Bowling Green State University Athletics
BGSU-UT: From the Interview Room
February 05, 2006 | Women's Basketball
Feb. 5, 2006
Recap | Final Stats
TOLEDO, Ohio - Quoting a few of Bowling Green State University's key performers in the Falcons' 71-65 road win over the University of Toledo Sunday (Feb. 5) ...
HEAD COACH Curt Miller
(Opening statement)
"It was a great game; what a rivalry between the two of us. Both teams shot the ball very well overall tonight, both teams played very hard. Last year, Toledo outplayed us in both games, but we found a way to win in the last two minutes of both games. Today, it was a tale of halves. Clearly, Toledo took it right to us, and had us on our heels. But, our kids' composure continues to amaze me. We're now a veteran crew, with four juniors in our starting lineup that have been through the wars. Our composure was just fantastic in the second half. We didn't panic; we knew it was going to take a while to get back into the game, and we weren't going to win it in any four-minute stretch. To our credit, we just kept plugging away and plugging away until we took the lead, and then I felt very confident that we could finish the game off."
(What was your mindset going into halftime?)
"Well, the mindset was clearly that we were too perimeter-oriented. Toledo played a mixture of defenses. I think they really had us on our heels. We weren't getting points in the paint, we weren't getting to the foul line, and we were just settling for 3s. We took 18 3s in the first half. We took just nine in the second half, and we were in the upper 20s in points in the paint in the second half, compared to eight in the first half. We had to play more physical and get the ball inside, either by passing or with dribble penetration. If we could get the ball inside, we thought we could find some space in there, and (it would lead to) some good things. I also told them, if they wanted me to talk about Northern Illinois, we could move on. We didn't have to talk about the second half; we could start our scouting report on Northern right then. They were mad. For us to be 12 down, it has been a long time since anyone has taken it to us like that. So, we were confident that we could step up and make plays, but to Toledo's credit, they were playing great."
(How big of a shock was it to be down by double digits?)
"We talked some Xs and Os at halftime. But, we spent about half of that time talking about desire and intensity. It was our number-one goal, going into the game, to match Toledo's desire and intensity. We made some very good adjustments, in terms of Xs and Os, for the second half. But, just as valuable, our kids played with more passion, and that's what has made this team very, very special. I say this to you guys all the time, but they just hate to lose."
(You didn't want to be perimeter-oriented in the second half, but every three-pointer you made in the second half seemed like a dagger. Could you comment on the timeliness of those shots?)
"That's what we talked about. We didn't need to be trigger-happy; we needed to take 3s when we could get them. Casey McDowell hit two big 3s, and we ran that play late in the shot clock for Carin (Horne). Carin did not have a great game, but you can count on her making a big shot, and so we diagrammed that play in our huddle for Carin to take a 3. Again, I thought we took better 3s, open 3s, in-rhythm 3s, unlike the first half where we were very trigger-happy. I mean, we shot three 3s in one possession, boom-boom-boom, and even the kids on our bench were going crazy."
JUNIOR CENTER Liz Honegger
(What was the difference in the second half?
"Obviously, we went into the lockerroom down by 12, and we knew we just had to come back out and be more aggressive. I don't think we were ready from the tip, and we just had to come back out and match their intensity."
(On coming back from the double-digit deficit)
"We talked about not trying to get it all back at once; just trying to get it back, two (points) by two, and try to see their lead dwindle down."
JUNIOR FORWARD Carin Horne
(What did Coach Miller say in the lockerroom at halftime?)
"Basically, (he told us) to come out with more desire and more effort. We needed to pick it up, and be more motivated. He told us that we weren't playing to the best of our abilities, and we needed to pick it up. We (the players) came together, and among ourselves, decided the same thing."
(Were you worried when you trailed by 15 points early in the second half)
"I wouldn't say we were worried, because we weren't playing our best. If we had been playing our best, and they were up 15, I think I would have been worried. But, we came out in the second half and turned it around."
