Essence Carson Quotations

We'd go in when the sun was up and when we left, the sun was down. The couple days we had nice weather, we didn't experience it at all.

I don't believe we lacked urgency because in the first half we were really there on the cuts as far as defense goes. But our offense was really stagnant. That seemed to be our problem. Once we got it going in the second half, it was a very quick game.

We've gained a big focus. We're buckling down, we want everything to be precise. We don't want anything to slip up.

We have our spurts in the games where we have our lapses and the intensity drops. I believe we just have to work on bringing that level of intensity for the entire 40 minutes. We can't let up especially against teams like St. John's and going into DePaul and then at Connecticut.

You can call it that. Yes, you can definitely call it that.

We definitely can't look ahead. You have to take it one game at a time and stay focused.

We definitely came ready to play tonight. We were really focused on both ends. We were really flowing. Everything was really together.

We knew that she was their go-to player. We knew that if we cut the head off then it was going to be a rough game for them, so that was our focus. Not only in stopping her, but it was a testimony to what we can really do on defense.

We've been out here a long time. Practice, practice, practice.

We were there all day. In between, we had study hall, so we didn't leave the gym at all. Some people are like, 'Wow, you guys go for a really long time.' It was like a full-time job, 9-to-5. But it's like, hey, what you put in is definitely what you get out and you can't shortcut yourself. We put in the work. It's time to play the basketball we know how to play.

We knew if we cut the head off it would be tough for them.

We feel we have enough potential and talent. We have the mental aspect and focus. We?re just looking to go into this game very focused. It should be a great match-up.

There have been a lot of upsets, that's been the talk of this year. It's not called March Madness for nothing. Every game is a threat no matter what team it is or what conference you come from. Our concerns are ourselves. We're pretty much the only team that can beat ourselves. When we don't do things correctly, when we lose focus, that's when we lose games.

We like to play like what we're known for.

I understand what I have to do and what the team needs. Eventually it will come back around, and at the right time.

Once we came back, we came back strong. We were focused. We didn't want to feel that way again.

As a defensive team, that's what you want to see. You want to make them scramble. Just to see that look in their eyes, it made us see that we still had a chance.

This is definitely March Madness. There's madness all over the place. A 16 seed can upset a higher-ranked team and you ask yourself, 'How does that happen?' But everybody's coming out to play.

It was definitely a learning experience, but this one was different because we had it right in front of our eyes and we didn't seize the moment. Now we're on our final life line.

It's a lot different for the guys who go here, there and everywhere on recruiting trips. A lot of them aren't willing to take a chance to come here.

It works that way with a lot of things in life. Once you're held accountable for something, you put in a lot more and make a more conscious effort.

In every game, a good opponent is going to make a run. We knew it was up to us to clamp down on defense and get the stops we needed.

I just hope we play team basketball, team defense. One defensive player can?t handle it all. Rutgers is definitely known for defense. Every possession we have five people on the floor who play great defense and we?re looking to go into this game the same way, with the same mentality.

Honestly, I just hope I know by game time. You know how Coach always has tricks up her sleeve.