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BIG 12 CONFERENCE WOMEN'S TOURNAMENT

March 6, 2007

OKLAHOMA CITY, OKLAHOMA

MODERATOR: We're now joined by Coach Kristy Curry, Patrice Edwards, Brooke Baughman and Alesha Robertson. Coach, your thoughts about today's game?
COACH CURRY: There's a lot to say. It's kind of how things have been done for us. We've been close, but close doesn't really count. And I think the thing about it, I'm proud of the team and they've been great as people. I've been at Texas Tech. I think they have a foundation for what we're about to do in the future.
When we came in, we had our work cut out for us. The more work, the more I like it. We're working on it every day to get it back, and we'll go do that. Plays a big part and we'll try to emphasize it.

Q. Kristy, how hard is it to wear down Jackie McFarland? As she plays 40 minutes, it doesn't seem like she really tires at all.
COACH CURRY: She does a good job. Seems like they just never get tired. They play so hard and, to me, they're really similar in how they play. Just give her credit. She did a great job today, especially from the free throw line. That's pretty obvious. Wish we could have kept her off the line a little bit.

Q. Coach, I know you're not big on what ifs or excuses, but how tough was it going down the stretch without Chesley, without her.
COACH CURRY: I'm not going to make an excuse. You roll up your sleeves with her gone. Bottom line was it is what it is. And it's something we can't control. And it's obviously something how do we jump back.
As far as the staff, we tried to fill that role and to find a way. There was just no way in the stretch that we were able to do that. I think that's what we tried to do. It's out of our control. We missed her plays. We missed her presence. We missed her -- she gave us a confidence. She was that kind of player at Tech. It is what it is.

Q. Coach, did you feel like you had good looks at the end?
COACH CURRY: Oh, my goodness. It's just indicative of the way it's gone. Maybe like the last four minutes, we had some wide open looks, from 3, didn't go down for us for whatever reason.
Patrick, I'm not sure why this happened. I know we did everything we could, and we're just -- we'll have better days ahead. We'll find a way.

Q. Along those lines, you had to have been upset. They had so many turnovers and yet you all couldn't pull away.
COACH CURRY: It was our decision-making. In practice situations, we try to bring in and talk and teach. Seemed like our decision-making just seemed to jump up, caught us at critical times. Right at the end, 5.3 to doing that, I don't understand that, but it is what it is.

Q. Coach, down the stretch, having four players with four fouls, did that make you guys have to relax a little bit?
COACH CURRY: Not at all. That was really never talked about. We knew what was happening. We couldn't focus on that. We had to come out and be aggressive. We knew our bench could come in if they had to. We never really talked about that. We told them how many they had if they forgot because sometimes they forget.

Q. Can you tell us about the emotions you're going through playing your last game as a Lady Raider?
ALESHA ROBERTSON: It's really hard. We fought hard. We did what we could, and I don't know if it's sunk in yet, but I had a little talk with my teammates after and told them to come back here and kick their butt and do it next year and try to remember this. And yes, it's pretty hard, but just got to move on and see what God has in store for us next and take that challenge.

Q. Patrice and Coach, how tough was it -- you scored 13 points, and you only played 14 minutes, for 6 and 7. How tough was that?
PATRICE EDWARDS: That was pretty tough because I got into foul trouble kind of early. It slowed things down, the more minutes that I got to play tonight, and I think that put us in a bad situation.
COACH CURRY: She said it best. She gets in foul trouble, it puts us in bad a situation. Not just foul. She wasn't trying to foul. It's something we've been working on. Just not putting her hands down. I guess her arms are so long and she's so skinny that sometimes she's just so long that things don't go her way. We've just been working on it and we got another one today. But we'll keep working on it. She has some basketball left in her at Trinidad, so that will be good.

Q. Alesha, you seemed to, in a lot of instances, draw tough defensive assignments, get banged around and beat up on the defensive end and then have to come down and score, and you didn't play a lot of minutes. Talk about your physical conditioning and what -- having played defense and the rebounds, might take out of your offense. You also kind of lost some weight this year and a little lighter. So how did that affect your game?
ALESHA ROBERTSON: Yes, it's tough when you draw defense, but that's just one things that players have to face and they have to find a way to get around it. You're not going to unless you make a mental note that you are, that you have to. So, yes, that's my personal deal and I've just got to find a way to get around that.
And I think God's given me a pretty good body that it won't break down. But you just gotta go in there and fight and I'm just thankful that he put me in the big 12 so that's a good blessing. And I'm very blessed and I'm glad I get to do it. I'll fall down as many times as he wants me to.

Q. Brooke, can you talk about what you're feeling right now?
BROOKE BAUGHMAN: It was a good experience and you kind of come in face these challenges. They don't always go the way you want them to. But like Alesha said, we'll go on and face other challenges.

Q. Brooke and Alesha, can you talk about being a part of a team together after playing with each other throughout your whole basketball careers?
ALESHA ROBERTSON: I just told Brooke in the locker room me her and Pat are going to have to find a church league. But we're going to try to get on a team together and do it all over again. But, yes, it's been a blessing with Brooke being my point guard for a long time. We've played against each other in high school and then she was my point guard in AAU, and she's been a blessing. She's a great point guard and I'm glad that we've been together.
She means a lot to me. I've got a lot of respect for her as a player and as a person.
BROOKE BAUGHMAN: Alesha is just a wonderful person. Every day I enjoy being around her. I've definitely taken it for granted. I'm going to miss her, but we'll still be friends and go on.

Q. For the three players, coach talked about how you all have laid a foundation, but what sort of foundation do you think you've laid, what sort of future do you think the program has?
PATRICE EDWARDS: I think the program has a great future. We have a lot of great players coming in I think we'll have a team that's really balanced in the next few years. She knows we really do care about winning and we really do care about each other and I think that's important.
ALESHA ROBERTSON: I think that next coming years are going to be awesome. I think this coaching staff knows what they want and they're going to get it. And they're awesome.
One of the best coaching staffs I've ever had and they're a blessing, and I'm glad I got to be a part of them and it's just a blessing. I'm very thankful to be a part of that and they're going to get it done. So whoever is going against Tech better watch out.
PATRICE EDWARDS: I think we have a great coaching staff and players. They're going to come in and this program is going to get back up to where it needs to be.
MODERATOR: Thank you very much. And congratulations on a good season. Good luck in the future.

End of FastScripts

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