Comets lose to Merc

Post-Game Quotes for Houston Comets vs. Phoenix Mercury – July 8, 2008, 2:30 p.m. (CDT) at US Airways Center

The Comets (9-10) lost to the Mercury (9-9) 99 to 94.

Comets Head Coach Karleen Thompson:
(Opening statement): “It was a well played game. It was a battle that people wanted to see. These teams in this league are competitive and incredible teams, there are going to be a lot of fights like this for the rest of the season and the fight for the playoffs. Right now everything is up in the air so I expect to see more games like this one.”

(On their defense) “We can’t come out and give up 52 points in the 2nd half let alone 47 in the 1st half. We just have to tighten up a little more on our transition defense. They’re a great shooting team and everyone on their team can shoot, so they present a tough match-up for anybody. I think it’s too bad we couldn’t come out of here with a win but if it’s going to be a hard fought game like this one I’ll take it.”

(On all the offensive runs) “Basketball is a game of runs. They had a great crowd today and that made it a very tough place to play. Both teams played well and it was anybody’s game until the horn. They came out and hit key shots and got key rebounds and gave themselves a chance to get the game, and fortunately for them their shots fell at the end.”

Comets Forward Tina Thompson (23 points, 7 rebounds):
(On whatever happened in the game): “Every time we play them it’s a physical game. I think they have to play more physical because they are a smaller team and more guard team oriented. So they have to be a little more physical than a lot of the other teams.”

(On the momentum switch)“The momentum switched back and forth all game long and unfortunately they ended up with it at the end of the game and they were able to capitalize on that and pulled it out.”

(On trying to stop the Mercury)“We definitely worked on our transition defense and tried to pick them up early and knowing where certain players were. They have a lot of players that can shoot and you need to try and stop them early.”

Comets Guard Shannon Johnson (6 points, 13 assists):
(On guarding Taurasi and Cappie): “They are two of the best scorers in the league so you just try and contain them. It’s not about trying to control them because they are very good scorers. They have the green light to put the ball up at any time. They work hard on offense and defense so it’s very important to try and slow them down since it’s impossible to stop players like that.”

(On their offense) “We are a very good offensive team and we move the ball well. We play high and low and were able to get the ball inside and out. So we knew we’d get enough shots and that’s important for us to take from this game.”

(On the difference in the halves) “We weren’t as aggressive as we were in the first half and weren’t able to get the shots that we had in the first half as freely. That’s the thing with the game, it can change momentum throughout the game and each team had their runs”

(On the physical play) “All the games are physical and that’s a great thing about playing in the WNBA. Everybody just thinks it’s a girls game but it’s a lot more than just that.“

Mercury Head Coach Corey Gaines:
(On Taurasi’s 3,000th point):
“I had a thing with the players at the beginning of the year and I felt like I had two dragons on the team – Diana and Cappie – and Diana comes through when you need her. We’re just trying to give her enough rest so she can do what she does best at the end of the game.”

(On the pace of the game):
“We started out slow tonight but we kept up our pace, the way we do in practice. Houston just wore down a little bit. I knew they wouldn’t be able to hit shots like they did in the first half the entire game. We practice that way every day, so keeping the pace fast is definitely to our advantage.”


(On defense):
“It’s tough because every team you play has a different offense that they throw at you and we’re still working on our rover defense. As soon as Julie (Hairgrove), my defensive coach, figures out what they’re doing, we try to make adjustments to their style of play.”

Mercury Guard Diana Taurasi (30 points, 6 assists):
(On what went better today than in the past few games):
“You know, not much early in the game. There is always a point in the game, especially when you’re down and we cut (Houston’s lead) to single digits (and) in the past two games we’ve cut (the leads) down to single digits, but today we found a way to get over the hump. I think that was the most important thing.”

(On the comeback victory):
“It shows a lot of character from our team. We could have easily tainted today but we found a way to win. Especially against Houston who is very good this year and we’ll probably be neck-and-neck with them for the rest of the season for one of the playoff spots, so it was very important.”

(On her record setting 3,000th point):
“I didn’t know (about the record) until a reporter told me before the game. It’s a cool little record but there is somebody sitting across the room (Cappie Pondexter) who will probably get there faster than I did.”

Mercury Guard Cappie Pondexter (22 points, 5 assists):
(On the camp day atmosphere):
“Every kid’s day that I’ve participated in has been great. They love it. They bring a lot of energy and when they’re having fun we kind of feed off of that.”

(On a pre-game conversation with Taurasi):
“Before the game Diana and I were talking and I told her ‘It’s us or them. If we want to get there and make the playoffs we take them down now.’”

(On Diana’s 3,000th point):
“It’s a great accomplishment. There is no one more deserving than her. She’s put tremendous work in since I’ve been here; I’ve loved being her teammate and working with her. I’m sure she’ll help me to get to 3,000.”