Alabama 82, Missouri 74
THE MODERATOR: We are ready to continue with Coach Kristy Curry. We'll take questions.
Q. The hot start in the first quarter, you came out really shooting well. Did you feel like that was kind of a carryover from shootaround when you got to practice in the gym or is that just what this team can do when they get clicking?
KRISTY CURRY: Well, it's what we can do when we get clicking. To have five in double figures for the first time this season, that's great to see. I think we've been waiting on that kind of game. I thought our kids didn't want to go home. I think they learned from a year ago that wasn't a very good feeling.
We knew that Missouri was going to put up a lot of points. We were going to try to keep them from it, but they're playing really as good offensively as anybody in the league right now at 74 games. We knew we had to match some firepower and we were going to have to have great balance, and our kids really stepped up.
Q. Ariyah Copeland became the run stopper there in the second half. How big was it to have that consistent offense with her shooting 80%?
KRISTY CURRY: Yeah, we wanted to try to go to her a few more times. What she did was work, rework. I think when you're going to pick and choose to guard Jazz the way they did, it opens up things for others. She was one of those we felt like we had an advantage in the paint. She certainly did a great job.
We tried to rest her a little bit more in the third and fourth. I thought that paid off down the stretch. Just asked her at the end to give us three and a half minutes of everything she had, and it really paid off.
Q. On Meg and Hannah, their production being able to get so much from especially Megan down the stretch. How big was that in this win?
KRISTY CURRY: It was huge. I mean, just her confidence, the confidence we have in her to go make plays. I think when you talk about our big three, you try to defend that, those other two don't get enough credit because they do so many little things. Today those things were stepping up and making plays at critical times.
Hannah was huge the first half, Meg was huge the second half with point production. They were just all over the place all day. Just a really great effort with both of them, with taking what the defense gave them and making them pay.
Q. Looking forward to South Carolina, what are some of the things your team has to do successfully with their abilities? How can you defeat South Carolina?
KRISTY CURRY: We've got the scout ready to go. Obviously have to look at both games. We played them a one-point game at their place, the first half at home. We felt like we could correct some things and put that together. You have to put 40 minutes together. We haven't done that yet against them.
It's going to have to be a 40-minute game of perfect basketball. We're going to have to rebound better. Obviously tonight we were disappointed in how we rebounded the ball. We were having a lot of switching, we had our bigs out of the paint because we were switching. For whatever reason tonight, what we did defensively affected us on the boards. But there's no excuse. We just got to make sure we rebound better.
Transition D is so important. We got to get the ball stopped and create that I-formation and really limit easy baskets. When I say 'easy baskets', that's on offensive rebounds and then transition.
THE MODERATOR: Thank you very much.
KRISTY CURRY: Thank you. Roll Tide.
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