Bowling Green State University Athletics
BGSU-Buffalo Postgame Quotes
January 06, 2007 | Women's Basketball
Jan. 6, 2007
Recap | Final Stats
BOWLING GREEN, Ohio -
HEAD COACH Curt Miller
"I thought our defense was outstanding again today. It set the tone from the beginning of the game. We did a lot of great things defensively, especially in terms of (guarding) the best 3-point shooting duo in the league. They went 1-for-9, which was a big key. And then, we needed to limit touches against a very good player in Heather Turner, and we needed to get deflections and force turnovers. It was a great first half; we really did a good job. Overall again, the defense today is the story, after a good execution of the game plan by this team."
(On the team still diving on the floor, playing defense and trying to create turnovers, even with a big lead)
"That's what is so special about this program. We play hard, and they give it all they've got, all the time when they're out there. It's not just in games, it's in practice, too. I hope I have something to do with that, because I'm not going to let them play below their capabilities. I'm a little frustrated with our number of turnovers, and letting them get on the offensive boards late in the game. But, it has been a long stretch since we have gotten back after Christmas, and we are limping into an off day. We so need the day off tomorrow, and we are so excited to get there. It is huge for us to have won four games in nine days; I can't emphasize enough how scary of a stretch that was for us, but they came through with flying colors, and the defense really carried us in the last two games."
(On Lindsey Goldsberry's steal at midcourt that led to a Megan Thorburn and-one layup in the second half)
"That was certainly one of the best plays of the year for us, I think, because it shows everything we are all about. The hard work -- Goldsberry diving on the floor -- the unselfishness of the pass, and then the tough finish. I think that capsulizes our team, and the way we have built our program. Hard-nosed, play hard for each other, unselfish, no one worries about individual honors. We just try to play team basketball. Carin Horne was the big offensive star the other night (at Akron). She is struggling with some soreness in her legs today, and obviously was not the story today, but Megan Thorburn picked up where Carin left off on Wednesday."
(On Thorburn)
"Even though Megan has gone a stretch without big scoring totals, she hasn't lost her confidence in practice. I can still see that confidence in practice that she had in the early part of the season. So it was not at all a surprise to me that Megan bounced back with a big game."
SOPHOMORE GUARD Lindsey Goldsberry
(Do you enjoy diving all over the court for steals and loose balls?
"I do like defense. I grew up playing defense; a lot of my coaches when I was younger were defensive-minded, so that's just how I play."
(On her diving for a steal at midcourt with the Falcons up by more than 20 points in the second half)
"That's the only way I know how to play, all-out."
(What are you doing in these last few games that has led to such good defensive numbers?)
"I think we are just playing as a team. We're playing help-the-helper, we are focused on the fundamentals in practice and it's showing in the games. This being a veteran group, we know where people are going to be on defense, and it's a big help."
(On the crowd)
"It makes for such a good atmosphere. We love coming out of the tunnel and seeing all of the fans there. We have such a great fan base. Even in Cancun, we had the most fans of any team there. It just makes the experience even better."
SENIOR WING Megan Thorburn
"It felt good today. It has been a couple games since I have been able to hit the 3 consistently, so that was nice. When you're feeling it, you're feeling it, and my shot just felt good today."
(On BGSU's defense the last few games)
"Even though Coach Miller is a more offensive-minded coach, he is always stressing defense, defense, defense. I think it's just (a result of) getting hands on passes, getting up on them and playing good team defense. If someone gets around you, you know you have someone there to help you. I think that's what has made our defense good; we always have a teammate there to back us up."
(On Goldsberry's diving for loose balls, etc.)
"She plays that way all through practice."
(Are you speaking from experience?)
"Yes."
(Is it tough to keep your focus when you're leading, 32-8, in the first half?)
"Not when you're playing up-tempo, fun basketball. It gets the crowd into it, I think. We don't lose our focus because we have such a fun time playing together."
(On the crowd)
"It's amazing, and the students aren't even back (for spring semester) yet. We have such a great following. Even at road games, we have good people come to every game. We have a ton of people come to these (home) games, and it's so much fun. It's 'The House That Roars'."
BUFFALO HEAD COACH LINDA HILL-MacDONALD
"Teams usually use defense to create their offense, but Bowling Green used offense to create their defense. It fires them up; they hit a few shots, and they're going down and they're not going to let you score. They are aggressive, they get out in the passing lanes well and their communication defensively is very good, very sound."
"Ali Mann isn't huge, but she matches up pretty well with most of the posts in this league, and you've got Honegger; she's a beast. They've got all the elements, defensively, that you would want. And, they've got desire. This team has a lot of heart. They play hard, they play consistently, they play together and they play with a whole lot of confidence, which is typical of a team that has been playing together for three years."
"That is what you want to accomplish within your team. That desire, that never-ending desire, no matter what the score is. Curt has done a great job in motivating these players, getting the most out of them and getting them to play with that fire and heart that a lot of us are still trying to pull out of our players. Success is a great ingredient for getting that out of your players, and we're not there yet."
