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BIG 12 CONFERENCE WOMEN'S TOURNAMENTMarch 12, 2010Ashleigh FontenetteGail GoestenkorsBrittainey RavenKANSAS CITY, MISSOURI Texas A&M – 77 THE MODERATOR: We're now joined by our student athletes from Texas university, Brittainey Raven and Ashleigh Fontenette, and if you have questions we'll take 'em now. Q. Brittainey, you guys were up and Texas A&M went on a 13-0 run, can you talk about that? BRITTAINEY RAVEN: I think we struggled on the defensive end, we weren't coming down and scoring on the offensive end and we weren't getting turnovers. THE MODERATOR: You need to speak into the microphone, nobody heard you. BRITTAINEY RAVEN: I said we didn't get defensive stops and then coming down on the offensive end. We weren't executing and we had turn overs. Q. For both of you, what is it with Texas A&M? Is it such a hard match-up with their guards? What is it? ASHLEIGH FONTENETTE: It seems like we have a mental block when it comes to A&M. They always get the best of us. We can never take care of the ball like we should. I'm at a loss for words. BRITTAINEY RAVEN: I mean every time we play A&M they give us their best game and we give them our worst game. Since my freshman year it's been that way every year. Q. Either or both of you, the three kids from Kansas City scored 57 of their 77 points. Can you talk about Adams and Smith and White, what made them tough today? ASHLEIGH FONTENETTE: I'm sure they had confidence, they're playing at home, I'm sure they had family and friends here. She stepped up big for their team. They're leaders on their team, they play well. Q. Brittainey, on the turnovers, any particular reason or they just react too quick and y'all's passes are too soft or lazy or too much air under 'em, what is it? ASHLEIGH FONTENETTE: The majority of our turnovers were because we were throwing them away, I don't think their pressure or being in the passing lane had anything to do with the turnovers we had, most of the turnovers we had. THE MODERATOR: Okay, ladies, thank you very much. We appreciate you're answering the questions. Best of luck to you in the tournament, Coach? COACH GOESTENKORS: Congratulations to A&M. I thought they played an excellent game. You know, they had great contributions really all around from everybody that got in. I thought they played great team basketball. Obviously, their pressure bothered us, 26 turnovers, we've had 20 or more turnovers every time we've played them so that was the name of the game. You can't score if you don't have the ball and we gave them too many opportunities and they took advantage of it. Q. Was it just a difference in heads-up guard play? You feel like there was some bad decisions on making passes and soft entry passes? COACH GOESTENKORS: Definitely. Ashleigh Fontenette with 6 and Erika with 6 and Brittainey with 4. That's our backcourt right there so you're not going to be successful if your guards can't handle the ball, handle the pressure and handles the situation and they didn't do any of the above so it was a frustrating night inning for all three of them. Q. Gail, can you handicap this semi-final match-up because Nebraska is coming in 30-0 but A&M is playing so well right now, about as well as they have all season and having played both of those teams this year how do you see that workin' out? COACH GOESTENKORS: I think it's going to be a tremendous game. Both teams play excellent defense, they both get up and in passing lanes, they're both very physical, I think Nebraska is a much better passing team than we are, so if you take care of the ball you can take advantage of some mismatches and I think they did that in the first game when they played; but it was a battle in the first game, and I think A&M is playing much better now. I think it can go either way. If Nebraska is to lose, I think it's going to be tomorrow. Q. Coach, you had 12 turnovers in the first half and you were able to overcome that and take a 4 lead, what happened in the 13-0 run? COACH GOESTENKORS: We had 15 turnovers at half, we weren't blown out, so I felt like we were in a good position, I didn't think we turned the ball over like that in the second half. I thought we would be able to adjust to the pressure. You know, we took the lead, we were scoring in transition and then A.T. had a tough turnover where it led to the fast-break layup, and it took the wind out of our sails, and they won't a 13-0 run and once they scored in transition it gave them confidence. Their wings started hitting some pull-up J's as well. The first half they weren't hitin', and in the second half they did. Q. Gail I know Kat hasn't fared well in the last three games, is it the defense or not getting into position? COACH GOESTENKORS: I think they play great defense on Kat; however, I give responsibility to Kat because she doesn't use screens well to get open, and we talk about it before and after every game with them, if you don't set good screens and you don't use screens you will not be open against this team so we're still -- that's a work in progress. Q. I hate to ask this, but A&M, I can't think of any opponent in your coaching career, even going back to Duke, you had some runs with Carolina where they might have had 3 or 4 in a row, Gary talked about his guard play being good. But how frustrating is it that they're the team you haven't been able to beat yet? COACH GOESTENKORS: It's been frustrating, and it reminds me very much of Carolina because when I first got to Duke -- and Carolina was so physical, and that's when I started using guys to practice against because I wanted to simulate Carolina and their physical play. They're very, very similar and they had us for a while. Once we got over the hump and won that first game then we went on a roll so I expect the same thing to happen I just hope it happens soon! Q. Given the history here in the last two or three years, how much of the problem for your girls do you think is from the neck up? Is it a mental thing with them at all, do they get discouraged visually when things start to go bad? COACH GOESTENKORS: I think we've gotten better, I think part of it's mental, part of it is physical we're not a great passing team, we haven't been all year ask we're not a great ball handling team. We're playing A.T. at the point. I think she is doing an admirable job, but she's not a true point guard. So I think it's a bad combination to not have a true point guard on your team who can run the show and calm your team down. You've got a physical, athletic team that you're playing against. It's a tough combination for us, and I agree with Gary his guard play has been exceptional and our guards have to do a better job and we're bringing more guards in that can hopefully help us. Q. I guess everybody has talked about guard play and it's such a big thing in the NCAA Tournament. You can't add personnel, so what are you guys going to work on in terms of how you approach the NCAA Tournament with the problems that you know that you have. COACH GOESTENKORS: Right. I told my guard coaches, Gail and LaKale, I said forget shooting drills I don't want you working on shooting drills every drill we do now has to be about handling pressure, handling the ball and passing and that's going to be our focus for the next week. We may not be able to shoot ball but hopefully we will be able to take care of it, at least get a shot off. THE MODERATOR: Coach, thank you very much and best of luck to you in the tournament. End of FastScripts |
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