Postgame Quotes - Storm 95, Connecticut 86
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TONIGHT'S NOTES | |||
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ANNE DONOVAN:
On the game:
It was nice to see us score 50 points in a half after almost giving up 50 in a half.
On 
Sue Bird's comeback:
I give her a lot of credit because she had courage coming back and trying to fight through it. She’s been two weeks without playing, so you could see a little bit of rust. She lost her confidence a little bit when her shot wasn’t falling, but at the end of the game we’ve got to have her out there. She kept her composure down the stretch and we had to have it.
On the Storm's stars:
Betty Lennox had a lot to do with (the win) in the second half. 
Lauren (Jackson)’s 23 points and 17 rebounds had a lot to do with it. We had a lot of players who stepped up in the second half.
On committing only eight turnovers:
Our turnovers were down. Betty didn’t have to handle the ball as much (with Sue in the game) and we can make play calls for her. I think Betty was more relaxed, especially in the second half. She knew she had to step up and didn’t have to stress so much, like she has the last four games.
On the transition game:
We were able to use our running game to pull ahead. We did a great job in transition ourselves. Our focus to get back defensively held true.
On the influence of the home crowd:
Home wins are huge. Our fans make the difference. We have a harder time winning that game when we’re on the road. Our 8,000 fans tonight propelled us into that win. Winning on the home court is hopefully setting us up for home-court advantage come playoff time.
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On her performance:
It wasn’t my best but we were able to pull out the win. That’s really all I care about. I’m just getting used to the mask and getting used to playing again, and kind of getting my wind back, but other than that I feel good.
On her poor shooting:
Tomorrow I might shoot 9-for-10 and we won’t even have this conversation. That’s just the way it goes with shooters. I don’t blame it on the mask.
On the game:
This is a huge win for us. At KeyArena, we’re about to go on a road trip, Connecticut is a team that has already beaten us once, they were riding an eight-game winning streak. It was a huge win. And the way we did it with Lauren, Betty, and 
Izzy (Castro Marques) came up with huge plays, whether it was rebounds, free throws, or hitting some huge shots, we made the plays. We were able to pull it out.
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On her performance:
I was out having fun. I was determined to be physical. A couple of calls didn’t go my way, but I can’t do anything about it. I’m not going to retaliate; I’m not going to get on the refs. I got it back by scoring the points.
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BERNADETTE MATTOX:
On the game:
We played hard today. We have nothing to worry about from this game. We came out and played hard. They made some tough shots down the stretch and we missed some. We’re not hanging our head down on this one - I thought both teams played hard today.
On the KeyArena environment:
The crowd was great. That’s what you want when two teams come together - you want a great crowd like that. The crowd was here for them tonight.
On the teams combining for just 14 turnovers:
It was a good game tonight and that is one of the stats that will show you that it was a tremendous game.
On the team's reaction to being informed by Coach Mike Thibault after the game that his mother had passed away earlier in the day:
You know, it just hits. He knew before the game … it’s hard.
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LINDSAY WHALEN:
On the game:
They’re a good team and play well together. I look at the stat sheet and we only had six turnovers and we shot fairly well, but they shot a bit better. They made tough shots down the stretch. You don’t like to give up 50 points in a half, but overall I think we were in the game the whole way. In the end, they made a few shots … a couple of big 3s … and got us out of it a little bit. There’s nothing to be frustrated about. Give them credit, though. It’s a tough place to play. It was a great atmosphere for basketball.
On the end of the Sun's losing streak:
We just have to get it rolling again. These are tough games here on the road in the west. Every game is a big game. We have to go in with the mentality that we need to make all the hustle plays in order to make it happen. I’m confident our team will do that.
On the team's reaction to hearing about Coach Thibault's mother:
Obviously is taken aback a little bit. It puts everything in perspective. We just have to be there for him. It’s unfortunate and we have to rally around and give him as much support as we can. It’s a tough situation. We need to come together and play hard and do what we need to do.
On the matchup between the two teams:
We were in the Finals last year … we feel like we’re a good team and they feel like they’re a good team. We’re on opposite sides of the coast, but when we do play it’s always a pretty good game and everyone plays aggressively. It’s a fun way to play.
On her matchup with Bird:
There are different match-ups every night so you can’t really get caught up in the individual things. She’s a great player and it’s always a challenge for me to contain her and not let her get off on us.
On Lennox:
She hit some big shots and she’s a great player. That’s what she does, though. She was the MVP of the Finals last year. She hits big shots, is very aggressive … give her credit.
