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BIG 12 CONFERENCE WOMEN'S TOURNAMENT

March 11, 2010

Deb Patterson

KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI

Kansas State Â– 59
Texas Tech - 51

COACH PATTERSON: That brought competitive play today from our freshman Taelor Karr, I thought that was big, great leadership and a presence today out there from Kari Kincaid and possessions on both ends where we needed these two to step up and make plays for their basketball team they did.
We're extremely proud and happy for the victory. Again, I think in a league where easily eight or nine teams out of our league could compete in the NCAA Tournament and give any basketball team across the country a great game.
THE MODERATOR: Thank you, we'll take our student athlete questions first.

Q. A couple of questions for Taelor, you look at the box score you only made 7 out of 24 3's, but could you talk about Taelor and those guys knocking down 3's? They never recovered from that, did they?
TAELOR KARR: It's always nice to come out and get the game check check check or me making two and it was nice to get the ball around and give people shots that they like and rhythm and that set is a good tone for us for the rest was the game.

Q. (No microphone.)
KARI KINCAID: Yeah, I was glad we were hitting right off the bat and it gave me confidence to keep hitting throughout the game and our shots were falling.

Q. Kari, you guys led the whole game, talk about the runs they made at you and how you guys think you held up.
KARI KINCAID: Well we've been a team of two halves this year, and we came out and played really well in the first half and we've grown and learned this year that you can't get too excited about a first half because you've got another half to play.
We came out that second half and we had the lead the whole second half, but I remember look up and they had cut it to 2 and I think we all just said "enough is enough" we're not going to let them take our lead from us. I wish we would have gotten this a couple of months ago, but I think we stepped up and fought for what he wanted. We won a basketball game and that's what it takes to win.

Q. (No microphone.)
KARI KINCAID: It might be today, but we stood up for ourselves and said we've come too far in this game, worked our tails off and a 2-point lead is not enough and we came in, Taelor made a huge three, Ashley had that "and 1" and it felt good to get over the hump and say "Oh, no you don't" and I think we did that tonight.

Q. (No microphone.)
TAELOR KARR: Honestly I let the posts do a lot of work they block everybody out, and they leave it open for me to run in there and grab the ball so I give credit to them and it was bouncing my way so luckily it happened that way and it always helps when you get extra possessions and that series we had three or four shots up, and we finally made one so that always breaks the other team's back.

Q. (No microphone.)
TAELOR KARR: It's going to be a good game. We've played them well the last two times we've matched up with them, and Kelsey is say great player and we need to go out and play hard like we did and see what happens.
KARI KINCAID: Before the game Coach P was saying "we're fighting for our life here to win the game" and we got another chance. It's going to be the same thing tomorrow. We're fighting for our basketball life, well my basketball life for sure. We're going to bring a lot of emotion. No one in the world thinks we can win except for us, you know, we believe in ourselves and, you know, we would shock the world if we beat undefeated Nebraska.
But we're going to go in believing in ourselves and just really try and shock them -- they're such a great team. We're going to have to play our absolute best to be in the game with such a high-caliber team they're just great. So we're excited that we get another chance to play. I'm fightin' for my basketball life and so is Ashley, so we're going to bring that emotion.

Q. (No microphone.)
KARI KINCAID: Right. You know, Ashley, out of all people she puts so much on her shoulders especially with scoring and I know she was really frustrated throughout the game, you know, when she couldn't get her shots to go in, but before her "and 1" she had a block and a rebound, too. Those things changed the game. She probably wouldn't give any credit to herself but those are just as good as getting 5 points. Any amount of points, making plays like that. Those were critical plays she made at the end. We always say that's when it counts. We got a win without her scoring so that's good for us.
THE MODERATOR: First question for Coach Patterson?

Q. When Texas Tech made a run to cut it to 2 is that the attitude you've been looking for?
COACH PATTERSON: Absolutely. We just kept workin' at it, you know? And everybody understands that that's the way we want to think and compete and today we were able to follow that up with some big plays. I think what was really significant was that the point that Kari just made when Ashley wasn't necessarily scoring, which has happened in some contests. We just really committed and understood the nature of team and the responsibility we all have, you know, to compete for one another. You can have a great player on the floor with you, but to rely on them and to stand back doesn't necessarily get you wins. You all have your opportunity to impact winning or to impact competing hard, and I think our team really was committed to that today. I do believe they've been committed to it throughout the course of conference play. We just haven't necessarily seen all the dots connect. You know, there's been minutes in a game where maybe we doubted ourselves or our experience or maturity bumped us a little bit.
Today I think we played through mistakes and we played through poor plays that in other situations might have gotten us down, so as a team I think, you know, our young people had a grit at this mentality today and that was the difference.

Q. Coach, you talked about second half of the Colorado game, first half of Nebraska, is this as close as you've seen recently of forty minutes of complete basketball?
COACH PATTERSON: Well it's the first time in a long time that we've competed that hard through the bumps. Through the peaks and the valley of a game and found a way to get a big, big win, like a season-extending win, obviously.
I think we played better basketball this year than maybe we played during this game, but I don't know that we competed with any better mentality over the course of forty minutes than we did today, even though maybe we played better basketball for segments earlier this evening than a week or two weeks ago.

Q. (No microphone.)
COACH PATTERSON: Well, you know, these young people are -- they're just great young people. They're tough, you know, they're competitive, they love and care about each other, they want to do well, you know, they walk in every day and they want to be good and they want to commit to one another. So whether you have 7 or 12, you know, if you've got that, it gives you a chance, you know, and obviously individually they have to step up and make plays.
Again, you just have to credit their focus and their ability to not be distracted by things that other people might think are good and you've got to believe in you and they've worked hard to do that. Even though they haven't been great on any given night they understand that the greater message is you are and that's why you're here and let's keep slugin' away at it.

Q. Kari talked about this but with Ashley, coming in if we told you Ashley was only going to have 5 points our offense focuses on her, would you say that your team had a chance if she was going to finish with 5?
COACH PATTERSON: I would have thought we had a slim chance, although, you know, again, we've seen some games where it's been a tough go for her, and, you know, that's just part of your team growing I think, but to cut to the chase I think I would have said "man, this is going to be a real rough, rough road" if we went into the game and you told me ahead of time Ashley was going to finish with 5 points.
But we talk all the time about the fact that there are a lot of ways to impact the game and impact winning and we needed others to step up. It's not just that Ashley grabs a rebound or a block, those are things you need to do to be competitive.
I think it's as much the other young people surrounding her that stepped up their game and their confidence and their sense of self that is the most please to me, and the biggest factor in having an opportunity to play another game.

Q. (No microphone.)
COACH PATTERSON: Well, the positive for me is that we get to play again tomorrow. You know, Nebraska is a tremendous team, and that goes without saying. They're on an unbelievable terror this year through the season. For me it's just -- and for our basketball team it really it more about the challenge, you know? Having an opportunity to step up to the plate with another challenge before us. I can't say that I relish the opportunity to have that match-up be Nebraska, you know?
But we will, I hope, step on the floor and give our very best and bring our very best game and efforts to the floor and see where that takes us.
THE MODERATOR: Okay, Coach, congratulations on today's win, we will look forward to seeing you tomorrow.

End of FastScripts

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