	products recent interviews FastScripts archive about ASAP Sports

Our Clients:

Browse by Sport

Find us on

Subscribe to RSS

Click to go to
Asaptext.com

View our
e-Brochure

MOUNTAIN WEST WOMEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP

March 10, 2019

Las Vegas, Nevada

Nevada - 78, San Jose State - 68

THE MODERATOR: We're joined by San Jose State Spartans, head coach Jamie Craighead and student-athletes Cydni Lewis and Danae Marquez.

COACH CRAIGHEAD: It was a grind-it-out game. I thought we played with great effort. There were moments we couldn't seem to get a defensive rebound off a first missed shot. And I thought that was the difference in the game besides the free-throw line. And usually when you get those second chance rebounds that's what happens; you end up fouling on the rebound.

So I thought if we could have controlled that a little bit better, it was such a close game, it was a possessions game. And we could have had some chances. But really proud of our effort and proud of these two young ladies and we'll move on from here.

THE MODERATOR: Questions.

Q. Danae, could you tell us about the game, what you saw and how it went for you?
DANAE MARQUEZ: You know, the game was a struggle, like Coach said. It was hard for us to get a rebound and put it back up. We only shot 11 free throws to their 31. That was really a difference-maker I thought. It felt like we could never keep the momentum on our side.

Q. Cyd, probably one of your best games in a while. You were taking the ball to the hoop did you feel you had an advantage over them?
CYDNI LEWIS: Yeah, honestly I felt the isolation, especially in the elbow areas, I felt like I could easily attack off the dribble. Being -- this being the last game sets the tone for next year, I think.

Q. Could you talk a little bit, D first, and then maybe Cyd, the progression of the team over the course of the league play. Seems like you guys got better and better. Out there today, it just seemed like as well if you could have gotten a couple of possessions in a row you would have turned this thing around.
DANAE MARQUEZ: The season was ups and downs but towards the end here I think we came together as a team and grew confidence together. We started playing for one another and believing in each other, and I think it's been evident with our last round of league here.

CYDNI LEWIS: Yeah, same.

THE MODERATOR: Questions for Coach.

Q. Your team got close a couple times and then Emma Torbert, 15 for Nevada, knocked down some 3s. That appeared to stun you that she was able to knock those down. It seemed like it took some air out of the team when she hit those.
COACH CRAIGHEAD: It was back-to-back possessions when she hit the two. And it's an action that we're pretty common to guarding. It's a turn-back action where you dribble up and pop a shooter out. And the exchange, it felt like a couple of our players that have been so big down the stretch for us just really struggled today and sometimes momentum-wise they're really offensive players, so when their offense isn't going well and they're struggling, they tend to make mistakes on defense because they're thinking about the last shot they missed and sometimes it's the person involved in that action.

Just felt like the moment was maybe a little bit big and just thinking about the last possession that you can do nothing about. But those were big shots. I mean, that's what this time of year is all about in March, the players that make shots and we've talked about that. And of course we've been on our end of it and made some big plays and cut it to one possession.

Miyah hit a huge 3, but those back-to-back ones, they were hard because the time was not on our side at that point. And then you start to press really hard and push and kind of change how you play.

Q. Did they do anything specifically against Analyss and Meg to shut them down because neither of them really got really good looks?
COACH CRAIGHEAD: They play a defense where they deny passing lanes. And it's always leading up to it. We just played Fresno State who zoned us a lot. So there's always gaps for those shooters. But we still hit 13 3s and some other people that are capable got some. But we were trying to run some actions to get them going.

But I just thought that in transition we weren't really pushing and those guys weren't really sprinting their lanes and getting out wide. We looked a little fatigued to me in the first half, especially. But obviously we came out in the third quarter, we just missed some shots but battled through the fourth quarter. Just the ball didn't bounce our way.

Q. And this game was won and lost on the free-throw line.
COACH CRAIGHEAD: For sure. It's a lot of free throws to give up, and it's the highest percentage shot in basketball.

Q. You have one senior graduating. Everyone else is coming back. Very strong sophomore class; they're going to be juniors. What's the outlook for this team and this program? How bright is it?
COACH CRAIGHEAD: I walked into the arena today with a lot of underclassmen, and we walk out of the arena today with eight upperclassmen. Three seniors, five juniors. And Razi becomes a sophomore and two kids we've signed that we feel really, really good about.

But I saw a team that collectively kind of struggled through the preseason. Chemistry is always a thing. And women's basketball, you've got to really -- you've got to love each other, gotta care about each other, gotta know how to play together. And there were plenty of times where they could have given up and they didn't. They just kept battling, we played our best basketball through February. And obviously I thought tonight, we're not as familiar with Nevada as we are with people we've played twice.

But I thought for the most part the game plan was decently solid. If we could have taken away the second chances that led -- to me, those free throws really came from that. But I'm excited about the group that's coming back. And I think that they feel really good. And that's exciting. You want your players to feel that way.

THE MODERATOR: Thank you.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297