Pitt vs. Penn State Quotes
12/1/2006 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Dec. 1, 2006
PITTSBURGH - Quoting Pitt Head Coach Agnes Berenato:
Opening Statement:
"I though the win tonight was a great display of courage. All week we had talked about winning the jump ball and scoring first; we wanted to be like a boxer who delivers the first punch. The fact that we were able to do that really set the tone. We executed our whole game plan to perfection, which is a testament to both our players and our coaching staff. Penn State has a tremendous tradition and that's what we want to build here. Our goal is to make Pitt known as a great women's basketball school, which is why our goal for this season is to make it to the NCAA tournament."
On defending Adrienne Squire:
"We knew she was a good three-point shooter, but our game-plan was to let her get her shots and not let anyone else on their team beat us. She made some shots early to keep them in the game, but to win we knew they would need more balance. We were able to achieve that balance, and that's why we came out on top."
Quoting Pitt's Marcedes Walker:
On starting the season 8-0:
"It's been a good season so far. We've worked hard and continue to work hard to achieve our goals. Every game we come in trying to execute, play hard and play up to our capabilities. If we do that we'll be successful."
On what it means to beat Penn State:
"We wanted to make this a true rivalry. My first two years here they beat us, so it was important for us to get this win. They have a great program and for us to be mentioned across the state with them we knew we had to beat them."
Quoting Pitt's Jania Sims:
On what this win means for Pitt:
"We want to make this a nationally recognized program. To do that we have to beat good teams with a national reputation, like Penn State. It's a start, but we still have a long way to go."
On team chemistry:
"Everyone has confidence in one another. We know what all of us can do, so we just trust our game plan and follow our roles and good things tend to happen."
Quoting Pitt's Xenia Stewart:
On playing part of the game without Shavonte Zellous due to foul trouble:
"We cover each other. With Shavonte out, we knew we had to stay together and try to step up to fill the hole that was there when she left the game. We have enough balance on this team that we can succeed when we're missing a player."
Quoting Penn State Head Coach Rene Portland
Opening statement:
"Pitt did a great job tonight. They played with a ton of intensity. They really did well with offensive boards and when the time came to hit the big shot, they did."
"That's just the way the game is these days. We are going to have to go up against big, good players."
On struggling with shooting
"We were missing open shots and missing layup's, which we can't do. We're also struggling finishing in the paint."
Quoting Penn State's Brianne O'Rourke
"It's hard coming home to a big crowd, a lot of family and friends and having an outcome like this."
"It seemed at time that they were giving more and that they wanted it more so we just have to go back into the gym and get working hard for the next game."
"This game meant a lot to both teams. We knew it would mean a lot to Pitt and of course it meant a lot to us. Penn State has always had a great tradition with women's basketball."