Additional Quotes >> USA 85, Cuba 79
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Sept. 26, 2007 � Valdivia, Chile
 USA head coach Anne Donovan, Seattle Storm On tonight's game:
I don�t think we were surprised, we�ve known Cuba�s a great team and we�ve always faced battles with Cuba where we�ve had to play very well to win. Tonight I think they confidently and we didn�t shoot the ball very well and that combination is dangerous. I have to give Cuba a lot of credit for playing a very good basketball game. I�m very proud of us for being able to finish it. Cuba was very aggressive, they rebounded well, their post players played well. I thought we didn�t shoot the ball extremely well in the first half in particular. I think it was that combination that kept the game close. I think it was a great win for us. Cuba is a great team and we�ve known that for a long time, they�re very solid. The difference between this game and games in the past is that we�ve come out strong and shot the ball real well in the first quarter to make them lose their confidence in themselves. Tonight that wasn�t the case and they kept their confidence throughout the game. I have to hand it to Cuba, they played a great game. You could see how well they play together and then give credit for us for pulling that nice win out with good execution in the fourth quarter. What about the play of Sue Bird and Katie Smith in the fourth quarter?
We have such a good team, there are so many people you could point out. Sue did a great job of controlling this game and keeping everyone into it, focused and trying to fight through some pretty bad shooting. Katie came off the bench and hit those two threes was huge, it broke the game open a little bit, gave us a little bit of a cushion that we were able to hang onto. I thought (Rebekkah) Brunson came in and did a nice job guarding (Yakelin) Plutin, who we had a really hard time defending. We had a lot of different people who stepped in and really contributed. Were you pleased with the way the team kept its composure?
I�m really pleased with how composed we were. Down the stretch you�ve got Katie (Smith), who has great experience, Sue�s (Bird) got good experience, you have Candace Parker who is 20-years-old in the post, Becky Brunson who has no international experience with this team playing in the post also. And then Seimone Augustus has some experience playing with the national team, but not a lot of floor experience. So that last crew I thought finished that game off very well and I�m really pleased with where we are right now. Sue Bird
On tonight's game: Today was a very good game for us. It was only our first real game, not counting the exhibitions since we weren�t all together for those. Cuba is probably the second or third best team in this tournament. To play them in the first game, we knew it was going to be a challenge and we knew it was going to be a test and I�m glad we passed. Is it hard to face a team you haven�t seen play yet?
Yeah, but they did some similar things that they did in Brazil (at the 2006 FIBA World Championship) and it is the same team. But as with every other team in this tournament, they have the advantage in terms of time spent together. I think you saw that at times, but we were still able to pull it out. You never looked panicked. Was it the veteran leadership?
Yes, I think it�s the experience we have. Not just with USA Basketball, but everybody on this team has been in big games in big moments and everyone here knows how to win a game. I think you saw that. We needed big plays, Katie�s (Smith) threes, D�s (Diana Taurasi) threes before that, you could go down the list, Candace (Parker), Tina (Thompson), everybody at some point, defensively and offensively, made big plays.
DeLisha Milton-Jones, Washington Mystics
On tonight's game:
You can tell that�s a team that�s been together for many years. We were talking about it in the locker room and Diana Taurasi said she remembered playing against most of the same girls when she was 18. That shows you that this team has been together a long time. They know each other well, they have great chemistry on the floor and it showed tonight. We�re a team where we�re comprised of a lot of different players who haven�t really played together a lot and that showed. They took advantage of that in certain areas of the game. But in the end our defensive effort was the thing that really turned the game around for us and allowed us to get easy buckets in transition, regain the lead and extend it from there. That team has been together a long time and I think their coach does a great job utilizing everyone�s strengths on that team. They played well against our zone, they played well against our man to man. I think in the end they got tired and ran out of gas because we were trying to push the ball a lot, trying to pressure them and make them turn the ball over and in the end it worked out for us.
Candace Parker, University of Tennessee
On tonight's game:
Cuba came out really high and it was a tough game for us. But a win is a win. We fought back, we had people knock down big shots and make great defensive plays when we needed it. Nobody ever seemed to lose their composure, despite all the missed layups:
I think we realized that we�re in it together and everybody�s going to have days where you struggle. We just kept fighting and that�s why we came back and won. How difficult is it to face a team that you haven�t seen before?
It was tough, but our coaching staff got us ready to play, we just needed to come out a little bit stronger. We didn�t, but we regrouped and pulled it out. How big were those two threes by Katie Smith?
Huge. They were huge. We really needed her to hit them and she knocked them down. Katie Smith, Detroit Shock
On tonight's game:
Cuba played well. They ran their sets. Individually they made plays. The ran when they could, but they really set it up. I think they played really well. They always had an answer for little runs that we had. But on the other hand I think we gave up a little too many points, I give them credit for doing what they did offensively. We didn�t necessarily shoot the ball really well and that�s something we can do better. We need to be a little more efficient. I was really pleased with how different people at different times made big plays to keep us in the game and give us that little sprint in the end. For the time that we�ve been together, we�ll take this win. Everybody did their part and really hung in there. On her back-to-back threes:
I�m glad I could do my part. It gave us a little energy when it was needed, but I got some good picks from my teammates in that zone, Sue got me the ball and I�m just glad I was able to contribute and do my part. It kind of got us on a little bit of a roll, gave us a little bit of a cushion in the home stretch. Then everyone else helped take it home. It�s always nice to be able to do something to help the cause. I�m glad we were able to get the �W.� |
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