|
|||
|
|||
|
 |
|
|
NCAA WOMEN'S 1ST & 2ND ROUNDS: TEMPEMarch 23, 2015Ka'Nesheia CobbinsJoe FoleyTaylor GaultTEMPE, ARIZONA Arizona State – 57 JOE FOLEY: It was a great game. You know, somebody is going to win and somebody is going to lose, but to have three seniors to show their character, I can't say any more. It wasn't because we quit. Those guys, both teams played with their hearts, both teams played their guts out. Somebody like I said is going to win and lose, but I'm so proud of coaching these three seniors. This has rejuvenated me in coaching. It makes me feel like there's kids that really care, and it's a great feeling. Q. Gault, what changed in those last nine minutes of ASU's place or your play to let them back into the game? TAYLOR GAULT: They were just determined. We never gave up, we just let little things slip our minds, and they just came back and won. Q. Ka'Nesheia, you did such a good job of any time they started to get something going to answer with a basket and turn them back. Was there one play in particular that was just kind of overwhelming and you couldn't, that got the crowd going or whatever? KA'NESHEIA COBBINS: No, I can't really point out just a single play. They had their run. We didn't give up. We tried to hang in there, which we did, but no, I can't pick out just a single play. Q. Ka'Nesheia, you went down in the second half midway through I think with your right ankle. Was that something that ultimately ended up bothering you in that last nine‑minute stretch? KA'NESHEIA COBBINS: No, I just had a cramp. Q. Taylor, can you just speak on your start, just the first half for you guys? I think you got up 12 in the first half and were up nine at halftime. What was working for you and what was the feeling in the locker room there? TAYLOR GAULT: We just were doing what we've been doing, just had a lot of energy, just were determined to have a good focused mind. We had our runs, but their run just happened to be the last three minutes of the game. Q. Taylor, how proud are you guys to be part of that senior class that went far in the tournament, was able to get Coach Foley's 700th win, a couple bounces away from making a Sweet 16? TAYLOR GAULT: I'm very proud of my teammates and proud of Ka'Nesheia and Kiera. We're just tough. Ka'Nesheia is just so tough for even being out there because her ankle, and Kiera has given this team so much, and we're all just so proud of each other. We don't have anything to hang our heads about because we fought and we never gave up, and I couldn't ask for better teammates. Q. Taylor, when they made that banked‑in three at the end of the shot clock that got it within three, what was your reaction to that play, just kind of the moment and how it got the crowd going? TAYLOR GAULT: Really the crowd never really bothered me. I really just shut them out. I think most of us actually did. But the fact that it went in, I think it was just a lucky shot. I mean, we were there, so it just went in. Q. Coach, what did you do, especially in that first half, where they were pounding the post and you guys were playing really good defense, contesting all their shots in the paint? JOE FOLEY: Well, I think they just wore us down. We had a lot more energy that first half and of course they kept rotating. We knew they were going to and they just kept pounding and pounding, and we just wore down. We didn't get some block outs when we needed them, when they missed shots, free throws. We knew they were going to‑‑ I felt like they were going to pound us the whole game with their size, and that was the difference in the game. We just didn't have enough energy to stay with it. Q. I think not long after that banked in three, was that possession where they scored and the foul and they got the ball back. How deflating was that and what did you see on that play? JOE FOLEY: Well, I thought that three they banked in, I thought that was the difference in the game. If she hadn't made that shot and we get the rebound, then it might have been a different outcome. That was huge right there. Q. Kind of the same question I posed to Taylor. How proud are you of this group that was able to have a record‑breaking season for you and a couple bounces away from the Sweet 16? JOE FOLEY: Well, Ka'Nesheia didn't get to play last year so I didn't know how she was going to come back. Kiera really went into a slump early in the year, didn't play very well, and Taylor, until this year, defense didn't really mean a whole lot. Three seniors, as I just got through telling you, watching three seniors mature like they did the last three weeks of the season and care about each other so much and come together and play so hard, that's what coaching is all about. I mean, it was amazing what they've done in the last month of basketball, and that's what you want out of your seniors. It's a great example for our young kids, but to see three seniors lead like that and play like that and to show the courage that they've showed, I mean, it's just unbelievable to coach that right there. Q. Ka'Nesheia did a good job on Hempen for about 35 minutes. Was it the cramp that limited her or she got kind of wore down like the others? JOE FOLEY: I think we wore down just a little bit. We don't have the depth that they had and we are playing on their home floor and the home crowd picked them up. It's a huge advantage. It's great for women's basketball. I'm not complaining. I think it was a great atmosphere, but that helps. If we'd had a crowd picking us up when we were down a little bit to give you that energy, then you make a big play or something good happens for you, that's the difference in a game. It's fun, and like I say, our kids‑‑ I couldn't ask any more from a bunch of kids than what we got these two games and what we got last week. I can't tell you how much respect I have for our basketball team, and I have a lot of respect for them. I knew Arizona State was going to be tough. I knew they had good kids inside, and we did a great job on the shooters, and we cut down their driving opportunities, fast break opportunities, and you look at the score, 54‑57, that's our kind of game against good teams. If it gets over 60, we struggle sometimes. We gave ourselves a good opportunity on the road, and you can't ask for anything more than that. Q. I know you have confidence in your team, but for about 35 minutes you outplayed a top‑10 team on their floor. Was anything that happened tonight kind of more than maybe what you thought coming into tonight, and does that make this just a little bit harder? JOE FOLEY: It was such a great game. We played so hard that I'm not going to take anything away from the game. I thought it was just a great game. Like I say, I felt like we got a little bit tired, we missed some shots, we drove the ball well, got to the rim, missed some shots. If they go in it's a different story. That's what I'm saying. We wasn't standing back and throwing it away and all that. We just missed some shots and they missed some shots early and they made some shots late and got some offensive rebounds. It was just kids playing their hearts out. To me either team has got to respect each other when you walk off that floor. I respect the heck out of Arizona State, but I sure respect our team, too. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
|
||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
About ASAP Sports •
FastScripts Archive •
Recent Interviews •
Captioning •
Upcoming Events •
Contact Us
FastScripts | Events Covered | Our Clients | Other Services | ASAP in the News | Site Map | Job Opportunities | Links |
|
ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297
|