Jan. 29, 2004
Old Dominion University Head Coach Wendy Larry
"With Monique Coker on the bench, we knew the first half was going to be tough. She's that important to us. When the game first started our starters didn't click and those five have to click in the beginning. It's important to us that Sherida (Triggs) stepped up and gave us some rebounds. When the bench has to play they need to be ready to play and step up for every game."
On the crowd:
"They were huge the last ten minutes of the game! They discipline us and when they are behind us, we respond very well to that and play with composure."
On VCU's lead throughout the game:
"It is a normal reaction. It's harder to stay focused when you get comfortable in your lead because you think a couple more baskets can seal it up. So, maybe you get a little bit lax; you start laying back. I thought (Cherie) Lea and (Jennifer) Kapper took some tremendous shots throughout the game but down the stretch, their selection changed, they got a little rushed. It's very tough with this kind of crowd in a hostile gym. We might not have the most but the ones we have are pretty loud and effective."
On the upcoming tournaments:
"I am going to solicit to everyone I can; if they let me go downtown and get on a ship, I'll say it there. If we can't get a great showing we will lose this regional tournament. It is just too competitive. Over half of the other sites have already sold out and we have to prove that we can do it too."
Junior Guard Shareese Grant
"We looked up at the score and said, "We cannot lose in our house." We knew we had to pick it up, take better shots, and play smart."
Senior Forward Myriah Spence
"You can't stop shooting. My teammates, coaches, everyone tells me to keep shooting. So, I keep telling myself that the next one will go in and if it doesn't, I know my team has my back when I put it up."
Freshman Forward Sherida Triggs
"It was cool (getting a block in the game) because I had not gotten a block in a while. I knew that when I went in, I needed to get some rebounds. Rebound, rebound, rebound!"
University of North Carolina-Wilmington Head Coach Ann Hancock
"It was a great college basketball game. I was extremely proud of my team's effort. Old Dominion is very balanced and a hard team to play. We did a good job getting to the free throw line. We got some opportunities but this is a tough place to play in, the crowd gets into it. If we made the free throws, we might have held on to the lead. If we can get three people in double figures it would be easier on (Jennifer) Kapper. To ODU's credit, they did a great job. They switched a lot and it is hard against that kind of defense; it makes it tough. We definitely got a little tired down the stretch but we take it as a learning experience. ODU is a premier team this year."
On ODU's Senior Forward, Monique Coker:
"With her being in foul trouble, we thought she was going to come back ready to play in the second half. They have so many threats that we still had to focus on in the first half."
Senior Guard Jennifer Kapper
"I'm pretty good at blocking the crowd out so they didn't bother me but my shots just did not go down. We played a great game tonight but some things just did not go our way. They still have to come to our house."