Additional Quotes >> USA 80, Turkey 61

• Box Sore
• Game Story

Istanbul, Turkey • July 22, 2012

Geno Auriemma (USA and University of Connecticut head coach)
On the game:
I think it’s better for us than last night for sure. We had to make plays. We had to get stops, and they are a really, really good team. They have a lot of weapons, they have a lot of ways they can beat you and they are really smart. We gave them a lot of life. We missed a lot of opportunities that would have made it much easier for us, but maybe in the long run that’s better too. It’s easy to win when you shoot (78.0) percent like we did last night. It’s another thing when you shoot 35.0 percent in the first half and are able to beat a really good team by 19. So yeah, it showed some of our flaws and our warts, like everybody else has, and we’ve got four more practices to fix it and then we are on the big stage.
 
On the USA’s shooting:
I think when teams don’t shoot the ball very well, you do have to make a decision. Is it good shooters getting wide-open shots that don’t go in, or are they contested shots, or are they wrong players taking the wrong shots? So, I betcha there was a whole bunch of that – all three of those things. We missed some wide-open layups inside. We missed some open shots that we’ve been making, and Turkey is a really good defensive team. They put some pressure on you, and it took us a while. But once we got that little bit of a spurt, when the shots start going in, then it changes the whole complexion of the game. So, it wasn’t just we shot the ball poorly, I think they contributed to that a little bit as well.
 
On Seimone Augustus:
That’s why you have somebody like that. You bring her in the game because you know offensively; she’s got it going every night. Some players they know what they are good at. They know what their specialty is, and everybody on the team knows, if we go to her, something good is going to happen and she didn’t disappoint, which she rarely does. So, I was happy for her because going into the Olympics, she’s going to be that designated hitter. You are going to bring her off the bench, and you are going to get instant offense from her. So, this is a good send-off for her.
 
On the six players who have played in Turkey for either Fenerbache or Galatasaray:
Basketball in Europe is kind of like basketball in the United States. There are pockets where it’s great, and there are places where it is ok. This is one of those places where people are rabid about women’s basketball, and they have a right to be. They have two great teams with a tremendous amount of talent that has played her over the years, and they are knowledgeable group of fans as well.
 
When all of that is said and done, all of that goes out the window when your country is playing. I don’t care how much you hate Fenerbache, it doesn’t matter, when you are (cheering) for your country, you hate the guys they are playing against, so this was Turkey versus the U.S., and I would venture to say that a lot of the people there that love Diana, loved her before the game and loved her after the game and during the game they booed her every time she touched the ball, so it was perfect.
 
On the fourth quarter as the USA pulled away:
I think the second group that came in at the end of the third quarter, because they play so fast and have so much energy, they really take the legs away from some of the other teams that we play against, and tonight was another example of that. We were able to wear them down. There is not as much of a drop off when we sub as there is on some other teams. The depth that the United States has is one of our biggest strengths, and tonight was a perfect example of that.
 
On the USA – Turkey rematch in the preliminary round of the Olympics:
The Olympics bring out either the best or the worst in people, and so when we go up there, some people that didn’t play well tonight are going to play great, some people that played well are going to struggle. The pressures of the Olympics get to you one way or another, but I would think we know them; they know us. There aren’t going to be a lot of secrets when we play them. They learned a little bit about us; we learned a little bit about them. They are a good team, and I’m looking forward to playing them again.

Seimone Augustus (Minnesota Lynx)
On tonight’s game:
They’re an aggressive team. They’re kind of undersized, so they have to be very physical. They came out with a lot of excitement and energy. Their fans were behind them. They feed off of their fans energy here.

Were you feeling in the zone a little bit tonight?
A little bit (laughs). I got a little warm. It’s a little warm in the gym, so my knees were able to heat up. I was just in the flow of the offense. We were starting to get in a rhythm. I just kind of played off my teammates.

Turkey won the silver medal at the 2011 European Championship. Have you watched the team’s progression?
Yeah, over the past few years they’ve progressively gotten better. I’ve had the opportunity to play here, so I’ve seen these players grow from young girls into young women who have been through a lot of experiences. This is what we expected, for this team to come out and play well.

As someone who’s been to the Olympics before, what more do you need to do before your first game this weekend?
Just prepare. We have a few kinks that we need to get out, especially on the defensive end. We need to get our chemistry together. Offensively we have probably one of the most talented teams that you can think of, as far as scoring the basketball. So, we’re not really worried about that. We just want to be able to make our defense transition into easy offensive points.

How were you able to combat tonight’s poor shooting early in order to stay in the game?
We were just trying to make their shots difficult. We got the ball out of some of the players’ hands that we knew were going to take a lot of shots. That made it difficult for them. Defensively we outrebounded them and that led to a lot of early baskets. Once we settled in on the offensive end, we were able to get the shots that we wanted.

Sylvia Fowles (Chicago Sky)
On Turkey:
They are a great team. This is kind of what we expected, and we wanted a good game. We just have to be ready for them when it’s time to meet at the Olympics. We need to fix some things that we didn’t do so well today.
 
On the fourth quarter:
I think the difference was our depth. We can go from one to 12 people on the bench and everybody can go out there and get it done.
 
Was the team nervous during the game at all?
I don’t think we got nervous. I think we just started off too fast, and we were missing the options and opportunities. Once we calmed down and got into a flow, things got a little better.
 
Was it frustrating at any point when the team had trouble finishing?
It was frustrating, but within that moment you have to have it and let it go within a few seconds or you are going to miss a possession on the other end. It was very frustrating when you go hard and you just miss the little gimmies.

Candace Parker (Los Angeles Sparks)
On tonight’s game:
They were definitely being physical and we weren’t hitting shots. I think we did a good job rebounding. We just weren’t finishing easy looks. Defensively we were doing a good job. We held them to 27 points in the first half and 61 for the game. We just needed to chill out and make shots.

Is it good to have a close game leading into the Olympics?
I think so. I think we benefit from this game far more than any other game that we would play.

What do you still need to work on over the next few days?
Pick and rolls, pick and roll coverage, and our chemistry. I think offensively we’re good. Some days it’s going to fall, some days it’s not. I think it’s about getting to know each other a little bit better in this last week of preparation.

How were you able to pull away in the fourth quarter?
We got some easy outlets in transition. We moved the all well and we were able to find the open player.

Diana Taurasi (Phoenix Mercury)
On the game:
I think we did some really good things. Obviously, this was a lot tougher team, and that’s what we are going to face in the Olympics, so I think it was a good test for us.
 
Whenever a team comes out and does a good job and plays well and challenges you, it really shows what kind of resolve we have.
 
On the USA’s shooting:
I think we got good shots. One night you shoot 70.0 percent, another night you shoot 30 – that’s basketball. You have to find a way to win, and we did that.
 
On the USA’s depth:
Whenever you have one-through-12 that can go in there and change the game in different ways, I think it gives coach some confidence and it gives everyone a sense of picking each other up.

Lindsay Whalen (Minnesota Lynx)
On tonight’s game:
Turkey played really aggressive defensively. They tried to knock us off our rhythm a little bit. It took us awhile to get going. The second half was really good. We got some baskets in transition. The shots came later. Overall in the second half I feel like we can be really pleased about that.

Is it good to have a close game leading into the Olympics?
Yeah, especially with the crowd here. It was a great crowd. They were going crazy when they were on their runs. They were really on us when we had the ball, they were trying to disrupt things. I think it’s good to play in this atmosphere. It’s fun and you get to really see what their excitement level is. It’s great to see a crowd like that. It definitely gets us ready for London.

On Turkey’s team overall:
They have some good vets on their team. They’re just aggressive. They don’t back down from anything, really. They’re trying to block shots. On offense they’re running around a lot. So, as guards we really have to be aware of our man and the ball. They really make you work. It’s fun to play against an aggressive style like that.

How were you able to pull away in the fourth quarter?
We went at them a couple different ways there. We were able to use our strengths and make plays. We hit some big shots. Also we did a good job at times of not fouling, make stops and then get the ball and run.