Head Coach Rae Rippetoe-Blair
Opening statement ...
“We are very excited to be here. This is a great venue and Texas Tech is a great host institution. It is a great atmosphere and we appreciate that.”
On UTSA’s second consecutive trip to the NCAA Tournament ...
“I think the maturity level is much different this year. There was so much hype last year with it being the first trip in school history. Having four seniors who played in last year's tournament definitely will benefit us.”
On the difference in this year's opponent, Baylor ...
“What they did in the Big 12 Tournament was amazing. One of their best players has been out for quite sometime and to go in and win that showed how good a team they are. We have actually watched a lot of tape on them and have seen them all year long on television. I have really challenged our girls to stay focused. Last year going into the tournament, I thought we lost our focus and got caught up in the hype of just being there. I sense a difference in them this year. We weren’t really getting after it in practice yesterday and I told them we didn’t come to Lubbock to go on vacation. We want to come in here and advance tomorrow night.”
On the keys to the Sunday's game ...
“I think the biggest key, and we have stressed this all week, is rebounding. Baylor is not going to make every shot. They are very talented, but we have to block out. In transition you will see us getting three back and doing some things like that because they are so quick in transition. We also must take care of the ball from top to bottom. (Jessica) Morrow is very talented, but we told our girls we can’t focus on one just player. We do a lot of different things defensively and hopefully that will cause them some problems. My main concern is us being focused right from the beginning. You can’t let a game like this get away because of all of Baylor’s talent."
On the pushing the action ...
“When we have the opportunity, we are going to run. Monica (Gibbs) is very talented at getting to the hole. I think she will be able to do that and, hopefully, distribute the ball to our shooters. We played very well in the tournament and have a lot of momentum going in, but if you look at Baylor, they are playing very well right now. I think our focus level has to be here and the first five minutes of the game will be very important to us."
Monica Gibbs, Sr., G
On being UTSA’s second trip to the tournament ...
“It feels good knowing we are in a second time. Everybody always says it is easier the second time and we have just been practicing hard.”
On the difference in experience from last year ...
“I remember before the game last year that we didn’t really know what was going to happen. It was kind of like that even on the plane ride to Baton Rouge. We were greeted at the hotel and there were balloons and everybody was clapping for us. I think we were just happy beyond belief and this year we expected to be here. It should be a fast-paced game and it will be aggressive. I think everything we went through last year will helps us in terms of the pressure and intimidation that is involved."
On the keys to the game ...
“They are definitely bigger than us in areas and they like to run, but we like to run too. I think our games are pretty similar and it will be a pretty good game, both offensively and defensively. We just have to play our game and we have been playing really well defensively of late. We have to bring it tomorrow if we want to move on."
Onika Anderson, Sr., F
On being a part of UTSA’s second trip to the NCAA Tournament ...
“I think personally, opposed to last year, we know what to expect. Last year, we didn’t know what to expect. It was our first time ever being there and I think we now know what to expect.“
Jordan Spark, So., G
On UTSA’s second trip to the NCAA Tournament ...
“I think we are coming in with a lot more confidence this year than we did last year. We know that we can go further than we did a year ago.”
On being the underdog ...
“Personally, I like to be the underdog because people’s eyes aren’t really focused on you. They are not pulling for you to win, so anytime you can be the underdog, it allows you to sneak up on a team and you end up winning. It is just a great experience. It feels good to be the underdog and there's a lot less pressure.”
