Feb. 9, 2009

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"Oakland Head Coach Beckie Francis

Opening Statement
"Oral Roberts is a good team and we have a really fun rivalry. We have so much history with them and I knew they were going to come and play. It didn't matter what they have been doing in the past or what their record was, we knew they were going come after us. We beat them at their place and I was really proud that the team fought that battle. It was really fun."

On what it means to get a good win, despite Pike being held to three points
"They held Pike to three points and they shot 51 percent and you know that I'm a defensive coach, so that was driving me nuts. We know what they're going to do, so it's frustrating when you go over it and over it, but what I love about this team is that it was just determination. They were just doing exactly the same thing, but when it was on the line, they got it done. It was almost like they just needed that challenge and that urgency, like if you don't get it done, you're actually going to lose it. We've got some work to do and some adjustments to make. I was just trying to stop Mariana Carmago from driving and I thought Brittany Carnago came in and had some key blocks. Jeltema also took four charges and we took them at key moments. And that is a good officiating crew. Barb Smith is a Final Four official and I really think that looking back at all of those calls, they were good calls and our team was there. It was fair and I'm just proud of them."

On adjusting to ORU's defense
"I would say it's keeping my composure, because our backs were against the wall and I could see the fan reactions. So, it was really a management of composure and I just kept repeating over and over, 'Just do your job. If you keep your person off and your person off, all five of you will get it done.' And they ended up doing it when it really counted. So, it's composure and not getting frustrated and screaming at them, so they would lose their confidence."

On whether Oakland felt forced at times
"I think because Pike was struggling and Sharise Calhoun wasn't really shooting and MJ wasn't her normal self, I think that was getting us out of our flow. It was a herky-jerky offense and they got it done when they needed to. It just wasn't flowing because we weren't hitting our normal shots. But we did have a lot of assists, 22 assists on 28 baskets. Even though they weren't hitting it all the time, they were delivering it to other people."

On if it's a positive that Oakland squeezed out a close win
"I said we needed a close game. Because we're heading into the tournament and we've been winning by double digits and we practice situation games every other day at practice. And they actually like it. When it was overtime, they were ready. We put our subs against the starters, then we split it half and half and do all kinds of situations. I think it was good for them to get the confidence of winning a close game."

On April Kidd's performance
"April loves this team and loves the game so much and she doesn't want it to end. She wants it to end on a happy note. When you have seniors with that kind of urgency, it's so easy for the coaches because they'll just take over and we've had that in the past, like Anne Hafeli when we went to the NCAA Tournament in 2006 and I think we have that in Pike and April right now because they have that urgency and this bond. I know they have this unit and they are determined to take this team as far as it can go."

Senior guard April Kidd

On sweeping ORU in the regular season for the first time
"I actually didn't know that. This is a great win. We knew they were preprared to play us and they came out and fought hard. We started off slow but in the long run, we ended up with the win. That's what we're happy about."

On scoring 10 points in overtime and helping out her teammates
"Everybody has bad games sometimes and that's what I like about this team. We don't depend on one person; everybody contributes and I think that's what we did tonight. We had people stepping up and Jessica Pike struggled a little bit, but our bench players came in and held the fort. Melissa Jeltema took some great charges and I think everybody on the team contributed and that's what I love about this team. We're so deep."

On taking some of the load with Pike struggling
"Not really. With Pike and I as seniors, we know that we kind of put a lot of pressure on ourselves, but not too much pressure. That's where our teammates come in. Pike knew that we had her back, so I think she felt a little relieved. So, this is it. We're ready for the tournament. We'll see them again."

On whether there was ever panic
"Maybe a little bit. I know with myself that I did a little bit. But, I know that we're a stong team and I had people there. I had Coach there telling me that it was going to be okay, and we love overtimes."

Oral Roberts Head Coach Jerry Finkbeiner

Opening Statement
"We're 11-12 on the year and 4-8 in conference play. We know how to lose and we've lost in every situation, but tonight, it was a good loss for us because of the situation it was and that we need to do better next time. I thought we played really good basketball and played the best 36 minutes that we've played since November against Wichita State. I think we peaked in November, but the girls are coming back and our freshmen played a lot of minutes tonight. My biggest disappointment was that we played our delay game with three guards and they should win a game. So, we were very passive at that point in time. And credit to the Oakland girls: they stepped up and they pushed the ball and got a couple steals. They went for the win and it was a good chess match, so we can't go away with our heads down. We lost to a good team on their home floor and we just look forward to the future."

On what you tell a team after a loss like tonight
"It's very frustrating in the moment, but from our perspective, two of our best players didn't return this year and we lost two other starters to the season to injuries, so we're a young team. At the end of the game, frustration came out for about 30 seconds, then it's time to put a little love on the girls. What I liked about this game tonight was that we showed some game plan and things we did came together for us. Kidd had a great second half and Carnago, those two hurt us in the second half. What I like about Oakland is that their program is similar to ours and we put good kids on the floor that represent both universities really well. Win or lose, when you come up here it's always competitive and the girls always play hard, usually clean and always competitive. We're a team that gets better as the season progresses and I think we'll be there come tournament time."

On key adjustments made coming into this game
"They were more internal from our standpoint and we're a team that's trying to find its identity still in February. We got beat by IPFW just a few nights ago and it wasn't pretty. I used a different starting lineup, which might have given us a little bit of a push. I'm going to go with this five next week, so you can check the Summit League scores then and see if that five is the answer. I'm proud of our girls and it's a good group."