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SOUTHEASTERN CONFERENCE WOMEN'S TOURNAMENT

March 3, 2006

Mickie DeMoss

NORTH LITTLE ROCK, ARKANSAS

THE MODERATOR: From the University of Kentucky, coach Mickie DeMoss, Sarah Elliott and Samantha Mahoney.
Coach DeMoss, if you would open with a statement.
COACH MICKIE DeMOSS: Feels good to be in this position. It's been a while since Kentucky has been in the semifinals of the SEC tournament. This team is very deserving to be in this position.
I thought tonight we came out and we stuck to our game plan, had an attack mentality. It was a very physical game. I thought that we rose to the occasion. Just very proud of the way we maintained our poise down the stretch. Florida made a few runs at us and we were able to maintain our poise and keep our lead and extend the lead.
Very excited to be where we are right now.
THE MODERATOR: We'll open it up for questions.
Q. Mickie, you've been waiting all season for Sarah and Sam to both have big games at the same time. What was that like to see them both score 20 points?
COACH MICKIE DeMOSS: Yeah, they made me wait till the very end of the season, looks like (laughter).
It was really good to see both of them step up and be the players that they certainly are capable of being. I felt Sam just stepped up and just made some big shots, big-time moves from the perimeter. Sarah was big-time inside for us. Just maintained that play for 40 minutes. That's what you as a coach love to see, that they maintained it and kept the pressure on Florida for 40 minutes.
Q. The mojo award, can you think of the inspiration and background of that, and who got it tonight?
COACH MICKIE DeMOSS: Well, you are looking at the two mojo winners sitting at the table. We had dual winners today.
But it's just something fun we started at the beginning of the year. Being from Louisiana, you know, we got this -- I don't know what it's called, a statue or something that my (indiscernible) operations bought at a beauty shop and didn't really know what to do with it.
I wish I had some inspiring story to tell you. We said we're going to give a mojo award for the player of the game that we feel like made the biggest difference in the outcome. We've been doing it since the beginning of the season. Actually, it's when the conference started. We started doing it when conference play started. I don't remember exactly when. It was at the beginning.
Q. (No microphone.)
COACH MICKIE DeMOSS: After wins, exactly. Obviously, on a loss, mojo wasn't working that night.
Q. (No microphone.)
UNIDENTIFIED PLAYER: It's just something that coach thought of. It was a fun little activity or whatever you want to call it. It's fun for us. I mean, we get to sign it. You have your name on it, saying you played hard that game. It's something you are proud of.
Q. (No microphone.)
UNIDENTIFIED PLAYER: Oh, yeah.
COACH MICKIE DeMOSS: You get to travel with it. They're real thrilled when they have to travel with it. Get some funny looks in the airport.
Q. (No microphone.)
UNIDENTIFIED PLAYER: I think it's a good thing for our team as far as knowing that the coaching staff and your teammates felt like you played hard that game. It's just something for our team to do.
Q. (No microphone.)
UNIDENTIFIED PLAYER: I think before Coach DeMoss comes and talks, we kind of talk amongst ourselves as to who we think is going to get it, things like that, make our predictions. So, yeah, we do talk about it.
Q. Were you hoping to wear them down because they played last night?
COACH MICKIE DeMOSS: That was part of it. And watching our film from both games, I felt like our zone press bothered them. In Gainseville we started out pressing them a little bit, but we didn't press them much in Lexington. I just felt like on top of the fact they played yesterday, we wanted to take advantage of that. Also I felt like they weren't real thrilled about being pressed. For two reasons we stayed with that press. Felt like we kind of jumped on them early with that.
Q. (No microphone.)
COACH MICKIE DeMOSS: I thought we did a good job, I do, with the exception of a couple times we broke down. I think for 40 minutes, we did a nice job of attacking. That was our mentality. That was our game plan, was to attack and get the ball down the floor and attack the blocks. We maintained that mentality for the most part for 40 minutes.
Q. (No microphone.)
UNIDENTIFIED PLAYER: Yeah, I think this is just a big time of the season in general right now, tournament time, as far as winning or go home pretty much. I think it's important to our team to step up and win big games.
Q. (No microphone.)
UNIDENTIFIED PLAYER: Yeah, it is. I think that's something we can pretty much count on every game, Pfeiffer coming in, knocking some shots down, spreading the lead, really lifting our team up.
Q. (No microphone.)
UNIDENTIFIED PLAYER: Yeah, because they had to flair out, gives us a one-on-one opportunity on the inside. It's definitely an advantage for us. Coach is always saying take advantage of a one-on-one opportunity, high-level look. When Pfeiffer gets hot, Sam gets hor, or Carly gets hot, it's a great feeling. It's just something we really look forward to. If they come in on the post, we can look for the forward. It's just a win-win situation.
Q. Mickie, what do you think of this as a site, as a host area? What kind of job are they doing? Would you like to see Little Rock stay in the rotation?
COACH MICKIE DeMOSS: You know, I know we were here, what was it, three years ago, four years ago. Actually, it was my last year at Tennessee. I thought Little Rock did a nice job of hosting it. The crowds were good.
As a coach, you don't even realize where you are sometimes because you're in the hotel room watching film, scouting and practicing, all that. But Little Rock has been great. It's easy to get around. We're five minutes from the arena. Those are things as a coach... As long as the crowds are good, that always means a lot.
I think Little Rock has done a great job of hosting it.
Q. (No microphone.)
COACH MICKIE DeMOSS: Sure, sure. I don't think we really get a vote. If they had it back here, I think that would be great.
Q. (No microphone.)
COACH MICKIE DeMOSS: You had to bring that up, didn't you (laughter)?
Q. (No microphone.)
COACH MICKIE DeMOSS: No, actually we're looking forward to the challenge. We played them in December. I know this team has grown up so much since December. We've learned a lot. We've grown a lot. We've matured. We're looking forward to the opportunity. We have the utmost respect for LSU, but we're certainly not fearful of LSU.
I think for us to advance, and when you advance in a tournament, you know the games get a little tougher. You don't dodge any bullets. We've put ourselves right here. We're going to face it head on.
Q. (No microphone.)
UNIDENTIFIED PLAYER: Like coach said, we grew up a lot. We've worked on a lot of fundamental things. Our freshman have grown up a lot. As sophomores, we've done a lot of improving as well. Like coach said, we're accepting the challenge. It's going to be good tomorrow to see the outcome of the game. It's going to be a good game.
Q. (No microphone.)
COACH MICKIE DeMOSS: They're a very, very good team. I think one of the best teams in the country. They're in our league. We watched them on TV a lot since December. Sylvia Fowles is certainly one of the best post people in the country. Seimone Augustus is Seimone Augustus.
Again, I think we've got to beat them as a team. I think we've improved as a team. It's five of them and five of us. Again, we have the utmost respect for LSU, but we're excited about having another chance to play them.
Q. (No microphone.)
COACH MICKIE DeMOSS: You know, people ask me that the first year I took the job at Kentucky. I think when you're in the heat of competition, it's your team against another team. It's not me against Pat. I think coaches that get focused on that can't coach their team.
It's a challenge. Pat and I play golf against each other all the time in the summer. I beat her most of the time. It's a challenge. It's really kind of fun because I know what Tennessee likes to do. It seems like the Kentucky teams always rise to the challenge to play Tennessee. A little special rivalry there.
THE MODERATOR: Thank you.

End of FastScripts...

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