March 19, 2006

Recap |  Box Score |  Photo Gallery

Mark Trakh, USC Head Coach:
Opening Statement
"It was a great game, both teams played very well. Both teams hit big shots. Luckily though, we won the game by two. It was definitely a well played game. Both teams played well on the defensive end. I'm proud of my team, we won a lot of close games this year. A couple of kids stepped up again. They played hard, have a lot of heart, and a lot of desire. It was just a great game and I am happy that we were two points better."

On South Florida's performance
"They play hard, they made some big shots. I thought they played very, very well. They were extremely well coached, and their kids played really hard. It was just one of those games where they showed a lot of heart. The impressive thing about them is that their kids stepped up and made a lot of shots, and made some big free throws."

On goals for the next game against Duke
"I was watching the Duke game, and I've seen them play before, and they are just incredible. They are huge, extremely skilled, and very well coached. But we have nothing to lose. We just need to go out and play hard, whether we win or lose, as long as the kids play hard that's all I can ask. If the scoreboard says we lost the game, and we gave 100%, that's all I can ask for."

Eshaya Murphy, Junior Guard:
On mindset at the free throw line
"I wasn't really thinking about anything. My mind was clear; there was no pressure."

Meghan Gnekow Senior Guard:
On emotionally preparing for the game
"We've had a lot of injuries throughout the season. Everyone has been doubting us and we just go out there with nothing to lose. We all want to stay here and win, and just prove everyone wrong. We're really looking forward to this game on Tuesday. We know its going to be a tough one, but we're ready. We have so much heart on this team, and we just don't want it to be over."

Jose Fernandez, USF Head Coach:
Opening Statement
"This was definitely one of the better games in the tournament. The selection committee did a great job with the seeding. Both teams have a very good basketball team, and we made some great plays right up until the end. On the stat sheet, turnovers and rebounds are pretty even down the line."

On South Florida's performance:
"Two things we really talked about was taking care of the ball and rebounding. We could have done a better job of both of those things. That was the difference. Eshaya Murphy and Camille LeNoir were going to get theirs. They are very good perimeter kids. Now we have set the standard for our program; we got here. Now its expected every year."

Jessica Dickson, Junior Forward:
On her team stepping up when she was in foul trouble
"In the first half, I got into some foul trouble early so I had to sit down, but my teammates did step up, and that shows me their character and how bad they wanted this."

On being in NCAA tournament for first time
"It was a great experience and we made history. We are very proud to have made it here, and this is a great group of girls. We graduate two girls, and we are going to come back next year and work."