Oklahoma / SMU Post-Game Quotes

Dec. 9, 2000

Oklahoma Junior Guard Stacey Dales

On tonight's quick start:
"We've been getting off to poor starts, so it was definitely good for us to get off to a great start. That set the tone for the rest of the game. We were able to control the game from start to finish."

On today's performance: "My teammates did a great job spacing on the fast break. Everybody ran in their lanes and took care of their responsibilities. All I had to do was hit the open person for an easy basket.

Oklahoma Senior Guard Sunny Hardeman

Turnaround from the last two games:
"Today I came out and did the things I needed to do to help us win. The past couple of games I've not been very strong with the ball and I didn't do the little things I needed to do to help us win."

Oklahoma Head Coach Sherri Coale

On Sunny Hardeman:
"The biggest difference was number 13 (Sunny Hardeman). You're not going to notice her much, but she is the glue that holds the team together. In transition, she is very important because her passing helps us finish."

On SMU:
"Their strength is their inside game. They rely on the post game and our ability to keep them from establishing it was key to the victory. We forced their game to the perimeter."

On Stacey Dales:
"Her vision is uncanny. She sees things on the floor that ordinary players just don't see. However, she's aided by Sunny, who delivers the ball to her in the middle of the floor. That's when Stacey does her stuff."

SMU Freshman Guard Jackee Brown

On her return to play in Oklahoma:
"I am excited to come home, but I'm bummed about the loss. I'm not really thinking about the homecoming. I'm thinking about the loss and how we can come back from it."

SMU Senior Gaurd D-dra Rucker

On her ankle injury sustained during the game:
"I know my ankle isn't fractured or broken. I'll find out when I get back because there is still the possibility that I tore something. I can take pain pretty good and I knew that if I couldn't get up, then there must be something wrong."

On the OU start:
"We knew that they had a transition game. I didn't get to see much of the first half (due to an ankle injury) , but they just wanted it a lot more than we did. They played like they should have been a No. 15 team. We played like we were here to give them a workout. To me, there was no excuse for why we couldn't hussle back, there were no excuses for the loose balls. There's no excuse because we watched them on film and knew what they can and can't do. They have good guards but they are the true team of transistion. They really got out there and pushed it and drilled it down our throats."

SMU Head Coach Rhonda Rompola

On her team's slow start:
"Our leadership isn't taking over. We just don't have that consistency in that one player. I think our girls need to take a gut check right now. I go back to the day before we play Oklahoma and I didn't like their work ethic. They played like they practiced. They've got to work harder and we are going to change a few things."

On Stacey Dales:
"I have a lot of respect for the Oklahoma team and Stacey Dales. You can watch Stacey warm up and you would think by the way that she warms up that she had already played a game because she goes so hard. I feel like we need to take lessons from that. I watched Stacy Dales warm up and she would make her lay-up and sprint back to the back of the line. Those are the little things that make a champion and make a great player. I think that she gets the most of herself. She is an all around complete player."