HEAD COACH MUGGSY BOGUES SAYS...
(Opening statement) The ladies really came out and played extremely hard. We focused in on who Seattle was, and we focused on their personnel. We played a hard battle yesterday [at Detroit], and our plane had some mechanical problems so we got back to Charlotte late. The players really didn’t get much rest, so I was really pleased at the way they came out today with intensity. Sheri [Sam] set the tone, and everybody else just followed. We’ve got to get the most out of our veterans. Now they are stepping up, and everybody’s contributing. It’s a beautiful thing to watch.
(On the bench) We’ve been getting good contributions from the bench for quite some time. Now we’re getting a combination of both. The starters are playing, and the bench is coming in and finishing it. That’s a good balance to have. We’ve got some veterans coming off the bench, and they understand the game. Janel McCarville is in her second year, and she’s starting to get healthier. She’s feeling better about herself, and I’m allowing her to play her game of basketball. Tye’sha Fluker and Allison Feaster were big tonight, and that’s always a plus for us.
(On the morale in the locker room) It gives you confidence and belief. It lets you know that all the things we work on, stress and emphasize translate onto the basketball court. It ends up resulting in wins. They believe in each other. They are playing with each other, instead of standing around waiting for one player to do something. They all, collectively, have a hand in it. We got outrebounded tonight, which is something we continue to keep emphasizing. But we did a great job taking care of the basketball; we only had nine turnovers for the whole game. When you do that, you give yourself a chance to win each and every night.
(On the 27 three-point attempts) It just happened. We have some good shooters, so if they have an open three they should go ahead and let it go. Allison [Feaster] was feeling it, Sheri [Sam] was feeling it and Kelly [Mazzante] came in and continued to put pressure on their defense. That’s their game, and basketball is elements of a lot of different things.
(On defense against Seattle’s Lauren Jackson) We just wanted to make her earn everything she could get. We focused on making her take tough shots, and we know that she is not feeling her best. We knew she was going to come out and get things started, and early she got a couple of easy baskets. That can help your confidence, but we stayed true to what we wanted to do. The entire team did an excellent job on her; we really didn’t give her any clean, good looks. We made her put the ball on the floor and go to her left when she would prefer going to the right.
(On Seattle’s team) They have scorers over there with Betty Lennox, Jackson and Sue Bird. Their whole starting five scores in double figures. They like to score the ball, and they like to get up and down the court. They have a great point guard in Sue Bird; she’s a point guard who can push the ball and shoot the ball well. We also stressed that we have to get back on transition defense because if not it could be a long night.
(On Sheri Sam playing against her former team)She came out and took care of business. I’m just happy that she started to play her game. She’s picking up her intensity, and she’s really focusing in and not just settling for jump shots. She’s mixing it up and going in there and rebounding. She’s playing like the type of player I thought she was. She’s really playing up to her talent right now.
(On Charlotte’s playoff chances) I always told our team that it’s not over yet. And it’s not over yet. I know this team’s capabilities, and we needed to get that one thing that gets us some confidence. We have to believe in one another, and they believe in each other now. They are communicating, they are very attentive as to what I am trying to do and they are going out and executing the game plan. Now they are playing basketball. They aren’t just running sets or running plays. They are looking at the other options and trying to counter what other teams are doing to us. That’s the truth to see if a team can make that kind of adjustment and is willing to do so.
INSIDE THE LOCKER ROOM
CENTER TAMMY SUTTON-BROWN
(On how the all-star break brought the team together) I think that the All-Star break was good for all of us to either go home or get time away and really refocus. We had the same personnel here the whole time and we just took the opportunity to come together. Now I think we are playing together now and it has really made us a lot better.
(On Camp day) Camp day is one of the hardest days because it is so early, but it is also one of the best games because the kids are so loud and energetic. You can definitely hear them throughout the game and you have to love the support that they show. It is a great thing that the WNBA does because I think that otherwise a lot of the kids wouldn’t have the chance to come out and watch us play. It’s great for the league as well as the kids and works well on both sides.
FORWARD SHERI SAM
(On the little things that led to a win) We took care of the ball, executed, and played really hard. We got outrebounded, but we played hard and made things happen.
(On the bench’s performance) On any given night any player on our team can have a great performance. Today we were just incredible all around. Our bench came in and played some big minutes. Allison Feaster and Kelly Mazzante came in and hit some huge threes and Janel McCarville came in and gave us a big boost. Everybody is really relishing their role right now and playing really well.
(On having a green light to shoot) I came out shooting the ball. The Storm came out with their hands down and I really didn’t think twice about it. I was just finding my rhythm, and once I got the first two [points] going it was my house.
(On coming out with a new mentality) It is about having clear heads. What happened in the first part of the season is all over with, and we now have a different mentality taking care of the things that we can control and making things happen for us.
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