Postgame Quotes

Feb. 4, 2012

Oklahoma Head Coach Sherri Coale
Opening comment:
“Fantastic crowd today. I thought our fans were just phenomenal. Our kids enjoyed playing in that environment and played well. So if all of our fans are still listening, come again we will promise to give you 21 assists to eight turnovers.”

On OU's inside game:
“Jelena (Cerina) was fantastic in Lawrence (Kan.) earlier in the week. I felt like that gave her a little bit of confidence to build off of tonight. It's the quality of feed in that position that they catch the basketball, but they do have to finish. I thought a couple of them were very difficult finishes against a lot of size. We also got her some easy looks off the ball screens and a lot of that credit goes to Morgan Hook. Being able to establish an interior game, especially on a night when we are cold again from the 3, was incredible.”

On Cerina's improvement:
“There are lots of things -- had it not been for one small thing like suddenly a freshman knowing to seal out on a cover-down when a big helps over -- those little tiny things for our team can add up one way which can be very negative if you're not doing them. Suddenly, there is a huge positive when you are doing them. I think this is exactly what has happened with Jelena's personal game. She slows down and is able to read. She is an excellent passer. She has that typical flare of being able to distribute the basketball, which foreign players are often known for. She cannot be a great passer if she is not a scoring threat initially. So, slowing down and making some baskets around the rim will then set her up to do the things she is really gifted at.”

On OU's assist-to-turnover ratio:
“I will smile all night. I knew we weren't shooting ourselves in the foot but I didn't have any idea that the ratio was what it was. I think that is just a reflection of everybody just slowing down and taking what the defense gives you. We've been a bit rushed. That is something that comes with youth and that is something that comes with dealing with adversity which we are trying to make up for people that aren't there. We just seem to take our time and exploit whatever coverage the defense had chosen. It all starts with you point guard, it really does. Of course she [Morgan Hook] had a career high nine assists but it's not just the pass. It's what you do to put yourself in a position to be able to have the pass. That is sometimes where we have gotten hung up in the past.”

On Sharane Campbell's personality on and off the court:
“I have known from day one that she cares tremendously. It's not -- did she make someone happy or did someone write a story about it or is this what everybody thought she should do. For her playing is a very personal thing. She is that way in the classroom. If she can make an A she is not going to be happy with an 89. She wants that 90 to get an A. It is a personal sense of excellence that Sharane has. When kids have that it they are really easy to coach. You ache for them when bad things happen. Sometimes when it's not so bad they stick daggers in their eyes. You have to kind of save them from themselves. Sharane has been steady in her growth. She comes back and says it won't happen again.”

Oklahoma Junior Guard Whitney Hand
On the team's play since losing Bedlam in Stillwater in January:
“I think we've learned a lot in the last few days. We are chugging along. We are growing up, and I think that shows in how we finished [today] versus in Stillwater.”

On freshmen development:
“We've all known this from day one, that they were going to have to play. Maybe we didn't know they were going to have to really, really play and play well for us to do well. They have really done a great job of growing up and not being scared, just attacking it and embracing the opportunities and getting a lot of minutes.”

Oklahoma Senior Center Jelena Cernia
On career-high scoring performance:
“Coach (Coale) has told me to play with patience. When I'm passed the ball, I'm always in a rush because I think I have all these moves. I get in a rush and then I make mistakes. I need to just stop and play patient and wait for everything that is going to come.”

Oklahoma Freshman Guard Sharane Campbell
On sense of urgency when team needs a score:
“Of course I can be that difference maker. Anybody can be that difference maker. On different possessions, Jelena was a difference maker. Morgan (Hook)was a difference maker. Everybody can be that. I just happened to be that on every other possession maybe.”

Oklahoma State Head Coach Jim Littell
On the game:
“Give Oklahoma credit, they run a great offense. They're very difficult to guard. We're a team that a lot of times, relies on playing our match-up zone. We went to it twice and they buried two 3's. It's a difficult match-up for us. They just execute so well. When they put the four-guard lineup on the floor, it causes us some difficulty with our four-guard and ... Sharane Campbell, I thought that was the difference in the game. I thought we did a good job of guarding the pick-and-roll and the duck in with [Jelena] Cerina. I thought she played extremely well. When she gets 16 points on us, it's going to make it difficult for us to win. She played extremely well.”

On if OU playing offensively inside was a surprise:
“No, not really. I know that we're going to be attacked inside. We gave up four offensive rebounds prior to the first media timeout and I felt like that kind of set the tone. I think [Nicole] Griffin had three or four rebounds early and Whitney [Hand] did a good job on the offensive board. They are just so good offensively that we can't give them extra possessions.”

On Sharane Campbell's performance:
“She's got a high motor. She's got a high motor and loves the game and plays extremely hard. There's another one up in Iowa State named [Chelsea] Poppens that's got that type of motor too. Those types of players are extremely hard to guard and they just play with a great passion for the game and they play extremely hard. She's hard to guard. She lowers her head and is going to get to the hole. The hardest thing in a game to guard is the dribble drive.”

Oklahoma State Sophomore Guard Tiffany Bias
On her high energy performance:
“I think that I just have to lead us as a leader and just pick up the team's energy and try to make the right play. Dribble and drive in and penetrate the paint. I think I just did everything that a point guard is supposed to do.”

On Coach Littell saying it was her best game yet:
“You just have to take it and run with it. You have to be humble by it and you have to get better. This is a tough loss and we have to get back in the gym and get ready for the next game. So I appreciate the comment and I respect Coach tremendously. It means a lot, if he's saying that, he's a very honest guy. From this loss, we just have to keep running with it and hitting the gym.”

University of Oklahoma Athletics

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