How was the break for you?
"It was nice. It was well needed. I had some family time so that was fun."

What is the mindset of this team going into the second half of the season?
"Just tightening up all of our screws. Going back to what we do well which is our defense. Focusing on taking care of the defensive end and letting our offense come to us."

What is the biggest obstacle facing this team?
"I think just staying focused on the fact that our defense is what�s going to do it for us. Sometimes when we�re off offensively, we start to lose sight of what our defense brings for us, then we start to screw up on the defensive end. Instead it should be the other way around � let our defense affect our offense. I think we have just focus on doing that and if we do, we�ll be alright."

This time of year is crunch time. What does the phrase crunch team mean to you?
"It means time to just buckle down, tighten up, bring everything together that you�ve been working on all year through training camp and the first half of the season, and making good use of it now."

What do you think that this team can improve upon in the second half of the season?
"I think turnovers were a big problem for us. A lot of times that�s how teams scored on us. We�d turn it over on the offensive end and they�d pick up fast break points. I think that�s going to be a big key for us."

How was the break for you?
"I went to New Jersey, went back to my house, and just relaxed and chilled. I saw some of my family. I just took a load off. It was great for me."

What is the mindset of this team going into the second half of the season?
"We have to pick it up another level. We already are disappointed with how we ended the first half of the season before All-Star Break � losing two games. Those were games that we felt we could�ve won if we had done what we had to do. So we�re coming back in thinking just about our defense. We slipped a little bit in our defense and we�re trying to pick it up now. So that�s all we�re thinking about right now is our defense and also taking back first place so we can have home court advantage going into the playoffs."

What is the biggest obstacle facing this team?
"Just staying focused on what we want to do and staying together. We are a team that really needs to stay together, a team that really needs to talk and be unified. We have to work on it and just continue to play defense. That has brought us to where we are and that�s the type of players we are. We just have to keep that in mind."

This time of year is crunch time. What does the phrase crunch team mean to you?
"It means that we all have to have a sense of urgency when we�re on the court. As soon as the ball is tipped up � it�s all about our defensive urgency. We have to be ready and there is no room for mistakes now. It�s time to either put up or shut up."

What do you think that this team can improve upon in the second half of the season?
"Just being smart down the stretch. Knowing what�s best for us and what works for us. We have some of the greatest post (players in the league). Even with DeMya being gone we still have Yolanda, Rebekkah, Adrian who is a great rebounder, and Nicole who is doing a great job at the four. We want to utilize them a lot more than we already are. They�re our bread and butter and we just have to keep going to them."

How was the break for you?
"It was wonderful, awesome, exciting, and sensational. I did a lot. I hung out with my fianc�, my nieces, and one of my best friends. I went to a comedy show. I was able to go to my church � they hadn�t seen me since I had become engaged so it was cool. I did some planning for my wedding. I also was able to clean and organize my house."

What�s the mindset going into the second half of this season?
"I believe we need to step it up and crank it in gear. We�ve lost a lot of games that we feel we could�ve won if we had played better defense and our style. The mindset is just to come back in here, practice hard, get back on the same page, and work out the kinks.

For me, Rebekkah�s down so I have to step it up even more. It�s like when DeMya went down the team needed me. Now Rebekkah�s down and it�s kind of like �Come on, we really need you to step up even more now. That�s what you�re here for.� Originally I believe I was here for Yo as her backup. Now she�s going to have to fight through whatever her aches and pains are. So for me, I just have to be mentally ready at all times."

What�s the biggest obstacle facing this team down the stretch?
"For the team, it�s pretty much being ready to play at all times. We�re one of the top teams in the Western Conference and everyone is going to come at us. Everyone comes at us really hard and I know because I�ve played for some last place teams. Anytime we played the best teams, we played hard because we had nothing to lose. So we have things to lose. We have our position to lose. We have home court advantage to lose. We just have to play with a sense of urgency."

Crunch time � what does that mean to you?
"I don�t think it�s crunch time yet."

When do you think crunch time for this team will be then?
"Crunch time is like the last two or three weeks of the season for me. Crunch time is when you�re kind of forced into a corner. For us, we have a little bit of space and leeway but this year it seems like all the top teams are close together. Actually all the teams are close together (in the standings) so it�s like we don�t have games we can spare. Every game means something. Even every practice is important. So I think I know what you mean by crunch time but my definition of crunch time has been like �We have to win this game otherwise we�re not going to the playoffs.� But I don�t feel like I�m in that yet."

What do you think this team can improve upon after looking back at the first half of the season?
"Just maintaining our defense. Sometimes we�ve had big leads. I believe there�s been only two games where we�ve just been blown out (after having big leads) and that was against New York and Los Angeles. Other than that, we�ve come out pretty good. We just need to maintain that because we don�t have a team that can just relax. We have to fight throughout the whole game and that�s what our team is built on. Our bench is just as important as our starters on this team. I believe our offense is important too. I know that�s not what we focus on but we have to score in order to win. So we need to just play together and not play too much of an individual game. I think we become individuals on the offensive end because we�re trying to help the team. But if we stay together, I think that�s the best thing we can do."

Sophia Young.
"Well she was doing it last year before Erin was there. I think she�s a great young player. I love watching young players and when I�m done with this game, I�ll be able to watch them. She�s a great rebounder, has good post moves, and is only in her second year. She�s only going to improve. We have the experience on this team. We have age and experience so usually age and experience comes out on top. So we�ll see. But she�s a good player."

How was the break for you?
"It was good. I just relaxed, spent some time with my family, and tried not to think about basketball which is hard to do. I don�t really have much time off because I play all year round. So to have four days off in the middle of the season was a good thing for me."

What is the mindset of this team going into the second half of the season?
"The mindset is to take one game at a time and win each game. I think we have a chance to do that and go back to the way we were really playing in the beginning of the season rather than the way we finished (the first half). I think our defense wasn�t as dominant as it usually is towards the end of the break so just going game by game. Right now our focus is going to be San Antonio. And lastly, just try and focus on playing Monarchs basketball and that�s to focus on our defense first. We have to let our defense create our offense."

What is the biggest obstacle down the stretch facing this team?
"Honestly I think it will be injuries. We already lost DeMya for the season. Rebekkah can�t even practice. Yolanda�s knees are not good and everybody has bumps and bruises. Right now, we�re just trying to keep everybody healthy. That�s a big huge challenge."

A lot of people refer to this time of year as crunch time � what does that mean to you?
"I don�t think it is crunch time right now. Especially right after this All-Star Break, we still have a couple days to practice. We don�t play until Friday. People might look at crunch time as trying to make the playoffs. But like I said, we�re going to take one game at a time and right now we�re in a great position still. We�re second in the west but everybody�s close together so in a couple games you could go from first to fourth. The best way to look at it is to just take one game at a time and approach each game with a sense of urgency. If we do that at the end of the season, we�ll be in a great position going into the playoffs."

What is one thing you think that this team can improve upon in the second half of the season?
"There are so many things. I think as individuals and as a team - we�re never satisfied. There are always things that we can improve. We have a new system because we have a new coach so offensively we�re still trying to polish a lot of things. So probably we should work on our poise. I look back and we�ve had three overtime games that we lost. Down the stretch, we need to keep our composure and learn from our mistakes. There have been some games that we definitely shouldn�t have lost. So I think we just need to keep working on our composure at the end of games."