St. John's University Athletics
Postgame Quotes: December 22, 2007
12/22/2007 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Dec. 22, 2007
- Head Coach Kim Barnes Arico
Opening Statement:
"Baylor is an excellent team. I thought at times we played well, and at times they were better at what we wanted to do. They are a quality program and it was a good game to get us ready for the BIG EAST."
On the Baylor game being a good challenge for St. John's:
"It was a test for us. It was a good game. They have a really good, quality program and they let us know where we stand. We need to get better at some things. I think we are way ahead of last year. We have a lot of young players, but we also have a lot more depth. We have some work to do and we know that. We've also made tremendous strides. We won eight games in total last year, and we won eight games before Christmas this year; I think that says a lot about our program. We're not where Baylor is at right now and we know that, but I think we just have to continue to get better and working on things we need to work on and we'll be o.k."
On passing the ball inside:
"Our post players did a nice job of making things happen when they got the ball. However, that is one of the things we need to work on; getting the ball inside, especially getting the ball inside against a pressure team like Baylor."
Senior Guard Kia Wright
On the positive aspects of the Baylor game:
"We didn't quit, even when things got ugly toward the end. We gave them a fight which shows a lot about our team. It showed that we have heart."
On the growth of younger players on the team:
"They have been showing tremendous growth. A lot of the players have been showing a ton of confidence. Sometimes they get a little nervous and get out of their game. Once they get into it, they don't have any problems. Once they get their confidence built back up we're going to be a good team."
Senior Forward Tiina Sten
On Baylor controlling the rebounds:
"It was a big factor. Baylor got a lot of the offensive rebounds which gave them the chance to put more shots up."
On feeling more confident going into BIG EAST play:
"I feel more confident now because after today I think we can play well against those teams. If we all play as well as we can we can beat them."
Head Coach Kim Mulkey
Opening Statement:
"I'm happy for the win. I'm especially happy for Danielle and Kaitlin to come back home and do well. It's better to win before your Christmas break than lose. Now we can all go home and eat lots of turkey and have a Merry Christmas."
On the final score:
"I thought we answered all their runs. I thought it was an in spurts played game. They'd make a run; we'd make a run. I'm not sure if we ever shot the ball as well as we did tonight. I don't think we've done that all year. We got a lot of contributions from everybody. I thought our intensity from the very beginning showed we were determined to win this game."
On the St. John's women's basketball program:
"From a distance, I've kept up with St. John's. I followed them through their run in the NCAA tournament. Obviously playing in the BIG EAST, you guys play the Connecticut's and the Rutgers of the world and you don't back down. This was a game we wanted to play for Danielle and Kaitlin and because we respect St. John's and what they're trying to do here. This was a game that made us quite nervous especially before Christmas break. This is when you see a lot of upsets and you see a lot of people who aren't supposed to win games win them. I stressed that to my team all week."
Sophomore Center Danielle Wilson
On playing in New York again:
"I played here during AAU. It's nice having to play in front of my family and friends. My mom told me to not to worry about the fans, just concentrate on the game."
Junior Forward Rachel Allison
On playing in the post:
"They were pretty small inside and I'm kind of small inside myself, so it was a battle of the post and it boiled down to who could play better defense. I think we had an advantage of having Danielle in there who's 6-4. She made a huge difference."
