Upcoming Event: Women's Basketball versus #16 Baylor on November 3, 2025 at 12 p.m.
Women's Basketball
vs #16 Baylor
Quotes: Duke 116, Saint Leo 33
11/8/2015 3:50:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Duke Head Coach Joanne P. McCallie
Opening Statement:
“I think we got a little bit better today. This particular scrimmage afforded us the opportunity to really try to push the ball and work on our open sets in a broken play situation, and defensively we worked on some other things too. It was an absolute pleasure to see Missy [West] - we are very proud of her and really proud of what she is doing at Saint Leo, and just her coaching. I have been able to sit with her before, and she is just a terrific person, a great representative from Duke, and a great coach. With our team I thought there was great balance, I loved the fact that Kendall [Cooper] had 11 rebounds, and five of them being offensive. That is very important to us - we must have two rebounders at least over 10 a piece, people that can really dominate. As we go into our third game against Penn, they have terrific post players, and so it is important for us to get that because we did not get that last game. I thought Becca [Greenwell] was just solid, very efficient, and I thought she played very well. So the 27 assists super, we can go from that 25 steals again, trying to get more creative defensively, and really excited for next week.”
On team cohesion:
“I think pretty good. Twenty-eight assists one night, 27 another night, I think they're looking for each other, I think they are trying to figure out what is the best shot for us, and get it and I think we are also trying to play to our strengths. We did have some bad shots, we talked about that at halftime, some forced shots, or rushed shots, but overall I think they had good shot selection and they found each other, which is a mark of a good team.”
On the quick start:
“I just think the team was focused. We started off really slow in the first exhibition, that was a slow start and then we had a fast start. I think it's nice to have a good strong start but more than that I think it's good to play consistent all the way through. We don't want to go up and down, we just want to keep climbing and putting the pressure on.”
On Angela Salvadores' performance:
“I think Angela has been quite a warrior. She has played a lot of basketball first of all, and then transitioning to the States I think she been incredible with all that she has to deal with - language, classes, schedule, just everything that is so routine here. But tonight she was able to play a little bit like herself. To get five assists in 15 minutes, that's typically Angela. She is a terrific passer but she is also a fabulous scorer. That wasn't quite as evident, nine points and all, but she can score and she can pass. She is a complete basketball player. She is very tough on herself, so I imagine she would not be pleased with this performance, but I would say we are because we are very proud of her finding a way to fight back, and just getting out there to play a little bit, so that's good … You can tell she is reaching for things she can do, and I probably am a little lighter on her than I would be with Becca on that.”
On adjusting to playing with creative player Salvadores:
“Yes, we all agree it is a process, and one that we welcome greatly. It is a lot of fun, but it is a process. She has to know what people can do and how they can receive, and folks have to know how she can pass because that ball is going to come on long passes. So I think it is a really neat thing for our team.”
On guard combinations:
“I think our guards all have chemistry. I tried today on purpose to try different combinations to look and see, and I didn't feel a big difference, about ball movement, chemistry and finding each other, and that is a good thing. You don't want to feel that - I was pleased. I saw what you saw, and I think that these guards can play, and they know they can play but they have to play their best together. I think they're getting that down as well as the post players.”
Redshirt Sophomore Guard Rebecca Greenwell
On seven turnovers in the last game:
“That was definitely my focus for this game. There was no reason I should ever have seven turnovers so I really just tried to take care of the ball more and make smart passes.”
On Angela Salvadores and her behind the back pass:
“You definitely have to be aware every time she's on the floor. She could throw a no-look pass and it end up in your hands, so you have to be ready for it at all times with her.”
Junior Forward/Center Kendall Cooper
On getting more minutes with Amber Henson's absence:
“It's always fun and I think that if Amber [Henson] were in the game, we'd be doing it together. She'd probably be sitting in one of these seats or we'd have to add an extra seat, but it's always fun to get in the game right away and start right away with a good start.”
On not forcing passes and having patience:
“Just coming out with a good start with patience is always the key to a good game, so with me having the patience that I had, I think that's what helped me with points and getting my team together.”
“It kind of reminds me a little bit of Chelsea Gray, she'd throw the behind the back or no-look passes and if you weren't ready, you were either getting a finger hurt or your face hit so you have to be ready.”
Saint Leo head coach Missy West:
Opening Statement:
“I was really proud of our girls in the second half, but I was honestly disappointed in us, in the first half”.
On the first half of the game:
“The first half I was just really disappointed in our effort. I think our girls were a little awestruck and very nervous to start out in the first five minutes of the half. However, after that I thought we still played very tentative, scared, not aggressive at all, and that is really not us.
On the second half of the game:
“I really want to focus on the second half, because I feel like we did come out, compete and start to show that we could play a little bit. I told them that this was personal, and I told them that we need to be a lot more physical. The big thing for me was that I would never bring a team here that I didn't believe that could compete. I think they kind of took that to heart, they came out being a little bit more aggressive, a little bit more physical, and willing to attack the gaps a little better. I honestly didn't say too much other than that.
What did it mean to have so many of your old teammates sitting behind you?
“That was awesome! I come back every summer, and every summer it is a completely different campus, there seems to be a lot of construction so I can't even find my way around anymore. Thankfully, Lauren Rice who is my best friend and who was my roommate in college, she keeps us in touch with everything, and is very inviting. It is great to be back, it's great to honestly be a coach and be able to compete against Duke, and I was not sure in my career, if that would ever happen. I was really excited about the opportunity; I think it's really, really cool. I 'm so excited for our players to get the opportunity, for them they think that this is it! To have my teammates come back and support, regardless, and just be there cheering for us, supporting us means a lot and tells you a lot about our teams back in the day. When we were here, we won the first three ACC titles, and went to the first national championship game. During that time, we weren't great athletes, but we really cared about one another and we would go to battle with each other. I think because of that, we still have this really tight knit group that is always around supporting one another, and with them coming back it is just who we are, that is what we know and that what Coach G [Goestenkors] at the time, made of us. We had great chemistry, and we have never lost that. Every time I come back, it's always our team who gets back together, it's not just a couple of us, so it has been pretty special relationship that we have had from the years back in the day.”
What do you think about Duke's back court?
“I was impressed, I knew they were big, but I was actually impressed with their quickness for their size. I think they take up a ton of space out on the floor and it makes it that much harder for players to see the gaps when they are out there. I also think they are very good at anticipating passes too, so when it looks like there are openings or it looks like there are spaces, they are long and able to jump the gaps really well this year. I am really excited about what they are going to do. I am on board; I support them all year long, so I am really excited. I think they have a really good group of girls, I think they worked really hard and it is time to capture one, it's time for us.”
Players Mentioned
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