And then there were four

Coach Kim Mulkey on her young team:

The thing I get to do is coach kids that believe in what we do and allow me to get on them, challenge them and they never quit playing. You never saw a Baylor kid quit playing today. Morghan Medlock is a senior and I am sure what was going through her mind; she is thinking I am sitting over here on the bench and this could be my last game. She never questioned. She cheered and understood I was going with a smaller line up.

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Stanford coach Tara VanDerveer on her team’s perseverance:

That was a really tough game. I want to compliment Xavier on just how physical they were. Every stat, whether it was turnovers or [offensive rebounds], it was just that kind of game, so close. It had to be very tough. They had two great looks at the basket at the end, but going down the stretch I was really please with the poise people showed. Kayla [Pedersen] knocking out a big shot, Joslyn Tinkle and obviously the play that Jeanette [Polen] made at the end. You know, taking the ball to the basket. Someone asked the other day if we need a close game, I said no. But now that we have won a close one, this can really help us. This was a battle, a struggle, and our team really stepped up and did the things we needed them to do.

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Connecticut routs Florida State, 90-50

Connectiuct coach Geno Auriemma on his team’s win:

It doesn’t matter if a player has been to the final four one time or however many times. It’s one of the great days in college basketball for a coach, or a player, or anyone associated with the program. Everyone might have thought it was a foregone conclusion today, but that’s not the way the way we think. We take it one game at a time and today, in that first half, we happened to play very well. I can’t say enough about the way we came out at half time either. We played with intensity and passion in the first ten minutes of the second half and it was incredible. It was really fun to watch.

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Oklahoma outlasts Kentucky, 88-68

Oklahoma coach Sherri Coale on her team’s resolve:

I think it’s special when kids can lead a program to back-to-back Final Fours, and for each of these three kids, we talked about it along the way throughout this tournament, their personal growth individually as people, as basketball players and then their collective growth as leaders of a basketball team has just been a phenomenal thing to witness. This could not have happened to three more deserving kids than the three we have here. They’re just so humble and they’re so together and so fun to coach and it’s been a very rewarding year that’s not over yet.

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