Postgame Quotes

Feb. 9, 2008

OKLAHOMA HEAD COACH SHERRI COALE
Opening Comment:
"I thought that was a great win for our team. I thought Colorado was really good. They battled and did a lot of good stuff. They almost out-rebounded us, truly did, but at the end we had one more than they did. But they did a great job on the boards. I was so proud of our assist/turnover ratio and the fact that we finally made a 3. Add to that the dominating performance of Courtney and Ashley (Paris), and that's a pretty good recipe."

On Courtney and Ashely Paris helping the team with the strong finish:
"They were sharing the basketball. Ashley showed her versatility by scoring a lot of different ways in a lot of different places. Courtney did a great job of muscle-posting, getting her numbers to the ball and getting into position so that the ball could see her. She did that against a very, very good post defender. I thought our guards too did a great job of recognizing the high side post defense of taking the ball to the baseline and finding them there. Again posts did a great job of creating space there and not getting smashed down at the baseline. So really everybody is a little bit responsible for those big numbers, but these guys finishing up strong, both of the look like All-Americans."

On Nyeshia Stevenson's three point basket:
"That 3-point basket-- it's amazing what it does. You know it's just one more point, just one more. The crowd gets going and the adrenaline on the floor, the guys get going on the bench. Then you look at the scoreboard and it just looks different when you look at the number. I leaned over and elbowed (assistant coach) Jan (Ross) and said, `how much difference does that make?' It just seems to change everything and then she followed up with another. It was nice to see it go in the basket from there and sometimes that's contagious. Missing can be contagious and so can making it."

OKLAHOMA JUNIOR CENTER COURTNEY PARIS
On physical play of the game:
"They had a lot of big players on their team and when you have that many big players one the floor, that just becomes part of the game."

On reaching 87 career double-doubles, which matched Tim Duncan for the NCAA men's record:
"I guess I need to get one more so I can feel better than Tim Duncan."

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COLORADO HEAD COACH KATHY MCCONNELL-MILLER
On the game:
"I'm going to check with the registrar at The University of Oklahoma, they have to be seniors. I thought they were incredible tonight, we tried everything; obviously I'm speaking of Courtney and Ashley Paris -- we tried fronting them, we tried three-quartering them, we tried post-on-post, we tried digging with the guard -- it didn't matter in the first half. It was their second attempts, not the first ones that hurt us in the second half.

"I was really proud of our team. They played with a lot of heart, a lot of energy, a lot of spunk and a lot of fight in them. It is always tough playing in the Big 12 on the road, but there was not one possession where I thought they quit, that I thought they had given in and thought they weren't going to win that game. They played up until the very end.

"I think Oklahoma is an exceptional team and they have a frontline that is tougher than any frontline in the country. With that said, we got better tonight and we have to take a lot of positives from that game. (Brittney) Spears came on the road and put up back-to-back 19-point performances. Jackie (McFarland) and Bianca Smith stepped up and we had two post players that came in and played limited minuets and really did a good job on the offensive end. All the credit to Oklahoma but I can't leave here and say that I'm not proud of my girls."

On Jackie McFarland's performance:
"She has been a rock. There is no doubt that she helped me when I came in, as far as Colorado is concerned, and has been the go-to player every single game. I don't think she has missed a game or practice, other than a class conflict, and she is tough as nails. From the standpoint of what Jackie has had to endure, I don't think any player in the conference can match that. She hasn't really had the players around here that maybe the Paris twins have had or maybe other players have had. She hasn't had great scorers on the perimeter over the last three years, so she has had to endure double- and triple-teams and the physical play that you see. She plays every minute that she possibly can and very rarely fouls out. She is the most efficient player, as far as numbers are concerned, that I have ever coached."

COLORADO SENIOR FORWARD JACKIE MCFARLAND
On playing against the Paris twins:
"One thing that I have really had to work on, especially in practice, is toughness. They obviously have size on me. They are bigger and stronger and they are deceptive in the way they move. Some people say that you have to be quicker than them on the fake, but they have a pretty quick first step, and they are good on the defensive side as well. I think this game was really a focus for me, in maybe stepping back for a shot or two and using the quickness that I have as much as I can. Not necessarily going to the basket, since they have the lane on lockdown, but moving without the ball. Keep moving without the ball and try not to get into a post battle with them."

University of Oklahoma Athletics

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