Postgame Quotes/Notes - Connecticut 75, Storm 70
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STORM HEAD COACH 
BRIAN AGLER:
On coming back:
I thought we got some stops defensively and I thought that
Swin (Cash) was really
key in those runs. She really took it upon herself to take charge and get a
couple of three-point plays. We scored off of our defense a few times and
then found ourselves back in the game.
On playing without 
Lauren Jackson:
Since I have been here, we have played quite a few games without Lauren.
We have a good group of people in that locker room who are great
competitors. But in this league, it doesn’t matter if you have all your
people or you’re missing people. If you don’t come out ready to play from
the beginning, you’re going to find yourself playing from behind.
On how Connecticut built a lead:
They did a good job defensively in the first half against us and we got
stagnant. We didn’t play the game as well as we could have. They were
scoring off of their defense a few times. They played in the first half
like we played in the second half.
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STORM GUARD 
SUE BIRD:
On two different halves:
That’s kind of the story with this team right now. It’s a little bit of the tale of two halves or tale of two teams. When we are clicking defensively and getting stops and able to run and get our offense off of that, that is when we are at our best. We just had some lapses in the first half where we let them get those leads. Then we had to try to turn it back up. That was the story for us tonight. We talked about that after the game. We know we cannot succeed playing that way. So it has been addressed and now we just need to keep improving.
On Cash's performance:
Swin played great tonight. She was aggressive in getting on the block and
taking advantage of the mismatch that she was finding down there. She was
really the one that was making us go tonight. Unfortunately, at some point,
more of us have to step up. When she comes out of the game for a rest or
for a switch in the rotation, it’s up to the rest of us to keep things
going. It’s unfortunate because we had some opportunities tonight. With
everything being said and done, we had some opportunities that we didn’t
take advantage of. To me, that’s the reason why we lost.
On the Storm's resilience:
Of course, there is something to be said about a team that can come back,
but there also needs to be something said about why we are falling behind
like that. I think that is what we are going to focus on in trying to
improve. However, if you give yourself a chance to win on the road like we
did tonight, like I said, there is something to be said about that.
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STORM FORWARD SWIN CASH:
On coming back:
We just played with a sense of urgency. We were getting after it, attacking the basket a little more and doing the things that we understand that we need to do in order to be successful. Obviously, I’m not happy that we didn’t win, but I think this is hopefully a learning experience for us. On where the Storm is at:
The playoffs aren’t tomorrow. We’re still gearing up and it’s still early, and hopefully we will make our push in July. The West is really tight. There is great competition in this league. The teams are getting better. You cannot take anyone lightly. We have no time to rest, though. We have Washington next. We know Lauren isn’t going to be here. Now we have to find ways to get it done collectively.
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On the game:
We shot a poor percentage in the second half and hung on for dear life and we won. We made a bunch of good plays at the end, other than jumping in the air on the last shot. In general, you’re going to have runs in the game. We knew they would make another run. They are too good. They are the defending champions; they have good players. I thought they were going to make a run at some point, and they did.
We withstood the last run. We got two big stops when we needed them at the end and that’s the end of the game.
On winning without a field goal in the final six and a half minutes:
It’s pretty scary that we went 0-for-9 considering how well we had
shot the ball earlier in the game. We were shooting fifty-something percent
in the first half, and you know that’s probably not going to last either,
but you would hope that you would shoot at least 40 percent in the second
half. Instead, we shot 31 percent. I don’t know what to say. We won.
On trying to get more shots for Tina Charles:
They double-teamed her hard every time she caught it in the lane and I
thought she got fouled a couple of times. But she made great passes out and
people missed open shots. We missed some open threes right in front of our
bench that she made great passes on. That would have probably sealed the
deal too. Would I like to get her more shots? Yes. As it is, she got 17
shots, and that is with double-teams.
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On enjoying a healthy season:
I felt like ’07-’08 was the best that I played and obviously the last two years I haven’t been all the way right as far as my health goes. I would say probably since 2008 this is the best that I’ve felt, first and foremost, and so much of playing well is feeling good about what you can contribute Being a shooter, when your lower half doesn’t feel right, you’re going to have to overcompensate in some sense. That was the thing that I struggled the most with my right knee was coming off screens and being able to get a good base.
On her recent hot shooting:
We have a few players on our team right now that have great confidence as
far as making shots. My shot feels really good right now. I haven’t been
shooting a ton as far as getting a lot of reps up and what I’m doing is
making them. I’m not trying to overanalyze anything - just shoot it.
On her role as a veteran:
I love emotional players. I would rather have to turn someone down than
turn someone up. I can’t stand players that you have to get them going. I
love that part of the game and I have always been one of those players that
people don’t really like if I’m not on their team, but I feel like my
teammates love me, the way I play, and the emotion I bring.
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On maintaining composure as the Storm made a run:
We don’t hang our heads. Last year when the other team would make a run, we would say, ‘Oh no, not again.’ But this year I think we have a little more composure. We just know that we can look at each other and relax and say, ‘We’re going to get it.’ So I think it’s just a matter of learning each other and just being more comfortable with each other that we can look at each other. We don’t have to say anything, we don’t have to pump each other up, but we have that common bond that we know we can get it done.
On winning back-to-back close games:
The fact that we are able to pull out these wins is awesome for our
confidence and it just lets us know that we are capable of withstanding a
team’s runs and eventually we will get it done. You don’t want to have
these games at the end of the season, but if we can have them early, that’s
the way you have to look at it - it’s a learning experience.
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