USC vs. Washington
December 29, 2006 | Women's Basketball
Dec. 29, 2006
Bank of America Arena, Dec. 29, 2006
USC vs. Washington
Post-Game Quotes
Washington Head Coach June Daugherty
Opening Statement: "We're very excited to get the victory out here tonight. USC is a very athletic team and we wanted to push the tempo and control the boards in order to win. We have a tough battle with UCLA coming up on Sunday and our girls have to make a quick turn around to get ready for a good team."
On defensive game plan: "We wanted to come in here and mix up the defense. We were concerned with (Eshaya) Murphy early in the game and we wanted to make sure that we could hold her points and rebounds down. It was fun for our girls to get the running game going against them and we continued to change our defensive scheme a lot to try and limit Murphy's touches."
On Erica Schelly: "Erica Schelly played very well tonight and we were excited to see her go out and make an impact. She really showed what being a fifth year senior is all about."
On little preparation time because of holiday: "We only had a couple of days to focus because of the Christmas break, but our defensive effort out there tonight was right on."
On playing well: "We played much better out there tonight and were able to use a lot of players down the stretch. Brienne Watson gave us a lot of energy and played really well on the boards tonight. The seniors on this team are great and they are really keeping this team focused because they have been through it all before."
On Emily Florence: "To see Emily out there rebounding with these girls is exciting. She is boxing girls out and out-working people on the rebounds. I am just so happy to have a girl like her on our side because she is a pest out there. Any time a player gets 11 rebounds it's exciting."
On practice squad helping team get better: "I have to give a lot of credit to our practice guys because they are pushing our girls hard every day. They are all tall and awesome. These guys make our girls better and get our girls energy and confidence way up. It helps tremendously to have a squad that is bigger, stronger and faster because they really make our girls have to compete every day in practice."
On UCLA: "UCLA is going to be a big test for us. This year's team is much more focused and I think the fact that we have seven seniors is a big part of that. Our seniors are keeping our girls ready for big games like these because they know how important they are."
Washington Guard Emily Florence
On playing well:
"When I am out there I am just making sure that I keep my turnovers down and play smart. Like June said, our practice squad really helps a lot with our rebounding and I am just making sure that I box people out and sneak in there for the rebounds."On team performance: "I am so proud of this team and the way that we are playing. A lot of it is because of our seniors and the experience that they are bringing to the table. This team is very focused in practice and we are a smart team. It's good to come out here and get the wins at home."
On defense against Murphy and Kerr: "We didn't want Murphy and Kerr to touch the ball very much in this game. We just made sure that we pushed them early and I think they got scared a little. We did all the little things right to win. I have huge confidence in everyone on this team and we played better tonight because we pushed harder and weren't hesitant like we were in the Oregon game."
Washington Guard Erica Schelly
On feelings: "It felt great to get out there tonight. My teammates were very supportive of me out there."
On playing well: "I have to give Cameo (Hicks) a lot of credit because she was hitting me with some great passes. The pass where she got me the open lay-up really got me going and every else just kind of fell into place. Anyone on our bench is capable of leading this team to victory."
On team energy: "We had good energy out there tonight, the team just kind of feeds off each other. We have a lot of fun playing together and it's just awesome to be a part of this team."
On being productive: "This doesn't happen very often because I have more of a supporting role with this team. To produce tonight was an awesome feeling and it was really rewarding."
