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MOUNTAIN WEST CONFERENCE WOMEN'S TOURNAMENT

March 8, 2006

DENVER, COLORADO

THE MODERATOR: We will we'll get started. BYU head coach Jeff Judkins, Ambrosia Anderson and Dani Kubik. Coach, if you want to begin with general remarks and we'll open up questions directed to the student athletes.
COACH JEFF JUDKINS: Thank you. It was nice. This was a scary game today partially CSU is very talented and they play so well in Fort Collins, it was kind of a scary game for us. We knew that we had to come out and play hard early and defend them early.
First half was not one of our best halves. I thought we played well for spurts, but I thought the second half we came out as a team and really defended them and moved the ball around. It's nice to have two players like these two young ladies who can come in and both of them are playing so well right now with the inside-outside game.
I thought Brosia did a lot better job the second half moving and not taking the easy shot she had in the first half, trying to get a better shot. And I thought Kubik did a great job of really controlling the boards.
You know, Johnson doesn't get a lot of credit with points and all that, but she did a great job Hunter tonight. She had 27 on us in Fort Collins, and that was her challenge tonight, was not to let her get any easy baskets.
I wasn't planning on playing zone as much as we did the second half, but it was working. I learned from my father when things are working, don't change it. But it was a nice win for this team. We really needed a game like this where we could get some confidence and, you know, get some easy baskets and also play against a very athletic team.
THE MODERATOR: For the next few minutes let's direct questions to the student athletes.
Q. Ambrosia, you came out and scored I think 12 points in about eight minutes and change in that second half. Was that just a case of you deciding I'm done kidding around, this has got to stop?
AMBROSIA ANDERSON: There's came when I kick it in gear, and say you know what, I can't stop getting bumped around, shooting up hope shots. Just take confidently, just playing my game. Because it's that in-between game that gets me all the time where, do I want to shoot the three, do I want to take it all the way? I just got to make up my mind and go wholeheartedly. And that's the difference right there.
COACH JEFF JUDKINS: She just listened to me, that's what it really was (laughter).
AMBROSIA ANDERSON: Sure, sure. He said keep moving let it come. I did.
Q. Dani, after seeing what happened to New Mexico earlier today, did that have your team maybe focused a little more coming in or was this a factor for you?
DANI KUBIK: No, it was a big factor. We just got beat I think by 28 points or something like that. And you don't want to come out in this game and, you know, get drilled, you know. It was a big impact on our team. We knew we needed a re-group, get it together and play strong in this game. So this was a big game for us.
Q. Talk about the difference in what you did tonight or versus what happened in Fort Collins when they really put a scare in you guys?
AMBROSIA ANDERSON: Personally or as a team?
Q. You pick.
AMBROSIA ANDERSON: As a team, I think we trust each other more, we worked the ball around more, got into the post. Motion is nothing without our five, so we get them in there and we do our perimeter stuff and it's so hard to guard. And we just realize that, and things start falling.
Individually, just the same thing. Just play how you practice. And sometimes when the lights go on in my head, you know, I think differently and try to do it all. But you really just got to play like how you practice every day, day in and day out. It's so much easier.
DANI KUBIK: Another thing I think was our defense because the last time we played them, they had a lot more open shots, and I think that we did really good on our defense tonight. Melinda did a great job. But we just made sure they didn't have open shots. That was our big focus this time, was to make sure they didn't have those open shots.
Q. Ambrosia, you mentioned the lights going on. Did you have a lot of family and friends here and did that add to or take away from any pressure?
AMBROSIA ANDERSON: Not a whole lot. Just a couple people, like four or five people came. That's just something I struggle with the whole year. Games are always slightly different for me. But, I mean, it takes me a couple minutes to get out of it. And it's something I have to work on. But, yeah, it was a good atmosphere. It's always nice playing in Denver, growing up here, playing high school here.
COACH JEFF JUDKINS: Your high school team is in the semis.
AMBROSIA ANDERSON: Uh-huh.
THE MODERATOR: Ladies we'll let you go.
COACH JEFF JUDKINS: Good jobs you guys. Congratulations.
THE MODERATOR: Questions now directed to Coach Judkins.
Q. Jeff, you guys forced 25 turnovers, and CSU has been kind of a turnover-prone team as the season has gone on. Was this a big focus, to try to turn the ball over on them today?
COACH JEFF JUDKINS: I think every coach likes turnovers because a lot of times turnovers, after turning the ball over, you can make baskets or get easy baskets.
I don't think we tried to force turnovers. I think what we try to do is defensively take them out of what they were trying to do. They run a triangle offense. In Fort Collins, we had a real difficult time giving them too many open shots on handoffs, on pin-downs. So tonight we really tried just to get through those. We didn't worry so much about the post like we've done in the past. And I thought Johnson, Mallary, and Jennie Keele did a great job not giving them a lot of easy, easy baskets.
Now when you do that, you got to worry about Dennett. And Kubik is the best defending center in our league, and she is physical and tough. I thought she did a real good job of guarding Dennett one on one on the post. When you can do that, you can put more pressure and that's what causes turnovers.
Q. Jeff, you talked about how much you were worried about this ball game considering what happened to New Mexico and seeing them go out in the first round. How much did this game worry you?
COACH JEFF JUDKINS: It worried me because a lot of time when you come in a number one seeded team, you don't really focus yourself. You think you've had a great season, and you come in here not ready to play. All of a sudden, a team like CSU comes in, plays with a lot of energy and excitement. They can beat you.
I've been in this 18 years, and I have gone home a couple times the first round with having a very good team. That was something I really emphasized the last two days with my team, is, you know, we got to come out ready to play, we got to come out with being aggressive defensively. We got to come out and take care of the ball and really improve and get better so that we can get better as a team.
And I've told everybody we have four stages. This is number four. Number four is post-season and tournament. And, you know, we've done well in the first three; we've got to do well in the last stage for us to have a really successful season.
Q. Jeff, can you talk about the opening five minutes or so, the second half, kind of an ugly first half. You guys really took control right there.
COACH JEFF JUDKINS: I think what happened is we came out a little bit flat and then we ran a little streak, and then Brosia got tired, and I had to start subbing a little bit, and my subs didn't come in and give us the energy they usually give the first half. And we kind of play back and forth.
I knew this. This team is a good second-half team. Partly that they focus themselves and they know what they're doing and then we make adjustments. Brosia, like she said earlier, she had open shots where she usually doesn't get those early. She had to adjust tonight. What I told her to do was just go out and play and let it come. You know, you're kind of hunting for your shot. Just let it come and move. And I thought she did a lot better job the second half.
I also think our advantage is Colorado State had to play a hard game yesterday. They got a little bit tired and they couldn't bring the intensity they brought earlier. That's the advantage of not having to play that game where you don't have being tired or whatever.
But I think also playing them so closely in Fort Collins was a good motivating factor for us. We knew that if we don't come ready to play, they can stay with us. I thought tonight we did a lot better job. Our zone defense was very effective. I thought we were very active in it. And when we're active like that, we're tough to score on sometimes.
Q. Coach, Ambrosia was talking about with kind of getting her head, is it that you'd rather have her shoot off a pass in the flow, or can she hit these open threes off the dribble when she decides?
COACH JEFF JUDKINS: She can do it all. But what Brosia has improved so much, people don't realize, is that she's not -- how do you say this -- not get into bad habits that she had. She is letting the offense and her teammates help her through those situations. Last year she had moments where she was brilliant and then moments where she started trying to do too much. This year she's really let it come, and I think that's maturity, but I think it's been four years of me pounding her for a long time trying to help her.
Ambrosia respects me for a lot of reasons, but one reason is I was in her position as a player myself. I know what you have to do to score points, and what you have to do as a team. She's done a great job. The Mexico came when she jumped up for rebound and came down and she's grabbing her knee, I thought Poor Bro, not for the team but she's worked so hard to get to this level. She is a great player. She's made me a great coach because of her play out there. She's fun to watch. She's a team player.
And, you know, she did some good things defensively tonight that you don't see, deflecting passes, active hands, and whatever. But she is a great player and I've been very fortunate to be able to coach her.
THE MODERATOR: Thanks, coach.

End of FastScripts...

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