Recap | Box Score | Photo Gallery

2016-17 UT Arlington Women's Basketball
UTA vs. WSU
Nov. 20, 2016
Arlington, Texas - College Park Center
Post-Game Quotes

Head Coach Krista Gerlich
Opening statement …
"I think that was a really big win. I'm really proud of our kids for grinding it out. It wasn't pretty by any means and certainly not our best basketball, but at the same time, it did show a lot of fight and composure at times. We had a lot of things going on during that game that were a little crazy and I felt like our kids stuck together and took care of the basketball. I like that we only had 10 turnovers, and they executed in the second half much better than the first. Maybe we were on edge, I'm not sure, but we just didn't look ourselves. Then our kids settled down and I would probably credit that to Wichita State. They're pretty athletic and they pressured us on the perimeters, so I think that made us panic a bit offensively. I liked that we finished it and we had some really big plays. Ally Te'o's four charges were huge and I'm really proud of what she did tonight."

On out-scoring Wichita State in the paint and off turnovers …
"Our quickness is really good and whenever we get in the right groove and we really understand the rotation, we can make a lot of things happen. I would really hate to face our pressure for 40 minutes. I'm really proud of these girls because we throw them a lot of different combinations to keep that pressure up and because of that, we get a lot of turnovers and some easy buckets. For points in the paint, we have the best player in the league, [Rebekah VanDijk], inside for us and when we get her the basketball, she normally finishes it for us. She had a rough night tonight, but still had some big buckets for us."

On the depth of the lineup …
"We have a lot of different combinations we can put on the floor and some better than others. We have so many new kids that it was important for them to settle in at least one position and we've been working in practices on letting them learn a new position so that we can throw different people out there. It's important for us to have Cierra, Christina and Shelby on the floor at the same time. Right now, Christina and Shelby play the same spot, so they're having to learn different positions. It's important for us to have Lauren and Asia on the floor at the same time. We can go down the line, but it's exciting to have choices."

On the team's first 3-0 start since 1999-00 …
"It's great to get out to a good start and it's been against some really good teams. It gives us confidence. We're trying to build different traditions here and our kids are talking about leaving legacies. One of the things I want them to do is protect home court, and the fact that we were able to play two games here and get two wins was great, and to go on the road to Western Kentucky was huge. It just says that they're buying in and the pieces we're trying to fit are coming together."

On the team's foul trouble …
"That's going to happen, especially if we're playing full court pressure. That's what's so nice about our depth. We've yet to use Greta yet. I know that's been really tough on her, but at the same time, we've been able to piece it together. Rebekah and Te'o are such good compliments to each other. We're also pretty deep in the guard position, so it allows us the freedom to be more aggressive. The harder we play, the harder it is for the officials to continue to call fouls the entire game."

Student-Athlete Quotes

#25, Sr., F Ally Te'o
On her performance …
"It starts in practice. We do a lot of taking charges in practice and they're full on, and that's what makes us tough. Practice prepared us all for the tough times like that. Even if the scoreboard may not have any points under my name, I do my part and my part is to do the little things like taking charges."

#23, G, Jr. Christina Devers
On leading the team in scoring …
"I don't feel like I did great on shooting the ball, so I definitely tried to offer that and do something different, like getting to the free throw line, where I could knock down an easier shot."