Kentucky-Auburn Postgame Quotes
UK ATHLETICS COMMUNICATIONS AND PUBLIC RELATIONS
Women’s Basketball
January 26, 2023
Memorial Coliseum – LEXINGTON, KY.
Kentucky Coach Kyra Elzy
On how she feels about the post players …
“I was so proud of Ade (Adebola Adeyeye), and our whole post group. I challenged them before the game. We needed 15 rebounds between that group. We needed at least 12 plus points. We needed them to sell out defensively. I thought Ade brought the defensive energy that we needed. She made some big buckets down the stretch. Huge defensive plays. And then Nyah Leveretter. 11 boards, six of them offensively, five points. So, I thought today, they brought what we need to continue to move this team forward.”
On the final play …
“We were in the bonus. We rearranged the lineup. Obviously, I want the ball in Maddie (Scherr), Jada (Walker), or Robyn Benton’s hands, so we shuffled the alignment. We needed something quick and going downhill because we were in the bonus, trying to turn the corner and get to the rim, shoot a layup, or get fouled. You’re only down by two. The ball went back to Robyn – which, we want it in her hands – and then we didn’t read it from there. The ball went to a freshman, and she was trying to make a play downhill, which we needed, but we can’t put her in that position.”
On message sending your team going on 9-11 this season …
“Obviously, this is a new team. And, you know, we have to find a way to finish. I talked about it in the pregame to them. It’s not what you want to do or how you think you should do it. It’s what we need to do. And all of the intangibles. In this league, every possession matters. We can’t take any possessions off whether it’s hitting a free throw, getting a box out, or finishing a layup. We need all of the intangibles to finish as you say these games are coming down to one possession game.”
On experimenting new lineups with a five-guard lineup…
“Yeah, you know, we talk about it, but it’s also depending on who you’re playing. It is great on offense with a five-guard lineup. On the flip side, if they have two bigs, that’s not necessarily a great matchup on the other end. You just go back to the drawing board. See what we can do, down, but not defeated and we just have to go back to work.”
On Maddie’s fifth game straight scoring 15 or more points …
“You know, Maddie has really stepped up. I love her heart, competitiveness, and spirit. She has a high basketball IQ. She’s playing to win and that’s the mentality that we want and need.”
