Postgame Quotes

March 7, 2010

Oklahoma Head Coach Sherri Coale
On the game:
“Just a fitting performance for this group of seniors, who have given so much to this program and their commitments and the way they've gone about their business and their growth. They deserve to have a day like today and, for it not to go to the wire and for us to have an opportunity to get them out so that the fans could appreciate their careers, they just deserve the good fortune. It's good to see it happen to a deserving group of kids.”

On Amanda Thompson's career game:
“It came easy for her today. She really got lost in her love for the game of basketball. I think you could see that. It was seeping out of her pores. She rebounded, she defended, she made shots, she had assists. She loves to play and you can see it.”

On if Oklahoma can sustain this type of play:
“No one will know for sure until we take the floor and play again. Sometimes you just have to feel it and then you can replicate it.”

On how far Oklahoma can go in the NCAA Championship:
“As far as (the players) want to. There's a lot of fiber among this group. We've put ourselves in a position to do some special things in the post-season. We don't know exactly what that position will be until after next week, but we earned a bye in the first round of the Big 12 tournament and that will go a long way towards solidifying what will happen in the tournament that follows. These guys are good together and they really like each other. I think they'd like for Nyeshia (Stevenson) and Amanda (Thompson) and Abi (Olajuwon) to be able to play for as long as they can play.”

OU Sophomore Guard Jasmine Hartman
On her success behind the 3-point line:
“I think it just starts with confidence. I got a text from Coach last night, and she was like, 'I think it starts from your fire, and you just concentrating on defense and working hard.' I was like, 'OK, I gotta do this.' I knew it was senior night and I wanted to make a difference. They left me open and I was like, 'I can shoot, too.' I shoot with Nyeshia every day. It was just confidence and believing I could do it came a long way with that.”

On the senior class:
“I've been here for two years and these three seniors are just amazing. Just to have the best senior night for them is the best thing ever. It's crazy. It just flew by. We played for them and do everything we can for them. That's what we tried to do this game.”

OU Senior Forward Amanda Thompson
On if she had a feeling before tonight's game:
“I really did. I just was feeling in my gut all week about this game, and I knew how special it would be to go out with a bang. Just from the second the ball was tipped, it just happened. Everybody played together. I'm so proud of everybody and it was fun. I felt it.”

On senior night:
“It couldn't get any better than what happened today. It was everything I imagined about a senior night. It was just a great opportunity. My mom got to be here and it was special for me to perform the way I did in front of her and make her proud. I felt like we went out with a bang on the Lloyd Noble floor.”

OU Senior Forward Nyeshia Stevenson
On defending Oklahoma State:
“You just give that to the Coaches. Just stick to the game plan, and that's what we did. We knew (Riley) was a great 3-point shooter and if we let her get hot she would hit them. Everyone knew if they got switched off on her that's what we had to do (play defense).”

On how they prepared for senior night:
“For me, we really didn't talk about it. We tried to stay as far away from it as we could. It's just a celebration. It's not over, and we could easily end up playing here again if they pick us to. It was just something to show appreciation to us for our four years here.”

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OSU Head Coach Kurt Budke
Opening statement:
“Well, obviously, not our night. It was OU's night. I'm not going to let this loss take away from what we've done this year. We've had a tremendous year. We have to hit them on a night that they don't miss a shot. You've got to challenge Oklahoma's non-shooters to make a shot. I look down the list and they all made shots tonight. It's a disappointing way to end the Big 12 season, but it's not the end of the season. We've done a lot of great things up to this point. Best success against top-20, top-15 teams all year long. All we have to do, like we say all the time, is this is the bounce-back league. We have to bounce back and get ready for the Big 12.”

On OU's 3's tonight:
“Amanda Thompson made four for four and Hartman's four for six. Some nights, it's just your night, so give them credit. Anytime they come off a bad loss and they had a bad loss against Texas A&M, we knew we were going to get their best shot. We knew Sherri (Coale) does a good job at getting her team ready again. Senior night, Courtney (Paris) was in the house, balloons in the air -- it was a big-time setup. We knew we'd have to play great to get this done tonight and we didn't play great. We just didn't.”

On how far he sees OSU going in the NCAA tournament:
“It's obviously something with Andrea (Riley) not getting to play in the first game. If we can go win that first one without her, I feel sorry for the second team, because (Riley's) liable to go for about 50 in that second game. So, we're a dangerous team. We're a team that is hard to guard at times, so we're excited about the opportunity. We just finish it out first; go do what we can do in the Big 12 first, and hopefully have a good time there and play well.”

Oklahoma State Senior Guard Andrea Riley
On handling OU's shooting tonight:
“It's just some nights. It's a magical night. I would be happy if we were nine for 13 in the first half from 3, too. It gives you a lot of confidence. They just stuck with it. They couldn't miss.”

On her reaction to the loss and moving forward:
“It really hurts and it makes me sick to my stomach. That's why I really don't like to talk about when things like that happen. It's always something where you have to keep your head up and not sulk in your sorrow. OU is a tough team, especially at home, so you can't feel sorry for yourself. You just have to keep your head up and bounce back.”

University of Oklahoma Athletics

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