WNBA Minnesota Lynx

Minnesota Lynx postgame notes and quotes

Published on July 25, 2006 under Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA)
Minnesota Lynx News Release


Sting Head Coach Muggsy Bogues

(On the game)

"For us to be playing the way we have been the last three weeks, and knowing the importance of this game, and for us to put up that type of performance, is really frustrating. It's frustrating knowing the magnitude of this game, how we have been playing, and the things that we have been talking about and emphasizing. We came out here thinking that the game was going to be handed to us. We shot 27 percent from the field, we got out-rebounded (42-34), and we lost three quarters out of four. You won't win many basketball games with stats like that."

(On the importance of winning games from here on out)

"We believe we have to win every game, that's the only way you can control your own destiny. Our starters just didn't show up. (Minnesota) was going through a lot, and you know that they were going to come out and play with emotion. It's not like they came out and were on fire, we allowed them to do what they wanted."

(On team preparation)

"You have to be professionals, and you have to be ready to play night in and night out. You can't take any days off. You can't stay on a high when things are going well, you have to stay in the middle ground and understand the task at hand. For some reason we didn't understand that tonight."

(On if playing Minnesota again next will help)

"I hope that's the case, but playing good basketball is what I'm looking for no matter who we play. You have to have a hunger about certain times in the season. You have to be fired up and every possession has to be important. We're trying to make a run and keep ourselves in the hunt. That's what we are stressing and emphasizing. We did that the past five games, but we didn't come and showcase that tonight."

Lynx Head Coach Carolyn Jenkins

(On her first game as a head coach)

"I don't know if it felt any differently than it would have felt if I was still an assistant coach. Our team really bonded together. They wanted to get this win, and they wanted to just start anew. We wanted to get win number one on this road trip. It's nice; we can enjoy this tonight, but we've got to get back, get on the floor and get refocused. Charlotte is going to come in and try to do the same thing to us that we did to them."

(On inspiration)

"At least for me, I was very inspired by this team. We have some great talent, and I think the mental toughness they have shown in the past few weeks is tremendous. We were not where we wanted to be, but we were able to come out and get a win on the road. I give the credit to them; they have definitely been an inspiration for me."

(On Minnesota's defense)

"We talked about how we wanted to limit shots in the paint. For us, to go forward and to grow as a team we have to get better defensively. We have to become a much better team defensively if we are going to try to make a run towards the end. It's a credit to the players and the team; they really focused on their team defense. They worked the game plan to a ‘T' defensively, but obviously Tammy Sutton-Brown was able to get going. We really didn't have an answer for her because of the foul trouble that we were in, but at the same time we were able to clamp down on some of their other scorers."

(On Seimone Augustus)

"Talking to Seimone, we've talked about how many minutes she's playing and what we need her to do. I think she did a great job of coming out and keeping her teammates involved early. Offensively, we want her to score, and like she does she makes big shots especially at the end. She missed her shot, got her own rebound and put it in which put us up two possessions. That's just Seimone. Seimone does that; that's the quality of player that she is. She can help us close down the stretch."

(On the rest of the season)

"We've talked about it being an 11-game season, and now it's a 10 game season. We have to take this, and we have to build on it. We can't relax. We have to play our defensive system and continue to improve. We still have things to improve offensively in our halfcourt sets. We will improve, and we will get better. We'll learn, we'll watch film and we'll try to get ready for Thursday."

Guard Seimone Augustus

(On defense winning the game)

"It was mainly rebounding. I think we crashed the boards pretty well. Tynesha Lewis came in and did a great job on (Kelly) Mazzante who got a couple shots early in the game to help them get back in it. It was our defense that adjusted quickly which helped us down the road."

(On pacing herself to 21 points)

"I was just looking for shots within the system. We had different people come in like Vanessa Hayden and Nicole Ohlde who were presented with different opportunities to score, which helped me out by not working quite as hard to get all our points. I really just tried to pace myself and get shots off within the flow of our offense during the game."

Guard Amber Jacobs

(On transitioning to a new coach)

"I think that CJ (Carolyn Jenkins) just tries to concentrate everything on us, fill in her part, and keep it together. She is trying to give us a few different looks and changes here and there although there really is not a whole lot of time left to make major changes. We are just sticking together as a team right now, believing in each other, and I thought that was what we did tonight to get a win.

(On keeping a positive morale)

"We have gone through a lot of adversity this season. We are a young team yet we are sticking together through it all, and I think tonight showed that we had fun and enjoyed being out there playing the game."

Sting Guard Kelly Mazzante

(On the frustration of providing a spark from the bench and not getting a win)

"It's not about me. It is about the team. The team let an opportunity for a win slip by tonight especially on the rebounds. I think that was disappointing for us. We have to understand how important rebounding is at this point in the season. We have nine games left and we have to get it together."

(On what the team needs to do to get back on a winning track)

"We have to remember how we played together when we had those wins. Everyone was there for each other and had one another's back. We need to refocus and look at the remainder of the schedule and take it one game at a time."

Sting Center Tammy Sutton-Brown)

(On the importance of capitalizing on turnovers)

" It's very important this is a game where we definitely came out slow. But in the back of our minds' this is a game we should have won."

(On the frustration of not getting a win)

"It's very frustrating. Not to get a win on any night is very frustrating. We did not come out and establish ourselves. It is no one's fault but our own. Our defense definitely triggers our offense, and our defense wasn't there for us tonight.'

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