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Oct. 31, 2007 • College Park, Md.
USA Head Coach Anne Donovan
On tonight's game and starting the college tour:
"We are really excited to get this college tour off to a good start," said USA and Seattle Storm head coach Anne Donovan. "We felt like we had a really good second half. Every day we're going to get better, we have three new players, one of which is Lisa, that joined us after Russia. We're still trying to get chemistry and flow with our team and I really thought you could see that towards the end of the game. We played with good effort and, obviously, Maryland is a very talented team, they did a great job even with Crystal Langhorne not out there. They did a super job."
On the play of Marissa Coleman:
"Marissa did a great job and I have been a big fan of hers for quite a while now. She was composed out there; she plays much more mature then her years. She is a good fit in the system with Toliver getting the play to people and Marissa being able to finish. I think she played extremely well at both ends of the floor."
Kara Lawson
On the USA's first game of the college tour:
"Man, there were some heavy legs out there. But it was a good first effort for us, especially trying to integrate three new players. Those of us who've been at it for awhile trying to shake that rust off from Russia and get our feet wet. It's a different game. That's the thing, it's the college game, the rules, the pace, the timing, so I think this was one of those games where we had to kind of get use to the game being a little bit slower. It is a little bit slower in college and we were kind of rushing things. We need to step back and be a little more patient. But it was a good overall win."
You played against the 1999-2000 USA Basketball Women's National Team and hit the winning shot as a freshman at Tennessee. Put yourself on the flip side of the coin tonight, what do you think they were feeling?
"They had kids coming off the bench and knocking in threes. They're excited, they're pumped up. They're excited to measure themselves up against us, so they come out and play out of their minds. They play as hard as they can and it's fun. It's fun as a competitor. Having played against the USA team when I was in college, I remember just being really geared up for the game, almost like it was a Final Four game because we were so excited about the opportunity to play against the stars."
Lisa Leslie
On the play of Laura Harper:
"She is a really strong player and was really excited to play against me. I thought she played really well on both ends of the floor. She played well in the post, she can drive to the basket. I was mad that I didn't block her shot when she came down the middle, but I told her I'm at a five right now and if I was at a 10 that would have been a block. It was fun playing with her she did a great job."
Diana Taurasi
On the play of Kristi Toliver :
"At the end of the game, I turned to Sue Bird and I told her that's the best point guard in college right now. I don't think anyone can control a game like she can with her scoring and her ability to push the ball up the floor, and get people open. She a very tough player, she really is."
Maryland Women's Basketball Head Coach Brenda Frese
On tonight's game:
"We had a ton of fun tonight. I loved the way we come out and competed against the best team in the country. There are nothing but positives to take out of the game today. I thought our upperclassmen showed tremendous leadership for us tonight. I also thought our new kids brought a lot in terms of feeding off of the confidence of our veteran players. I didn't think our freshmen played like freshmen, which we're going to need." On positives from tonight's game: "It's going to be great for us to be able to go and break down film and be able to point to the fact that we out-rebounded the national team by six. There's so many valuable things for us as long as we continue to carry it on with each and every game that we play."
On play of freshmen:
"They came in and provided great energy. Defensively, they're ahead of the curve of where they need to be as freshmen. I thought both of them played within themselves. Drey (Mingo) showed her ability to step out and be a threat from the perimeter as a post player and really knock down some shots, which is going to spread the offense. And Marah (Strickland) was extremely patient. She waits for those opportunities to hit a wide-open shot. I thought all of our freshmen, Kat Lyons included, came in and were a big energy booster for us."
On team's upperclassmen:
"It speaks for itself how they came out and led this team. That's what we expect as leaders and veterans. I think their energy is what we fed off of tonight. That's what they have to understand. If they have that kind of focus and that kind of intensity every game, the enemy isn't the opponent, it's ourselves. And that's how they have to come out and lead. They're special players."
Senior Forward/Center Laura Harper
On playing against Lisa Leslie:
"I've been a fan of her since I was 9 or 10, so obviously I was honored to be playing on the same court as her. I wasn't really thinking about playing against her, but I loved being on the same floor as all of these amazing players."
Junior Forward Marissa Coleman
On playing against the National team:
"As soon as the ball got tipped, it was just about getting better. We had a lot of fun out there tonight and that's kind of what our theme for the year is. As Coach B says, 'twice as much fun.' I think it was the perfect way to start off our season. We all had a lot of fun out there playing tonight against our role models growing up."
Junior Guard Kristi Toliver
"I think we all feel 20 times more confident now than we did starting. The fact that Harp(er) can battle against Lisa Leslie and Marissa can defend Diana Taurasi, the best scorer in the women's game right now; everyone has got to be on cloud nine now. Despite the score, I think we had a ton of fun. It was the most fun I've ever had on a basketball game."
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