Florida Gators

Postgame Quotes from the Official Presser
UF's Coach Newbauer, Haley Lorenzen, Funda Nakkasoglu; MSU's Coach Schaefer, Victoria Vivans
 
 
UF Head Coach Cameron Newbauer
Opening comments about the game:
"There is a reason they are the number two team in the country – both offensively and defensively. I think we did a great job in the first half. We had it at 29-26 and had a three that just didn't go down. Pressure got to us – it speeds you up physically and mentally and we just got out of sorts. We kept fighting and now we are going to turn the page and move on to the next game."
 
On second quarter run:
"I don't remember what all happened during the run – I don't remember who hit shots, which sounds ridiculous. Offensively, we were sharing the ball. Funda (Nakkasoglu) drove in and had a nice find to Paulina (Hersler). Our spacing was really good – that was one thing we wanted to fix tonight. During that run, we had great spacing and got really good looks. It is what got us in the position that we were in to tie the game."
 
On what went right for Mississippi State:
"They were 6-of-12 from three at the half which is phenomenal. Any team that goes 10-of-20 from the three for the game is in a great position to win – especially a team that plays defense like Mississippi State does. Their defense keys so much of their offense. You can't prepare for it. Other teams try to replicate it, but they don't have the personnel for it, so it is really hard to prepare for what you are going to see. They are so good at guarding you without fouling. They pressure and speed you up without fouling, which fuels their offensive. That is why they are 25-0.
 
On rebounding differential:
"(Teaira) McCowan had five offensive rebounds in the first half and none in the second half, so I love the effort we had on her. Mississippi State had 15 in the second half, to go along with 26 second-chance points, so rebounding is a big deal. We knew that coming in, but they wear you down physically with their pressure. It is 40 minutes of nonstop, grueling basketball – especially with a short bench."
 
On how they tried to limit turnovers:
"We have worked on it all year, but there is no way to prepare for what you are going to see in this team. We got rushed and frustrated at times, tonight we had a lot of points off turnovers – but that is part of it. Like I said, I have already forgotten some of this because we are focusing on moving on to the next one. We are going to keep fighting and that is what makes this team so special. We don't play the scoreboard, we don't play the record, we just play to keep getting better every moment. That is why I love these kids."
 
On if playing five ranked opponents in a row has taken a toll on the team:
"Whether you are ranked or not, they are in the SEC where we face the best players in the country. We talked as a group and we all signed up for this. This is why Funda and Haley came to the University of Florida; this is why I took the job here because we want to be a part of something special and that is the SEC. It is the best in the country. We welcome the competition of the SEC; you cannot dwell on it for too long, we have to keep improving and working toward the next opponent. It doesn't wear on us because we are trying to improve each moment we can. It does not matter who the opponent is, it comes down to us getting better on the little things and how we perform as a group."
 
On Tameria Johnson seeing more minutes:
"Delicia (Washington) got two early fouls and ended the first half with three, so that is a part of it. She got some solid minutes at Missouri the other night and made some really good plays for us."
 
UF junior guard Funda Nakkasoglu
On MSU's defensive pressure:
"As you could see, they were denying a lot. Every possession it was just nonstop like Coach and Haley said. It was more of a mental thing by the end; we were scared to throw passes because we didn't want to turn it over. We need to handle the pressure better. We need to be more aggressive – if a turnover comes from an aggressive play, we are more okay with that."
 
 
UF senior forward Haley Lorenzen
On dealing with Teaira McCowan in post:
"I think it is pretty obvious that she had a large size advantage on me, but to our credit we tried to do the best we could with what we had. We tried to limit her touches as much as possible. We knew we had to work a step ahead because she was bigger than us, so we always tried to have that first step on her. Boxing her out was also a major key, even though we did not do as well on her in this game, I think we did a pretty decent job."
 
On defense:
"We still had a lot of defensive miscues in that first half. When we got within three, it was because we were communicating with one another, we were playing personnel the right way and we were following the game plan. When we started deviating from that, it was when they started to get open shots and drives. If we could have played defense more consistently, it would have been a different turnout."
On rebounding differential:
"In the SEC, you cannot get down on the boards like that if you want to win games. The important thing that we know now is that we have to get better and keep battling."
 
On if playing five ranked opponents in a row has a toll on the team:
"No, it doesn't. It does not matter if they are ranked or unranked – they put their shorts on the same way we put our shorts on. They put their jerseys on the same way we put our jerseys on. For us, we welcome it. We know we are getting better because of it and that in the end, this program and the team will be better for it. We look at it as a new challenge. Each day comes with new challenges and adversity and we just try to concur that the best we can by staying together and staying positive. I could not be more proud of this team for fighting every single day."
 
*****
 
MSU Coach Vic Schaefer and Bulldogs Victoria Vivians,  Press Conference
 
Opening Comments:
Alright, giving God the glory for #25. Really proud of how they came out in the second half and that third quarter after just a real bad second quarter. We had to go on a run in the second quarter just to outscore them by one. Gotta give Florida a lot of credit. I thought they played extremely well in the second quarter, especially after we had a punch first in the first quarter. But our third quarter, third in seven and 26 points in the fourth. So that's 56 points. I think we had 55 at our place in the second half. So, just our execution offensively was really good, we made shots. Ro(shunda) going four for seven from three. Morgan was three for three from three. Blair was two for five. You go ten for twenty from three then you can attack people off the bounce a little bit. It really opens some things up. Morgan probably should be in here, she had a great ball game. Six out of seven, three assists, one steal. It's good to see her back, making shots and attacking. Third quarter defense was really good, 25%. We only made three buckets. That's where we went on a run, held it at seven points. We've had some good quarters in the second half and held it to single digits. 37 points off turnovers and 14 fast break. We did 52 points in the paint. That's the answer for us. That's our secret to our success. If we can do that, we have a chance to win every night, so I'm really, really proud of my team coming off of such a high, an emotional game on Monday, then you take Tuesday off, with one day to prep. Florida has been playing so good. Cam's got them playing really well. Going to Missouri with a chance to win. We know how hard it is to play at Missouri, we barely got out of there. Coming here tonight and playing as well as we did, I'm really proud of my team."
 
On the second quarter:
I think we just started shooting it the first time we touched it. We didn't have any chemistry, we didn't share the ball. We kinda got selfish. And no, shots weren't followed. They did a great job of blocking out. They were executing on their end. (Haley) Lorenzen was scoring and doing some good things and we just had some defensive problems. We go into half time at 13 and couldn't make a run in the half, one time we got it down to three. We had to end the half on a little bit of a run. But now I'm really proud of how they played in the second half. Really, really proud."
 
On the team's defense:
Well you can't let them run their offense, they're so good at it. They do so many different things. They have fours and fives that can step out and shoot the three which typically is not the norm. You don't have a 6'3 kid stepping out place at five to shoot a three, like Haley. You really gotta be on your toes with that. I think they made four threes in the first half, we didn't put a three there until late. They got three in the second half. They're going to shoot and we have to guard the arm of this team. They're going to shoot threes. That's part of our defensive plan. I thought Danberry came off the bench and really sparked us defensively. She got her hands on two balls, she stole two balls, we got some layups. I was just really pleased with her energy that she brought coming off the bench.
 
On his concern about victory on Monday night with short turnaround:
"I am worried about them all, but I was definitely worried about this one coming in. The locker room was a little blah coming out to start the game. We came out and started the game fine – 25-13, so we did a good job, but I am telling you I was concerned. Here we are 25-0 and it is hard between games 18-23. It is hard to get up every night and that is what you have to do in this league, you have to get ready to play, just like every other team. Look at Florida, they are coming off playing Missouri to two points and we only got out of there by the skin of our teeth. I was very concerned coming in with the emotions of Monday, so I am glad we took a down Tuesday, just to let them breathe. I have a lot of respect for Florida."
 
On getting in so late last night:
"The plane was here [in Florida], but of course it had a part problem. So they had to get the part and then fly to come get us. We typically shoot around the night before for 30-40 minutes, but they had a men's game last night, so we wouldn't have gotten to shoot until late anyway so it worked out. The good thing of the day was that we were able to sleep in this morning, but no, it is not normal for us. We shot for about 30 minutes last night."
 
On what this game does for the team heading into postseason play:
"It is just one of 16 right now, but we are grinding in the moment. This team is really good about staying in the moment and now we move on to Kentucky on Sunday. That is all we are focused on, we don't look past that. The only thing we know about Kentucky is that we haven't beaten them in six years and so I am sure I will have them ready in practice and ready for the game on Sunday."
 
 
MSU Senior Victoria Vivians:
On change in normality with delayed flight:
"It didn't change anything, we were still able to complete our normal routine, including shooting. We didn't have to wake up early, so we were good. Everything was the regular routine."
 
On shooting 55% from the field on the road:
"It feels good, we gained confidence as we made shots and with the way we were guarding. We started out really aggressive on defense, which allowed everyone to get in their groove and we took some good shots."