Additional Quotes >> USA 83, Italy 43

Jill Rankin Schneider (USA head coach, Monterey H.S., Texas)
On the game:
I felt like this was our best overall four quarters of just real steady, solid basketball that we've played since we've gotten together. From the very beginning of the game we just did all of the little things that we've talked about getting done to win games. We just slowly, gradually built a 40-point lead. It was nothing flashy, just really good team basketball.

Were there some things you were able to improve upon today?
We've had some goals that we've been trying to work on, and one of them was limiting our turnovers, and we had a goal of 18 or fewer. We play a transition game where we are going to have some turnovers, and we've got to accept some of that, but we are trying to eliminate some of our silly turnovers, and we were able to do that. And then we've been shooting very poorly from the free throw line. Tonight we were able to get to the line a bunch, and we shot 81 percent from the line, so those were two things. And then we controlled the boards better than we have for four quarters. Several points of emphasis that we've been trying to make with them, they took care of tonight.

Rebecca Greenwell (Owensboro Catholic H.S./Owensboro, KY.)
On the game:
We were consistent throughout the game. We didn't get out to a rough start or anything. We played the way we need to be playing throughout all four quarters.

On hitting four 3-pointers in the second half:
The first half I was really cold from behind the arc, and then I made my first shot of the second half, and that just kind of got me going. That's what gave me some momentum though the second half.

On the unselfish play:
I think this is a really unselfish team. Nobody really cares about how many points they score or anything. We all just get it to the open man, and that's what I really like about this team.

Were there some things you were able to improve upon today?
As a team, we just need to keep on executing our offenses, and I think if we keep on crashing the boards and getting offensive rebounds, we'll be doing the things we need to do to get to the gold medal game.

Kai James (William T. Dwyer H.S./West Palm Beach, Fla.)
On the game:
This wasn't the best we can play, but it was a great game for us. We are very talented, and we are just steadily building to our potential.

Were there some things you were able to improve upon today?
Free throws were one thing we did better on. We reached our goal of 70 percent and actually we ended up shooting 81 percent, as well as offensive boards, defensive boards and turnovers. We wanted to limit it to 18, and we had 18.

Was there any difficulty keeping your focus after you had built a large lead?
We didn't really have trouble staying focused. We built a lead and just kept going strong. We started well, and we just had to keep it going.

Taya Reimer (Hamilton Southeastern H.S./Fishers, Ind.)
On the game:
We definitely played really well. It was just a really good game in general. Sometimes we start bad or we will end slow, but it was just four quarters of really good basketball.

Was there any difficulty keeping your focus after you had built a large lead?
Sometimes it is tough to stay focused, but we definitely did a good job tonight of not losing our intensity. We just kept building on our lead. Everybody contributed and everybody did really well.

On the unselfish play:
We all get along so well off the court, and I think that really helps us on the court. We just have fun playing with each other, and we are looking for each other. We want to pass and make cool plays. Definitely, there is no selfishness at all.

Mercedes Russell (Springfield H.S./Springfield, Ore.)
On the game:
I feel like we had a great intensity and played up-tempo the whole time. I think we put a full game together tonight. When we play with energy and we are knocking down shots, the game comes easily to us.

On the unselfish play:
It's really fun to come out and play with great players like this. It's always a great time.

On the USA's size advantage:
I feel like our height and our depth really helps us control the key. Most teams are not as big as us, and we use that to our advantage.