Bowling Green State University Athletics
Quotes From Curt Miller
December 06, 2002 | Women's Basketball
Dec. 6, 2002
BOCA RATON, Fla. -
BGSU HEAD COACH CURT MILLER:
"This is as good a win as we've had since I got here. It was a big win for us, it was a total team effort and we got contributions from everyone tonight."
"We took a different approach into this game, an underdog approach. (We told the players that) we have nothing to lose, to just go out there and have fun. In our three home games, we put a lot of pressure on ourselves as a coaching staff and a lot of pressure on our kids to win games. We forgot the big picture of just getting better each game out. Tonight, we did a much better job of just doing what we do, and of trying to come out of tonight's game becoming a better basketball team."
"We talked about the underdog role, being on the home court of an opponent that was seconds away from the NCAA Tournament last year, and is predicted to win their half of their conference this year. You could tell there wasn't nearly as much pressure on our kids as we put them under in the first three games. I really liked their approach tonight in that underdog role."
"This is just what the doctor ordered in a tournament setting, winning easily in the first round and being able to spread minutes out among everyone. We had a 32-point lead with eight minutes to go, and from then on, we used our bench a great deal. Only two people played 20 minutes or more. So, in a three-games-in-four-days stretch, it will really help us in that we didn't have to play people 35 or 36 minutes tonight."
"I'm disappointed in the fact that we let Florida Atlantic make a little run and make the score look respectable, because -- with eight minutes left and being up by more than 30 points -- we had totally outplayed a team on their home floor. That's such a good feeling, and one that we haven't felt a lot over the first two years. A key part of (the win) was that we played 40 minutes of zone tonight. We did a really good job of finding their shooters, and making their non-shooters shoot. They didn't hit a three-pointer until eight minutes remained. We did not give up a 'three' until the game was already decided.
"The defense was a catalyst tonight. We held a talented team to 30 percent from the field tonight. So, we continue to play well enough defensively to win. We've got to continue to rebound the basketball if we're going to play zone. That's (rebounding) been a weakness for us, and we didn't win the rebounding war tonight, but we battled, scrapped and clawed, and that was good to see. There's room for improvement, but I'm pleased at this point of the year with our defense, and of the things we're doing to take away the other teams' best players. On nights when we play better offensively, we're capable of these kinds of wins. Tonight, we played well enough offensively to keep giving energy to our defense."
"I think we saw as close as we've been to the vision we had of this season. There was a stretch where I looked out on the floor and saw Lindsay Austin at the point, Kim (Griech) and Stefanie (Wenzel) at the wings, Francine Miller at the power forward and Pam Brown at the center spot. That's a lineup that, when healthy, you perceive might be your 'go-to' team coming into the year. Tonight was the first time all year that all five have been on the floor together. Three of those players, for sure, are not 100 percent, but it is good to see all five of them in the game as a unit."
"We also saw that Pam Brown can really be a factor in a game. She had 10 points and eight rebounds in only 15 minutes. And, I want to acknowledge that, for the second game in a row, Tene Lewis has sparked us off the bench with aggressive play at both ends of the floor. We need her energy, especially defensively, and she is our best rebounding guard. Again, she came off the bench and really sparked us, and I'm really pleased in what she's bringing us right now."
