home jobs contact us
Our Clients:
Browse by Sport
Find us on ASAP sports on Facebook ASAP sports on Twitter
ASAP Sports RSS Subscribe to RSS
Click to go to
Asaptext.com		 ASAPtext.com
ASAP Sports e-Brochure View our
e-Brochure

SOUTHEASTERN CONFERENCE WOMEN'S TOURNAMENT


March 8, 2008


Sarah Elliott

Samantha Mahoney

Matthew Mitchell


NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE

THE MODERATOR: Coach, an opening comment?
COACH MITCHELL: Well, disappointed with the outcome today. I thought that after the good game we played last night we definitely had some confidence coming into the game, and I thought our team really played hard, gave a lot of effort. We were up against a very opponent, and I thought LSU played really well today.
But I would compliment our team. I think that it was not a lack of effort. I think we had some execution breakdowns, and we did not have a good day shooting. But I think going into postseason, our team plays with enough intensity on defense and enough intensity rebounding that we have a chance to beat anybody we play, and I'm looking forward to going into the postseason with this team, and I'm real proud of what they've accomplished in this tournament.

Q. Samantha, you have played them pretty tough the last time. What was the difference in today's game?
SAMANTHA MAHONEY: I think our shooting was a key factor in the game today. I think they really pushed the ball hard at us every time down the court to get easy baskets. We didn't particularly guard them well in transition.

Q. Do you feel like fatigue was at all a factor, having just played late last night?
SARAH ELLIOTT: I don't think it was a big factor because we work really hard all year-round to keep in shape, and our physical and our endurance up. I would not like to think that it was, but I'm sure eventually it did get to us, but our mindset was to play hard and give everything we had. I believe we did that, we just didn't want the outcome that we wanted.

Q. Samantha, they kept a pretty comfortable lead the whole second half, but at the same time they never were able to completely blow you guys out. You hung tough, and Van commented earlier about how you guys never gave up and threw in the towel?
SAMANTHA MAHONEY: Well, we knew if we could keep the game close we'd have a chance at the end like we did in Baton Rouge. That's what we were telling ourselves today. We were down in the last four teams in this tournament and we didn't want to give up that easily.

Q. Sarah, what makes Fowles such a difficult and tough match up from your perspective?
SARAH ELLIOTT: She's a all-American. She's great hands, great touch, she's very athletic. All you can do is be physical with her, play her tough. All I can do is just give her my best, and I know she's going to get baskets and I have to expect that and be understanding of that. I just have to limit her baskets, do my best to do that. She's just a great all-around player, and I give her props. She works hard.

Q. Can either one of you talk about the postseason and where you think you should be and if you think you played your way in?
SAMANTHA MAHONEY: Well, of course we want to be in the NCAA Tournament. I think we beat a few ranked teams this year, we've played a lot of top teams really tough down to the wire. We really competed hard in our conference. We extended it to nine wins now, I believe it is. And I think we really deserve to be in the NCAA tournament.
SARAH ELLIOTT: We competed very hard all season. We had one of the tougher seasons in the nation, played LSU and Tennessee twice, and we both -- we fought very hard each one, and I believe that we deserve to go and, you know, give it our all because I believe that our defense can definitely keep us in the tournament. We play with everything that we've got every game, and we're just not willing to give up, and I think that's a very big thing.
I mean, I love this team, and I know we all desperately and lovingly want to go into the NCAA.
THE MODERATOR: Thank you, players. Anything for Coach?

Q. Can you just answer the question that they did about the NCAA?
COACH MITCHELL: I will now answer that question. We've been talking around it for a while. Look, I think it comes down to what the committee values, and I'm not sure I have a good grasp on that or if anyone knows. And it's a complicated process, but I think our case is pretty simple. Are you going to reward a team based on the team they started out to be or the team they became?
I think our players deserve a lot of credit for undergoing a coaching change, having to make that transition was not easy. Having to play one of the top schedules in the country, and having to do that in the pre-conference portion with significant injuries to significant contributors on the team. I think that is a piece of the puzzle that people have to look at.
You know, wherever our league stacks up, a team that wins nine games against Southeastern Conference competition, if we're not a team that's worthy of strong consideration or even in the tournament, I don't know what they're going to say that they really value. I don't know what the case against us is going to be besides five of our losses are against Tennessee and LSU. I mean, that's one part of it.
We didn't duck and run, and we could have scheduled in a manner that would have gotten us to 20 wins, but I don't know if we would have become the team that we were able to be or that we are today had we done that. I'm real proud of our players.
I told them in the locker room I'm going to talk to whoever I can talk to and I'll fight for them because they have gone through a whole lot this year, and to come out -- I think we saw last night we earned our top-four seed. We advanced. It was not a flukey-type game. We came out and we knew we had to win, and we won that game. I think there's a lot to be said about Kentucky, and I think that we are extremely deserving.

Q. You've just played a team that has still not lost an SEC game this year, yet you stayed in it, you never threw in the towel. How proud are you?
COACH MITCHELL: I'm very proud of our effort today. I thought that LSU -- I have so much respect for them. Not only are they talented, they play extremely hard and they play with a lot of discipline, and you don't always see that from real talented teams. I don't see LSU taking a lot of shortcuts, and I'm so impressed with the way that they play and carry themselves.
So I have a lot of respect for them, and to see our players go out and battle and to see our players prepare this morning and listen and really want to come in and win this game is something that I think speaks to what kind of team we have been able to become.

Q. With the NCAA right around the corner and a possible berth coming you guys' way, when you get there is it something you think your team is going to be playing a little bit better seeing as the last team you faced was LSU, a team with their caliber?
COACH MITCHELL: That's another case I would make for our chances going into the tournament. I don't know anybody that would draw us and go, boy, I'd really like to play Kentucky in the first round of the NCAA tournament. I think they would look at the way we play, and we play really, really hard-nosed, really aggressive and tough, we're going to guard every time we take the floor, we're going to rebound every time we take the floor, we're going to find ways to win. I don't know that anybody would be jumping up and down if they drew us in the NCAA tournament.
So I would have a lot of confidence in our group going into it. We have played the top teams in the country. We know what it's like to compete against them. So I would go in with an extremely high level of confidence if we were to get a bid.

Q. Can you talk about what Thomas was able to do in the first half? You guys seemed to be sagging off of her to get some fouls and she made a few key shots for them?
COACH MITCHELL: Well, Thomas was 5 for 10 in the first half and then 0 for 7 in the second half, and we just were going to ride that and play those percentages, and I thought -- we could live with her 5 of 10, we couldn't live with 14 from the line, and I apologize for beating LSU up, we were so hard and tough on them. But in all seriousness, we fouled too much in the first half. So our players were clear on what the game plan was, and -- she's a good player and she did a good job. She did a much better job today than she did in Baton Rouge, but that was the game plan with her.
THE MODERATOR: Thank you, Coach.

End of FastScripts
About ASAP Sports • FastScripts Archive • Recent Interviews • Captioning • Upcoming Events • Contact Us
FastScripts | Events Covered | Our Clients | Other Services | ASAP in the News | Site Map | Job Opportunities | Links
ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297