Wisconsin Postgame Quotes
Wisconsin vs. Dayton
Nov. 16, 2016
Kohl Center– Madison, Wis.

UW head coach Jonathan Tsipis
Opening statement:
"Tonight was going to be somebody's first win at their new school, so congratulations to Shauna Green and the University of Dayton.

"I thought in the first half that we played with unbelievable energy; we changed defenses well, we rebounded well, it was plus eight (in rebounds) at halftime, and I thought that initial spurt to start the second half by a senior who's back for her fifth year in Kelley Austria, we didn't respond to that.

"We just talked in the locker room, it was plus-eight rebounding at halftime, ends up being minus two. We had some breakdowns defensively; when they shoot 8-for-12 from the 3-point line in the second half you can't give up 31 points in a quarter. I don't care who you're playing, 64 is plenty of points to win a game. 

"We've talked about that part of our defense and we'll be better, I know we will. We'll keep working at it, but when you watch the film from last year's game at the University of Dayton versus this year, I think you see that part of us making strides. Now we've got to be able to do it for a longer period of time in a game.

"We were able to get Abby Laszewski back for her first game action tonight. I thought Kendall (Shaw) got us started really well, we were able to get the ball deep into the post, and I thought Avy (Young) just had a great energy about her and in the second half figured out how to let the game come to her a little bit.

"It's been a tough stretch, but everybody's playing games on one or two days (rest) and it'll be great to have two days of practice, after a well-deserved off day, for us to get better. That's my goal with this team for every practice and every game is getting better and I felt we had a good practice yesterday and if we had played like this on Sunday, we would've put ourselves in a position to be more successful, but would've, could've, should've don't count and I'm not here for moral victories. We'll continue to get better and we'll improve as a team to get ready for Butler on Sunday."

On what changed with the defense from the first half to the second:
"I thought in the first half they had some open looks that maybe we were a little late but we still, even when we were late, we had a late closeout and a high hand. I think they did a better job in the second half of continuing to try to explore off the dribble and I think we ball-watched a bit more in the second half.

"We talked as a team, when the ball went in the post with them against the zone, it was usually going to go right back out and I think we got caught ball-watching a couple times. They came out with a little bit more energy to turn the corner in their ball-screen action against the man in the zone and I think that broke us down a little bit.

"That's the part of still gaining, we've got to be better and that communication. We have to understand the personnel we're guarding, shooters that we cannot leave. We went and doubled twice in the post when that wasn't part of our plan and again, they made an extra pass.

"I don't think it was all on our end, I think Dayton did a good job of executing better in the second half. I thought the press slowed them down. That was my concern because they're always very, very good in transition.

"Again, a little bit of that and they started getting their shoulders to the backboard and they got a couple and-ones and those are huge momentum plays. I think that part of matching it after that initial kind of 7-0 run when the game started getting even, and they went ahead and we got it back to one, and everything like that.

"Obviously the difference was when we have five threes and they have 13. That's a huge part of things right there, that's the difference in the ball game. We got to the line, we've got to convert. They also had 20 second-chance points, I think that's the difference. We have 13 offensive rebounds, they have 16. They have 20 second-chance points, we have seven."

On Cayla McMorris:
"I think she has a great aggressiveness about her, being able to score in a lot of different facets. In the first half, she ends up the game with five offensive rebounds, she got a couple baskets going that way. She got to the free throw line. I think when you get baskets that way as a player, especially a perimeter player, the hoop starts to open up more for you. She's 2-for-3 from the 3-point area.

"One of the things that we chart is fouls drawn and I think when our players see that and when we see that, it's a good gauge on how aggressive we are and I thought that was in the first and second quarter a huge part of things. We were able to put a couple of their people on the bench, get them at a little bit of a different rotation then maybe they're used to. I think overall, just her aggressiveness offensively, knowing we need her to attack when she gets touches."
 
Kendall Shaw
On what to do as experienced players when things aren't working to set an example for the younger players:
"I just try to make sure that we stay positive, because if we don't stay positive then we don't huddle as a team, which means that then we don't know what we're doing on defense or offense. So just trying to make sure that everybody stays positive and know that we can come back and attack them."

On the importance of making opponents aware that they can get inside:
"It's definitely important and I know I couldn't do it without my teammates and what Coach Tsipis has us doing every day in practice."
 
Avyanna Young
On what to do as experienced players when things aren't working to set an example for the younger players:
"Positivity because they feed off us, they look up to us. We're the leaders and the experienced ones so we have to make sure we're on top of everything so they can follow along."

On what went wrong in the second half:
"The biggest problem we have is our communication. I feel like the energy and effort is there, we just always have to talk to each other and communicate for the second drop or the help or stopping a ball. It's just the little stuff.

On learning to win and finish games:
"I know just from being here, I definitely have to learn how to win. It's like mentality. But coach has been really pounding it on us, how to finish things out in practice, finishing the little drills we play and not stopping on plays. We just have to convert it to games, that's it."