BIG 12 CONFERENCE WOMEN'S TOURNAMENT

March 8, 2005

Erica Hallman

Bonnie Henrickson

Crystal Kemp

COACH HENRICKSON: Credit to Missouri for sustaining our run in the middle minutes of the second half, for being aggressive off the dribble, making some layups in that stretch where we struggled to score. Certainly we're disappointed with our offensive execution and performance in the second half. But as I told this group in the locker room, as much as this hurts, as much as it stings, in time, and it needs to hurt for a while as competitive as this group is, we can't let it overshadow our growth this year, how proud we are as a staff. The growth we've had this year isn't enough, obviously, because we're not post-season. We don't have a winning record. But it's growth that was important for us this year. We understand as a group we need the same amount of growth next year for those kids that are returning. The two to my left, at 12:01 tonight, this team is theirs, because they're seniors.

CRYSTAL KEMP: I think Missouri picked up their defensive pressure. I think we were starting to rush a few things and trying to create things and not run our offense, what was working for us in the beginning.

ERICA HALLMAN: Yeah, I thought it got away from us. We got some open looks, but we didn't knock it down. We just weren't as efficient as we were in the first half in the second half, particularly down the stretch, the last six minutes or so. But you've got to give them credit. They came out and played hard for the whole game. They got the win.

CRYSTAL KEMP: Yeah, I did. But we fell short of a victory, and I would rather have, you know, two points and a win than 35 and a loss.

COACH HENRICKSON: We could have used 35, Crystal.

CRYSTAL KEMP: I think it's definitely a plus for us, especially how we've grown throughout the year, the fact that Erica and I and Kaylee are going to be seniors. I mean, it's just extra momentum going into next year. We already have a year under our belt under Coach Henrickson. The fact that we're going to be seniors I think is a plus because we know what to expect and we know how to lead the team now. We've learned from the seniors that are leaving us now also.

ERICA HALLMAN: I feel like we're very fortunate to be seniors. We're losing two great players in Aquanita and Blair. We're going to miss them a big deal. We just got to start from today and be better in the off-season. When our freshmen come in, we got to get them on the same page and just keep listening to Coach because we've been successful this season, and we will be more successful next season.

ERICA HALLMAN: Very frustrated, of course. If I could have made a couple of those shots, we probably could have won the game. But it didn't come down to those last shots. We got killed on the offensive glass. We just didn't execute down the stretch. I would have loved for them to go in, but they didn't. It's just one of those things.

CRYSTAL KEMP: I would say so. It wasn't only that, it was a number of things. When they were at the free-throw line, they probably got elevendy-five offensive rebounds at once. That was definitely disappointing for me. I wish I could have made the shot. One of those things I can't change. I wish I could.

CRYSTAL KEMP: I think we've progressed a lot, especially since we've been in games we weren't expecting to be in, games that we won that we weren't expecting to. We were expected to finish 11 in the Big-12, so I think we did great as far as finishing eighth. For the most part we have grown a lot and we have more to grow on. The fact that I have another year with Coach is definitely a plus for me.

COACH HENRICKSON: We shoot 51% the first half, come back and answer with 25% in the second half. It's a combination of a few -- little bit of shot selection at times. As much as probably how we took some of the shots, getting off balance, not getting on balance. Down the stretch, huddling, trying to say, "Listen, we're going to look at Crystal and Erica first." You don't want to tell the other three they can't take a shot because they got to remain aggressive. You can't have them be passive. Give Missouri credit, they didn't give us high-percentage looks. We don't execute out of a timeout one time we diagramed. We don't execute there, we don't help ourselves in that possession. It wasn't just one possession. We just didn't get the right people in the spots they would make it. Not a lot of bad shots. If you look down the stretch, the last six minutes, who got shots, it's a little disappointing. On the defensive end, we give up layups down the middle, don't defend penetration very well. I thought we did a much better job with N'Garsanet, Kodak All-American in the first half, did a much better job in the second half. The zone helped us a little bit. Then I thought we became passive, and they started to hit some uncontested shots. I liked our aggressiveness, but we just gave up layups. Can't make people shoot layups in this league and win.

COACH HENRICKSON: I think the most telling statistic as far as intensity I thought, this time of the year, is we give up 11 offensive rebounds in the first half. We hold them to 10 in both games, 20 total. Might have been three or four, one pokes off the free-throw line, a couple loose balls. We talked about matching their intensity at some point in the second half, getting them to match ours. We just never got over the hump. We made a little bit of a run when we created some offense from our defense, when Aqua gets the deflection and the run-out. But, yeah, that was disappointing certainly. Off the free-throw line quite a bit, with N'Garsanet struggling at the line, how many of those they scored off or got actual possession.

COACH HENRICKSON: We've been through that all year and we haven't really made that as an excuse. We've said from the beginning of the year, it's not how big you are, it's how big you play. I didn't think we played very big today. We didn't box out. We've said all year we can't make you bigger overnight and faster overnight, but we can be disciplined and fundamental about boxing out and just being better as far as a pursuit there. I just didn't think we did. Just disappointing couple loose balls. They're all over the floor. We might have one on the floor. For us right now, we've got to win those little things. We call those special situations. Every loose ball's got to be ours. Compete on the baseline out of bounds, score more than they do, little things. Not enough of those. Not that we didn't at all, but just not enough to win.

COACH HENRICKSON: I think we've made progress. We went through a stretch down at the end where we felt like we identified a couple wins, there's a chance for us to be in the NIT. For us to be able to say those words and get a phone call for them. Not long ago, NIT stood for not in the tournament. We had a big party in Lawrence if we made it in the NIT. I think there's growth there. We've had a couple disappointing performances certainly. But I think as a staff, myself personally, I'm proud of the kids for staying off the rollercoaster as much we can, as much as we did. I said to them afterwards, I think one of the most rewarding things right now is their self-esteem and self-confidence.

COACH HENRICKSON: I'm excited. I told them, they're seniors. The juniors are seniors, the sophomores are juniors, the freshmen are sophomores. They've got to grab those freshmen this summer and get it right. As much growth as we had, we can be proud of that, but we can't -- we've had some success certainly. We can't become complacent now because we're 12 and whatever we are. We want to be able to pat them on the back and love them to death, but also kick them in the pants and say, "We've got to get better." Crystal has got to get better. Erica has got to get better. I think these two have been solid all year. We just have got to be able to get some people around them that can get some shots. They've got five people that can score. If Taylor doesn't hit one, we've got -- aqua goes 4 for 10. We have too many 0-fors in the people around them. This league is too good. They can take two people away, but individually they can get better and as a group we will get better. They'll be good leaders. They've been good all year.

COACH HENRICKSON: It wasn't by design, I promise you.

COACH HENRICKSON: I thought they doubled. They doubled a couple plays we ran. Then she got herself a little too deep to get a shot on a couple catches. Now all of a sudden looks like she's going to lead us in assists. She had some touches she didn't shoot because of where she was on the floor. Then we got not aggressive enough that we end up with some perimeter shots, free-throw line extended, all over the rim, can't get it to drop. But by design, we were obviously running things, here are the four things, we know we can get Crystal and Erica a shot. Too many of those -- they sagged and doubled and brought some help. Some other kids got some shots. Those kids are on Division I full scholarships. They can make those shots; they just didn't today.

COACH HENRICKSON: Two for one because you don't make that three, then they score at the free-throw line, you're back to two possessions. We're going to try to go quick. We've actually been talking about that all week. If you watch Duke men at all, Krzyzewski will do it with eight seconds. As I said, we're still going to go two for one foul. We're going to run all of our special situations. If we need a three, we can get a three with six, five or four seconds. We were going to try to be aggressive. You have to set it up, unless you're going to penetrate and kick, to set that up. You might eat 12 seconds to run the play. All of a sudden you're down three. Savant is probably going to be at the free-throw line again shooting 92%. Now you've got a two-possession game with six seconds. We'll try to score two. Unfortunately, Erica misses the one layup. That's what it was. That's too much time to end up. If you're going to eat that much time to get a three, try to get two possessions back if you miss. And they were making free-throws.

COACH HENRICKSON: Kaylee struggled from the floor. Kaylee is not going to bring anything offensively. Riddle I thought hurt is offensively in the first half. Kaylee gives up a lot of size there. Blair in the first game at our place defended Riddle very, very well. We went no switch with Blair, let her stay on Riddle. She gets the offensively floor, two deflections, pressures the ball pretty well. She had some success in the first game. Taylor wasn't going to bring anything offensively, at least we felt like we had a better defender, we had more size on Riddle.

COACH HENRICKSON: Very good off the dribble, off a hand-off. She gets the layup, we don't bring help. Was just aggressive. She finished tell at the rim, where at times we didn't finish well. She makes looks that Erica struggled with down the stretch. Erica's might have been a little more contested because they brought help earlier. She's a kid who is, again, aggressive and confident, played it -- played strong all the way to the finish.

COACH HENRICKSON: That shot will look better, I promise you. It already looks better, it will look better. As far as her ability, offensive rebound, defensively, for her to be able to hit that high-post jumper or the pull-up jumper when Crystal is doubled, that's important for us. We don't have that right now. It's just not consistent. She's capable of it. We believe she is. Her shot has gotten better. But her growth from giving us some high-post offense is what we need from her. She still has to rebound and defend. I think the more confident we get her, penetrate from the high post, from the free-throw line, pass it high/low, catch and shoot from there. It will give Crystal a little more room inside.

COACH HENRICKSON: Thank you.