Pitt vs. Duquesne Postgame Quotes
12/22/2007 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Dec. 22, 2007
PITTSBURGH -
Pitt Head Coach Agnus Berenato:
"This was a really good competition. Whenever hometown pride is on the line you know it's going to be a battle. A lot of our girls are familiar with their players too, since they played against them and with them in city league games this summer. That just adds to the level of pride that comes in winning a game like this. Both teams were sitting on seven wins, and we both desperately wanted to get to eight. The holidays are a lot better after a win."
On the play of Sylvie Tafen:
"With the injury to Shayla Scott, Sylvie Tafen has really stepped up for us and played well. We haven't had Shayla available to us for more than 10 days and two games now, and I think our performance during that time shows what we're capable of. That said, we want to get Shayla back as soon as possible. We have a tough stretch of games ahead and we're going to need her."
On being ready for Big East play:
"I can't think about Big East play yet. We have a very tough game before that against James Madison. They gave us a tough game in the NCAA Tournament last year, and we know they'll be ready for us. They've already beaten two top-25 teams, so they'll give us a battle for sure."
Quoting Pitt's Marcedes Walker:
On her rebounding:
"Rebounding is what I do. Every game I stress going to the board and getting after the ball. I saw on film that Duquesne was very good at boxing out, so I had to be careful and try to sneak in to get my boards. I couldn't be too aggressive or else I was going to get called for going over the back. Fortunately, I was able to make it work."
Quoting Pitt's Shavonte Zellous:
On her play in the first half:
"It really helped when we established Marcedes Walker inside. That opened up a lot of space for me on the outside and all I had to do was knock down some shots. I was good today at being aggressive, but also letting the game come to me. When I have my opportunities, I can't hesitate to take them."
Duquesne Head Coach Suzie McConnell-Serio
On the Team's Performance:
"We are a team that has moments of greatness and moments of being just average. So right now, we need to work on minimizing our average spurts and maximizing our moments of greatness."
On the Team's Three-Day Break:
"We're hoping to come back in three days well rested. Right now we have nine players that are healthy and eligible to play, which can be hard. We're going to need to have every player on the court contributing to the team, not just one or two. Every player must show up to the game in order to win."
On Rebounds:
"In practice, we have emphasized rebounds, boxing out and the consequences of not doing so. Pitt exploited too many times for us."
"Rebounding gives you a sense of pride. It can be the difference in a game lost or a game that was kept close. Pitt recovered too many offensive rebounds."
On Marcedes Walker:
"Marcedes Walker was too hard for us to defend. Pitt has a lot of weapons that they can use. Even if you take one away, they can capitalize in a lot of other ways."