St. John's University Athletics
Postgame Quotes: St. Johns 71, Wagner 49
11/30/2014 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
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Nov. 30, 2014
Head Coach Joe Tartamella
Opening Statement:
"I'm happy with our performance in a number of areas. I thought this a better team win for us as far as how we played for more of a forty-minute span than we did the other day. We had improvements in a number of areas and were able to go to our bench today, which was great for us. Getting 14 points from them is a step in the right direction for us from the past games. This was an important game from the standpoint that it was a Friday-Sunday doubleheader like we are going to play in the BIG EAST. We wanted to prepare ourselves and gain an opportunity to get in that rhythm. Now we turn the page and have our first BIG EAST game on Wednesday against Xavier, who is a very, very good team."
On the Red Storm's defensive intensity to open the game:
"We came out today more ready than we were in the last couple of games, defensively especially. I was very happy to see us disrupt what they were trying to do. I thought Aliyyah Handford gave us great energy in the lane and [Jade Walker] and [Amber Thompson] are getting better every day defensively. It's a huge plus for us to be able to pressure a little harder than probably we have done in the past. I thought we also did a great job in the first half of not fouling and kept them off the line. When you couple those things together you're going to have the score where it was early. We're getting closer but of course we are not there yet. We know we have many areas to improve on."
On the improvements shown by junior guard Aliyyah Handford:
She has been shooting the ball well. Outside of maybe Marist, where she started slow and everybody struggled, she's shot the ball well, she's worked on her game and she's more comfortable with it. Like she mentioned, it's more about the quality of the shot I'm more worried about then the quantity. When you can go 10-for-14 that's a pretty good day no matter who you are. I think her work is paying off but I also think she's becoming a more consistent shooter because she's more consistent with her mechanics. We're excited to see where she is with her mechanics and her footwork, which she has really focused on and is really making her a complete player.
On the play of the Red Storm's bench:
"It's a work in progress. They haven't had a lot of time in the game to get their feet wet, unfortauntely. I think that will come with time. Today gave them an opportunity to be out there and shake off some of that rust and some of those nerves. It's going to be a continual process. Every freshman group is going to face probably a number of ups and downs throughout the year. It's the hardest year for any kid, when they come in and join a college program. I think our freshmen are handling it well. I know they get frustrated sometimes but they all want to contribute and help us win, so they are going to feel really good today about what they did to do that."
Senior forward Amber Thompson
On the Red Storm's defensive performance:
"I think we did see [our length and athleticism] today. It was nice to have our bench come in and help us in that respect, and show us what we are capable of at the defensive end."
On the Red Storm's start to the game:
"I think regardless of who we are playing or what day we are playing on, we want to come out hard like today and get right at it."
On the Red Storm's 5-0 start this season:
"It's always good to be undefeated, but we have to keep it up. We have to work harder and keep improving so that we can maintain our play."
Junior guard Aliyyah Handford
On her improved mid-range game:
"It was important [for me] to get in the gym this summer and get my jump shot ready. Basically I just come out and, if I see that the jump shot is open, I'll shoot it. I felt great about my shot selection today. I didn't rush any shots."
On the Red Storm sharing the scoring load:
"It helped us a lot today and shows us who we can go to. Amber scoring 14 helped us a lot and the bench also played its part. Everyone is chipping in and it's all coming together."
