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BIG 12 CONFERENCE WOMEN'S TOURNAMENTMarch 7, 2015Sharane Campbell-OldsSherri CoaleKaylon WilliamsDALLAS, TEXAS Oklahoma - 67 COACH COALE: Low turnovers, high rebounds, that's how you beat that team. I thought we did a terrific job of being secure with the basketball and going getting it off the glass on both ends of the floor. I'm not sure where the offensive rebound number ranks but it was one of our best performances of the year. KK was tremendous with 7 all by herself. Those just change the complexion of the game. Q. Sharane, you're a senior, it's your last post season, Big 12 NCAA, did you feel more urgent out there, did your team feel more urgent now that it's the post season? SHARANE CAMPBELL-OLDS: I feel like we just went out there and played like we know how to play. I mean, I guess I can say I'm really not thinking about this is my last post season, I'm more concentrating, I want to win this game so I can keep playing with my team. So I wouldn't say I'm like this is my last post season. But of course there always is that part of me that's saying I need to play hard so I can be with this team as long as possible. Q. Kaylon, 18 second chance points for you guys in the first half. Obviously that speaks to a ton of aggressiveness there. Is it sort of the game plan coming in, that you could be aggressive down there and get those second chance points? KAYLON WILLIAMS: Well, we had to emphasis for this game that coach kind of told us before was boards and -- more free throws than they have, the aggression stat for us. When we're not typically shooting it as well, I kind of think in my head that second chance shots, usually something good happens, so going to go rebound after that and finding shooters and cutters, and our guards are really good at moving when we get rebounds, so I know a couple of the plays that I specifically remember with Sharane hitting a couple of jump shots Gioya Carter getting an and-1 off of a rebound, kind of generates some good offense for us from those rebounds. Q. For the players, I guess Kaylon first, can you tell us what sort of the half court defensive game plan was? You guys talk about adhering to the scouting report and it seems like West Virginia, all they could do was throw it around the perimeter a lot so whatever you were doing seemed to be working, what was it? KAYLON WILLIAMS: Well, our game plan for tonight was keeping it out of the paint. Just kind of knowing personnel and knowing where the shooters were and be aware of which guards like to attack and just kind of building a wall and kind of keeping the ball out of there was pretty much an emphasis for us tonight. SHARANE CAMPBELL-OLDS: I mean, she basically said it. Q. For Sharane, could you just talk about the lift that Maddie gave you out there in the second half on offense when West Virginia was trying to mount a comeback, seemed like she had a couple timely baskets for you. SHARANE CAMPBELL-OLDS: She is, just words can't describe how much she's came along. Us seeing her in practice, we know what she's capable of and I think it's great how she can come in and give us these major baskets that we needed because we were going through a slump at that time. So I feel like it's just her coming into herself and she's starting to be comfortable out there and I think that she's going to be a force to be reckoned with. Q. Sherri, I wonder if it was the perfect game for you guys in the sense that nothing seemed to come easy and yet you seemed to control it anyway. Is that about all you can ask for in the first game? COACH COALE: Yes, and especially against them perhaps. They're a difficult match for us because of their size, their athleticism. I thought Gabbi Ortiz as a true freshman playing, I don't know, 35, 56 minutes, four assists, zero turnovers against West Virginia. That kind of tells the story. I told our assistant coaches before the game if Gabbi's' tempo is good, if she is solid with the ball and everybody else relaxes around her we'll be fine. If your point guard gets sped up, then you've got a problem that's hard to stop. I just thought she was terrific all night and sort of set the stage for us to do what we did against a very good defensive team. Q. Sherri, I'll ask you the same thing I asked your players about Maddie, especially given the adversity she's gone through in her career at Oklahoma to see her come out and contribute like that, just kind of put that in perspective for us. COACH COALE: You were spot on, those two baskets came at a time when we could not have needed two baskets worse, she delivered both of them and they weren't easy shots, neither of them. I thought she blocked a key shot and it seemed like every time we had to get a rebound or we felt like we had to get a rebound she came up with it so I thought her play was integral in every part. It's so rewarding for everybody on our team because when you watch a kid go like 700 days without getting to play the sport that she loves, working on just the drudgery of rehab every day, to get to come back and not just play, but play in a big way and impact the outcome of an important game. It's just fun for everyone. I think the team was as excited for Maddie as we were for ourselves. I didn't answer your question like you wanted, did I? I saw you, Clay. Q. Another shot at the same question. To get all the second chance points you had and to beat them on the boards, it's hard to game plan for, all right, we're going to struggle shooting but we're going to score 18 second chance points, but yet that's how you've stayed ahead, they never really cut closer than 7 in the second half. Is this about as hard as your team can play, is this everything you want this time of year? COACH COALE: No and no. As far as rebounding goes, we spent the three days of preparation come into this weekend working on things that we felt like we had to do regardless of who we played in the post season. Rebounding, offensive rebounding in particular is a huge part of it. We doubled our time each day and on the first day in practice we actually tripled our time spent working just on rebounding. Of course it's a part of everything you do every time a shot goes up. We're all screaming block out, go get it. It's an emphasis, but we actually broke it down and tripled our time spent on it just to draw out focus to it because you're going to have a game where you don't shoot it well, and the way you buoy yourself through those spells or games, if you will, is by getting second-chance opportunities and it affects the defense, it does all kinds of good things for you internally in terms of juice and momentum, it's just a critical part of the game. That was something that we prepared regardless of opponent. Q. Coach, I'm curious, you played West Virginia three times now, they have 18 wins. In your mind are they an NCAA Tournament caliber team? COACH COALE: This always just cracks me up. Like I know? I don't have any earthly idea and I went through the mock bracketing thing and I know what they do and my hat is off to all of them who do it because it is a tremendously difficult job. I have no idea. Do I think they're better than a bunch of teams that finish in the first, second, third spot in their conferences around the country? Yes, I do. Yes, I do, because we've played them three times and there's nothing easy about it, but I have no idea. Q. You've talked about trying to earn a top 16 seed. I think your one out here probably happens. Do you think one more victory or do you have any sense of if that's enough? COACH COALE: Here we go again. I feel like remember when Johnny Carson had that ball? Like what am I supposed to do? I don't know, I have no idea. What we want to do is win a Big 12 conference championship here. That's what we want to do. We want to win the tournament championship and if we do that, we will love what the committee comes up with, I promise. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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