Kentucky Postgame Quotes
California at Kentucky
Memorial Coliseum – Lexington, Ky.
Dec. 21, 2017

Kentucky Head Coach Matthew Mitchell
Opening statement…
“Well, congratulate California on winning the game. They clearly did some good things that confused us and made it tough on us to win, but I was really, really pleased with some progress that we have made over the last couple of days. I know it didn’t show up on the scoreboard today, but I saw some progress and some growth and we’ve just got to really hang in here and have quality practices like we’ve had over the last couple of days and it won’t be too long before we have some success if we will do that. Now, we will have to work really, really hard and pay attention to the details, but I hate it for our team that we didn’t get a better result today. We did some really good things. As we break for the holiday, I hope they can get home and get some rest, come back and try and get better. I really believe that’s what they will be intent on doing.”
 
On where he saw progress in the game …
“If you had said that we’d have of been in a position to hold No. 31 (Kristine Anigwe) to two points and eight turnovers, I didn’t know we were at a spot where we could take that in in two days and accomplish that. That was a tremendous feat for the team and they did it as a team. They did it as a team. It wasn’t 1-on-1 defense. The rest is the few mistakes that we made. I still feel like we played good enough defense to win. It was just a really tough day for us offensively, but what I did like about that was we against Louisville had so many empty possessions where we were reactionless and just had so many empty trips. But today, I thought we really spent time on trying to make sure we were at least organized. We didn’t execute all of the time today, but you have to understand that we are trying to make progress. We are trying to bring people along. We are having some growing pains obviously when the margin is so thin to get some of our young kids to understand urgency at different times. But I thought the kids worked really hard the last couple of days and we’ve just got to keep holding on to that and keep working at that.”
 
On what was happening on offense in the third quarter…
“Well, I don’t know if it was just the third quarter. We were in a pretty bad slump all day and got so many shots there at the rim. I mean, it’s incredible to get 25 offensive rebounds and not be able to generate some second-chance points at a higher level than we were able to. I just thought it was a combination. Some things are your technique and so some things are technical that we can try to help and correct. And then some of them, just clean, open looks didn’t go in. So, very disappointed today. Really wanted to win and wanted them to see some tangible evidence of their progress, but it didn’t happen. But we just have to stick with it and keep getting better.”
 
On little offensive production from starters…
“Yeah, we are just trying to be really clear about what we are trying to do, what we want to do. Get in rhythm, show them where they need to get shots, where they are being a little passive. I thought everybody tightened up today once the ball started, and you know you just can’t do that. Once we started missing shots and missing shots around the basket, you just have to slow down and face the basket. So many times we would catch the ball in California’s zone unguarded and we would not face the basket and we’d throw it back out to someone else. So, what you do is you teach, coach and you watch the film and you construct the practices so they can have a chance to correct those mistakes. You put them in those situations over and over and over. You get to a better spot. Here is the reality of the situation, you need to continue to work and get better because if you play well in January and February these are all games worth playing. It’s not like we’ve played you know a real easy schedule and not challenged our team. Two of the losses, Baylor and Louisville, we were outclassed in those games. The other three losses, you know, we are definitely participating in those and getting to spots where we are not coming out with a victory. We could have won this game today and could have won the other two of the five losses. We have to keep our poise right now and our confidence in our players and I have to hold them accountable in practice every day and just make sure we are having great practices. And I think that is the formula for this team because there is not a belligerent kid on this team. There is not one kid that’s losing their cool. There are just some folks that don’t step forward naturally and I just have to hold their feet to the fire and just make sure, hey, this is what we need to do and help them through that. Help them get out of their comfort zone a little bit. That is what we are going to do and I think that is what is important right now.”
 
On the team’s holiday schedule…
“They’ll leave today and we will meet back the day after Christmas for a practice and then we will practice to get ready for our Middle Tennessee game.”
 
On the amount of offensive rebounds…
“Listen, that is what I’m saying. It’s not like the kids came out today and were checked out and ready to go home for Christmas. They really tried hard. They tried hard physically. We had some mental mistakes, and it is where our team is right now, but we really got after it in so many areas. You know, when you shoot 22 percent or whatever it is, those are hard days. You know, you want to focus on all that but the rebounding. Even there at the end we were fighting and punching the ball and trying to get the ball. So, that is what you have to build on. I mean, when you lose basketball games it’s hard and it does not feel great but you have to get your mind off of the result and got to keep your mind on what we can do to continue to move forward. Again, if we play well in January and February, that’s what matters and what counts. Now, if we don’t practice well and learn from this one, then you won’t play well and you won’t be where you want to be. But they fought on the boards. I thought we got some positive minutes from some of our young players that have been working hard. You know, Dorie Harrison only played five minutes today. She’s been working hard and it was positive. Kameron Roach really tried to step forward on defense. So, all of those little things you keep working and going at it and at some point it becomes to a critical mass and then you, boom, you break through. So, that is where my mind is and that is what we will keep working on and that is where we will keep it headed.”
 
Kentucky Student-Athletes
#4 Maci Morris, G
On where you go from here…
“I honestly thought we played really well in every aspect of the game except for scoring. I’m really proud of my team. We had a lot more energy this game and more passion and hustle. We’ve got to hold ourselves accountable a little bit more. The coaches have done everything in their power to help us succeed and it’s on us now. We have to take it upon ourselves to do little things and make sure we can score. We are just going to take a couple days off and relax and then come back ready to work.”
 
On how much offensive potential this team has…
“I think we have a lot of different opportunities to be a really good offensive team. We just have to have confidence in ourselves and believe in each other.”
 
On developing her play this year…
“Personally, I never really considered myself a shooter until I got here and I was labeled as a shooter. In high school that wasn’t really my thing. Now that I am labeled like this, it makes them respect my game a little bit more. I just have to continue to work and listen to my coaches about how I can continue to develop.”
 
Cal Head Coach Lindsay Gottlieb
Opening statement…
“Thank you guys for being here. They say this a sports town, you guys prove it. We have been treated so graciously by the sports admin staff here. I follow basketball, so I know how well you guys cover this team and I appreciate it because we need it in women’s basketball. So, nice to be here in person. We’re excited to get this win. I’m very intentional with scheduling and we wanted to get an SEC team on the road to give our players that challenge. I hoped we would be ready for it and I think we proved that today we were. It wasn’t our type of game, you know. It was kind of a gritty slug fest a little bit. I was proud of our players to be able to win that type of game. We gave up too many offensive rebounds, but really in the first quarter, our offense wasn’t consistent. It was just kind of OK getting us into the 60s. After that first quarter, I thought that we locked up and did what we needed to on the defensive end. We got a little tougher on the glass. I thought our guards made shots on a day when we weren’t scoring through the paint as much as we normally do. So, happy to get the win and have a nicer Christmas break.”
 
On what they did defensively to keep Kentucky out of rhythm…
“I think that our 3-2 zone. We have a couple of different defenses. I like to match different defenses. I think that can confuse some young guards out there when they’re not sure what the look is. So, I thought our 3-2 was disruptive and never let them get in rhythm, and then we just played hard on the defensive end. (Maci) Morris is really good. We talked about her a lot. She had 21 points. It was a low shooting percentage. I thought that Mikayla Cowling, our senior really, and the rest our players really forced her into tough shots. So, it really was just effort in our man-to-man and I think our 3-2 was disruptive. It’s a different look.”
 
On the importance of establishing their defense late in the second quarter…
“It was huge. I mean we weren’t scoring that much either, but to be able to go into the half up 30-27 and feel like we were getting bullied a little bit early in the game, I thought they punched first. So, to be able to go into the half with a lead I thought was good for our morale. I thought we were able to put some stops together. I felt like we were able to do that and then I definitely felt like we started the second half with a concerted effort to get on the boards more. We actually had two empty possessions, but they were both offensive boards.  But I liked our mindset that we were trying to do some things in the second half that we weren’t doing in the first half and I thought the end of the second half really set the tone for that.”
 
On what is different about Kentucky opposed to their other opponents…
“I think they’re a little more rugged. Maybe they were a little more physical. I thought that speed of the guards were – I mean we played Uconn, right? So, noone’s faster than Uconn. Noone’s more everything than Uconn. So, take that game aside. But I thought Kentucky was more physical in the post. The overall team speed, they just made life a little bit tougher for us and they were terrific on the boards. They had a concerted effort to get to the O boards and I think those young post players especially know that it is their role going in, grabbing things off the glass and they were better than teams we faced on that.”
 
On the rest of the team stepping up when Kristine Anigwe only had 2 points…
“It’s a big sign for us right. You know, the last two years she has put up ridiculous numbers and she’s capable of that, but in games where she didn’t we would lose. I think now, being able to have a better balance on offense in general is an important thing for us to be elite on the national level. I mean everyone needs that. It’s easy to say our guards need to make more shots and make plays, but when they do it under stress it’s a really good sign because we know that no one is going to be able to hold our interior line – in general you know – under double digits very often. And when they do and we can still win it’s a good sign.”
 
On how this trip came about…
“I’ve known Matthew (Mitchell) for a long time. Actually I came here my first time when I was the coach of UC Santa Barbara, we came out here. They liked that return trip to Santa Barbara, so I tried to convince him to come out to the bay area. But yes, it’s the start of a home and home. I believe they’re going to defer it for one year and they’re going to come out the following year, but I try to do trips for potentially something for the players to see. A cultural thing, potentially for the players to see, when we go to a different part of the country or a certain type of competition right. We put in a very concerted effort to play a Big Ten game or an SEC game when we can, but everything has to line up. Credit Matthew for always being open to a home and home series and we’ve wanted to get this one on the docket for a while and we were able to get that done. So, sometimes we’ll do second game and pick up someone around here but after our finals it made more sense to do a single game this time.”
 
Closing statement…
“We were able to watch some of the men’s practice yesterday after we were done, like that’s cool. You know, I thought we had a good time watching Coach Cal (John Calipari) and his guys. So, he was really gracious and let us come. But really my message was to them, let’s come here to win a basketball game. That’s what we’re trying to do and you know, around here it’s been nice and cool to be in Big Blue Nation, but for us I really put the question on our players. You know, to say what do we want to do with this early start time? In non-conference play we’re going to face every kind of team and so we’re going to have to be ready for anything and Kentucky was a really good challenge.”
 
Cal Student-Athletes
#1 Asha Thomas, G
On slowing down Taylor Murray…
“It’s tough. You just must have an urgency to know what to do and how to do it. I think we were just really urgent on the defensive end.”
 
On their game plan after halftime after ending the first half on a 10-0 run…
“Yeah. I think we kind of wanted to break their spirit a little bit more, become more urgent, do what we need to do on the offensive end. Guards create knock-down shots, just play Cal basketball. That’s what we wanted to do.”
 
On playing against top competitors like Maci Morris…
“Any player would want to do that, or at least a top player like me. My teammates, they want to play against the top and she puts us in a great position to do that. Biggest stage that we can and we take advantage of it.”