Additional Quotes >> USA 82, Arizona State 48

November 8 2007 � Tempe, Arizona

USA head coach Anne Donovan:
On today's game:
It was another good challenge for us and another good win for us. It's our fifth game, and there has not been one game that we've played solid from start to finish. Once again, we were challenged in the first half and it took the second half before we could really put them away. Give ASU a lot of credit. They forced a lot of turnovers, 14 for us in the first half, and that scrappy defense they like to play definitely took us out of the flow of our offense.

Seimone Augustus, Minnesota Lynx
On the balanced scoring against ASU:
It's very important to have (balanced scoring). Coming into a game, everyone knows that Diana (Taurasi) is a great shooter, that Sue (Bird) can shoot, Lisa's inside, she's a dominant player inside. So when you have more than one player scoring in double figures it forces the next opponent to think about who they will key in on. They really don't have an option of the one person to shut down because everybody's capable of scoring. We're a complete, solid team.

On the team's second half scoring:
We decided we were going to start to get out. We got out in transition, filled the lanes and got layups. We pressured them when they had the ball to try to make every pass difficult. We ended up getting a lot of deflections and steals with that.

Kara Braxton, Detroit Shock
The team seems to be gelling a little more. Is that the case?
Yes, but I think that's something that just comes with time. When you have people coming in and coming out, I know I really had to adapt to playing this system because I just came in. I just started playing with them with the college tour. With time everyone gets adjusted, everyone gets used to playing with each other and you get a lot better.

On her performance against ASU:
We knew we had to step up because Diana was in foul trouble, but that's just USA Basketball. On any given night anybody can step up and be big and that's what we did.

Lisa Leslie, Los Angeles Sparks
On getting back into the game after a year off:
It's definitely a challenge. Since I've been playing basketball, since I picked up at a ball at age 12, I've been playing pretty much every year. To take off a year plus from basketball and then come back, it's definitely challenging, because I see the game the same but I'm not quite moving as fast as usual. The steps have been quick for me. The game's coming back together.

Diana Taurasi, Phoenix Mercury
On being back on a college floor:
It feels good. Every college we go to has its special group of fans, the building. It's nice to be back in that atmosphere. We've been out of it for four years, some of us like Lisa for 15 years. It's actually kind of nice to be back in that setting.

On ASU:
ASU is a tough team. We knew coming in, that's their style of play. They're tough. Defensively, they caused a lot of turnovers in the first half. So they did their job. They're going to be a tough team in the Pac-10. They're going to contend in the tournament, and they're going to have a great season.

ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY QUOTES

Charli Turner Thorne, ASU Head Coach
On the game:
It was a huge honor to be recognized and be on USA Basketball's tour. Actually I was a little bit worried at halftime that we were actually maybe going to win the game, because then we would actually think that we're better than we are. So no worries there by about middle of the second half. This is a great opportunity. It is a great practice game for us going into North Carolina, because we're going to have our hands full. USA, I'm excited for them. I think that they're really getting challenged, and they're growing as team with this tour. But they're showing that they are the world's best players too. I'm proud of them.

Briann January, ASU
On playing against the USA team:
It was an awesome experience, like we thought from the get-go. Those women have been in the league, they've made a name for women's basketball, and just to be able to be on the same court with them was a great opportunity.

Kirsten Thompson, ASU
On playing against Lisa Leslie:
It was fun, definitely very fun. She's a challenge to guard and to post up against, so it was a great opportunity for me.