Feb. 4, 2007
Columbia, S.C. – USC-LSU POST GAME QUOTES
South Carolina Head Coach Susan Walvius
On the team’s defensive effort:
“We did a great job defensively today. I thought the effort was there and they played smart defensively. We needed to do a better job on the defensive boards, I think that was a critical issue for us today. We had a period where we had several consecutive turnovers, that was also an issue for us today.
On the team’s offensive effort:
“Our offensive execution also wasn’t what I think it could be. We executed at times, but we didn`t execute enough. That is something that we have spent a lot of time on.”
On Ilona Burgrova:
“I thought that Ilona Burgrova had a great game today, defensively, and those things that don’t show up on a stat sheet: offensively, defensively, screening, timing, emotionally into the game, communication, all the things that we have asked for. I thought that Ilona really stepped up and responded.”
Junior Center Ilona Burgrova
On being matched up against LSU’s Sylvia Fowles:
“I still have energy. I love challenges. Sylvia Fowles is an exceptional post player, so just to guard her was like challenging myself to see what I could do to stop her. Even though she scored a lot of points, I still feel like as a team we did a great job stopping her.
On her post-game thoughts:
“I was thinking about Vanderbilt. I was like, `Again? This cannot happen again.’ We were this close in the Vanderbilt game, and we were close today, we just didn’t finish again. It’s a little bit frustrating, but I think that we can change it.”
Senior Guard Lauren Simms
On her confidence in the shot that she took that could have tied the game in the last minute:
“It was a prayer, but I honestly did feel like I got a good look at the rim and I was able to set my feet. I thought that it was a pretty good shot, and I was hoping that it would go in. Unfortunately, it didn`t fall in.”
On her feelings on scoring 1,000 career points:
“It feels good to go ahead and get that out of the way. I would have rather of had a win, but unfortunately, it didn’t happen that way.”
LSU Head Coach Pokey Chatman
On her team’s overall performance:
“In the locker room after the game, I told the kids that we were lucky, we were not good. I thought that we were okay in certain areas, which gave us the opportunity to stay close. At this time of year, we shouldn’t be lucky, we should be good. The competition is just going to continue to get better.”
On South Carolina’s continued improvement:
“The coaches and the teams in this league they just get better and they challenge you. They find ways to neutralize your strengths and ways to maximize their own. I just think that South Carolina is well coached. They have some elements to go along with their size. I just think that they are a good team.”
Junior Center Sylvia Fowles
On the difference between the first and second halves:
“In the first half we came out with a lot of energy and we just ran the floor. In the second half we kind of got away from that and started doing our own thing, but it all comes back to being disciplined, and just getting what we need to get from the get go.”
On Coach Chatman’s statement:
“I agree 100%. I think that it was a lucky game. We have to do much better than what we did tonight. We just need to go back to Baton Rouge and focus on some things. We need to make sure that we come out and do what we need to do and be consistent with it. I think that we learned. It kind of got to me because I know that we are much better than how we performed tonight. We have a lot to work on.”
