Bowling Green State University Athletics
BGSU-UT Post-Game Quotes
February 08, 2003 | Women's Basketball
Feb. 8, 2003
BOWLING GREEN, Ohio -
BGSU HEAD COACH CURT MILLER:
"What a week it's been for the Falcons. Someone once said that you can't really experience success or enjoy success until you hit rock bottom, and Wednesday night (a 42-30 loss at Central Michigan) was rock bottom for our program, when we went 3-for-30 (from three-point range)."
"We live and die by the three, and knew that Toledo was going to play a lot of zone defense, coming off our performance against Central. We knew we would have to step up and make threes, we knew we would have to penetrate better and get easier threes than we did against Central, and I was really proud of our kids. We stepped up and made a lot of baskets."
"I'm really, really happy for the four seniors that are in uniform. Francine Miller -- you saw the spark in her eyes tonight. She wanted the ball, and she just wasn't going to be denied. We haven't had as much team success as Toledo, but for our seniors to be able to beat Toledo in our last game against them -- I'm so happy and proud for them, because they are tremendous people with tremendous character. They'll remember this win for many, many years."
"We're a good foul-shooting team, so when you miss two front ends (of one-and-one opportunities in the final minute-plus), we had a little nervous stretch there. But, Kim Griech stepped up and made big shots for us."
"I'm very excited for our kids. We rode them very hard, and the bus ride home from Mount Pleasant was not easy. Coming into practice (Thursday and Friday), I expected to see a lot of heads hanging, but that wasn't the case. They just kept fighting. This group has given me everything that you could ever ask for, and that's their reward for not quitting. It just shows the parity of the MAC, that on any given night, you can step up and win. We're tough to beat here, and our crowd was great. They really kept us going, and we're 3-1 here in the MAC."
(On Tene Lewis:)
"In my opinion, she was the MVP today. She doesn't put up the numbers that some people do, but she had no points today, and I think she's the MVP. She had six incredible assists and no turnovers. She continually got into the lane and found open people. If people make some jumpers, she maybe has a 10-assist game. She's our go-to defender. ... In my opinion, if there's ever a case where a kid should be MVP with no points, that's Tene Lewis today. She's all energy, all heart and all determination. She's unselfish, she hustles, she defends and she makes plays for other people. And, she never wants the credit. She just shows up every day and does the same thing. That's why she's part of the program, and that's why she deserved the start today."
(On the changes to the starting lineup:)
"We felt it was time to make a change. But, we talked extensively in the lockerroom about the fact that we couldn't win without all 11 people playing and making a contribution. But, coming off a 30-point performance -- a 30-point performance -- we watched the tape from the first (UT) game, and we started the five people who sparked us against Toledo the first time. But, our bench really handled it well. Karen Stocz played big, Kim Griech, obviously, was tremendous, and no one worried about who started. They knew they were going to get their minutes. They handled it well, and with maturity, and we stepped up and won as a team."
"I want to go on record that I feel sad for Tia Davis and the Toledo program. They're going to continue to play outstanding basketball, but Tia Davis was playing like the conference player of the year. And, you never want to see a senior injured at all, let alone after the season that she was having, and at this time of the year. Tia Davis still gets my vote for player of the year."
BGSU SENIOR FRANCINE MILLER:
"This was a huge game. We had talked about it before the game, that this was our (the seniors') last chance to play against Toledo, and to go out and say that we beat Toledo in our last game against them on our home court. It's always a big rivalry, and we're happy we came out with the win."
(On the play of Tene Lewis:)
"She knows that her job is to play defense. Coach tells her not to shoot sometimes, and her job is to play defense. She knows that, and she does a heck of a job. Tene has come up with a big defensive stop in pretty much every game this year. That's her job, and she's very good at it."
(Was this a must-win game?)
"Yes, definitely. We were talking about it before the game, that we've ben stuck on nine wins for a long time, and just couldn't get over that hump. Today we were just really focused, and wanted to come out with a win and try to get on a roll again. We have some games coming up that we can win, but without confidence, it's very hard to come out with a win. This was a huge game, and we're ecstatic to come out with a win."
BGSU SOPHOMORE TENE LEWIS:
"Why do I need to shoot when I play with Francine? She's a go-to player, and that's who you go to -- somebody who can make the big shots. Kimmy (Griech) stepped up tonight, too. I just did what I do best, and they did what they do best, and we came out with a win."
(On her two offensive rebounds that led to a BGSU three-point FG late in the game:)
"Coach always says that (getting) second-chance points is a killer, and getting a three-pointer is a killer. Coming out of the timeouts, they just said to go to the boards hard. The back side was wide open, so I just snuck in there and got a rebound, and saw Kimmy on the wing and kicked it out. She was making them all night."
TOLEDO HEAD COACH MARK EHLEN:
"I give Bowling Green a lot of credit. I thought they really had a great game plan. They played well, and shot the ball extremely well. I knew, after their last game, that they would certainly come back. The law of averages was in their favor that they weren't going to go 3-for-30 again (on three-point field goals), and they certainly didn't. I don't think we covered their (three-point shooters) very well at all, but hats off to them. I thought they played a great game."
(On adjusting to the absence of Tia Davis:)
"I think it takes time. I told the team that after the game. It took us out of automatic, and we were in a pretty good automatic. We were really playing great basketball, and then you take somebody out of the lineup. And, I'm not trying to make excuses for this game, because Bowling Green beat us. But, our substitution patterns are different, we're trying to do different things and we've got people in different spots. You've got two days to get ready for this, and it was difficult for us. That doesn't take anything away from what Bowling Green did, because they were well-prepared."
