Coach Van Chancellor Erica White Quianna Chaney
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March 22, 2008 Q. Sylvia, could you talk about Mesha tonight and just having her in there with you? An Interview With: What kind of game does that open up for you? SYLVIA FOWLES: Mesha, the name speaks for itself. She's aggressive, she's going to COACH VAN CHANCELLOR get you points. She's going to rebound the ball and she's going to play great defense. That's ERICA WHITE something we see every day. Mesha has to guard QUIANNA CHANEY me every day. She makes me better, I make her better. But just to have her on the floor at the SYLVIA FOWLES same time, she makes things quite easy for me when I'm in the game. So thanks to Mesha. COACH CHANCELLOR: I thought it was Q. Erica, you played such good a good game except we just got characteristically defense. What are some of the keys? What do turning the ball over more than we've turned the you try to do especially starting the game to ball over all year. For some reason we turned the disrupt the other team's offense? ball over -- if I was going to give a game ball out ERICA WHITE: Just try to get ahead on tonight I would have given it out to Mesha Williams. the ball and try to make sure that their point guard I thought she was pretty good. 14 points, 7 doesn't get comfortable and that she's not able to rebounds and played extremely well, and we are run her team's offense. Just try to get deflections. pleased with tonight's win. When my teammates see me doing that, I think they get energy from it, so you just try to get a Q. For Sylvia, this was one of the hand on the ball. lowest scoring games in NCAA history by any team. Talk about the pride you guys take in Q. Sylvia, how do you put a game like playing defense, and did you do anything this into context? Obviously the games are special? Looked like the typical way you guys going to get tougher down the road. You guys played defense. Was there anything different? have a chance to make history with a fifth SYLVIA FOWLES: I don't think it's straight Final Four, which is looking down the anything that was different about it tonight. I think road, but how do you put this into context? Erica got us through because our defense style SYLVIA FOWLES: You just come out and were her, and once we seen her get things going, you play to the best of your ability. It's not about she makes it much easier for everybody else to the opponent, who you're playing. You've just got play defense. to come out and play the way LSU is capable of QUIANNA CHANEY: I agree with Sylvia, playing, and that's something we did in the second just basic defense, Erica gets us started on half. The first half wasn't as good, but you've just defense and just came out and played good got to put things into perspective and think about defense. the long run. Q. For the players, Coach Chancellor 1 LSU - 3.22.08 visit our archives at asapsports.com kind of touched on the fact that he wasn't Q. What do you see in Marist? I know pleased with the turnovers for this game. you watched a little bit of the game tonight. What's y'all's take? Obviously you dominated What do you think you can do to pose a Jackson State, but what is y'all's take on how problem for LSU? you played tonight? COACH CHANCELLOR: Just how tough ERICA WHITE: Looking at the stat sheet they are mentally. They were down 11 and I that my coach has, we turned the ball over 22 thought they were in trouble. By the time I turned times. I cannot believe we turned the ball over that back around, they went from down 11 to up about much. I take a lot of responsibility for that because 10, and they did it just because they're so tough. as the point guard it starts with me. My take on the They don't ever give up. They play hard. Those game is just -- that's 22 possessions that we didn't two kids inside are tough. Their guards are tough. get a shot, and it's 22 opportunities that we didn't This is just a tough team. This is a team that, if I'm get to score, and it's something that we definitely not mistaken, I think they beat Ohio State to go to have to clean up, and that starts with me. the Sweet 16 last year. I wasn't in college But 22 turnovers, I'm shocked to see that coaching but I think that's right, so you'd have to on that paper. look that up. This is a team that's won 32 games QUIANNA CHANEY: Like she said, 22 this year. I don't care who they played, 32 games turnovers, possessions that we could have got a is still 32 games. They've got a nice team. shot out of, and I had a few that I shouldn't have They beat a good team in DePaul. I had. But we'll clean it up tomorrow in practice and thought DePaul was the best 10th seed in the just get ready to play on Monday. country. They beat them pretty good. SYLVIA FOWLES: Me personally, I'm pretty sure we can clean it up. We have time. I'm Q. How did the time affect you? pretty sure coaches will do a great job in practice COACH CHANCELLOR: The time didn't tomorrow cleaning it up. affect me at all because after practice today I went THE MODERATOR: The student athletes home, and because I was feeling bad, I rested are excused. Thank you, ladies. most of the day. I would have been ready by the time I got here tonight. Q. Talk about Mesha, I guess. You had The New York Times guy was here, and I said earlier in the year you should have played told him if Marist won the game that we would play her more. Are you kind of gearing her up for at 6:00. You know why? Because they're out this run here? there in New York and I thought they wanted all COACH CHANCELLOR: I thought that -- them New York people to see that game at 7:00 usually in the two weeks between the SEC Eastern. I thought if DePaul won we'd play at 8:30. Tournament and the NCAAs, I always try to That's good. I'd like to play at 12:00 in the evaluate some things I think I would have done daytime. Waiting on the game drives you nuts. different. So tonight I was determined to get her in earlier. She had 14 points and seven rebounds, Q. You were talking about making which I thought was unbelievable. She was just changes in the offense when you came here, inspiring. but you didn't want to go much to the defense. When I said it, I don't wish but two games Talk about what kind of defense you found I'd have played her more. We're going to make when you came here and what makes them sure she gets in the game because she can just play so well, that sort of thing? rebound the ball. I thought tonight we were pretty COACH CHANCELLOR: It's the most dominant rebounding. I thought our field goal amazing defensive basketball team I've ever seen. percentage was good. We just were really just We do everything fundamentally sound. very careless with the ball, which is When I say this, when I see a men's game, uncharacteristic of LSU. We only averaged 12 I say, man, if they would have had Bob Starkey turnovers all year. they would have won the game. There's so many We shot 50 percent, held them to 32 things at LSU that is so sound, I don't want to points. They shot 23.1 percent. That's pretty change anything. We cut cutters and we double good. the ball and we do everything defensively sound 2 LSU - 3.22.08 visit our archives at asapsports.com without gambling a lot. That's why we gave up 32 points tonight. We led the country in defense this year for however many years in a row. We are really good defensive. Our rebounding has gotten better. I want to say this, I am amazed how good our defense is when you consider our rebounding is one little bit above average. It's not average, it's a little better than average, but it's not good. But tonight it was. THE MODERATOR: Thank you, Coach Chancellor. FastScripts by ASAP Sports 3 LSU - 3.22.08 visit our archives at asapsports.com .