Postgame Quotes

Feb. 12, 2008

OKLAHOMA HEAD COACH SHERRI COALE
On the game:
"I liked the second half better than the first.

"I was really proud of our kids' composure. They sat around at halftime and said we are better than that. We know how to handle the basketball. Their answer in the first five minutes of the second half was outstanding. I was really proud of our effort and our poise."

On what caused the immediate turn around in the second half:
"It was our poise and execution early in the half. It was not turning the ball over, which gave us a chance to guard them. It gave us a chance to generate some energy and confidence in our defense.

"We talk about (pressure) all the time and that is -- survive it early. If you can survive it, then you can take advantage of it later."

On 17 turnovers in the first half:
"It was ridiculous. We did not look like ourselves. It was bizarre.

"Everyone was moving way too fast. It seemed like we were going fast forward. We slowed it down, and then everything was a lot better."

On the play of guards Jenna Plumley and Danielle Robinson:
"I thought they grew up a lot tonight. I think they made the game in the second half. I think it was great the way they were feeding off each other. They were managing the game together and I thought that was special. It gave us an option that we haven't had in the past."

OKLAHOMA FRESHMAN GUARD DANIELLE ROBINSON
On the game:
"In the first half, like coach said, I was really sped up and with all the turnovers -- I could not get into a rhythm -- and in the second half I needed to get a spark and at least score a bucket.

"I don't think I was necessarily forcing anything. I just don't think I was making the right decisions."

On taking over the game:
"I did not ever think we were going to lose. Six points is not a lot and the first five minutes (of the second half) are critical."

OKLAHOMA JUNIOR CENTER COURTNEY PARIS
On the second-half turnaround:
"I think, like coach said, we went in at halftime and we are down by six and we had 17 turnovers and we new we were better team than that. It was all about slowing down and realizing that they are a great team and they are going to pressure you. That's what they want to do and we can't play to there game; we have to play to our game. Like I said all year, I think the coolest thing about this team is that we are really young and how fast we make adjustments, even if the game is shaky, it is the little things that we are getting better at and today it was Texas A&M pressure and adjusting to it. "

On playing against a pressure defense:
"I think we just got caught up in it and I think in the first half we were kind of shaky, all of us had a bunch of turnovers. Not sure. Not poised. But once we do get into rhythm, we are the kind of team that has fun and we do play together. We love playing together and we love playing."

OKLAHOMA SOPHOMORE GUARD JENNA PLUMLEY
On the game:
"I just have to play at my level and my speed. When I came out I was trying to make too many things happen and, as the point guard, you have to keep the ball in your hands more. I felt like I was rushing things too much. We just have to feed off each other. In the first half, we tried to make the homerun and that is not how we play."

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TEXAS A&M HEAD COACH GARY BLAIR
On the game:
"That was a great second half for Oklahoma. The same thing happened to us at the Texas game. We came out flat when we were up by 17 on Texas. We ask our players to play with energy and get into the open court.

"Oklahoma did a lot better job of getting into the frontcourt and executing their half-court offense. They were able to do that because our pressure was non-existent on their guards in the second half. Our post players are not going to be able to guard the sisters one-on-one down theirs. We tried to put a lot of ball pressure in and we let them try to score the spectacular, which their point guard was trying to do early in the first half. We didn't want to foul here, just let her try to make it. I think the only one she made was in the second half on a drive at a crucial part of the game and it ended up being a 3-point play. She is a special player."

On the difference in the game:
"The difference in the game was (Jenna) Plumley. Plumley ran the show and hit the 3-point shots. Last year, we were her coming-out party. She was third string and all of a sudden this little kid came into the ball game and kept them in the game, or we would have won that game by 15 or so in our place.

"I'm sure her parents love to see Texas A&M walking in the gym.

"Give the kid some credit. Each team has a hustle player. We have a hustle team and I wish I could say that we had a hustle player but we are minus that. Plumley is the coach's choice in there. I know she has been missing a lot of 3s in conference play but it's also easier to make those when no one is guarding you. That was our fault."

On Patrice Reado:
"She played with severe migraines the whole night. She had to play, because the only shot we knew was going to be open was the baby hook. We also knew when (Courtney) Paris rotated over to (Danielle) Gant that the only shot that was going to be pen was the 15-footer. Danielle is so used to driving, that I couldn't get it through her head to pull up and shoot that 15-footer because if she missed we were taking the best rebounder in America away from the basket. That is exactly what we wanted to do -- shoot the mid-range shot and get the rebounds on the back side -- and I felt like we did that in the first half.

"It took a while for (Takia) Starks to get loose, but that was because of Plumley."

On the crowd and the meaning of the pink shirts:
"There were 12,000 pink things in there and it was a great atmosphere. We are doing something for the awareness of breast cancer but this is also giving awareness to women's basketball. If we have to use this as a rally cry to get people to notice what we are doing nationwide then that is our charity of choice right now.

"Do you realize there are 86 crowds that have already been over 8,000 people -- tonight makes 87 -- across the nation? They are not all Tennessee and Connecticut; a lot of them are in Oklahoma and at Texas Tech and Iowa State. It is a great tribute to this league."

TEXAS A&M SENIOR FORWARD PATRICE READO
On her night:
"It has been a hard night for me tonight. I just wanted to help out my team and I felt like I was going to pass out all night. I just wanted to help my team get this victory and it didn't quite end up the way we wanted it to. I just played through my headache."

On the baby hook shot:
"I have been working on that shot the whole week in practice. He told me to come out and baby hook it before I get blocked by Courtney."

University of Oklahoma Athletics

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