Nov. 14, 2013
Vanderbilt University vs. Delaware State
11/14/13
Head Coach Melanie Balcomb
On the change of game in the second half:
“I just challenged them at halftime. I got on them about their effort and playing as a team. Those were the two things I was really focused on changing: to get them to play harder and to play together. I think what was nice was that they responded. A the first team meeting I had with them when I met with them this past summer was `I want to be able to challenge you guys at half time. And that you don’t go out and play worse because I yelled at you’. That’s one of the positives I can take from this game; I challenged them at half time and they did make a change, a big change.”
On what she changed in the second half:
“I was looking for effort, and I was looking for five people that could play together. I thought we got down and got inside ourselves individually. We’re a very young team. I think people forget that. At times we showed our immaturity and when things didn’t go well for each player individually they were no longer about the team and couldn’t focus on the team. So it looked like five individuals playing out there, and I was looking for five people that could play together. That’s why I stuck with Foggie and Jasmine at the end, because I trust them and I know that they are mature.”
On sticking with the same five players at the end:
“Yeah, I think Heather Bowe and Kylie Smith have shown really good effort everyday consistently in practice. And that’s where it starts in the preparation. We’ve been very inconsistent in our preparation and our practice, because of our youth. But, Kylie and Heather have been doing little things that you don’t necessarily see as a fan, but you see as a coach that’s watching film. The main thing was the effort in doing things for other people like screening and stealing, and defense or rebounding. So when the game gets close, that’s who you’re confident in to rebound the basketball and play defense. And that’s what I needed the two forwards to do. That’s why I kept them out there. “
On the presence Christina Foggie brought to the game:
“The old Foggie would have just stopped shooting because she wasn’t hitting shots, and she probably wouldn’t have defended. The new Foggie played defense harder, she attacked the basket more, she was six for seven from the free throw line, and she changed her game. She decided she was going to find a way to still score because she needed to score for this team. She didn’t rely on somebody else to do it. And frankly there wasn’t anyone else who was going to do it and I think she knew that. So I think that she and Jasmine showed a lot of maturity.”
Senior guard Christina Foggie
On leading all scorers and being just shy of a triple-double:“I was just being scrappy on the boards and getting out on the break. When I get a rebound I can push and get assists that way. I wasn’t just trying to score points, I wanted to help the team any way I could.”
On her development as a player and changes in her style of basketball:
“It’s been a change of mentality. I’m trying to be more than just an offensive player. Part of that is being more aggressive on the defensive end and trying to rebound more. As a senior I’m just trying to be more of a leader in all aspects, not just being a scorer.”
On what they can learn from this game:
“It’s definitely better to learn form a win than a loss, but we want to play Vanderbilt basketball. We have a lot to learn from this, but it was good that we could fight back, compete and get the win.”
Senior guard Jasmine Lister
On falling behind to Delaware State in the first half and Vanderbilt’s late game run:
“I think we really changed our mentality. In the first half we were playing as a bunch of individuals, so the focus [at halftime] was to play together and not necessarily go 1-on1 every time we touch the ball. We tried to get the best shot for the team in the second half, and to get stops on defense. We didn’t want our defense to be dictated by our offense.”
On the slow starts this season and what adjustments need to be made:
“An adjustment we need to make is our preparation in practice and taking every single workout, every single practice more seriously. It shows when our lack of preparation carries over to the game.”
On turnovers being an issue in the first few games.
” We just need to be more prepared and more confident with the ball, and just be sure of where we need to get it. Just slow it down.”
