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BIG 12 CONFERENCE WOMEN'S TOURNAMENTMarch 8, 2014Mike CareyJess HarleyTaylor PalmerOKLAHOMA CITY, OKLAHOMA West Virginia – 67 MIKE CAREY: Let's give TCU a lot of credit, came out and played extremely hard. They played us extremely hard all three times. I knew this was going to be like this, this game, and I told the team when we knew we were playing them last night that they're a great team. But I thought Jess Harlee come in defensively and offensively, did a great job. I thought Asya Bussie did a great job in the paint, and when we got behind there, Taylor Palmer come in and hit a couple threes and got us going a little bit and scored. Total team effort. Needless to say we're going to have to play a lot better tomorrow. Q. When TCU started to go on their runs, what did you guys say to regain your composure? TAYLOR PALMER: We just tried to make sure that we were all on the same page and trying to slow down. We knew we had to get stops, and like coach said, Jess Harlee came in and she played tremendous on Medley and it got her to slow down a little bit, and that's when we started to make our run. JESS HARLEY: We just said we had to stay positive and keep helping each other, when she was driving, help each other and stay on her when she was shooting the threes because she kept doing the step back, so we just said help defense and get back and recover. Q. Jess, the missed free throw there, were you kind of surprised when that girl just stood there? I guess they thought obviously it was two shots. What did you think when the ball is going up and their girls aren't even moving? JESS HARLEY: Well, I saw them standing there and weren't ready. And I was like, I'm pretty sure this is one‑and‑one, but I'm not sure, I'm just going to follow it and why not? So I went in there and followed it and made the lay‑up, and I was like, oh, well, good. Q. Taylor, you guys were down, I think, 45‑41. You got a couple of threes there that really seemed to turn the momentum. Did you feel good about taking those shots? TAYLOR PALMER: Yes. I just shot. I wasn't really thinking about it. I wasn't thinking about it. When I got the ball, I just saw the basket and I shot it with the utmost confidence, and I was hitting, so it was good. Q. What does it say about this team to be able to win a game like this? I know Bria was on the bench with fouls most of the night and you had some other people that came off the bench, you and Jess in particular that really helped this team get over the hump? TAYLOR PALMER: It just shows how deep we are. A lot of teams have maybe like five or six players. We have a whole team. Everybody comes in, everyone plays their role, and we're deep, and it helps us when, like you said, Bria was in foul trouble, and people getting in foul trouble or people not hitting their shots, it helps tremendously because everyone can come in and step up and do what they have to do for us to win the game. Q. Jess, were you assigned to stop Medley? Seems like when you came in your size really gave her trouble in the second half? JESS HARLEY: Yeah, that's what I knew my role was when I got in there, that I had to stick her and make sure she didn't get the ball. So I just did my best that once she passed it up I didn't want her to get the ball back. And if people were driving, I wasn't helping off of her so my goal was just not to let her catch the ball, even from full court on. That was my role. Q. Jess, is this just a big sense of relief for the team, just to get past this first game? You're a 2 seed playing the 7, the pressure is all on you, not them. Do you think having gotten past this game and grinded it out that this team will maybe relax a little bit, not be as tight tomorrow? JESS HARLEY: Yeah, it's always a great feeling to get a win under your belt. TCU had that yesterday so we wanted it today so then tomorrow we'll be more ready for the game, I feel like. We're going to have a shoot around in here so we can shoot on these baskets more, so I think that will help us, also. Q. Coach, your team beat TCU twice in the regular season by a total of eight points. What does it say about your team to be able to beat them again in the tournament? It's really tough to beat a team three times in one season. MIKE CAREY: Yeah, it is, and TCU is a tough match‑up for us. They were both times, and it came down to the wire just like this game did. It didn't surprise me. This was a tight game, and it came down to the wire. It didn't surprise me we got behind. We've been behind a lot this season and always been able to fight back and find a way to win at the end. Would I rather that not happen, absolutely, but it doesn't surprise me. Q. You used three point guards tonight, obviously needed to with the foul trouble, but going forward do you feel comfortable using all three in that role here? MIKE CAREY: Yeah, yeah, we got in foul trouble, and then Brooke Hampton is coming off injury, and then Darius, I brought her off red shirt. So yeah, we'll continue to do that. But we'll see who's playing well and that type of stuff, but you know, Brooke is not in my opinion used to contact again and all that, so we'll just have to play it by ear. Q. Taylor Palmer 4 of 5, 3 of 3 of three‑pointers, didn't shoot a free throw but had 11 points in 17 minutes. Has that been typical of her all season? MIKE CAREY: Yeah, she's done a great job off the bench. She was picked sixth player in the conference, sixth man, and that's why. She comes in and gives us some offense, comes in and plays hard and is a senior, you know, so she understands the pressure and that type of stuff. She's done that job for us all year. Q. Along the lines of what I was talking with Taylor about, do you feel like the players having gotten past this one, you hope that they'll relax and be a little better tomorrow? MIKE CAREY: I hope so. I hope so. You know, my past experience has been even if you go to an early tournament, usually the second day you play better than you do the first day. You slow down a little bit. You don't have all that energy and all that. We've been here since Thursday. It seems like it's about time we played. So hopefully we'll come out and take care of the ball a little bit better and execute a little bit better. Q. You talked about it Thursday before you left Morgantown you were concerned with the foul shooting, you knew that was going to be key, 6 of 7 there in the last 1:15, and the one that Linda missed just folded in. Just the foul shooting, your thoughts? MIKE CAREY: Yeah, again, we were missing some, but down the stretch I think Linda Stepney stepped up there and hit four in a row, and then I think Jess hit a couple, and then the one we did miss I think was Asya, and Jess was able to get it. I was thinking the same thing. I know I was thinking it was 1‑and‑1 because we just got into the 1‑and‑1, so I was thinking it was 1‑and‑1 when we missed, and then I'm thinking I'm wrong and then Jess puts it in, and I'm like, Jess is a little bit smarter than I am. That was good thinking on her part just to go ahead. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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