Coop: "Many More Steps"

After her Prairie View A&M team defeated the Rice Owls 51 to 46 Friday night, Cynthia Cooper stated the win was very good and another step toward her program achieving bigger and better things for Prairie View A&M.

"It's very important for us to be competitive in the NCAA -- not only in the SWAC (Southwestern Athletic Conference). This game was a step in that direction. It was a step in the right direction of being competitive in the NCAA and not just being seen as a tough opponent in the SWAC. We have to take many more steps in order to achieve our other goals."

"We have had a tough non-conference schedule. We went to Baylor; we played Texas A&M in College Station; going to Georgia; playing Virginia Tech and Florida. We, specifically, want to play those types of teams because, it's not good enough for me to get into the NCAA Tournament and get beat by 50 0r 60. We really have to be competitive; and, in order for us to be competitive, I thought it was important that we have those experiences early in the season and grow as a team and hopefully be better towards the end. Hopefully, we get to the Tournament again and show that growth."