Nov. 10, 2013
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COACH BLUDER: Very happy with this team tonight. We beat a really good team. We beat a very, very good basketball team. One that’s well coached, great talent, great size, able to hit the three ball. This is a good win for our program. One, we wanted to win this tournament, our tournament. We wanted to beat a top 25 team, and we wanted to have the home court presence and this is our house. We want to establish that it’s our house.
Two teams that obviously love offense out there. Maybe we need to work on our defense a little bit, and we’ll have time to do that. But I’m happy that we have six people in double figures.
Ally Disterhoft coming off the bench, to contribute like she did was amazing, and to hit those free throws.
Sam Logic hitting that big three with half a tooth. For her to come in and be able to focus three and a half minutes after losing half a tooth, that takes a lot; a lot of people would be thinking about your tooth instead of thinking about win this game for my team. It shows what a competitor she is. It shows what kind of focus that she has.
I love the 30 assists. That’s our style. We love high assists, and I love that.
Q. It must have been pleasing to have six players in double figures knowing they have a variety of scorers on their end and you knew you were going to have to match them point for point?
COACH BLUDER: Yes, they have so many weapons on their team. Again, I love their team. I feel like the teams kind of mirror each other a little bit. We both like to push. We both like to hit the three. We’re both pretty fundamentally sound. We both like to share the ball. (Dayton head coach) Jim (Jabir) and I even discussed that before the game that our two teams look very similar, and we both really enjoy each other’s teams.
Q. Coach, you start both halves with getting out to good double digit leads. They made their run. Got to feel pretty good to get this early test from such a quality opponent?
COACH BLUDER: Absolutely. Yeah, basketball is a game of momentum. Definitely saw it out there today. Obviously, we’re disappointed that we let that lead, especially the last one, we’re up 8 with the last media timeout and we let that get away from us. So we definitely have some things to work on defensively. But the composure that our players played with down the stretch for this early in the year, is pretty remarkable.
Q. Feel good with that tempo that was out there today?
COACH BLUDER: We like that tempo. I mean, both teams do. I think we can even go a little bit more. I don’t know if they’re going to feel that way tomorrow with their legs, but today they’ve got a little adrenaline. It had to be a fun game to watch.
Q. Coach, I know you expect to win every game. But is there anything replacing the two players that’s surprised you so far this early in the season with your team now?
COACH BLUDER: I feel like we had something special with this group early on. It’s early. We’re two games into this year, so we’ve got a lot of basketball. But I feel that way about this group. This is a special group. I think we’re going to have a special year. They just enjoy each other. They enjoy coming to practice. They enjoy working hard. We’re just going to keep riding it as long as we can.
Q. Coach, (Indiscernible) in the first half, two in the second half, what sort of adjustments do you make at halftime?
COACH BLUDER: We played a little more player in the second half. I almost cringe when I find myself saying that because I feel like our zone should not be giving up threes. We need to watch a lot of film and figure it out. We’ll have to play quite a bit of zone with our lineup in this year, and I think we can protect against the three even in our zone defense. So we need to see that. I probably stayed in a little bit too long in the first half.
Q. How crucial will having six players in double figures, how crucial will that be going forward? Is that something you want to continue seeing for success?
COACH BLUDER: We are so hard to guard when we have numbers like that. Nobody can help off any certain player. Somebody’s going to have a cold shooting night every once in a while. You’re going to have the confidence that your team will carry you through. It’s comforting to know that you don’t have to shoulder the load yourself. So having that balance scoring is every coach’s dream.
Q. Speaking to that, Melissa really struggled with her shot in the first game and the first half today. Got a couple of big three pointers in the second half. Think that might get her going?
COACH BLUDER: I hope so. She did a really good job in her exhibition game. Melissa has a short memory. All shooters have short memories, and she definitely has one. She’s not going to remember that. She’s going to come out and fire away on Wednesday night, and we believe in her. That is the thing. She has so much from all of these players up here and us coaches, we believe in Melissa. Every shot she takes is going to be in.
Q. Have you been surprised at all by Peschel’s ability to rebound in these first two games?
COACH BLUDER: Awesome. I mean, 11 the first night out, 14 tonight. Really happy with her production. She’s found a role. It’s a valuable role. I’m just thrilled for her. She hit a couple of big free throws for her too, and she got fouled on that offensive rebound. With Kali in her freshman year and coming back and working so hard, and coming in here to contribute in her sophomore campaign, I’m really happy for her.
Q. Coach, a team that only lost three games all last year, they ran the table in their conference, were the preseason favorites this year. Getting the win over them, what did you learn about your team that maybe you were wondering about going in?
COACH BLUDER: We can beat top 25 teams. We did seven times last year, and we kind of get excited about that opportunity. So this early in the year, you just never know. But I think we proved to ourselves we can do it. And being able to come from behind and get the win, I think that’s always really good for your confidence. But, again, you’re right, Dayton is a really good basketball team, and they’re used to winning. That type of attitude, knowing that confidence is what allows them to keep coming back from being down. They’re winners, and they know how to win games.