Additional Quotes >> USA 87, Canada 46

Sept. 27, 2010 • Ostrava, Czech Republic

Auriemma

Geno Auriemma, University of Connecticut
On tonight’s game:
We have more depth and we’re able to stay fresher throughout the game. We’re able to get in passing lanes, be disruptive on defense and we thought, going into the game, that’s exactly what we had to do because we watched  Australia-Canada and that was a lot closer game than the score indicated, because they do make it difficult to guard them because they stay with their stuff over and over again. You have to be disciplined. You have to be determined not to break down. I thought our guys did a great job today of staying within that and not being impulsive and trying to steal it every time down the floor. Lindsay (Whalen) was just great. She set a tone. She and Candice Dupree were really special today the way they played. Now we’re looking forward to tomorrow.

On the USA’s second group providing a spark off the bench:
I like that second group. I really do. I thought about changing the starting lineup because those guys are like stuck in the mud when they play, compared to the second group, but I didn’t want to break up the second unit. They look really good. You’ve got some high energy guys in there like Lindsay (Whalen) and Angel (McCoughtry), and when Maya (Moore) comes in as well. Tina (Charles) gave us a great burst at the beginning of the second quarter and so did Candice (Dupree). Candice was unbelievable the whole game. As long as we can keep getting that kind of production out of that second group, I think that’s one of the advantages that we have in the tournament that hopefully we can take and use to our advantage. It’s that we’ve got some depth. They’re young. They’re inexperienced. They haven’t played at this level, but as long as they don’t realize that they’re young and they’re inexperienced, we’ll be alright.

Tomorrow the USA team will play Belarus for the first time at the senior level. What do you know about their team?
I didn’t know that this was the first time our country has played Belarus. Watching them play … I’m always amazed … where do they get all these big girls? I look out there and there’s like four or five 6-5, 6-6 players, and they can all shoot the ball. They can all handle the ball. That’s what you’re going to have to deal with. They spread you out all over the floor. They’ve got a couple kids, one who played in the WNBA, another who played in college in the United States, I think it was for South Carolina. I told my team that playing Canada tonight was going to be really important for us to get ready for teams like Belarus and Australia, because all three of the teams in our bracket here are really good at running their offense. They’re really good at being patient and getting the shot that they want to get. Tomorrow is going to be more of the same for us. They’re just really big. That’s the first thing that came across my mind. They’re really big. 

On Sylvia Fowles, who tried to dunk the ball tonight, getting back after knee surgery:
She’s healthy. She feels good. She’s not experienced any issues. I just think that she’s got to get into the flow of the game. She hasn’t played in a long time. She’s such a presence out there. She makes our team incredibly different. We just look different with her out there. Hopefully she’ll stay healthy and little by little we’ll get her more involved in what we’re doing.

Bird

Sue Bird (Seattle Storm)
On the USA’s slow start:
Obviously, it’s not ideal, but I think we are not familiar with these teams, and we still aren’t as familiar with each other as we’d like to be. I think it takes some time for us to settle down. But the people coming off the bench do a great job of watching the game, seeing what’s happening, and they come out and make an immediate impact. From there, we seem to be doing a much better job, so hopefully that’s something we can improve.

Cash

Swin Cash (Seattle Storm)
On tonight’s game:
I was just happy with how well we played defensively. I feel like we have taken a step forward every game, and we really improved on getting in the passing lanes, being more aggressive and getting steals. I thought we did a great job of getting deflections as well.

How important is this team’s inside game?
It’s very important. Whenever you have an inside presence, teams have to adjust, and when they adjust, we have some great 3-point shooters than can knock down shots. So, coach just talked earlier about trying to get more 3-point shots up, and trying to make more of them. You have to take them to make them, but it’s going to start with our inside presence being able to go inside first, then out.

Is this team still working on its offensive chemistry?
We are still working on getting the best chemistry. I thought our second unit, they came in today, and they’ve been doing a great job of coming in with high intensity and really changing the game. That’s what you need. I feel like we can go 12 deep, and we are going to continue to play a lot of people and get a lot of contributions from everyone.

Charles

Tina Charles (Connecticut Sun)
How important is this team’s inside game?
It’s definitely important because we the transition, especially when we get offensive and defensive boards.

On tonight’s game:
On the defensive end, we got in the passing lanes, and we got a lot of steals that led to transition baskets and lay-ups.

Is the offense still coming for this team?
I think we’re gelling more together because we’ve had more time together. So, yeah, our chemistry is improving with each game.

Dupree

Candice Dupree (Phoenix Mercury)
On the USA’s depth:
I think we have a really balanced team. Everybody’ is going to have an off night, and then you have nights where people play really well. That’s the good part about our team. We have a lot of all-stars on our team, and somebody steps up every night.

On the USA’s second group providing a strong spark off the bench:
It’s kind of a first for me. I’m not used to coming off the bench, but we know what we have to do when we get in the game. We talk about stuff on the bench. Our job is to bring energy, and we just have to bring something different that the starters aren’t doing. And that’s basically what we try to do.

Moore

Maya Moore (University of Connecticut)
On tonight’s game:
I thought tonight was a great defensive effort. It was really obvious that it was our defense that sparked our offense. I think we had at least five and-ones; that just shows you that we are making improvements, and we are more focused. So, I think it was a step forward tonight.

Whalen

Lindsay Whalen (Minnesota Lynx)
On tonight’s game:
Defensively, we picked up the intensity, we got into some passing lanes, we got some rebounds and some run-outs and that led to our offense. We just tried to get into a good flow offensively and keep that going, keep the ball moving, work it inside out, and I thought we did a good job of that tonight. It all started with good defense. We’re happy with the win.

On the second group coming in and providing a spark:
I think we’re able to, coming off the bench, analyze what’s going on, seeing what’s happening on the court, and then we just try to bring energy, bring intensity, see what’s working, what’s not working. So we just go out there and try to play hard. Our group that comes in tries to move the ball, get some shots up that are good looks, that are shots that everyone can make. We came in and got some steals.  Angel got a couple breakaways right there at the start, so that got us into some things. Candice was running the lane really well, and I thought we just came in and brought those things tonight.

Are you looking forward to playing Australia in two days?
We’re just taking it one game at a time. That’s what you have to do. In a tournament it’s one game at a time, and you just get prepared for the next night. We’re excited for every opportunity and every chance that we get in the tournament.