Additional Quotes: USA 115, Chile 39
• Game Story
• Box Score
USA head coach Jeff Walz (Louisville)
On the game:
We definitely made some strides today. Offensively, I thought we worked the ball around. We did some things that we didn’t do in yesterday’s game, so that’s encouraging. Defensively, we started off a little slow, but then started to turn things on. It was nice to see us be able to adjust. Overall, I’m pleased.
On the USA’ s 115 points:
I thought we kept pushing, and Chile pushed, too. So, they weren’t trying to slow it up. When the game is going up and down the floor, it probably plays into our favor more, but I thought we did a really nice job. We attacked when it was there, and then we executed at times.
On Puerto Rico tomorrow:
I had a chance to see Puerto Rico play Chile on yesterday. I was very impressed with their grit. They have great guard play. They are not extremely tall in the post, but they are very physical. So, we are going to have to get a good night’s rest tonight and be ready for tomorrow.
Desiree Caldwell (Southern California/Cibolo, Texas)
On the game:
I thought we did well. We really executed our goals. Honestly, we tend to start off a little bit slow, but once we get going, we find a groove, and I think it is all up from there.
Maori Davenport (Charles Henderson H.S./Troy, Ala.)
What was the game plan against Chile?
We needed to have less turnovers and to actually give effort in every play and never take plays off. We did better on turnovers, but there were some plays that we took off, including myself.
Other than free throws, were there some other areas the team improved on?
I would say we improved on sharing the ball and our free throws.
On playing FIBA basketball:
It’s different, but it’s going great.
Christyn Williams (Connecticut/Little Rock, Ark.)
On the game:
I thought we did pretty well today. We started off a little slow, but as the game got going, we picked it up. I thought we crashed the offensive boards really well. And, we did better on our free throws today. It was a better effort today.
On the USA’s 115 points:
It definitely was fun. I didn’t realize we had that many points. We were just playing our game, and everything was going well.
