March 19, 2007
Florida State Seminoles
Head Coach Sue Semrau
(Opening Statement)
"It takes a lot of courage to come in here and win. I had a lot of players that believed we could turn this program around. 11 years ago this program was 0-16 in the ACC and it took a lot of players to believe the Florida State could be a basketball school and not just a football school. Shante Williams was able to come up big tonight. Stanford is a great basketball team and is a great program. This is a huge win for our program; you just need to credit the courage of our team to just play our style of play. Even if we aren't the most talented team or the best team, we were able to fight and get a win here and that really makes me excited for the players on this team.
(On controlling the boards) "Rebounding was a huge key for us. It was one of the defensive keys before the game we focused on. I thought we got good position and were able to hold our own against a great rebounding team.
(On beating a Top 5 team) "Earlier this year we came to this area and lost to USF. For us to lose then and beat a team like Stanford is amazing. We talked about fighting through and develop as a team and we would be a rewarded and it feels good to be rewarded.
(On the 11-0 run in the 2nd half) "I thought getting the ball inside was critical. Britany Miller was in foul trouble but for our big to step up was big for us. Shante really did what Shante does best with the ball in her hands and get back-to-back stops, which helped the run.
Florida Guard Shante Williams:
(On coming back from injury) "I felt pretty good today, I felt that it was win or go home and all year long they've been carrying me and it was about time for me to carry back.
(On facing Wiggins) "Candice Wiggins is an awesome player and she caused problems for us. For Harden and Gladden to step up like that was huge for us.
(On playing Stanford last year) "We had a great week of practice, they had a different team and we had a different team. This is my last year so we had to go all out and give all our effort.
Florida State Guard Mara Freshour
(On playing in Maples) "It was awesome. We were excited before the game and we are still excited now. Our team did an awesome job of fighting the crowd and even though we had a hard time hearing some plays, we fought through it.
Stanford Cardinal
Head Coach Tara VanDerveer:
(Opening Statement)
"First, I'd like to compliment Florida State. I thought they really came out and played very relaxed. They were very aggressive. I think right from the get-go they knocked down some very big shots. I felt that through the whole game we struggled. They broke us down off the dribble very well. They're a big, athletic team. I thought they were extremely physical. We weren't able to take advantage of that at the free-throw line, like I thought we should have. I thought they did a good job getting into our passing lanes. They forced some key turnovers. We made great runs. We were up at half-time and we really weren't playing that well. We played extremely tight. Not good shot selection, especially in the first half. I thought Jayne really got it going inside. We struggled from the perimeter. We're just really, really disappointed. This will rank up with all the opportunities that we wasted."
(On Florida State Head Coach, Sue Semrau, saying "Our team played our style: down and dirty") "I thought they were very physical. I saw people on the floor. They battled. You have to adjust and play through stuff."
(On whether she felt her team was tight) "There's sometimes where the whole set-up of being here and playing and it's exciting. Yes, you aren't traveling. Obviously we work hard to host, but I think that puts extra pressure on our team. We just have to scrap along and figure out ways to get good shots. We really just needed to relax and play. It's hard to calm people down. I think our free throws hurt us a lot, especially in the first half.
(On whether Stanford came out tight) "I don't think there was any nerves, really. When you're excited about a game, you might come out and not really be as relaxed as you want to be."
(On the difference between this year's Florida State team and last year's) "They are very similar. We played a very similar game last year. It was close last year. We were able to hit some shots to get some separation last year. This year, it was the other way around. They hit some shots and got separation."
(On Stanford's defense) "I think they just hit big shots. Our defense was there. We could have obviously done better. It's a big disappointment. We just didn't get it done."
(On the psyche of the team when they aren't shooting well) "For me personally, I've always thought, in terms of three-point shooting, if you miss the first shot, the next shots are going in. I know I missed all my shots in the first half. I knew that if I shot again, they would go in, so I don't think it really does anything in terms of when we're shooting bad."
(On what she told Brooke at the end of the game) "I was just telling her thank you for the past three years. I've learned so much and have begun a better person just knowing her. I just feel so honored to have played with her. I'm so grateful. Her career is not anywhere near over. She is an amazing person, amazing leader, amazing role model, just everything. I'm going to miss her."
(On Stanford's lead at half) "Coach mentioned that we weren't playing well. At halftime, we were lucky to be up."