Jan. 16, 2005
USC Head Coach Susan Walvius
Opening Statement: “I am really angry about this loss because we played really well. We did a good job of playing to win and then we played not to lose. We played two totally different halves. Florida attacked us inside and they hit the important shots from the perimeter. They shot the ball 53 times compared to our 60 times and we came down with 18 offensive rebounds. This is something that we need to grow through.”
About the second half: “I was really pleased with the team’s performance in the first half. The team really showed what they were capable of. We rebounded well in the early going and we executed. The team showed what they were capable of but we need to learn how to win. That’s how we lost the game. We were open on the perimeter and we didn’t hit the shot in the second half. Our heads dropped a little after this game but we need to realize that every team in the SEC is going to make a run. A team will make a run on Tennessee but it is how you respond and not get on your heels. We are seeing progress and we are capable of winning but we have to put it away.”
About the play of USC post players: “Florida did a nice job of defending in the second half. We went inside and we made bad decisions on the outside. The strength of our team is the inside and we need to get those players more touches.”
About getting to conservative in the second half: “You win games by forcing teams to rush their offensive sets. Our first six points of the game we had easy looks. Your defense gives you offense and rebounding on the offensive end gives you second chance points. We can’t be conservative or get on our heels. You can’t play to lose. This is as good as it gets when you play a team in the SEC. Florida is a tough team to stop so you have to be ready to pick up the intensity.”
Florida Head Coach Carolyn Peck
Opening Statement: “South Carolina shot the ball extremely well in the first half. Melanie Johnson is a really impressive player and I really like how she crashes the boards. In the second half, we adjusted and went to a zone. I think that put the team in a better position to find the shooters. The players really stepped it up. They played with a lot of composure. Bernice Mosby is hard to stop. She played offense really well and she rebounded. She also ran the court really well today.”
About being aggressive in the early going: “We were not aggressive in the first half. We were reacting to everything that they were doing. South Carolina was very smart and in the second half we had to pick up our defense.”
About the turnovers in the first half: “We turned the ball over 13 times in the first half compared to two times in the second half. We knew South Carolina was going to play very aggressive so our guards had to be strong with the basketball. Our players did a good job of knowing their options and the post players did a good job of finishing the job.”
