Postgame Quotes vs. Nebraska
12/7/2014 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Alabama Head Coach Kristy Curry
Opening statement:
"I'm really proud of our team, just to grit the toughness, especially to a program to me that really epitomizes what toughness is really about. I've had so much respect for (Nebraska head coach) Connie (Yori) through the years, and I know it has made me a better coach preparing for her teams throughout the years. For us to come out and outrebound them by 10, and find ways to make plays down the stretch, I am just really happy for our team. They have been working extremely hard."
On how her team played:
"We make mistakes, but I love the disposition they made with not dropping or hanging their heads and just focusing on the next play. It is something we have been working on in practice, how to move from a good play to a bad play. It was ugly, we missed a lot of shots and did some silly things, but you look up and there is four freshmen on the floor with a sophomore at one point. You have to learn to play through some mistakes, that's the only way you're going to gain some confidence, and also the only way you can get better. I was pleased with their toughness and their grit down the stretch."
On what this win does for the program:
"It's a great statement that our kids are working hard. I think it's great for their confidence. We have to have the attitude that we can beat any team in this country, and that's an idea that we build the girls toward. I have so much respect for their program and how they do things as far as class. I think it's great for our kids because to beat a team like that, it says a lot. For our kids to respond shows a lot about us."
#25 Briana Hutchen, Forward
On what statement the win makes about Alabama basketball:
"I think it just shows the growth of our team, especially being a senior, being able to watch my teammates grow from June into where we are now. Even from the beginning of the season to where we are now. It's a big difference."
On how she felt when she knew Coach Curry was with the team all the way:
"That is what really energizes us. We looked at coach, and we pounded on our chest. She has the most energy, and that's what we need to feed off of. I think that's what really led us all the way throughout the first and second half."
#22 Karyla Middlebrook, Guard
On how they turned the game back around in the second half:
"We just knew we had practiced and prepared for this all week. We stuck with it. We had people in our ear saying, 'Hey, we do this every day. If your shots aren't going well, find something else that you can do to contribute.' That's exactly what we did; we kept our heads held high."
On how she felt when she knew Coach Curry was with the team all the way:
"I think Coach is always behind us, but just to see it and for her to just step up like that in front of all the people that were there, that really meant a lot."
Nebraska Head Coach Connie Yori
On Nebraska's play this afternoon:
"We made a lot of mistakes and turned the ball over way too much, but that's a credit to (Alabama). (Alabama head coach) Kristy Curry and that staff does a really good job, and I think they're going to get it done here. This was a good win for them, but also we didn't play perfect. We wish we would've taken care of the ball a little bit better, and we didn't do a good enough job on the defensive glass, but that's again, a credit to them for getting those extra opportunities. They made more plays than we did, that's the bottom line."
On coming off an emotional win over Duke and possibly overlooking Alabama:
"Everybody is tough. We came in here, and we didn't overlook Alabama. We said this is an SEC team, we're playing them on the road and they are well-coached. We knew this wasn't going to be easy."
On the pace of the game:
"When we did try to go fast, we turned it over. So we probably need to slow it down based on what we did in the first half. We made a lot of mistakes in transition."
