South Carolina Head Coach Dawn Staley
Opening Statement
“I thought we played well. I thought we played well for 40 minutes. It’s just [that] we had some lapses throughout the game that cost us. At the same time, this team is progressing. This team is getting better. This team is competing at a level that I like, and I am encouraged by our effort tonight.”
On her comments to the team immediately following the game
“I told them we’re here. This is the SEC. If you play as well as you played against this basketball team, we’ll win a lot of basketball games. There are some things we have to clean up in order to win these games.”
On Demetress Adams
“Even with [Demetress] playing only half the game, other people stepped up. We are coming together. When you can have your best offensive threat sit for half of the game and your best defensive threat sit for half of the game and the rest of the team step up, it’s a tremendous thing.”
On the team’s progression against top-10 teams over the last three weeks
“We are progressing nicely. I am looking for different areas of the game in which we’re getting better. Our point guard play is a lot better. I like where we are. I think you’ll find that each and every game we’ll get better. Each and every game we will put ourselves in positions to win. That’s all you want at this point.”
Senior Guard Brionna Dickerson
On Coach Staley’s postgame comments
“She said we played a great game. We really did. It came down to little plays that, if they had gone a different way, the outcome would have been different. It’s those little plays we have to focus on.”
Senior Forward Demetress Adams
On the Carolina frontcourt being undersized compared to Auburn’s
“They had some pretty big players. I’ll be honest, we’re going to be undersized in the SEC, but I think we did a good job in showing fight and energy. That is all we can bring. Genetically some of us aren’t tall, but were going to bring fight and energy.”
On the team’s improvement
“We’ve been practicing hard. We’ve been going really hard. It shows you the improvement of Jewel May, C.J. Pace and Charenee Stephens. It shows you the hard work they are putting in. It shows that everyone on our team counts.”
Auburn Head Coach Nell Fortner
Opening Statement
“I am happy for the win. It’s not easy getting wins in this league. It’s definitely not easy getting them on the road. I thought South Carolina played really well. They are very difficult for us to defend, but I thought we played a very good second half. I thought our veterans really stepped up and did what they know to do.”
On second-chance points
“The second chance shots were definitely big. I just thought we competed really hard in the second half to get us over the hump.”
Guard DeWanna Bonner
On her play in the second half
“In the first half I was a little passive. They came out and played great defense. The second half, we came out and attacked them more on the defensive end. We came out and took advantage of the defense. They were playing tight defense. We just attacked the basket and got going from there.”
