Oregon State vs. Gonzaga Quotes
Gonzaga Post-Game Quotes
Head Coach Lisa Fortier
Opening Statement…
“I’m so excited and so happy for our team, these three and all the rest of them in there. We have been talking about peaking, and how in the season there’s ups and downs, highs and lows but you need to be playing your best basketball come March. We had a little bit of a step back, even as early as when the NCAA tournament started, and to see how we have responded to that type of situation, I just couldn’t be happier for our players.”
On what was said in the early timeout after going down 9-2…
“We just needed to settle down, right off the bat we have talked a lot being together and playing together, this season more so than others and when the chips get down that’s when we need to get together the most. I didn’t like what I saw defensively, but really didn’t like how I saw we were talking to each other, so I reminded them that we were all working towards the same goals and that at 9-2 the game’s not over, we have plenty of time to get back and just need to start doing the easy thing, working together and making the next pass. We talk about making the next pass a lot, not the best pass but the next pass and that was what we needed.”
On pulling Keani out with about nine minutes left and what she said to her…
“Similar to what I said to the team at that first timeout, she just needed to settle down a little bit. Keani holds the weight of team, she is a tremendous player and wants to do it all. She was moving so quickly that she wasn’t making the correct reads, so we needed her to wait a few more seconds and read the defense a little better and her teammates a little better. We needed to make sure we didn’t let her get to rogue because we knew we needed her for sure.”
On what the difference was in the crunch time, after Oregon State tied it at 64…
“I think experience is helpful, I think the way we had the will do, can do mentality. We didn’t come out and wilt, we fought and wanted to fight. The confidence we stepped up with late making those free throws and getting a couple stops. Elle picked up the play on the glass, she got some huge offensive rebounds and huge defensive rebounds and were just determined to not let ourselves lose the game. It wasn’t any one person, I think Jamie Weisner, who’s a great player, was trying to do that for her team, but I think we had all five on the same page, and it didn’t matter who was making the shot or who got the rebound at that point, they were all contributing.”
Junior Guard, Elle Tinkle
On her dad beings excited and how it was to play at Gill…
“It was awesome. Throughout this year we have really grown to love Corvallis. Just seeing the turnouts they have for men’s and women’s games, they love their basketball here. It was a fun environment in general to be able to play here in front of these fans and play this team. Oregon State is so talented and I have kept my eye on them all season to see how they are doing. Having my family here was almost like a home game and it was very special to me. I don’t know if there has been a moment in my basketball career to compare to this.”
On her sister being in town and if she had any words of advice…
“Yeah she did, and she sent me a great text right before the game. She told me to remain confident because I didn’t feel last game that I played to the best of my ability, and also told me it is just another game. She wanted me to know that there is only so much that I can control and to let it come to me especially in these kinds of situations where it is so competitive. I needed to remain patient and that my opportunities will come and to stay confident.”
Senior Forward, Sunny Greinacher
On how these past few years of competition experience has helped…
“I think it has helped a lot. It has help give me the experience to remain calm at the end especially when it is getting tight at the end and really executing every little thing right. “
On if she was thinking about having the winning shot when she hit the jumper…
“I really don’t think about it as the winning point because the free throws we had at the end were huge for us. If we wouldn’t have made them it would have been a lot closer of a game. Saying that my shot was the winning point doesn’t give the free throws justice.”
Freshmen Guard, Emma Wolfram
On what was working so well for her inside…
“I think realizing that Ruth Hamblin (Oregon State) was bigger than me and trying to draw her away. Sunny and I worked together to get Ruth away from the hoop and have the other one of us attack their smaller big and I think it really worked today.”
On her thought process of knowing that it was a hostile environment and a little patch of fans…
“At home we are used to having a big crowd cheering super loud, so I think it gave me more energy. Playing in front of Oregon States crowd knowing every call they didn’t like they were going to say something about gave me energy. Our fans were great even though they were small was great as well.”
On her career high of points and what opportunities she had to get them…
“I thought in the first half they were leaving either Sunny or I open at the high post. I was trying to take advantage of that and knock down those shots. When I was on a smaller player I would try and take them inside and use my back down moves against them.”
Oregon State Head Coach Scott Rueck
Opening comment:
“Gonzaga played a great game today. I think that was the highest percentage anyone has shot against us and the most points allowed this season. You have to tip your hat. They kept coming at you, which is what they do as a good basketball team. We gave good effort today. It wasn’t quite good enough today, but [Oregon State] has had an unbelievable season. Once again, we were supported in an incredible way like we have been all year. We are grateful for that support and it is such a great thing to be a part of. My overwhelming emotion is gratitude. It has been a pleasure this year, and every year is different. This group of people is extremely special and I’m sorry to end it today. It has been an unbelievable year.”
On low scoring end to the game...
“The shot of the game was [Gonzaga’s] shot clock layup. I didn’t like the response after the review. We didn’t respond with the fight like we had to. Doubt crept in at the end and we played the rest of the game with that. They hit big shots and we needed to respond, but we just missed shots after that.”
On Weisner’s spark...
“She is a warrior. It wasn’t her night the other day, but today we got a great defensive effort and, on the other end, she wanted to ball so bad. She wanted to win and was even in tears before the buzzer. That’s the emotion of a champion, because that’s what comes out after you give everything you have. That’s everyday for us – diving on the floor even in shoot-arounds. She has one speed. What you saw today was a warrior and she does everything for this team.”
Sophomore Guard, Sydney Wiese
On OSU run early in the second...
They brought it to us every possession, credit to them for a very good game. It’s a shame for us to go out this way, but we’ll move forward.”
On apparent loss of emotion...
“We just started to make mistakes. There were a lot of turnovers in the first and some in the second. It takes away from the flow of our offense and let’s them get on runs. Our emotions were high the whole time, but the turnovers set us back.”
On fights in the paint...
“They are strong down there. They have a lot of versatility to go inside and outside. [Greinacher] had a few outside shots and [Wolfram] played hard as well. They crashed the boards well and are very strong and very active.”
On this season’s end...
“It hurts right now. We wanted to get a lot deeper into this tournament, but we won Pac-12 Championship this year, which is pretty incredible. You have to take all the highs and lows evenly and appreciate the good and bad. It is important to remember the bad a little bit more going into the off-season to give us that fuel.”
Freshman Forward, Marie Gülich
On Gonzaga’s offensive rebounds...
“It was key to the game for them. We all wanted to win and everyone was fighting. Sometimes we wanted it more, but we couldn’t [get at the board and commit a foul].”
On the height battle...
“Their posts were feisty. It is very physical down there and even if they don’t have the height, they have the advantage of pushing at your hip.”
