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NCAA WOMEN'S 1ST & 2ND ROUNDS: WEST LAFAYETTEMarch 24, 2014Whitney BaysCourtney MossSharon VersypWEST LAFAYETTE, INDIANA OKLAHOMA STATE – 73 COACH VERSYP: Oklahoma State early on, really set the tone on the boards, game of their life, 20 boards and that obviously hurt us, and then 55 got some real good offensive boards when we were trying to make a run back. So we really struggled there. Even though the numbers look good on paper, the first half really set the tone, and then they shot 42 percent and we didn't shoot as well at 37 percent, so that kind of is what happened and they controlled the tempo. Q. How difficult were they to keep off the boards, especially early it seemed like they set the tone there, like Sharon said, for the first ten or 15 minutes. WHITNEY BAYS: I think at first it seemed really difficult because everybody, it seemed like everybody was crashing. Like we would box someone out and they would get loose and they were getting long rebounds, too. It was difficult at first. Q. Courtney, how were they able to limit you guys in transition for most of the game? COURTNEY MOSS: We weren't rebounding their offensive rebounds, so when they are scoring, they were able to push the ball but were obviously making rebounds and scoring layups and it's hard to run on that and we weren't knocking down shots today? Q. They got some second‑chance points but you got it down to six points and that came off the second chance, does that encapsulate a little of your issues, you get on a run and made a bucket on you? COURTNEY MOSS: Every time we would fight back, they would come back with an answer, and good teams do that at this point in the tournament. That's what good teams do. So every time we got close, they hit a three or got a steal or something would happen. Q. Anything different about the way they played defense or the zone that they had, that made you guys think a little bit? WHITNEY BAYS: I have to watch the game because during the game you don't really see anything, but basically it was the rebounding, we weren't able to get on the run that we wanted to and it was really, really clogged up and sometimes we drove and we weren't getting the looks that we really wanted. Q. Courtney, could you talk about the performance of Whitney, not only today, but all weekend and sort of how she rose up during the tournament a little? COURTNEY MOSES: Whitney has been ‑‑ (inaudible) all season. The procedure done and the rehab and then the two games, the way she has, I'm very proud of her and I can't wait to see what she can do next year. Q. How do you feel like you played tonight? WHITNEY BAYS: I'm never satisfied. I missed a couple crucial free throws. I could have blocked out better, played better defense. But I'm not satisfied; we didn't win. Q. Courtney, how proud are you of the team this season? COURTNEY MOSS: We've been talking in the locker room about all the adversity we went through, and to hear from people (ph), the adversity to think that the team, bawling their eyes out, that means more to me than winning tonight is what we went through as a team. Q. Sort of what I asked Courtney, too, about the one sequence, you got it down to six. COACH VERSYP: Yeah, we just couldn't‑‑ we just couldn't get where we needed to be. When that happened, that was a dagger and we had two turnovers in a row and that stretched back to 11. Those were keys to the game. They played a great game, and I knew it was going to be a great game going back and forth, but when you've got that lead, you know, we just need to make sure that we secured the ball and boxed out better. You know, they are a very good rebounding team, which they showed tonight. Q. Did the early rebounding edge for them just kind of take that off the transition that you wanted to use tonight? COACH VERSYP: Yeah, you know, very early when they were crashing, they were ‑‑ like 22, it just set the tone. It kind of sets the tone, rebounding, that carries the bat. And trying, first of all, trying to get back, we've got to be able to have a post player run the middle, and that's been a weakness of ours all year. Whitney has been getting the rebounds but we don't have the post running down the floor. So when you don't have that option, it's easier to defend on the lanes. Q. How important was the tournament for Whitney? COACH VERSYP: I think it's big. I think the whole year has been big. We didn't know if she would finish the whole season. We didn't know where she would be. She's above and beyond what everybody, doctors, everyone, didn't think she could ever play again, and she's gone against the odds. She's just battled. She's a kid that has so much passion and love for the game, and you know, she's just been amazing. Q. How difficult was it to matchupwith Martin? COACH VERSYP: I don't know. Everybody is like, where's she coming from. I'm like, well, if it's man‑to‑man, the person who is contesting should be boxing her out. Zone is a little different; it could be a guard, it could be post, and we are boxing out and she would find that just in time. She was on a mission and she finished it, there's no question about it. She played great. Q. You stated you wanted to get to the Sweet16 and it was pretty important, but this falls short of that goal; what is the thought in your mind as the season comes to an end? COACH VERSYP: You know, I normally say this every year, but I think this year because we've dealt with so many issues, like five, heavy, like‑death situations, I'm just so proud of them, AK (ph), what she brought us and has been part of that senior class. So you fall short from the Sweet16 basketball wise, but when you talk about everything else, they are top in the country, so that's the best I can sum up. Q. The couple minutes, end of the first half and couples minutes to start the second half, swing in their favor‑‑ put you pretty far behind. COACH VERSYP: Yeah, it did. Just tried to come out and execute, and we turned the ball over, that was never a good way to start your second half or with a kick out‑of‑bounds or whatever. So it's always the first four minutes and then the end of the halves and beginning of the half, we didn't do very well. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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