TCU Postgame Quotes vs. West Virginia
1/24/2016 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
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TCU Head Coach Raegan Pebley
Opening Statement
"The second half was much more like we needed to play from the very beginning of the game. In the Big 12 whether you're playing ranked opponents or non-ranked opponents it doesn't matter, you can't waste time. If you waste time, anyone in this league can double you up real fast. We definitely showed a lot more toughness in the second half in how we competed, there wasn't a single thing we changed in our game plan, there was just better effort into executing that game plan. Our guards came out with a stronger mindset and that bled and permeated throughout our team. West Virginia is a great team, and they did a better job I think especially at the beginning of the game of sticking to playing to their strengths and their game plan."
On breakaway layups
"It's hard to get breakaway layups in our conference, so you've got to finish those. And I think that was indicative of our mindset to start the game. Missing layups like that, missing rotations, really being reactive as opposed to proactive on the defensive end will impact you on the offensive end. In the second half you saw us finish those better and saw us stay more aggressive and do the things that are more true to our identity."
On TCU's energy
"That doesn't just happen. It doesn't just happen. It happens as a result of making sure that you're sticking within a routine and not taking an opportunity for granted to step on this floor and compete. Again, this league is so tough that if you don't have all five completely dialed in, especially against a team like West Virginia who has a lot of scorers on the floor that are so aggressive and physical defensively, it can spiral fast.
On the halftime talk
"The gist of the halftime is intensity. It was intense. We're a positive staff and we try to be really process focused. I told them I could really care less about the outcome at this point, we need to go out and be more process focused and we need to play the way that we know we're supposed to play and we need to be tough. We need people to step up and perform; it's not just enough to just do things in practice or to talk about them. You need to perform it and do it with a sense of urgency. It's not about what coaches do; it's about players being able to go out and respond, so a credit to them that they did respond to that. We just are running out of time to keep learning these lessons, and now we've got a three game road trip that I'm looking forward to. I'm looking forward to take this team on the road and continuing to get tested. I'm still really optimistic and realistic that great things can happen for this team, and I think there's a lot of reasons why we should feel that way."
On TCU's Junior Guard Jada Butts
"There's a few players that play a similar position to Jada. Right now in conference she's one of our more productive players statistically. In practice there's been a hard work ethic and attention to detail in our game plan instead of just doing what's easy in the moment, doing what we need to get done. I love the way she played today and we want to keep seeing that stay consistent.
On AJ Alix
"I think AJ has the potential to be one of the best point guards in this conference. She's grown a lot in a year's time. Last year was a tough year for her. She had to go through a lot with different injuries and she would come back and then an injury would happen and keep her out for a length of time. This is really a year where she's been able to be in game in game out. And learn and apply, learn and apply. She's grown a lot due to her work ethic. She spends a lot of time with film and a lot of time with Coach Brown. She's gaining a better understanding of what I need from her as a point guard, not just in execution but also in leadership. It's another step. Rome wasn't built in a day and success isn't a straight line up. What we're working on building is that it's consistent all the time. In the two hours of competition, the two hours of practice, the 21 hours, 22 hours of the day."
On TCU's offense
"Our defensive effort fueled our offensive aggressiveness. That's always when we find our best shots. We're more locked in, we're more focused, and we're more ready off the ball. One of the adjustments that AJ made in the second half was sprinting off the ball, sprinting when she's coming off of screens setting up her player, pushing the pace offensively whether it's a make or a miss by West Virginia. That then collapses defenses better and creates some open looks. Let's also remember she had eight assists. She also found players and did a better job of finding them and setting them up for more success in the second half."
TCU Redshirt Sophomore Guard AJ Alix
On her role
"Well being down like that we can't go into plays, we have to push the ball, she told me that it starts with the point guard so I have to get it together and go out there and do what my team needed me to do."
On bettering herself
"I talk to my coaches all the time and ask them "what do I need to do", "what do I need to do to make this team successful" and they're telling me `turnovers' so I just have to learn how to take care of the ball, execute the play, and make sure everybody's in the right spot, so I just focus on what I need to do during the game or what my coaches are telling me to do."
TCU Junior Guard Jada Butts
On her takeaways from Coach's halftime speech
"At halftime she really stressed our effort, and I felt like I could give more, and so that's what I did and it was just too late, I should've done it from the beginning."
West Virginia Senior Guard Bria Holmes
On becoming third on the West Virginia all time scorers list
"I'm just honored and blessed. I think it's great I can be on the list."
On Zahna Medley
"[She's] aggressive and has a lot of energy. She's a really good point guard. One of the best in the league I think. She's a threat on offense and defense as well.
West Virginia Senior Guard Jessica Morton
On shooting
"Yes, I could tell [she was having a good night]. Once I get my rhythm I am ok with shooting."
West Virginia Coach Mike Carey
Opening statement
"Thank goodness we had a big lead the first half. I thought we played extremely hard, played great defense, got out on our shooters, and stopped penetration. We were hitting our shots the first half, the second half they played harder than we did. Veteran players understand, but these young players just don't understand that teams have a lot of pride and they were going to come out and go after it. In the end we got the win, and that was the most important thing. Bria [Holmes], Jessica [Morton], and Teana [Muldrow] really stepped up tonight for us."
On the efficiency of his shooters
"We have a lot of people who can score. I've said this all along; this is the best shooting team we've had for years all the way around. We had more than one or two hitting threes today, and I think that really helped us in the first half. The second half we were just tentative a little bit. We weren't attacking their press."
On having a week off before playing
"I was a little worried about that. I thought we would have a lot of energy, or we would come out a little sloppy. We are deeper this year off the bench. If someone is having a bad night, someone else can step up and have a good night. The first half we played very well, the second half it just seemed we were a little tired."
On Bria Holmes
"Bria is one of the most unselfish people. She had eight assists today, and very easily could've gone in and scored. Sometimes I want her to be a little more aggressive because she can score. She's been a great player for four years, and one of the top players who ever played at West Virginia. On top of that she's a good student and a good person, so that makes it worthwhile.
