Kansas State 68-52
Feb 05, 2003 | Women's Basketball
Feb. 5, 2003
KANSAS STATE HEAD COACH DEB PATTERSON
On Nicole Ohlde's play tonight...
"It was just a tremendous game from Nicole Ohlde. She was one of two players on the floor who I thought gave us 40 minutes of great play, effort and intensity. Nicole played a great game the entire night, and I thought Chelsea Domenico gave us a complete game as well. Those two stood out to me as really consistent. What can you say about Nicole Ohlde? She just continues to step up in critical situations and that is so impressive to me. We were a basketball team who was not playing well, and yet she didn't concede to some of our struggles. She just continued to play, to work, to fight, and become a very big presence."
On the change in K-State's shooting percentage from the first to the second half...
"We really just addressed the fact that we weren't competing at the level that we are capable of. Individually, we were making a tremendous amount of mistakes, and we were making poor basketball decisions. We were not really playing with a high level of confidence and assertiveness. When those elements aren't present and you're being tentative, when you are making poor decisions, and you're really not focused, the game is incredibly challenging against a high-caliber opposition. Missouri, on the other hand, was very assertive, very aggressive, and had a no-back-down mentality. We weren't defending the three ball the first ten minutes of the game, and we weren't executing on the offensive end at a level we are accustomed to. So, we were making the game difficult, because there was not one area where we were asserting ourselves in a positive manner, aside from Nicole Ohlde and Chelsea Domenico. But as a whole, we just didn't bring it the first 20 minutes and Missouri did. Consequently, they (Missouri) owned the first 20 minutes across the board."
On stepping up defensively in the second half...
"I thought we came back out in the second half with a new commitment to our assignments and a new intensity, and a sense of urgency regarding how we needed to play and how we were capable of playing. To hold any team in this league to under 25 percent in a half is significant, and demonstrates to our basketball team what we are capable of when we truly bring the focus and the commitment to our assignments that is necessary."
On the reason for the team's struggle in the first half...
"I think we had a couple of players that just struggled getting into the flow of the game and feeling confident after missed shots. I think we were a little fragile mentally and it just continued to snowball. We forced some things, we were indecisive at times, and it is hard to put your finger on it. Except, that we weren't as mentally tough as we needed to be and we were extremely hard on ourselves. The individuals on this team have a tendency to do that. To be so hard on themselves individually that they have the capacity to take themselves out of the game. It's not lack of intensity or not wanting to do well. It's really the flip side, wanting to do too well."
CENTER NICOLE OHLDE
On K-State's defense...
"If you talk about the first-half defense, I don't think we played the way we need to be playing on defense. I don't know how many threes they got off. So that was one of the things we talked about at halftime - just coming out and getting out on their shooters and getting back in case they penetrate and just contain their posts. A total team effort on the defensive end helps out."
On guards opening up the paint...
"They know that we do have three-point shooters and that allows the paint to be open. It allows the posts to be open and the guards get great passes to us."
FORWARD KENDRA WECKER
On rebounding...
"They outrebounded us in the first half and Coach P really stressed that to us at halftime, getting on the boards and not letting them have so many second-chance shots. We need to keep teams off the glass on the offensive end and that in turn allows us to get the ball, outlet it quick and push it up the floor."
On being down at half...
"We did some things in the first half that are uncharacteristic of us. On the offensive end, we weren't executing like we need to and we really talked about that at halftime. We got some things figured out and came out with intensity in the second half."
On what she thinks about on an off-night...
"Tonight I concentrated on rebounding and looking for the open player. I still put up shots and I don't think I should have tonight. I rushed some things and took some bad shots. I need to grow up and look for the open person when things aren't going my way."
On traveling to Baylor...
"Baylor is a very good basketball team and playing them on the road is going to be tough. But we have a couple days of practice in front of us before we head down there and we'll scout them a little bit to see what they do and their tendencies. We will just get ready to play another Big 12 opponent. We need to bring our good game because going on the road is tough and going on the road in this league is tough. We just have to get mentally and physically prepared."
GUARD MEGAN MAHONEY
On team's shooting effort...
"We got some fast-break layups and that bumped up that percentage. I think we were taking smarter shots. I know I had taken a few bad shots. When we get that straightened out and just work through our offense, we get the shots that we like to take."
On Nicole Ohlde...
"Ohlde just brought such a great presence in the paint today. There were times they were double- and triple-teaming her. If she's able to get balls out to other players that are open, that really helps us. She's strong in there and stays tough. On defense, who would want to go against a 6-4 girl that is as agile as Ohlde. She just clogs the lane and makes it tough for people who are trying to penetrate and get through the lane. She definitely brought it on both ends of the floor tonight.
On Missouri's .222 second-half shooting...
"It really boosts our confidence and gets our offense going. When we make stops and go down and make shots, you can build on your lead. In the first half, we weren't doing that. I think we came out like a bunch of slugs, really, not intense and not hustling back on defense.
MISSOURI HEAD COACH CINDY STEIN
On the game...
"You've got to give a lot of credit to Kansas State, I think they are a great team. They caused us a lot of problems on the offensive end. More importantly, I felt from our team there's a lot that we can do to get better. I feel good about 32 minutes of our play and the last eight minutes I'm a little disappointed in, but I think it is all fixable. Hats off to Kansas State, I think they are a great team and definitely deserving of a Top-5 ranking."
On having the lead at the half...
"Anytime you go into the locker room at the half with the lead, I think you're excited. I think our players were excited and we wanted to make sure we came out and played with that same aggressiveness. They made a few adjustments and we made a few adjustments, and their adjustments won."
MISSOURI GUARD KERENSA BARR
On the opening of the game...
"We didn't come out here with the attitude that they were invincible. We thought we had a chance to beat them and we put ourselves in a good position at halftime, but we just didn't finish the game like we needed to."
On the second half...
"We stopped moving in the second half. We stopped getting each other open and that's the reason we were hitting shots in the first half because we were getting good looks. In the second half, we stood around a little too much and then we turned the ball over when we were attacking them. I think they definitely did pick their defense up in the second half, but at the same time it was on us too."
FORWARD EVAN UNRAU
On Nicole Ohlde...
"Ohlde was just all over the place. They were lobbing it like crazy to her and she was just reaching up and putting it in. It was an easy game for her."
On the post play...
"I think it was obvious from the beginning of the game that they were trying to get it inside and I think they do that in a lot of games. We allowed them too many easy touches too close to the basket."
