Postgame Quotes

Dec. 5, 2009

Oklahoma Head Coach Sherri Coale
On Amanda Thompson's game-winning shot game:
“It couldn't have happened to a better person. It is really hard as a player to miss a play. But to have the fortitude to stay in the game is miraculous in of itself because she did more than stay in the game, she actually took over in overtime. She is a senior, a tough kid, a fighter and as committed a player that we have had in this program. It doesn't surprise me what she is able to get done.”

On Danielle Robinson:
“If you would have told me that in this game that she would have 31 points, I would have had no idea. She is so fast with the basketball and so clever on how she can finish at the basket. She had a couple of finishes at the rim where Arkansas did everything right. They brought the help and closed up the gaps and she just put it in a different hand and finished. I am really proud of her and really proud of the way she gutted it out in overtime.

On coming back to win in overtime:
“Every time it happens you feel a little bit more confident when you are in a similar situation again. I never felt that our guys were wavering during the game and at every timeout I would say, 'We've got this,' or, 'We can win it,' and they would look at me like, 'of course we can.' But if Arkansas shoots like they did today, than they are going to beat a lot of teams. Give Arkansas a lot of credit for keeping their heads in a hostile environment. I thought that our fans were terrific and they really made it hard on them and easy on us.”

On making free throws down the stretch:
“We felt that was something we could do in the second half because we had gotten in the bonus so early in the first and didn't really capitalize like we should have. In the second half, that is something that we talked about -- getting to the rim and, if the help comes, giving the extra pass. I thought that our little lineup that we went with for a little while was very effective, too. And then Abi's (Olajuwon) presence really helped as well in the second half.”

Oklahoma Junior Guard Danielle Robinson
On the second half:
“It was kind of a blur, except for the last shot that sent us into overtime. I just knew that we weren't going to lose that game, I could see it in everybody's eyes. You could tell in every timeout, everyone was fighting for each other. We just made plays when we had to.”

On the layup to take the game to overtime:
“I was thinking about the North Carolina game last year when I missed the layup to win the game so I said, 'I'm going to make this one.' They didn't really come up on me on the screen so I just drove to the basket and gave it a high floater off the glass. I didn't feel as rushed as last year (versus North Carolina).”

On taking the team in her hands:
“At halftime, she (Coach Sherri Coale) just said ,'You have to have the team in your hands. You have to make plays and you have to tell them what defense we are in.' She is not going to lie to me, so I listened and it worked.”

Oklahoma Senior Forward Amanda Thompson
On the game:
“We've been in situations like that before. I just knew in my head that I couldn't give up. If I missed one, there would be another possession. D-Rob (Danielle Robinson) gave me another opportunity to have that and to make the other two layups. I was very grateful for that.”

On the last play of overtime:
“It was really supposed to go to Abi (Olajuwon). You know how I dribble across and give it to her. But they were playing her ... so I went to the lane, and got the layup and that was it.”

Oklahoma Senior Guard Nyeshia Stevenson
On Danielle Robinson:
“That's the commitment part. I knew that every time she went to the basket she was going to score. And I knew if she wasn't, I was going to be there to get a rebound. I was down there fighting, blocking out and doing everything I could to get her the ball back. That's pretty much all I did.”

On Arkansas' athleticism:
“They were up there (with other teams we have played.) Along with that, they shot the ball crazy. It kind of looked like us. We didn't know whether to contest or to guard the drive.”

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Arkansas Head Coach Tom Collen
On the game:
“I thought it was a good and exciting game. I loved the crowd and the energy of the crowd. I loved coming over here and playing this game because we needed this kind of competition. We see some crowds like this in the SEC, and we needed to play in front a crowd with that kind of energy. It was obviously disappointing (to lose).

“We gave them too many opportunities to beat us. We missed too many layups. We missed too many free throws. If we would have made our free throws down at the end we wouldn't have gone into overtime. The game would have been over with probably by then. So that's a little frustrating. I'm sure you guys have looked at our roster. That was all freshmen and sophomores out there battling against a team that is a veteran Final Four team. I'm very disappointed that we lost, but I feel really good about the future of Arkansas basketball and what we can become based on the way we played against a really good Oklahoma team.”

On the lack of free throws and physical presence being a factor in the loss:
“I think sometime some of the calls that maybe we might have gotten we would have gotten if we had a little more physical presence. I told the kids we got in there and got some offensive rebounds and then just threw the ball back up to the basket instead of settling down and putting somebody on somebody and going up through somebody to get to the foul line. That's our fault. I think if we settled down and had been a little more physical out there and put back up a little stronger, maybe we would have gotten those calls.”

University of Oklahoma Athletics

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