Comets vs. Fever post-game quotes

Published on May 29, 2005 under Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA)
Houston Comets News Release


(on the game) "I thought this was one of the great wins to be associated with. What a game...what a real game. This is what you call a real character-building game. You would like to have won it, but otherwise it's character-building. First of all, you drop down 18 (points) and you're in completely disarray. You go to a 2-3 zone on the suggestion of Karleen Thompson (assistant coach), then you claw back and cut it to a workable margin (8 points by halftime). Then in the 2nd half you come out and jump all over them, and then late in the 2nd half you think you have the game won. We thought we were in good shape, but just made one bad mental play at that time. In overtime, we were down 4 (points), but found a way to get back

and tie it up. They had the ball with 6 seconds (left) and we found a way to

defend them. Then you get into double (OT) and we just take over. I thought that was really big and to find a way to win was really, really big."

(on the play of Dominique Canty) "I think the player playing well for us is Dominique (Canty). Fifteen points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists; I really think she's turned our team around."

MICHELLE SNOW

(on the overall game) "We overcame a lot of adversities at the beginning of the game. Made a few mental lapses...we just tried to continue to stick together and stay together as a team. We went into that zone (and) it seemed like everything started to come into play and we made enough stops so

we can make plays at the other end."

(on the Comets's starting the game slowly) "This is a real hot team (Indiana) and I knew they were going to be strong coming in. They came in strong and we came in flat. We cannot start a game as flat as we did. We can't have the mental lapses that we did."

(on the team's defense) "Once we got into the zone and started talking, which we weren't doing earlier. And once we started talking, everyone was rotating and helping and that's why we were able to make stops, because we were helping each other."

SHERYL SWOOPES

(on the game) "I was so frustrated and disgusted with myself at the end of regulation when I missed 3 crucial free throws that would have put us ahead and we never would have gone into overtime. I had a chance twice, maybe 3 times, to end the game and I didn't and I felt like I let my teammates down.

It's really incredible to be actually sitting here with a 'W' tonight seeing

how slow(ly) we got started. For this team to come back and pull out a win against a very good team, that's remarkable."

KRISTEN RASMUSSEN

(on playing against her former team) "It was a little nerve-wracking overall

to play against your former team. I thought we (Comets) did a great job coming back (from an earlier deficit). We should have put them away earlier,

but this is a team about building and we just built a lot of confidence in each other."

(on the game) "We needed some energy, we needed to get out there and we needed to get going. Today showed (the) great maturity of the team."

FEVER HEAD COACH BRIAN WINTERS

(on the play of the game) "An 18 point lead early in the game is not that meaningful especially in professional basketball. I played in a couple of NBA games where you are down early and get beat for the most part, so it can

happen in professional basketball. They made some adjustments and got back in the game, but we still had a lead at half time so we were happy about it.

When we came out in the second half we didn't execute the way we needed to

and we let them get to a tie score and it was nip and tuck from there on out. I think the zone hurt us a little bit in the first half but in the second half we got much better. I think in the second half we played much better and we had a chance to win in the first overtime, we had the ball and

a tie score, we make a shot and we win the game, but it didn't happen and we

give them credit, they came back in the second overtime and took us out. I think we struggled a little offensively and we weren't playing as well as we

could defensively. We gave up too many inside baskets to Snow in particular. She had a good game and we couldn't quite find a way to stop her or just take the ball out of her hands, but give her credit, she's a good player and had nice game and that hurt us too."

(about the play of Sheryl Swoopes) "Sheryl Swoopes is one of the top 1-2-3-4 players in the league and she's done it for years. She has experience and she knows what to do and how to do it and that's why the Comets are what they are because of her leadership and her play. She's a tremendous player."

TAMIKA CATCHINGS

(on the play of the game) "They came out really agressive. We really shot ourselves in the foot. I don't want to take anything away from Houston because I think they did a good job, but as a team when they went zone they really hurt us and for some reason we started getting a lot of offensive calls and going down and fouling them, just stupid fouls throughout the whole second half. We'll look at the tape and figure out how we need to get

better because we don't want this to become a snowball affect where we keep losing and losing. They were coming off a loss from Seattle and we knew they were coming in pumped up and ready to play against us. We just need to

make sure we come back and play with intensity on Wednesday against Sacramento."

(on the play of Sheryl) "In the first overtime she didn't really score and whether we were able to contain her or she wasn't really focussed on getting

to the basket, which ever one it was she didn't score in the first overtime,

but in the second overtime, she came back and Van probably pulled her aside and said you've got to be agressive. She's basically the franchise of the team and that's what you look for in a player like that. She's always been great, it was only a matter of time before she stepped up and she did that in the second half and second overtime and really gave them a big boost."

KELLY SCHUMACHER

(on the play of the game) "When they turned the zone defense on us we rushed some shots offensively. We did come in pretty on fire but it slipped

away from us. We really weren't ready for their zone and we showed that. We weren't executing against it and it's something we have to work on as a team. We have a really deep bench and a lot of people playing and we also have a really new team from last year and I think it has a lot to do with our turnovers. It's still the beginning of the season and we are still learning to play together as a team. Sometimes when you have a lot of different combinations playing we are not in sync, but if we can get that rolling that will be a real positive thing."

POST-GAME NOTES

* With the 86-78 double-overtime win vs. Indiana on Sunday, the Houston Comets have opened the season 3-1 overall for the first time since 2001 and are 2-0 at home for the first time since 1999.

* Houston's rally from 18 points down (31-13 with 7:29 remaining in the first half) tied for the biggest comeback in franchise history. The Comets also rallied from 18 points down (38-20 with 4:37 remaining in the first half) in a 67-59 victory on July 9, 2002 vs. Seattle.

* Trailing 31-13 with 7:29 remaining in the first half, the Comets went on a 13-0 run that cut the Fever's lead to 31-26 with 3:17 remaining in the half. It was the first run of 10-or-more points by Houston this season.

* This marked the Houston Comets first double-overtime game since a 78-76 loss at Sacramento on July 10, 2001. The Comets now hold a 3-1 overall record in 2OT games, with the last Houston win coming on May 31, 2000 at Portland, 93-89. This was the first-ever 2OT game in Houston in the Comets franchise history, as well as the first overtime game played at Toyota Center.

* With the win, the Comets remained perfect against Indiana in Houston, running their overall mark to 5-0 and record at Toyota Center to 2-0 against the Fever. The Comets are 8-1 all time against Indiana.

* Houston's 19 points in the second overtime were the most in franchise history in an overtime period. The previous record of 14 points in an overtime period came on July 16, 1999 at Utah.

* Sheryl Swoopes scored a season-high 31 points in the Comets victory, including a franchise-record 12 points in the second overtime. Swoopes held the previous franchise mark for most points in an overtime period with 10 points in the second overtime on June 30, 1998 at Utah. This was the seventh time in Swoopes career that she has scored 30+ points in a game, and the Comets hold a 4-3 record in those contests. Swoopes last 30+ point game came in a 69-63 loss on June 18, 2004 vs. Seattle. The last 30+ point game by a Houston Comet came when Tina Thompson scored 31 points on July 31, 2004 vs. Indiana.

* Michelle Snow scored a career-high 21 points in the win on a perfect 9-for-9 shooting night, surpassing the 20 points she had scored on May 22 vs. Minnesota.

* With Sheryl Swoopes' 31-point performance and Michelle Snow's 21-point performance, there have now been two games this season where a pair of Comets teammates have both scored 20+ points in a game. Swoopes (27 points) and Snow (20) also did it on May 22 vs. Minnesota. The last time prior to Houston's 79-65 win over the Lynx that a pair of Houston teammates accomplished this feat came back on July 19, 2002 at Portland. Swoopes (22) and Tina Thompson (22) combined for 44 points in the Comets 70-60 loss that night.

* Sheryl Swoopes (31 points), Michelle Snow (21) and Dominique Canty (15) became the first set of three-or-more Comets to score 15+ points since Tina Thompson (33), Sheila Lambert (19) and Snow (15) did so in a 97-61 Comets victory vs. Detroit on July 15, 2004.

* With four steals, Janeth Arcain has now surpassed the 300-steal mark, making her just the 10th player in league history to reach that plateau. Arcain entered the game with 298 steals and took away her 300th steal from Kelly Schumacher with 6:10 remaining in the first half. Only Teresa Weatherspoon (465), Sheryl Swoopes (462), Ticha Penicheiro (438), Nykesha Sales (369), Yolanda Griffith (369), Vicky Bullett (353), Andrea Stinson (341), Lisa Leslie (318) and Debbie Black (315) have amassed more steals than Arcain in their careers.

* Tan White (12 points) became the first Comets opponent to score 10-or-more points off the bench since Kara Lawson (13 points) did so on Sept. 16, 2004 vs. Sacramento.

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Women's National Basketball Association Stories from May 29, 2005


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