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MOUNTAIN WEST WOMEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIPMarch 8, 2016Jaime WhiteAlex FurrBego Faz DavalosLas Vegas, Nevada Fresno State - 55 Utah State - 47 THE MODERATOR: Coach, start with you, some thoughts on tonight's game. HEAD COACH JAIME WHITE: I'm glad it's over. You know, Utah State, nice team and going to be good for years to come with all these young kids and that height that they have. I thought that they really did a good job and really were ready to play after a tough game yesterday. You know, with us I thought Bego did a great job keeping us in it early and really just kind of getting the ball at the heart of their defense. And then I thought late our pressure was solid. We knew the pressure was going to be helpful just because of how we played when we were at home at Fresno. I swear we just played them like three days ago. So we went with it again. I thought Q and Furr up on top were great. And it just made Funda work a little bit harder for her 16 points. She's so good and really crafty. And we knew if we guarded her away from the basket we'd have a better chance of stopping her. Q. It looked late in the game when Utah State was still sort of hanging in there, maybe even had the tempo on their side, you were looking for that one play. Collins makes a steal, I believe Brittany makes a lay-in and that's where it snowballed their turnovers. Was that the pivotal point for you? HEAD COACH JAIME WHITE: Yeah, I thought that was big. Also I thought Toni Smith had an end one in there, also. And I felt like, okay, now we've got the jitters out. It took us three quarters, but at that point we were good to go and just played. That's all the coach ever wants is just for your kids to play fearless. And I felt like at that point we were. Q. Same question for the players, maybe for you, the fact that everyone is always looking to you to make that play. Did that help spark for either one of you, both of you, that particular series of events? BEGO FAZ DAVALOS: Definitely. When I saw my teammates got the ball I was super happy about it and we just keep working for it. HEAD COACH JAIME WHITE: I think one thing our team does this year is they feed off of each other. Last year with Alex Sheedy, I felt like we kind of sat around and waited for Alex to do something. And this year everybody really has a role. And even Mo sat on the bench for a minute and then she comes in and gets some big rebounds. I thought we did a good job defensively causing a couple of turnovers, whether it was causing them to throw the ball out-of-bounds or even fouling on the rebound, I think Bre got one that way and Mo did, too. Just a good team effort. And I think this year of more even than last a great team effort, great roles that each kid has been playing, and stepping up in big games. Q. It seemed like in the fourth quarter I think you held them to two made field goals in the fourth quarter. That seemed to be the difference to me. Was there something conscious you guys discussed in that third quarter huddle? And what was the difference in that fourth quarter as far as the defensive intensity? ALEX FURR: I think my team, I think we all like playing defense. It's really aggressive, and I think we're an aggressive team. And that was kind of the key when we left the huddle was get stops, get stops in a row. And we did a good job tonight. Q. In the fourth quarter they got a couple of big buckets, nice pass to Toni. Did you feel like it was a little bit on your shoulders in the fourth quarter, to make a conscious decision to go inside, you knew the ball was going to be coming to you and Toni in the fourth? BEGO FAZ DAVALOS: Definitely I had the support with my teammates. They were all behind me. I knew if I had trouble or something, I would keep the ball out and they would score. Q. You mentioned it was hard to play a team like Utah State so quickly after you played them last time. They're going to be motivated because you beat them twice. How tough was that? HEAD COACH JAIME WHITE: That was tough. Those other two games were also tough. They're a nice team. And I think obviously their height and then having Funda on the outside is a good combination. And I think all three of our games have been close. And I think it kind of goes both ways, they're close and then we've got to understand they're going to be close, it's going to be a hard game, but we've beaten them twice. And they're going, Hey, we almost beat them twice. It is what it's supposed to be. This is a tournament and it's supposed to be tough and every team plays hard. In a way it's nice to have a hard game. And now I think we're a little more tuned in and ready to go for tomorrow. Q. I know you mentioned that you thought maybe it would take you guys three quarters to wake up. Was there anything else defensively that changed to allow you to play as good strong defense as you did in the fourth? HEAD COACH JAIME WHITE: Well, I thought, you know, we mixed up a couple of things. I do think that just the early pressure on Funda, and even when we got in the front court we put a little more on her, because she can read the on-ball screen so well. Whether we're in zone or man, she's coming off of it. I thought we did a better job of that. Really key to rebound down the stretch. It's hard, coaches want every rebound, but I think we got the important ones. Q. You talked about their height. Would you have expected Bego to be as dominant offensively as she was in the first half? HEAD COACH JAIME WHITE: Actually, she likes to play against the taller girls, she's told me many times, I always remind her and challenge her with that. I felt like if we could get an angle to the basket because of Bego's speed we could get it in to her and she could score. Q. What did you feel like in that first half when you had 14 points? BEGO FAZ DAVALOS: I feel really happy about it. But definitely I was like let's work for it, every play at a time and just keep going. Q. What was your reaction earlier this week to being named conference defensive player of the year? BEGO FAZ DAVALOS: Well, I was really happy about it, but definitely my teammates helped me with that, I cannot do it without them. Q. I know that the game has just ended and obviously you'll be interested in watching the next one. The garden variety question is: Which team would you rather play? But which team do you not want to see based on the matchups and the games you played in the regular season? Boise State is the higher seed. UNLV has talent up and down and can win on any given night. Is there a team you see would be a tougher matchup? HEAD COACH JAIME WHITE: It's kind of a toss-up. One, we only played Boise once and that was at home. We haven't seen them for a while. We played UNLV twice, but they're at home kind of in a way. It's neither here nor there. It seems like it works backwards; if you hope for a team that you never get to see them. So I'm not saying. But either team it's going to be a hard-fought game, either team is going to be tough. They have different types of matchups. I'll tell you, I think our players have done a great job adapting throughout the game and with different teams. We've had some ridiculous stat like nine games we've been down at halftime or seven games out of nine down at halftime and then adjusted and came out and won in the second half. We're okay with whoever is going to be across the court for us, and we've got to go to work either way. Q. Having played Utah State so recently, were there any surprises or things you weren't expecting? ALEX FURR: Every time we play Utah State the focus is Funda. She's a great player. And so, yeah, we were just focusing on her. It was hard for me to communicate tonight but my teammates did a great job doing it for me, telling me the screens, and when I needed to get over them. So I'm really lucky to get over them. BEGO FAZ DAVALOS: Well, I feel like our guys did a great job tonight because they have really good guys, 25, 31, they're really good. And I feel like our defense was really important in this game. HEAD COACH JAIME WHITE: I think both 31 and 25 have gotten better throughout the year. And they surprised us at home. We didn't think they would have the production that they have. And they've continued to do that in the tournament. Like I said, a very nice team, good size. And I think he does a good job. And like I said, I don't think I'm too excited about playing them next year. I hope we only play them once, I hope, at home. Q. It's got to feel good that your teammate is the Mountain West Defense Player of the Year, but in an important game like this, to get it off your shoulders, first game for you that she comes out and dominates offensively. It's ironic she gets defensive player of the year, but dominates offensively. ALEX FURR: Yeah, I'm really lucky to have a teammate like Bego because it allows me to really pressure hard. If I get beat, I know she's down there to give a block. And to feed her the ball and know that she's going to score is great, too. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports   |
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