Marshall University Athletics
Post Game Quotes
3/8/2010 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
March 8, 2010
Recap | Final Stats | Photo Gallery 
Opening Statement...
"It's a sigh of relief for us. It's kind of déjàvu from last year in terms of our first game. We were pretty aggressive to start the game. Marshall did a great job. They switched their defense and we got a little passive and they hit some shots. We went on a dry spell for a minute. I was really proud of our team, how we fought back through adversity, and hit some big shots. We hit some free throws when we needed them. We struggled with that all night. I thought that was a big key down the stretch. And our defense came to life at the end."
Do you think your experience from last year helped you...
"I think so. We said we've been here before and now what this is like, it's the same kind of scenario except for the overtime. We have all the confidence in the world that Chelsie can knock down shots. We got some big time stops. That's what it comes down to at the end. We got a couple scores, then a stop. Our defense came to life when it needed to."
On next opponent...
"We have a big test against Tulane. We lost to them by two points in January. We battled them all the way but a turnover at the end of the game hurt us. But now we are playing better winning four of our last five games. We did not have Emma Cannon for that game. We feel good about our chances."
"This tournament is wide open, that's the beauty of it. We are excited about our fresh new start."
On Emma Cannon...
"Emma did a great job hitting some critical free throws late in the game."
UCF Junior Guard Chelsie Wiley
Was the three point play that tied the game a drawn up play or a scramble shot?...
"It was a scramble play, I knew that I had to get the ball into my hands to tie the game. I was confident when I shot the ball."
UCF Junior Forward Jasmine Young
On the free throws...
"Coach told me to go out with confidence and knock them down, and that's what I did."
On Marshall's 27 turnovers...
"We knew we were going to pressure them. We knew we were going to rattle them."
Marshall Head Coach Royce Chadwick
Opening Statement...
"Congratulations to UCF. It was extremely physical and they pounded us on the boards. That was a huge difference in the game. UCF was really fighting for every offensive rebound. It wasn't the first shot that got us or the second one...it was the third one, and UCF made the most of its chances. We missed nine free throws, and if you do that in a March game you dig yourself a hole that is tough to get out of. I'm very proud of my team that we were able to fight back in the second half. We had opportunities down the stretch. We had a couple of looks that would have sealed the victory for us, but we were unable to get them to slide into the basket. Tynikki Crook gets a double-double every time she plays in this tournament. She is just a special basketball player. I'm very proud of Mystee Dale for her contributions today in playing multiple positions."
"We have a very good nucleus returning. I'm looking forward to watching them mature and having another opportunity next year."
On the final minute of the second half...
"Everything is deflating and exhilarating in March. When you hit a big-time basket it electrifies the whole bench up. When you have an opportunity that slips through your fingers it brings your bench down a bit. That was just one of the swing points of the game. We turned it over a bunch of times in the first half. If we hadn't had those turnovers... everything begins to become more paramount as the game goes along. If you are going to win in March you have to have tremendous leadership and fight through the down times."
On first-half turnovers...
"I thought it was very critical. It wasn't the second or third pass that we couldn't make, it was the first one. We could not make the first pass to set us up and get us in an offense."
On how Mystee Dale helped team improve in that area...
"Your quarterback is in charge of getting you into your offense, and Mystee (Dale) did some of that for us. We had some youngsters playing in there who were trying to fight through the tenacity of what it takes in a March game. Mystee (Dale) came in there and took some of the pressure off of them."
On the C-USA Tournament...
"I think this tournament is wide open. Anybody is capable of getting hot right now and winning the tournament. One game you can squeak by and the next one you can win big. Every game and every possession is just different and unique. There are a whole bunch of teams who are very capable of winning it."
On if Marshall changed its game plan at halftime...
"In the first half we were trying to create stuff with the pass and screen each other open. UCF was so physical with us in pushing through the screens. In the second half we tried to be more aggressive off the dribble, and it led to more free-throw opportunities."
Marshall Junior Forward Tynikki Crook
On her match-up with UCF's Emma Cannon...
"She's a really good player, and you always want to bring your "A" game against the top players in March. I felt like she played well, and I wanted to step up and play well against her."
Marshall Junior Guard Mystee Dale
On her leadership in the game...
"Coach Chadwick just told us to go out there and play. I felt like somebody really had to step up. We have three seniors, and they step up a lot. I am one of the older players, and when Tynikki (Crook) fouled out I had to step it up for my team."
