Feb. 7, 2004
Georgia Tech Head Coach MaChelle Joseph
“Duke was very aggressive. They came out off the Florida State loss playing with a lot more intensity and I thought a lot more passion. They were in the passing lanes denying every entry pass. We were just trying to execute our break and trying to make entry passes and we were having a difficult time because of the pressure they were putting on the ball and in the lanes.”
“You come into the game thinking about Alana Beard, Monique Currie and Iciss Tillis and we were hurt. They had a lot more size inside then we did. Kasha Terry was sick and could not play. She is our only player over 6’3. We were hurting inside as far as size and I feel that Duke did a great job using Alison Bales and Brittany Hunter, taking advantage of their height advantage over us.”
On Monique Currie:
“Great players make plays, when their shot’s off they find other ways to contribute to their team and that is what she did. She took a couple of shots and they weren’t falling so she found a way to get her other teammates the ball. She did a great job moving the ball especially against our zone in finding the open person. It seemed like [Vicki] Krapohl benefited the most from those passes on the perimeter, getting the extra pass.”
On the gap between Duke and the rest of the ACC:
“I think there is a fairly big gap. I think that North Carolina is a very good team and when Duke goes to North Carolina we will find out exactly how big that gap is. I think that Duke is playing well. Today they played extremely well without Iciss Tillis, that tells you about their depth and what kind of play they have off their bench. I think Duke is a very good team but I also think that North Carolina is another team in this league that can be very competitive.”
“We came out and played a little bit harder with a little bit more intensity [in the second half]. It seemed like we were on our heels in the first half and not on our toes, not aggressive. At half time we talked about that and I think we came out and were a lot more aggressive.”
Georgia Tech Guard Alex Stewart
“They are a great defensive team period and I think they came out really determined and focused this game. They were up in the passing lanes and we made some bad passes which they were able to execute on.”
“It was difficult to match their intensity. We were not only trying to match their intensity but we were also trying to execute offensively on our own. When we were not succeeding in that it carried over in bringing us down. I think in the second half we did a much better job of upping our intensity and playing hard and competing.”
Duke Head Coach Gail Goestenkors
“I’m just really proud of the way my team responded to the tough loss against Florida State. We came out and really set the tone with our defense. We played with a lot of passion, great hustle, and moved the ball very well on offense as well. Overall, I’m just really pleased with the way we’ve responded to a tough situation.”
“We all just needed to take a good long look in the mirror. We all needed to grow up and take responsibility for what was going on on the court. It wasn’t really just one game. We hadn’t been playing at our level for several games and several practices, and everybody needed to give a little bit more. We watched videotape of the Florida State game, and we could see that our defense wasn’t anywhere near what it’s been, not just this season, but for several seasons. We just talked about what each individual needed to do for us to be successful and go to another level.”
On Vicki Krapohl’s shooting:
“We actually did talk to Vicki about her shooting. We said, ‘You need to search for your shot.’ It’s not enough just to shoot when you’re open. You need to search for your shot and seek it out, because she doesn’t get that many opportunities. So she needs to find some more and make some more opportunities. I thought Monique, in particular, did a great job of penetrating and drawing defense, and then she found Vicki. Maybe three or four of her assists were to Vicki for her threes.”
Duke Forward Monique Currie
On the team’s effort:
“We took a look at our last game and saw that we needed to put in a lot more effort, a lot more hustle into every play and every possession. We did not want to play down to the competition’s level but just play at our level for the whole game.”
Duke Guard Vicki Krapohl
On having the hot hand:
“I was feeling pretty good. We just have such a great team, people were finding me and I was wide open on most of the shots that I took. I just got great looks because Lindsey [Harding], Monique [Currie] and Alana [Beard] were all penetrating.”
On advice from Iciss Tillis:
“Its funny because before the game she told me that I was going to have 12 points, by hitting 4 threes. She looked me right in the eye and said that, I should probably get her to tell me that more often. She has been a great support for us. I know the Florida State game was hard for her to sit on the sideline but she has been a great motivation for us.”
On confidence from the game:
“I think this game was good for our confidence. We had a couple of games where not just one person was slumping but many people on the team were not playing to their capability and I think to have a game like this was good for the team. It was a fun game to play in. I can’t remember the last time we were all smiling on the court. Today we really grew as a team.”
