Carmen Dolfo Quotations

Were going to need our bench more than ever now, and we have some great players that can step up. We're not going to be as big, but we just need to keep fighting.

We needed a game like this where we had to step up at the end. I'm upset we didn't play well, but it was good for us to be in this kind of situation.

She was used to scoring at her junior college. It always takes time to fit into a program. She probably did it a lot faster than most people.

She's a tough woman and if anyone can comeback from that she can.

She's done a great job of adding a little spark. She's a really feisty defender.

She had to get back to the softball team. She had that commitment and needed to get ready for the season. She was a big help to us while she was here.

I guess I better let her step out a little more. That's bad coaching, not putting her in the right place.

I am thrilled to have Jen back in our program. She has done an amazing job at Cal State San Bernardino and I'm excited about the input she will have in all facets of the program.

Central is a good team. We beat them pretty easily in Seattle, but they've improved and they'll have their big post back. It really is going to be a tough game.

Our game plan is always to push on offense, and we certainly will against SPU as much as we can, but they have some good speed. We're going to have to stop their transition too.

We never really got in a flow offensively. They play such an erratic, in-your-face style of defense. And I thought that we could handle that, but I think we let it bother us just a little too much.

Willow has given us so many amazing moments in the last few games. We've needed her to step up and she's done that.

We were 100 percent convinced she could step in. She has really developed her range. She's not that big, but she's strong, and she can play inside and out.

We had heard about her in high school, but we weren't in a situation where we needed a post player at that time. Then we had a couple graduate, a couple get hurt, and we needed to find a CC post player.

We had an answer for everything and it was not just by one person, but by everyone. We wanted to make it a convincing win over a team that had lost just one starter from a squad that got to the national-championship game.

We did what we needed to do. It was great to see some of our bench step up. They took the inside away and it's really just a matter of learning how to respond to what teams take away.

We played a great first half. We played together and played great defense, but defensively we just couldn't get back into a flow in the second half.

We opened the West Regional with NNU three years ago and lost after beating them twice during the regular season. You can't overlook anyone and you can't expect anything.

We still have to go down there and win. Then we'll see what happens. If we can do that, hopefully our win against SPU was convincing enough to let us host the tournament.

Tina's just been plagued by foul trouble lately. She took the ball to the hole in the second half and that was good to see, but it's been frustrating for her.

We were lacking an ability to get in the flow on offense a little bit and on defense we were better in the second half. I think coaches look for perfection and it was nice to win by such a margin, but I still think we have a lot to work on.

We just have to take care of business right now and try to beat SPU and NNU. That's all that we can control right now.

This was a great win. The monkey is off our back. Now we can step forward and do the things that we need to do.

When the game is on the line or the game is tight, she's a person who will step up and not be afraid to score or make something happen. It's something you can't teach. It's an innate thing, and she definitely possesses that.

Fairbanks and Anchorage are both good teams. Anchorage has an awesome post and Fairbanks is really balanced so we're going to have to come to play. Every game is big and when you're leading the conference the other team can play with nothing to lose.

We've been No. 2 so many times, it makes this really special. The team deserved this. They've worked so hard to get to this point. They really are a special team.

We were down at the half against Western Oregon and we fought back and won that game. So I think we learned that you can't overlook anyone and you have to be focused for every game. Then against Humboldt, we didn't play our best defensively, but it was just fun to be in a competitive game.

We want to go out and play our style. Defense is going to be the huge thing. Our strength is our speed, we're just going to have to use it.

We talked about it. But not so much in the way that, yes, we have a shot to host now, but more about how we need to stay focused because things can bite you quick.

The second half we settled in more and just played a little bit more focused. This was just kind of a random game. It was a tough flow to get into, but we hung in there with our defense.

Sara has been such an integral part of this program. We're going to miss her terribly. But we also support her in this decision and wish her only the best.

Our defense was a lot better. I feel like we were a little bit more pro-active on defense and did a better job communicating what was going on.

This is going to be a rematch of a game they probably feel they should have won. They're a good team and it's going to be a tough game.

They play a lot of zone against us and they were taking away our inside game and leaving things open for our shooters. Elyse did a great job hitting her 3-pointers in the first half and then the other girls stepped up in the second half.

It's a really disappointing situation. We'll need to work through this. Stephanie is such a wonderful person. She's our big defender, and she just gives us so much.

It's a little disappointing, but it's early and there is a lot of the season left. Cal State Bakersfield beat us, so they deserve to be ranked higher, but like I said, there is a lot of basketball to be played.

It's always a hard fought game when we play SPU. It probably wasn't until about four minutes to play when we were up by 20 that I started thinking maybe this one is ours, but you never know with a team like SPU. This was a tough one.

They beat us seven times in a row and three times at home. If we're not focused for this one we won't be ready for any game.

They just play a really slow-paced game. That's something that we'll have to adjust to.

The thing is, Elyse is a good shooter. She's just been playing the point for us so she's had a lot of other things to focus on. It's not like she just got hot or something. She really a true two-guard.

I'm sure she's not used to coming off the bench and for anybody that's an adjustment. The expectations are different and it can be a process, but she's been doing well.

Hosting is something we set as one of our goals. Now we just need to stay focused on what we need to do the rest of the way.

I don't think there has been that much of a learning curve for her. Some of our play calls have changed, but it's been an easy adjustment.