St. John's University Athletics
Postgame Quotes: St. John's 76 Georgetown 72
2/9/2013 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Feb. 9, 2013
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QUEENS, N.Y. -
Head Coach Joe Tartamella
Opening Statement:
"It's nice to be on the other end of this one today. We had some tough ones in the beginning of the year. I told them in the locker room, that this was such an important step for us as a team and I think we were just missing a little bit of something early on. They really came together and I told them this is a very big first step for us, especially a home win in our conference, we couldn't be prouder of the two young ladies to my left ( Shenneika Smith and Nadirah McKenith) and the entire group."
On today's successful free throw shooting:
"It's huge. We talked all year about the differences in our game and again we talk about an overtime game. We talk about what could be a play here and a play there and this just shows what you are capable of when you can convert from the free throw line. Aliyyah Handford was 1-11 from the field, and 8-8 from the line, and for a kid who shoots in the 40's. This was a fantastic performance by her, especially with a critical free throw toward the end of the game. You know we try not to talk too much about it, however, we know it's the difference between winning and losing some of these games this year and tonight we were great and I couldn't be happier. We have been talking about it and they converted. They did a great job and they were focused."
On the leadership of seniors Nadirah McKenith and Shenneika Smith:
"We have been resilient all year and it is a testament to our staff and to our players. When Shenneika and Nadirah understand the impact they can have together, more so than as an individual, they really can help us. I think that they've understood that now as we turned a corner a little bit and they both have now started to find their groove, especially their chemistry with each other even this year. Their leadership is very important, especially Nadirah at the point guard position, and Shenneika with her experience and ability to play both ends of the floor. We need them to be good leaders on the court and off the court and they've done that. I think together they are much stronger than they are as individuals.
On what he told the team before overtime:
"You know what, I was happy we got a stop. We've been struggling to get a stop so we was extremely excited about how we defended. We even talked about possibly fouling early to try and get the ball back, but we felt that we could dig in and get a stop and we did that. For the first time this year we were able to get one and that was a huge step. That's what I talked to them about when we came out. We gave ourselves a chance to get back now in overtime and get one. It was our time to get one. We were the team that was going to be fresh, we were the team that was going to get lo0se balls, the rebounds. Mary Nwachukwu made probably one of the biggest plays, if not the biggest play, in getting the ball back that was about to be a turnover which was critical for us to win the game. I was really proud of the way we played in overtime, especially with a lot of kids getting big time minutes so it was a nice job by them.
On Briana Brown turning the corner:
"I couldn't be happier for her and I think she is gaining confidence every game. The UConn game really gave her a good boost. We asked her to guard a post every game. People don't understand that she is battling someone that is probably four or five inches bigger than her every time she steps on the floor. She's been a critical part of our team's success, especially these past couple games. I couldn't be happier for her. We need her to play well. She shot the ball well and she can do that. I'm just happy for her and our group."
On how important Shenneika Smith is to the team:
"Bottom line is we've got a number of players that I don't know where we would be without them and Shenneika is a piece of that. She scored 26 and she guarded Sugar (Rodgers). She did okay at times, we didn't help her at times where I thought she struggled. Sugar scored 29, but a bunch of those came from the free throw line, but she made some plays. But Shenneika's got to do everything for us, so if you take her out of the mix it's very hard. She defends the best player on the other team and we need to score. So she did a great job for us and she is very important and we need her to be good for us to be good."
Senior Guard Shenneika Smith
On the chemistry she has with teammate Nadirah McKenith:
"Four years in the making. As a point guard, Nadirah knows the plays and where the players are on the court. We've been together four years. Hopefully, we can continue with this chemistry and go further."
On the clutch shot at the end of regulation:
"The player ran over and I got the shot up. I had to go to the basket because I couldn't hit another shot and it went in and I am happy."
Senior Guard Nadirah McKenith
On how the team came together to win in overtime:
"We just talked about playing defense and getting a stop. We talked about how we needed to win because we lost in overtime all through the season. We just felt like we needed this win in overtime to get us going and through to the next game."
On being two rebounds away from getting a triple- double and a strong performance tonight:
"It feels great. I give all the credit to my teammates. When I found them, they hit open shots, and I was just trying to go out there and play hard to get this win. I credit my teammates because they have belief and faith in me, and I was able to find them open and they made the shots."
