Murray State University Athletics
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Felton addresses media conference
11/21/2005 6:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
ON THE GAME WITH BALL STATE: We had a disappointing loss on Saturday. We did not come out and anticipate starting the game like that. I think we dug ourselves a deep hole and were unable to come out of it. Offensively, we needed to execute and do a little better, but the bottom line was: in came down to defense. We gave up 50 points in the first half, and that's not good. So, we've got a lot of work to do on that end.
Also, without Alaina Lee and Shaleea Petty, we're a completely different team at the point guard position. We've just got to go back to the drawing board and get ready to show a lot better tomorrow night against Southern Illinois.
We didn't shoot the ball very well from the three-point line, and we've got to get more offense generated in the paint. That's what we've talked about all pre-season and all year. You're not going to win it from the three-point line. You've got to get some penetration; you've got to get the ball inside. Erica (Gordian) has got to do a better job of being more of an offensive threat and being more aggressive. Paige Adlich was a bright spot the other night; she was very aggressive, and that led to some success for her. We are doing a better job rebounding than we have done in the past, so that's encouraging, and we need to keep improving.
ON PAIGE ADLICH: The one thing that Paige does well is she is aggressive. She might not be in the right spot all the time, but as long as you're aggressive, you can make plays, and that's what she brings to the table. She's a very vocal player. She had a good night simply because she was aggressive on both ends of the floor.
ON SOUTHERN ILLINOIS: SIU is very tenacious defensively. They gave up 48 points the other night to Weber State, who is traditionally one of the best three-point shooting teams in the country last year. They throw a lot of defenses at you; they run a little tempo press. We're going to see some different looks defensively. I don't know that they're as athletic as Ball State was, but they are very good defensively. We've got to be able handle their pressure because they're going to apply a lot of pressure.
Everything starts with their point guard, Erin Pauk, who is doing an excellent job on both ends of the floor. She's distributing the ball, she's scoring. She starts their defense and takes a lot of pride in pressuring the ball. The kid who sat out last year after transferring with their coach: Carlai Moore is also a very good player, a very talented forward, so we've got our hands full. They are very solid. They don't make a lot of mistakes, and they are certainly a team that is looking to gain some respect, much like our program.
ON WESTERN KENTUCKY: They are better than they were last year. They didn't lose a lot last year. They lost Leslie Logsdon, but actually, they are more athletic; that makes them a lot more athletic on the wings. I think Crystal Kelley is one of the best post players in the country. She is a lot to deal with. I don't even want to think about them right now. They're going to be a challenge, but we're excited about that challenge nonetheless. Like (men's head coach) Mick (Cronin) said when they were going up to play at Cincinnati: you've just got to bear down and play. Our first order of business in Southern Illinois, and then, we'll see a very athletic Western Kentucky team come in here Saturday.
ON THE POST ROTATION: We've had to put Ashley (Nichole) Hayes in at forward right now. When we get Joi Scott and Derrica Jones, we'll have a little different rotation. Right now, we're starting Ashley Hayes as a power forward and Erica Gordian is the center. We're working more in practice to put Paige and Erica together more, let Erica play the power forward spot some. She can spot up and shoot coming down in transition, and also working Ashley Hayes back at the 3, because she can play either position. Jessie Hirsch is working some at the 4, who will rotate in. We've got a good group; we've just got a couple of key ones sitting out, and when we get them back, the rotation will be a little different.
ON SHOOTING vs. BALL STATE: We didn't set too many screens. Offensively, we didn't execute. We had one kid on the floor who can create her own shots, and that's Gerraca Matthews. Otherwise, we've got to set screens, and we've got to be patient. We didn't play with a lot of patience on the offensive end. It's tough with new kids, especially freshmen, to get them to settle down and just be patient. We're working on that, but we've got to do a better job setting screens and getting our shooters open, and our shooters have to do a better job of using the screens, so we'll continue to work on that, too. Most teams know that is one of our big strengths. We don't anticipate that we'll see a lot of zones or anything because we've got kids who can really shoot the ball.
(SIU) is going to make us beat them and put the ball on the floor. I told our perimeter players that they've just got to be ready for that. When we get Alaina and Shaleea back, it might be a different story, because they can create their own shot, too, so it just brings a whole other dimension when you can get a shot any time you want it.
ON THE PRE-CONFERENCE SCHEDULE: It is a challenge. Ball State came in here very hungry -- a team that we beat last year -- and they were pretty fired up to come in here, and SIU, hopefully this will turn out to be a good series. Their coach is in her second year, and she is doing a good job turning that around. And Western, obviously, is a huge in-state rival, real talented. Then, we go on the road after Western for three games. Northern Iowa, they are all teams that we can compete with and beat. They won't be easy; they're not gimme games, but we feel confident that we can compete with them. Alcorn State won their conference last year, and they're going to be competitive, too. So, we've got our hands full as we prepare for Dec. 8 for Eastern Kentucky to come in here. Hopefully, we'll have everybody healthy and we'll really see what we can do then.
