for about two weeks and the players are really starting to get an understanding of it and the fact that it can help us score baskets on the other end.”
On the opportunity to play in Rupp Arena…
“The players were very excited to get to play in Rupp Arena and the crowd really helped us. The atmosphere of the facility is outstanding for basketball and we are very happy to have had the opportunity to play here.”
On the play of SeSe Helm…
“Teams have a great deal of respect for SeSe Helm, so they focus on her defensively and put three or four players on her in the post. Tonight Marshall understood that we are a good shooting team and they didn’t double-team her, so she had a lot of one-on-one opportunities. She got 15 points in 21 minutes, so I’m very pleased with that.”
On getting extra minutes for the reserve players…
“Anytime those players can get some minutes in the game and get stronger it makes us better as a team. Kristen Grassi knocked down a couple of threes, Danyelle Payne and Raquel Ellis both played really well, too, which was very good to see.”
On the impressive shooting of her team tonight…
“I’m very pleased with the way we’ve been shooting the ball. We’re capable of being a great shooting team because we have outstanding shooters, which really helps our inside-out game because teams are going to have decide what they want to focus their defense on.”
On the confidence of the team after winning five consecutive games…
“Anytime you win the team gains more confidence and energy. Those are the things we need to build as we move on into our schedule.”
UK Player Quotes
On the team’s five-game winning streak…
“It’s been fun. We’ve started doing what we know we’re capable of. We’re confident and we’re having fun.”
On playing in Rupp Arena…
“It was great. We had our fans here and the atmosphere was wonderful. It was sort of a showcase, but at the same time it was important to get the win.”
On the keys to the game…
“Marshall was defending the post and that opened up the outside shots. We just knocked them down.”
On the impact of her perfect-shooting night…
“I think it picked the team up. It gave us a lot of energy and confidence, but most of all we got a win.”
Marshall Head Coach Royce Chadwick
“Our team didn’t play well at either end. Kentucky’s post players took over the game and we weren’t able to convert – especially off of our turnovers. We’ve had that problem all season. Our post play on the offensive end wasn’t good. Kentucky is on a roll and their confidence level is very high right now. Bottom line is that we just didn’t play well enough to win.”
–UK–
