Postgame Quotes

Feb. 24, 2010

Oklahoma Head Coach Sherri Coale
On the game:
“We had them on the ropes because we were playing so hard but you can't beat them if you shoot 30 percent from the field. The interesting thing is that we have been so good at the free throw line and we were just lousy tonight, and when we had to have one, we couldn't get it. You can't beat the top five teams in the country doing that.

On the difference late in the second half:
“They just played with great urgency and they were tougher, stronger and just better than we were down the stretch. You have to give them credit because they made plays.”

Oklahoma Junior Guard Danielle Robinson
On the Sooners missing layups and close jumpers:
“I think it was just rushing. Those are shots we know we can make, but I definitely think more of it was being rushed and our lack of focus.”

On Nebraska winning the Big 12 Championship on OU's home floor:
“Very difficult. We knew we had to come in and take floor tonight, and we didn't. I give a lot of credit to Nebraska. They're a really good team.”

On if Nyeshia Stevenson's 3-point make after team missing first nine was a catalyst:
“I mean it's always nice when you hit shots, but you know everybody just kept telling everybody to keep shooting. That's the mentality you have to have if you're a shooter.”

Oklahoma Senior Forward Amanda Thompson
On this loss compared to losing to Connecticut by the same margin:
“I don't think we fought for the full 40 minutes together as a team. We kind of separated a little bit when they took some shots and we didn't. We've got to learn from those little things and make things tighter when we get in those positions, and play harder on defense."

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Nebraska Head Coach Connie Yori
On the game:
“I want to congratulate this very tough team that I have the privilege to coach. This was very much a microcosm of our season, this game. We have found ways to win. We have shown incredible toughness; incredible focus and desire. This is obviously an emotional moment for all of us. It's been an accumulation of lots and lots of hard work by this group, but also by student-athletes that have come before in our program. Eight years ago we felt like we had to lay a foundation to recruit the right type of student-athlete into our program and began to build brick by brick. I knew it was going to take some time. I knew it wasn't going to be easy. We knew we'd have a lot of hard work in between. But I did believe that we could do this.”

On how well the guards responded without Yvonne Turner's play in the first half:
“I thought (Nicole) Neals did great for us. That's a tough matchup with (Danielle) Robinson. She made one shot in that first half, but I thought she did a good job defensively. Kala Kuhlmann came in and gave us big minutes in the first half. She doesn't show up on the stat sheet a whole lot, but does a lot of things right. You don't win with five players. You win with everybody contributing in their own way. We needed everybody today. Yvonne played one minute in the first half and obviously we needed somebody to come in and do some things.

On winning the Big 12 title:
“We just won the conference championship in the toughest league in the country. It's pretty phenomenal. We're not going to let down. I have not told our players 'let's celebrate,' but I told them after this game we should celebrate, because it's been a long time coming and they deserve that tonight. We'll think about Missouri tomorrow. We have really done a great job. I think our players have done a great job on the task at hand. It's been a privilege to work with this group.”

Nebraska Senior Forward Kelsey Griffin
On being Big 12 Champions:
“It's unreal to think about, actually. I'm so proud of my team. They deserve it as hard as we've worked, they deserves it. It was great.

“There haven't been a lot of titles. Nebraska fans have really come behind us. The whole state has just been super supportive through this run, through this season that we're having. It means a lot to people. You just go in the grocery store or go to Blockbuster to pick up a movie and people are saying 'it's so great to see you guys give us something to cheer about.' It's really great to have that support. I hope it really puts Nebraska basketball on the map. That's what Coach (Connie) Yori's wanted to do. She's worked super hard and put a lot of time into this program. She definitely deserves it.”

Nebraska Senior Forward Cory Montgomery
On getting along in the first half without guard Yvonne Turner:
“That's the great thing about playing on this team. We have anyone on any given night. You can step on the court and play with just as much confidence as the starters do. Our guards did a great job at hounding and pressuring the ball; keeping (Danielle) Robinson on her toes when Yvonne was out, so credit to our guards for playing tough defense on her.”

On playing with Kelsey Griffin:
“It's great to play with Kelsey. I love being on the floor with her. We've played with each other for a while now, so we know what each other likes to do. It makes it a lot easier to play with. The team that we have right now, we get along so well, we love each other so much and it makes it that much more fun to go on the court every night and practice and play. That's the thing, is that we're winning these games together. That's what makes it more fun.”

University of Oklahoma Athletics

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