March 17, 2008

Emporia State

Head Coach Brandon Schneider
Opening statement...
"The first thing that comes to mind about this game is Washburn's 1 and 2 guards were terrific while our 1s and 2s didn't quite play like I'm sure they would have liked. It seemed like every time we made a run and cut it to two or three points, [Corkey] Stiger made huge baskets. It showed what type of determination and ability she has. And Janice [Bright] obviously made some plays and got to the free thrwo line. I think Michelle Stueve was terrific for us, it was probably the best performance against Washburn in her four years and honestly that's what I expected from her."

On Washburn's quickness...
"We were just out-matched. I thought Becky [Zabel] did a pretty good job on Stiger but it's a little bit of a catch-22 because when we're behind, we need more offense than what she gives us. But you have to give Becky a lot of credit."

"I was really, really proud of our post players, all three of them - Alli Volkens, Allie Renberg and Ida Edwards - were so much better with their post play and I'm definitely really proud of them. We just didn't quite have an answer for Washburn's perimeter play. We wanted to play some zone but they made a big basket and kicked the lead back up to six. I was nervous then about giving up another three. We made some plays, we just didn't make enough of them. They made more plays at critical times."

On turnovers...
"Our post players did a good job, we were able to get them the ball. They didn't always score but they got to the free throw line. We just turned it over a lot trying to make a post feed. We telegraphed too many passes, and it didn't happen to just one player, it happened to multiple players. We felt we did a good job getting [Amanda] Holmes in foul trouble and Ida did a good job but then she got her fourth foul. We got Michelle the touches she wanted to get. She got some threes, got some post-ups and got the ball on the floor, we just weren't able to get it to the post players as much as we wanted to."

On taking Michelle Stueve out at the end of the game...
"I didn't want to take her out but I felt that it was the right thing to do, to give people the chance to stand up and give her a round of applause."

Michelle Stueve
On palying her last game...
"It's hard - everyone talks about when your last game is going to be, but when it happens it's different. I'm just another senior, I have to move on and do what everyone else does."

On Washburn's defense and how she had a big second half...
"I thought we opened to floor a little more in the second half, and when it's open you have more room to drive. That's mainly how I got free, when I was able to drive."

On trying to make a comeback when you're down...
"As a player you have to believe and think it's going to happen, it doesn't always, like tonight. It sure seemed like it would, but every time we got a run or a stop and a score, they'd hit something and push it back again."

On Stiger...
"She didn't just hit open shots, she made plays on her own. That's what big time players do in big games."

Washburn

Head Coach Ron McHenry
Opening statement...
"I thought it was a typical game with Emporia State. We both take a lot of pride in the way we defend and it's usually a physical game. We got off to a great start and that was key. If you beat someone twice, the rule is you don't beat them the third time, but we got a nice lead in the beginning. They had stretches where they'd play well, but we were always able to hit a basket at the right time when they were making a run. Janice [Bright] did a great job guarding Stueve, and obviously Corkey had a special night on offense. We were fighting off foul trouble with Amanda [Holmes], but it was just a good battle, a knock down drag out fight that I like to watch. We had 10 new kids this year and we had to get everyone on the right page. Everyone had to sacrifice a little bit and everyone was willing to do it. We had great leadership with two seniors, but everyone else bought into what we were trying to do. Janice has a lot of fire power she's a great leader."

On the quickness of his guards...
"Early on, Corkey got some put backs and post points and then they put Stueve on her. The match-up was good because Stueve is long, but Corkey is quick. You either get back door points or you get one-on-one, and our offense isn't really set for that but when we did have those opportunities, we made it happen. It was big tonight that we could penetrate by them. A lot of that has to do with their defense because they're up on you so you can go by them. We have three guards on the floor all the time - Corkey, Janice and Jessica Mainz - they're not little guards either. It was a crucial part of the game, getting by players and drawing fouls."

Does this feeling ever get old?...
"No, it never gets old. It's our responsibility to make this happen for the kids. This group is a special group - it's a close team and they like each other a lot and that makes a big difference in what we're doing right now."

Janice Bright
On guarding Stueve...
"She's a tough player, I just wanted to be on her when she caught the ball and try to limit her touches. I knew I wouldn't hold her to zero points, but I just wanted to go out there and make every shot for her a tough one."

Corkey Stiger
On hitting her first two shots...
"I hit those two shots and it brought a lot of energy for us. We played hard after that."

On making big shots...
"I just knew that when they went on runs, we needed to get stops - when we got stops, we scored after that and by defending hard, we brought that intensity on the offensive end."

Did she know that she was on her way to scoring more than 30 points...
"I didn't really pay any attention to how many points I had. I didn't even know. It was just a big game for us as a team."

On going to the Elite Eight...
"I'm speechless about it. I'm really happy for the team, there's a lot of people that didn't think we'd go this far."