Nov. 26, 2008

Recap | Box Score

Oakland University vs. Siena College
Oakland Head Coach Beckie Francis

Opening Statement
"Whew! I think that says it all. After playing Georgia at home and having a three-point loss to a top-25 team, then going to Purdue and playing them tough in the first half and only being down 10, then losing there, we were hungry. You could probably tell that by the way we came out in the first half. It was really nice seeing the whole team hungry and not having a let-down when we went to the bench. Everybody contributed and I was really proud of them."

On Oakland's turnovers
"I do think it was a lull that those turnovers happened. I think we just got out in such a huge lead that we let up and had a couple of unforced turnovers. I also took some blame for that because it's our strategy to fast break and push it. We just needed to settle down and we took care of it. I felt we handled their zone press very well."

On getting open down the court
"We took take pride in that. They work extremely hard on their conditioning in the summer. They're physically fit and that's our strategy to just outrun people. They had fun. They actually said that in the locker room--it was fun."

On April Kidd starting
"April's been a starter for us. She's already started a game for us this year and we're just giving Riikka some rest and April's a normal starter, anyway. April was phenomenal. She handled her change in role of being a really great sixth man and set the pace defensively. I really told our team that a lot had to do with April pressuring their point guard. They couldn't even run their offense they looked like because April was putting so much pressure on and it appeared they were having a tough time making an entry pass."

On the feeling you get when everything is just clicking on offense and defense
"For some reason, probably because we just came off of the game from Purdue, `relief.' We missed our first 10 shots against Georgia and our first few shots against Purdue. When they hit their baskets, they get so excited on defense. So, I felt relief, actually."

On Pike's game tonight and how it will influence her in the coming games
"I think it will be really good for her. But, I think the reason it does help Pike, and we talked about this, is because we rely on our teammates. She was feeling so much pressure, I think, because she wants to be perfect at everything. I just told her to relax and to get her teammates involved."

On starting league play in December
"We're actually not even thinking about league play. We probably should, but we just take everything one game at a time. St. Bonaventure is very good and they have a tough team. They are from a high level league and they have all of their starters back. That's going to a perfect type of game to play before we start conference play because it's similar, I feel, to playing the top teams in our league. It's going to be emotional at Southern Utah, because their coach passed away and I know those players are going to be playing for him and you're always going against that factor, too."

Sophomore Brittany Carnago

On keeping team focused after gaining such a large lead
"We are definitely trying to stay intense and focused throughout the game. We had that big lead and we just wanted to keep going and not let them come back."

On winning against Siena and possibly St. Bonaventure before going on the road
"It will be really big. It will build our confidence for when we go out on the road, because away games are always harder than home games. It will keep our focus and build our confidence."

On the feeling you get when everything is just clicking on offense and defense
"It's just really exciting. You want to keep taking it at them and keep running. It's hard to explain the feeling, but it's just really fun."

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