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PAC-12 WOMEN'S BASKETBALL TOURNAMENTMarch 8, 2019Tara VanDerveerKiana WilliamsShannon CoffeeLas Vegas, Nevada Stanford - 72, Cal - 54 COACH VANDERVEER: A tough game for us. It's not just that Cal is a very talented team with great players and great coaching staff, but, you know, they're our rival, and it just brings out the best in both teams. I thought we played really, we played very well defensively. Anytime you can hold Kristine Anigwe to 14 points, you're doing a great job. And a lot of that is Shannon and Maya, Alanna a little bit, too, but team defense. I thought our fourth quarter really just we really just opened it up, and that was a great fourth quarter. I think that was a reflection of a lot of our depth. Able to play Lexie, Lacie, bring in -- I thought Anna, three rebounds in 11 minutes, a lot of different people contributed. Q. Tara, did you do something different with Kristine this time than the previous two games? COACH VANDERVEER: I don't think it was really different. We just, you know, we just -- I thought we were just more aggressive. I think having played against her a couple times you saw what didn't work. We just tried to really be physical. I think it does make a difference the fact that they played a game yesterday, and the fourth quarter, I felt like we were able to run, get out and get some transition baskets and attack the basket. Just I think it's different having -- when they play a back-to-back game. We earned that by our seed, and I think we took advantage of it. Q. Tara, you talk about the defense on Kristine, and the threes she hit, I think it's only the sixth of the season, and that started that run for the season. How big a shot is that for somebody that doesn't take that many threes for you? COACH VANDERVEER: Early on in practice Shannon was shooting the best three-point percentage on our team. So I personally have a lot of confidence in her three, and I like the fact that she's not a gunner. She takes the three when we need the three. Not just coming down and thinking I'm going to shoot, shoot, shoot. So I was not surprised at all. I was happy to see it go in, obviously. But it wasn't just that. Her whole play was fantastic. She was facilitating our offense. She was talking out there and very calm and just really mature. I thought she was the glue, and Ki also, to making our whole thing work. But the three was fitting because she has a knack for making threes against Bears. Like she had a couple threes, three against Baylor against UCLA. I tell her every game we're playing the Bears. We have kind of a little bit -- maybe it's my joke, but I think it's funny. But I am so proud of Shannon. She's worked so hard. She's been kind of a role player for three years. This year she's really stepped up and made some big plays for us. She played behind Kaylee Johnson or maybe Nadia, and she's saying, hey, it's my turn, and she's doing a great job for us. And just a great leader. It's really exciting to see her have such a big game. Q. Can we talk about the mask for a minute? How long have you been wearing the mask this year? SHANNON COFFEE: Since the Baylor game, so quite a while. Q. So you got hit? Did you break your nose? SHANNON COFFEE: I'm just kind of -- I don't really want to get hit again. I'm down in the battlefield there with a lot of elbows going around. So it's just kind of preventive. Q. So I have a question about the clear mask versus the black mask that you're wearing. Is there a difference in terms of peripheral vision, or does it change anything to have the solid mask? SHANNON COFFEE: Yeah, the black mask is a lot closer to my face. So I have a lot better vision with that mask, so I feel more comfortable in it. Q. Going into a match-up with Kristine, it seemed like you were able to get into her a lot physically and made sure she did not get too deep. How much was that part of your approach, and how do you keep a level head in that match-up knowing it's the kind of player where she's going to make some plays and you have to tip your cap some of the time? SHANNON COFFEE: Yeah, definitely doing my work early. That is the thing that Tara likes to say a lot. I like to start the contact at the free-throw line. Not let her get to where she wants to be. I kind of went into the game knowing that there was going to be a lot more physicality than some other games. She's a great player. She's going to make shots, so when she does, I can't hang my head. I just have to focus on the next play. So that's what I focused on doing as well. Q. Kiana, when Shannon hit that shot, you guys were only up by three points, and you won by 18 points. Was that a turning point in your mind as far as confidence to say, we got this? KIANA WILLIAMS: Absolutely, I said that in the previous interview. Shannon shot with like three minutes in the fourth, and that just carried us to the end of the game. Like Tara said, she has a knack for making shots against Bears, and we needed that shot. It was huge, so we rode her the rest of the fourth quarter. Q. I was a two-part question, do you have a thing against Bears? And I thought you passed up a couple threes earlier in the quarter. And was that one, you were open, I should take it? Is there a reason you took that one versus a few seconds earlier where you were open and didn't shoot it? SHANNON COFFEE: Yeah, that I can think of, I don't think I necessarily have anything against Bears like in real life. But on the court it seems I do. But looking at it, I think there was a better play that could be made. Like Tara says, I'm not out there gunning. I know I have confidence in my teammates to create some other plays. So I'm kind of out there facilitating, trying to run the offense and get the best shot there is possible. So when the time came, I took my shot. Q. Kiana, you had two of those big buckets at the end there as Alanna was waiting to come into the game. But as you play extended stretches without her, how much do you say I need to create some opportunities for us to score because maybe she isn't there to take some of the possessions that she normally would? KIANA WILLIAMS: I think I was just playing within the flow of our offense. Like you said, Alanna wasn't in, and she's our best player on our team, so when she's out the game, other people have to make plays, and I made some shots. Made some plays. Shannon handed it off to me. I think I got a lay-up. So just playing within the offense, and not trying to do too much. Q. Tara, speaking again of the margin of victory, the game wasn't really that wide open, you know. Of course you guys were only leading by three when she hit that shot. What is the importance of closing a game out like this in a tournament so late in the season? And just being really strong like that? COACH VANDERVEER: I think the fourth quarter, again, we were able to play a lot of people, and they had their legs for their shots and made big shots. Our field goal percentage is really good. Our defense was really good. Again, they're a really talented team, so we knew we had to play really hard and play really well, and we just had to keep playing that way for 40 minutes. We talked about the fact it was going to be a 40-minute game and not be over in the first five minutes or ten minutes or even halftime. But I just credit our team to stay with things and keep working hard. Really play hard for each other, and it was a very big win for our team and our program. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports   |
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