Jan. 25, 2009
Recap | Final Stats | Notes
UK Head Coach Matthew Mitchell
Opening Statement …
“It was a really disappointing day for us and I didn’t think that we played nearly tough enough to win today. I think that LSU played a lot tougher and harder than we did and that is a bad sign for a team that needs to play hard. We need to do the little things to win and that is what it came down to today. We didn’t do the little and tough things that you have to do to win a close game. I thought it was going to be a close game and it was and LSU made more plays than we did and they won.”
On if the play at the end of the game was what he wanted …
“Yes. There are not a lot of options right there and obviously they aren’t going to let you shoot a three so we told Amber to drive and kick. A lot of times when you drive it, it is a natural instinct for them to come off of you and that can be your best look. It looked clean but I will have to go back and see.”
On the poor three-point shooting today …
“It concerns me greatly and it was the difference in the game today. LSU had not made many threes in SEC play and they made five today and we made one and it was a three-point game so it is clear to see that it was a difference in the game. We had some good looks from three-point range and we have to try to take advantage of those opportunities and we didn’t. I don’t think that it is a fundamental thing but I will have to take a look again and see. I don’t have a good answer on that right now. Maybe we aren’t getting our legs in it or our shoulders square but it just didn’t go into the basket today. I hate coming up here and telling you that but we had some good looks and didn’t force a lot of threes today.”
On what it was going to take to win close games …
“I think that we will need to make more shots and anytime you hold an SEC opponent under 60 points you should have a chance to win and we have done that two games in a row. It puts pressure on your defense when you are holding teams to around 35-percent shooting and losing games. Having said that, we just had too many breakdowns and Kelly for them got too many open looks and that was not on the scouting report. We knew that she was really their only three-point threat and she really shot well today.”
On the death of Kay Yow and what she means to the game …
“Coach Yow impacted so many people and she was a tremendous person. The thing that is so wonderful about her life is that we are all blessed if we can leave a legacy that will influence others after we leave like she did. The Kay Yow Fund and what it is doing for breast cancer awareness and research is truly one of the most special things to happen in this country. The way that she lived her life is an example for all of us. I was with her last September at her golf tournament in Dallas and to see her not doing well but out there with energy and a positive attitude was great. She is a tremendous woman and I think that it is important for all of us to go by her example and try to make a difference. We will certainly miss her.”
UK Players
#34 Victoria Dunlap
On the last shot of the game …
“I don’t know if it was specifically for Amber, but we were trying to get off a three-pointer. Anybody had a chance to shoot the shot.”
On preparing for the next games after two tough losses …
“We have to keep our heads up. We need to watch film and see if we went wrong at the beginning or if we started off well and finished poorly. Once we get toward the end (of the game) we have to know we can keep going and do whatever it takes to get it done.”
On being in foul trouble …
“It was hard. I was cheering my heart out for the team since I couldn’t be out there with them. I wanted to try to keep their heads up. It wasn’t smart on my part, knowing I had three fouls to go out and get that fourth foul. I just had to keep cheering since I couldn’t be out there to help.”
LSU Head Coach Van Chancellor
On fouling Carly Morrow with eight seconds remaining in the game…
“I didn’t want to foul her 25 feet away from the basket. I would have liked the clock to run. In women’s basketball, I don’t think I would ever foul in that situation. I wouldn’t foul at the end because she could be fouled shooting a three-pointer, and she could have made all three free throws. That is the last thing we intended to do.”
On LSU’s play…
“Our perimeter defense was excellent, but on the post we couldn’t guard Eleia Roddy. That is why we played Kristen Morris. Andrea Kelly hasn’t played for us all year and she had 15 points today. We are celebrating because we had five three-pointers today.”
On UK Coach Matthew Mitchell…
“It’s great to see Matthew Mitchell as the head coach at Kentucky. It’s great to go against him. Matthew will do a heck of a job here at Kentucky because he has so much enthusiasm. He has a bright future.”
On the passing of NC State’s head coach Kay Yow…
“Some people leave small footprints when they leave this world. Kay Yow left dinosaur-sized footprints. She contributed a lot to the game and she was a good person. Kay Yow was always about someone else, and wanted to know how you felt and how you were doing. Her kids and her former players loved her. Her 700 wins were great, but those are small in stature compared to all of her other influences. Her team did it right academically, and they did it right recruiting wise. Kay Yow never did one thing unethically.”
On Kentucky’s attendance…
“Kentucky had a good crowd today. That was a good crowd for a women’s basketball game. They were enthusiastic as well. They said attendance was 5,027, but it looked like more than that.”
LSU Players
Allison Hightower, #23
On hitting clutch free throws down the stretch …
“I practice free throws all the time and I wasn’t nervous or anything like that. I just stepped up to the line and knocked them down.”
On the three-point shooting by Andrea Kelly today …
“She made some clutch shots and she can knock down the three from anywhere on the floor. I am glad that she stepped up and shot the ball today. Any other night she might have hesitated, but today she stepped up and shot the ball like we know she can.”
On how this season has been different with the team being so young …
“The youngsters have really stepped up and they are great athletes with great potential. As long as we go into practice and continue to play hard we will be fine. There is a lot going good for us right now.”
Kristin Morris, #44
On how this season has been different with the team being so young …
“It has definitely been a journey thus far but the young players have been very good and very talented coming out of high school. Playing in this league is a definite change and them adjusting was the biggest part. The biggest part for us was just patience and the coaches did a good job sticking with them and helping them through this time.”
