Women's Basketball

Postgame Quotes - Dec. 22

Dec. 23, 2007

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Stanford Head Coach Tara VanDerveer:

On the win:
"Obviously this is a really big win for our program and I'm really happy for our team. Tennessee is obviously a great team, with great players, but I thought that our defense and our rebounding really won it for us."

"I thought that our players really played smart, played hard, we didn't execute maybe as well as we wanted to offensively, Candice was trying to help the TV rating going into overtime, but I'm really proud of how our team stuck with things, and we came out with a win, which is a huge win for us."

On Kayla Pedersen's defense against Candace Parker:
"I thought Kayla worked really hard, and did a great job playing good position defense. Candice did a really good job helping, coming in and helping try to double Candace. Candace Parker is just a fabulous player, a terrific player, and for our freshman, Kayla Pedersen, to step in and have the poise and determination, I'm really proud of how she played. There's no shame in someone like Candace Parker scoring 25 points, she's just a fabulous player. Kayla wasn't afraid to be physical with her."

On getting over the hump of beating Tennessee:
"My attitude about playing Tennessee is that we don't have to play them, and they don't have to play us. We're fortunate to be able to play against Tennessee and I've been really proud of all of our teams coming out and people working very hard, and we've had a lot of close games, games just like this one that have gone the other way. Ros made her free throws at the end, and if she hadn't, then who knows? We've had a lot of those [games], but playing Tennessee is always good for us, whether we've lost or won. Obviously it is exciting to win, and I'm really happy that our team did. Hopefully this is something that will help us get better, and [these games] have always helped us get better. We've had games like this that have sometimes gone the other way, but we found a way to pull it ou and I'm really proud of my team for doing that."

Senior Guard Candice Wiggins:

On beating Tennessee for the first time in her career:
"Well, it took three years but it definitely feels good. I've always thought of it as not the end of anything, but a highlight. We're moving on from this. But it feels nice to beat the number one team in the country, and to do it the way we did."

"I know that there is something special about this [Stanford] team. We are so tough and we stayed together the whole game, and we have a special chemistry that you can't really explain. Every single minute of the game was fun because of my teammates."

On Stanford winning in overtime:
"The overtime game, I blame myself. I have to hit those free throws. But I think our team is really tough, and when we got into overtime, we were all focused and that in itself, that fight that we have, that's what got us the victory tonight."

On Rosalyn Gold-Onwude's overtime performance:
"Those were the most clutch shots I've seen. Ros has a lot of confidence in her shot, and I she took it and she nailed them, she was so clutch."

On Coach VanDerveer being one win away from career win No. 700 and what it means to the team:
"I think it just speaks volumes to the type of coach she is, she has players who love playing for her. I'm really excited and I think we all love playing for Tara, it makes it easier when you have a coach who you admire. We all admire Tara, we grew up watching her teams play, and just being a part of the Stanford tradition is amazing. I'm just glad I can be a part of that."

On Stanford's run to end the first half:
"We picked up our defense completely, whether there was a sense of urgency that we were heading into the half. I think momentum going into halftime is key, so we got a few steals, transition points, took it to the basket, and I think that really opened up our defense."

Sophomore Center Jayne Appel:

On her second-half play:
"Amy [Tucker] told me at halftime to stop playing scared and just to go up with it. We had 20 minutes to leave it on the floor, and I think our team just battled."

Tennessee Head Coach Pat Summitt:

On the game:
"Obviously Stanford played a really great basketball game. They made their shots when they had to make shots and made big plays. We really broke down a lot in defending their high-low game, which they did a tremendous job spacing on the floor."

"I'm proud of our team. I told them I can't be upset because this is a great learning experience for us. We did not get to the free-throw line in the first half. I told Debby [Jennings] that Candace isn't coming into the press conference tonight because she's in there a little beat up. I thought she fought hard, but when I look at the fact that obviously we struggled to get there, the I have to go back and figure out how I can help this team do a better job of getting to the free-throw line. It was pretty frustrating for the entire basketball game."

On how the game was a learning experience:
"In not taking possessions off. Within their high-low game, we let the ball get into the middle of the floor, and I thought Stanford did a great job in just being able to pass in the high-low. Candice obviously stepped up when she needed to step up, and made big plays."

On some of Tennessee's turnovers:
"Ball security has always been a priority for us. We'll look at this tape and learn from it. I think our basketball team, they understand they can be better. I think that's one thing that may have really hurt us this year, coming off of a national championship, that we didn't play hard for 40 minutes game in and game out. But Stanford did, they played really tough."

On Stanford's run to close the first half:
"We didn't answer that run, we didn't close out the first half. Looking back, I'm sure that was costly as well."

On Stanford's physical play against Candace Parker:
"I'm going to take my time and watch each of those possessions, because it happens to her all the time. It's a part of being the best player in the game. But at some point in time, it doesn't quite seem appropriate."

On Hornbuckle's game:
"I think Alexis is having the best year of her career. She's been very efficient, and I hated it when she turned the ball over because I knew she's so hard on herself. But she did so many good things. Her shot selection is much better, her leadership is solid, obviously her effort is there game in and game out. She's not a player who likes to take any possessions off."

Senior Guard Alexis Hornbuckle:

On what the difference was down the stretch:
"We just had a lot of breakdowns, and they came together and pulled together, made the passes and the open shots that they needed to make."

On positives to take away from the game:
"I can say that I did bounce back from the UCLA game, but obviously, we want the win. As a team we bounced back because we didn't play a good half. We tried to pull it together but things happened so we have to go back to work when we get back to Knoxville."

On how the team responds to the loss:
"I think it is a game that we learn from. We look back, we head into the New Year not the way that we wanted to, but obviously we have room to learn and grow. So we are going to come back fired up in the New Year and come back with a vengeance."

Freshman Forward Angie Bjorklund:

On Stanford's defense:
"When they were denying me and Candace, it opened up for our teammates, and we tried to use that [to our advantage] but when I did have a shot I just wasn't knocking them down."