Additional Quotes >> USA 88, China 53

July 24, 2009 - Bangkok, Thailand

USA head coach Carol Owens (Northern Illinois University)
What was the game plan against China?
We wanted to come in and be very focused. We wanted to be intense, especially on the defensive end. We wanted to limit our turnovers. We wanted to play a good defensive game without fouling, keep China off the free throw line and limit their opportunities in transition.

On the USA's post play:
We set the tone inside. Our post players ran the floor really well. We had a solid presence, especially with Kelsey Bone out there initially in the game. She had a presence in there that was needed for our team.

What are some of the highs and lows from tonight's game?
We did do a great job in transition and limited China's transition game. They wanted to get out and run, make or miss. We were very aggressive defensively, especially Skylar (Diggins) and Sammy (Prahalis) in the perimeter, they did a great job. Kelly Faris came off the bench and did a tremendous job for us. Our team collectively came with the right mentality tonight. This is the beginning of playing the way USA Basketball plays. We still have a ways to go. We left some points out there that we didn't finish. We had spurts where we didn't finish our layups. We didn't get to the free throw line, but China didn't foul that much anyway. Defense is going to be our emphasis throughout. We have to continue to get better defensively because we have to be able to adjust according to who we play. Tonight we did some things that helped us have the edge against China. Tomorrow and the next round will be different.

What will you look to work on against Mali tomorrow night?
I thought we did a great job getting out in transition, but when that's taken away we need to still be patient and disciplined in our offensive sets. We need to be able to set good screens, cut hard, understand what we want to get out of our offense and we still need to work on that.

Kelsey Bone (Dulles H.S. /Stafford, Texas)
On her play tonight:
I just came out a little more focused and knowing my role. I wanted to step out on the court, contribute and get good minutes for the team.

You got into foul trouble again tonight. What do you need to do in order to not let that happen again?
Just adjusting to how the post is called in international ball. It's a little different from the States. It's about knowing if I can get physical, what goes and what doesn't go. That's the biggest thing, adjusting to what can go and what can't go.

On the USA's post play against China:
I think it was just all of our preparation. Our coaches did a very good job telling us what to look for, explaining how to stop their post players and preventing them from hitting their sweet spots. Our zone was really effective. Watching film and going through it during our shoot-around was very, very effective for us today.

How did it feel to get the win over China?
It's always good to get a good win. After two weeks of training camp and traveling, just practicing and things like that, it's good to put it together and get a W in the column. It's always good to get a win.

Kelly Faris (Heritage Christian H.S. / Plainfield, Ind.)What was the team's main focus tonight?
Obviously we knew that last night we didn't come out ready to play. We didn't come out as serious as we needed to and we weren't executing anything. Coming into tonight we watched a little film, we practiced against what China would be doing. We knew we had to come out and execute and defensively we had to step it up because we weren't getting stops at all last night. Like coach said in the locker room, our intensity was there from the beginning and I think that was a big thing that we had to focus on.

On China:
They have a really nice touch on the ball. They have a few nice shooters. They're quick and they're able to give you a shot fake and drive the ball, so we knew we were going to have to step it up defensively because that's what every team likes to do here: shot fake and drive. China's quick and they also have a few shooters, so we had to get a hand up and play them consistently.

On the USA's post play:
It was fun to watch, it was fun to give them the ball because they were pretty much doing what they wanted. They controlled down low. When that happens, you have to keep feeding it to them because that's how you're going to get your points. You have to keep giving them the ball because they controlled it and it was fun to watch them. They did a great job executing down low.

Shenise Johnson (Miami, Fla. / Henrietta, N.Y.)
On tonight's game:
We had better intensity and had way more energy. We were more positive. We communicated better. Overall the energy was way up.

Was it good to get a win under your belt?
Oh yes, definitely. It's always good to get a good win. I think we're competing against ourselves more than our opponents. We didn't play well yesterday and we elevated our game today.

On the USA's post play against China:
The post play is always good. We were a lot bigger and stronger than our opponents. We really had the advantage tonight inside. So that's what we went to.

How did the team adjust to the international style of play, in terms of keeping China off the line?
We stopped reaching a lot. We played a lot more containment defense tonight, tried to keep them in front of us, contest on the shots, give them a step. That's kind of what we did.

Nnemkadi Ogwumike (Stanford / Cypress, Texas
What did the team do better against China than against Spain?
We communicated, which is what I mentioned before that we needed to do. There was a lot of intensity and we didn't let down.

On the USA's objective against China:
Coach C.O. told us that they specialize in these three different plays. They always have their baseline shooters open off of their screens. Also they love to drive. We decided to take that away. She did a good job of telling us to get into the two-three (zone) and that really took things away.

On her inside play:
I think I came out with a little bit of a different mentality than I did yesterday. Yesterday we were kind of trying to make up for a lot of slack. Today we started off with a lot of intensity, which really helps everyone to get into the game early. That was the difference tonight.

Does it feel good to get back on the winning track?
Definitely. Yesterday was a wake-up call and we need to realize that everyone here is out to compete.

Destiny Williams (Benton Harbor H.S. / Benton Harbor, Mich.)
On her play tonight:
I had to come out strong. Yesterday we lost and we knew we had to come out focused and take it to their team. I just did what I had to do: hustle, rebound and get put-backs.

What was the team's game plan tonight?
Be ready to stop China in transition, to get to the ball before they do. They like to push the ball up and down the floor. To not let them run their game, but to play ours. We did just that. We had to talk on defense, our intensity had to be high at all times and we did that too.

On China:
They're more of a transition team. They like to push the ball and score off screens. After the screens they do a duck or a pull-up. But I think we contested them at all times, we had a hand in their face where they couldn't get their shot off. When they went down to the post, she couldn't get a look at the basket. We contained them at all times.

On the USA's post play:
We did well offensively and defensively. We stopped the post from scoring and offensively we got the ball and put it in at all times. We rebounded well. I think we outrebounded them 50 to 20-something (54-26). That's a big difference. Not all post players can do that and we did that. Like I said before, the intensity was high. It started with the guards, they got it to the post, scored, ran up and down, I think everything flowed well.