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MOUNTAIN WEST WOMEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIPMarch 7, 2017Ryun WilliamsElin GustavssonEllen NystromLas Vegas, Nevada Colorado State - 65 San Jose State - 60 COACH RYUN WILLIAMS: Survive and advance, that's what we did. San Jose State is always a tough matchup. They score the ball so well, and they can score so fast, with the three ball. So no lead is ever safe when you play San Jose. We knew that and I think the biggest thing with this game for us is that we experienced a little bit of everything. We experienced a lead, we experienced giving up a lead, we experienced having to make free throws in a late game tournament situation, making some shots, when the momentum is in favor of the opponent. So like I told the kids, you're now -- if you weren't in this tournament before, you are now in this tournament, because you just experienced, I feel, everything that you might experience throughout a whole week in one game. How was that for a statement? That was pretty long. Q. You scored 26 points, 12 rebounds, can you talk about what went good for you down in the post? ELIN GUSTAVSSON: We tried to get the ball into post and I tried to take advantage of -- if they would play tight I tried to go by them, if they backed off I tried to shoot them. So kind of make them a little bit confused because I tried to do both. Be a threat everywhere. Rebounds, I was playing a lot together with Smith, kind of against each other. And she's a really good rebounder and she's strong. So I had to try to find my advantage when it came to my length. And it worked some decisions. Q. What were you guys able to do to just regain your composure after they went on the 10-0 run at the end of the third quarter? ELLEN NYSTROM: I mean, I think that's what's so good about San Jose, for them. They are always playing super aggressive, always trying to make shots. So it's always hard to play them, even if you're up by 10 or 20 points, you know they're always going to play the same. We knew that. And we knew if we kept our poise and kept passing it where we wanted the ball, we were going to be fine. Q. You had only 4 points and 7 rebounds in the first half, you were able to get it going the second behalf. What were you able to do? ELLEN NYSTROM: Coach told me to be more aggressive. Q. It seemed like it was a pretty physical game. We saw a couple of you hit the floor pretty hard three or four times. Is that something that you guys are worried about, having to play two or three more games this week? ELIN GUSTAVSSON: No. This is how basketball is. ELLEN NYSTROM: I think it makes the game more fun, if it's more physical. And I think it's good that the refs allow us to be more physical. It's March, so that's how it's supposed to be. ELIN GUSTAVSSON: On the court, you can take a lot. It's a different type of pain level. ELLEN NYSTROM: It looks worse than it is. Q. What was going through your mind, just at some point did you have the panic of uh-oh, we may be going out of this? Did that cross your mind? ELIN GUSTAVSSON: No. I trust my team. If we're up 30, down 30; I always trust my team. We knew when we were up by 10 by halftime, that 10 is nothing against anyone. But I love my team. I trust my team. So, no. Q. You came out of that timeout late and you drove for a layup. Was that what you needed to do? That was a very aggressive drive and a critical basket. ELIN GUSTAVSSON: We knew when we only had 8 seconds and I tried to get Smith out from the paint and just use my speed and just be aggressive. Q. You were able to stay really poised and hit timely shots even when San Jose State came back. You have lost before in the first round of this tournament before. Did that experience help you and keep you under control so you were still able to win the game? ELIN GUSTAVSSON: We have experience from this season, too. We know what type of team San Jose is, they're really good. And they're always going all in. So that was just -- of course, like Ellen and I, and Stine, we remember our sophomore year. But we're a different team. And we just stayed locked in and just focused strong with the ball. Q. What do you guys learn from this game that's going to help you going into the semifinals now? What do you take from this game as you move forward? ELLEN NYSTROM: I think our poise was good. Our defense was really good, rebounding. But I think -- we've got a taste of what the tournament is like, and all the people that are new to our team got a taste of what it's like, and how it's like. So now we're in it. Q. For either one of the student-athletes or Coach, at the start of the game, defensively speaking, held Dezz Ramos to two shots in the first quarter, seven in the first half, Jas zero shots in the first quarter, two shots in the first half, was the goal defensively to shut those two down, let the others take their shots, sort of isolate their threats? COACH RYUN WILLIAMS: Those are two really talented offensive players. And we just needed to -- we dedicated to those two kids, if they were in our area, you had to stay a little more attached. But I just think we played our assignments really well in that first quarter and I thought really aggressive. We were really disruptive on the ball, so they couldn't get into their game all that much. So the top two kids in our zone, our matchup tonight, which was Tvrdy, Stine, I thought Myanne Hamm was great up top. They're distinctively disruptive. And that got us off to a really good start. Q. In that third quarter there was a run where they went I believe it was 24-10. What were you telling the ladies going into that fourth quarter as far as keeping their head? COACH RYUN WILLIAMS: Well, all we told them coming out of the end of that third quarter buzzer was just win the first four minutes of the fourth. Just break it down into that increment. Just keep it right there, don't -- don't even really look at the score board. This team is -- the thing is, this is how we play, guys. We could play Fort Collins High School girls team and we win by five. That seems to be our nature. We scored -- what did we score today? 65 points on 1 of 11 shooting from the three. That's really good offense for us. It is. A couple more three balls and we're talking 70 points, and we're ecstatic with 70 points. But it was -- we don't ever seem to panic. We've got Ellen and Eli, we throw the ball to them. They seem to make some plays. I don't think we ever, ever saw or ever felt that we were going to lose the basketball game. Q. You held San Jose State to 18 percent shooting in the first quarter. San Jose, is there anything specifically that you did it to allow them to come back into the game and have a chance? COACH RYUN WILLIAMS: Do you see their shooters out there? Their bench came in, Turney hits a big three, Gennett comes in and makes a couple threes. These kids shoot it and they shoot it from deep. And they've got a play maker in Ramos. So what they put out there is extremely difficult to defend. And it becomes contagious, and you see that with their team, if you watch them a lot. They'll make a couple, and now they can make five more in a row. Our kids were prepared for that, because we've played them so many times and we just pound it in their head that no lead is ever safe and that they're capable of those types of runs. So those are some extremely talented shooters. And their mindset is catch and let it fly. We might need to steal that for the rest of the tournament because 1 in 11 is not going to cut it for us. Q. How nice is it to have Ellen and Eli to turn to, two players that can create and that are experienced and have been through all this before? COACH RYUN WILLIAMS: Yeah, it's very, very important and extremely valuable to be able to play through a couple of seniors that have really, really been tested. But let's face it, San Jose State put four seniors out there, as well, that didn't want to lose today. So I think that's why you saw the game work out the way it did, very, very close. But I thought Tvrdy was really key, as well. We can say Ellen and Eli, but I thought Tvrdy made some good plays. I thought Stine's answer, the three ball answer in the corner, she's done that all year. She's a very mature, reliable player for us, and no moment really ever intimidates Stine. She just shot it, caught it. So that mentality by those two kids I thought critical in that fourth quarter. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports   |
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