Post-Game Quotes
1/11/2007 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Jan. 11, 2007
Recap | Box Score | Notes | Game Action 
Michigan State Head Coach Joanne P. McCallie
Opening statement...
Particularly the first half, I thought it was a great basketball game. In the second half I thought we didn't attack and do some things we needed to do fundamentally, on defense and rebounding. We broke down severely, especially with (Purdue's) Jodi Howell, and we are a defense, rebounding, scrappy kind of team. To allow a team to have 70 points on your home floor is not what we're about and not what we can be about.
On MSU's overall performance...
We've shown all year that offensively we're balanced, but we're certainly not an offensive juggernaut, so we need to rely on defense and rebounding. We did so for a lot of the game, but didn't do so toward the end. It's very disappointing because I believe we can play much better. And you want to say nice job to Purdue - they made some plays down the stretch that were obviously very helpful to them.
On defending Purdue's Jodi Howell...
There was definitely a lack of location, particularly in the first half. We let her get going in the first half and she kept going in the second half. I call it a team problem. We don't talk or communicate enough defensively, and it's so important to do so especially with a player like that who can spot up so quickly. I thought Purdue did a nice job finding her.
On the team's offensive performance...
We do take quick shots and we don't get the ball inside-out enough. To credit Purdue, they just sat in their zone, daring us to take the game. They didn't have to man up or anything, and that's what they did. I think it's very important to play together. The fact that we had 17 turnovers and 16 assists - that stat there, particularly when a team is playing zone against you - is not a great stat at all. There's not that much pressure on the ball against a zone just sitting there, and to come up with 17 turnovers is not a good statistic for us.
Purdue Head Coach Sharon Versyp
Opening Statement...
Coming into Michigan State we know that they are one of the toughest teams in the Big Ten, and the environment that they have here, and their coaching staff, they're playing great basketball and we knew it was going to be an extreme battle and the first half was going back and forth. People were trying to stop different runs and I felt the second half, about the 15-minute mark, we made some adjustments and were able to make a little bit of a run. I think our defense finally kicked in to allow them to shoot obviously a lower percentage in the second half than they did the first half. Like I said, it was a great basketball game.
On the in-game adjustments...
I probably played five different defenses. I think in the end of the first half we went man-to-man which we don't play a lot and I thought they (MSU) turned the ball over two or three times. The second half we went to a two-three zone a little more. We played about four or five different defenses.
On the shooting of #00 Jodi Howell...
I was hoping that she would be doing that. Jodie's been struggling, obviously her knee issue, but she's got a little problem with her foot right now and we've been not allowing her to practice, and holding her back. I had a talk with her the last three games. If I'm going to hold you out of practice, I need more.