Postgame Quotes/Notes - Storm 70, New York 69
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TONIGHT'S NOTES | |||
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BRIAN AGLER:
On the game:
I thought New York played well; they played loose. They hung in the game. They made good plays. But I also think we did a lot of good things and we played as well as we could defensively in the last two minutes. They had a lot of chances to score and didn't. We've got a group of competitors and I'm really proud of them.
On 
Janell Burse stepping in with 
Camille Little in foul trouble:
Janell did well tonight. She really did. She had some key blocks early in the game and gave us some great minutes. Camille's a key player - she does a lot for us. For us to hang in without her was really impressive.
On the Storm's defense down the stretch:
We were on task the last two minutes. You've got to be that way in crunch time. We sort of have a lot of practice with it. We've been there about 10 times in a row now, maybe more than that. It's not anything new.
On 
Suzy Batkovic-Brown's play:
Good. That's the most composed she's played since she's been here. I think we learned that we can get some minutes out of some people. I'm sure we'll keep going there.
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SWIN CASH:
On the game:
We're just trying to get better and get wins. Obviously we can look at this film come Monday when we break it down, but I think we did some good things down the stretch and not-so-good things. Basically, you get back and you analyze what you did positive and try to build on it, but at the end of the day we won the game and that's the most important thing.
On the key to the defense in the final three minutes:
Being aggressive, being assertive. Not being scared to make mistakes. Even when we made some mistakes, we did them aggressively and were able to make the plays.
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SUE BIRD:
On her aggressive mentality late in the game:
In the fourth quarter, we had a lead that we kind of gave up. They scored three straight possessions to take the lead, and then it was go time from there. We needed to do something to get the win and I think everyone stepped up in their own way.
On the Storm's defense down the stretch:
They had those three possessions where they hit some threes and then on a tough shot, a one-on-one move, Janel McCarville hits a little floater to take the lead. I think that's when it hit us - we gave up a lead and we needed to do something to get it back. From that moment on, I'm not really sure how many points they scored, but it couldn't have been many. When it came time, the last minute and a half, we really gutted it out. They had repeat chances from the sideline, from the baseline. It was tough, but I'm just glad we won.
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On the game:
I’m really proud of the effort coming off the back-to-back. I thought there were several times during the game where we could’ve just given in and I don’t think we did that. At the end of the game, the execution wasn’t what it needed to be. In order to win a game like this on the road against a great team, you’ve got to execute down the stretch.
On whether this is a moral victory:
For us, we’re trying to get out of a hole that we’re in. As long as we’re playing better every night, I see a light at the end of the tunnel, especially when we get back and play the Eastern Conference teams. It’s hard to see a moral victory at all when you come out in the loss column. Am I happy about how we’re playing at this point in time? Definitely.
On the difference in the second half:
We’ve struggled a little bit to shoot the ball from the perimeter. Our focus the last couple of games has been to be a more inside-out team. That said, Janel (McCarville) has really stepped up and she and Cathrine (Kraayeveld) had huge games for us.
On returning to Seattle as a head coach:
It’s always great to come back to Seattle. I have fond memories of being here. It’s one of the best cities in the WNBA to play so I feel fortunate that I had some time here. It feels good to come back. I’m very appreciative (of the fans' ovation). It was a great place to spend five years of my life and win a championship. There have been a lot of highlights here.
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On the game:
We talked about the first quarter and we kind of dug ourselves in a hole and started a little slow. We didn’t play horrible, but we weren’t where we wanted to be defensively and they just jumped out on us. We played great the other three quarters so for us right now it’s about playing a complete game, 40 minutes. We’re right where we want to be except for a little bit better execution down the stretch. It’s something we’ll learn from and try to take with us into the next game. We did a lot of good things so we have to focus on those too. We fought hard and made a good comeback.
On adjusting to Coach Donovan:
I don’t think it’s so much that because she’s been with us all year as an assistant and she’s been vocal saying real important things and really just giving her wisdom to us. And we’ve been eating it up so it’s been great to have her on board with us. We’re taking it and trying to do our best with it.
On a moral victory:
It kind of downplays it a bit because it’s about the win as a team. It doesn’t really matter individually what people do. We want to get a win so it makes it a little harder that way. We’re proud of the way we fought.
