Jan. 19, 2006

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UD Head Coach Jim Jabir

Was this a measuring stick kind of game for Dayton?

It's unfortunate cause I thought of it as a barometer game too. I just think we were still flat. We didn't make shots. We kind of stood around. We were staginant in our offense and we just didn't have a lot of energy, which is not what we normally do. And I just don't know if it's a true reading. A lot of kids didn't make shots I think we got in the habit of standing around and watching Cara Wright play a little bit, which is easy to do. Last game we had 4 kids in double figures and we just didn't get shots to go. Tonight to win against a tough team like that, you can't do that. They're so athletic.

The combo of Cara Wright and Jennifer Strong were big, but the rest of the team seemed off.

"True, but the glaring statistic is they scored 87 points. "You're not going to beat a lot of teams when you give up that many points and we had a hard time of keeping them from penetrating. Our rotation on our help defense was terrible and that's something we have to fix before Rhode Island, this is a learning process and we'll get better.

This is a bump in the road for the team tonight.

"Yeah, you know I think the kids see it as we came out flashy and shoot well and let's get back to work. We talked in the locker room about that and how they're going to approach it. We're going to improve on our defense and we're going to improve on our shot selection and make our offense a little better. By Friday or Sunday whenever we play we will be ready to go."

On the run to get Dayton back in it at the end of the first half

"They're (Xavier) a very good team. They're good shooters along with a lot of athletic physicality and that's a bad combination for us. I was worried we were tired going into this game. We had two or three early morning practices and I felt we were just really flat. Not making any excuses, we lost the game. "

On the play of Cara Wright and Jennifer Strong

"It's great but I think they both can play better. The thing that bothered me the most is we started watching, and then Jennifer started picking it up at the end but it was almost too late by then. If the whole arena knows that Cara Wright's getting the ball, then it's hard for Cara Wright to score. We have to get more people involved. We usually have a balanced attack. I don't think it's a good thing to have one person with 25 and have no one else score. I'd rather have 5 or 6 with 10 or 11. So we'll work on that and we'll get better."

Xavier's conference record was a bit deceptive entering tonight's game.

"They're a very good team, they will be a contender. They dropped a game to Rhode Island that they maybe shouldn't have dropped and so that was difficult. They're a great team, they played GW tough and they're a very good team very talented."

Where are you as a team?

"I think last year we were in the middle (of the A-10) and this year I think we're a little better than that. We talked about barometer and I think this is a measure. We lost to GW leading the whole game and lost it at the end. I'm still trying to figure it out and we're trying to figure it out. We're not used to winning. This is all real new to us and we're still trying to build confidence and build an identity. I think we're going to just keep getting better."

UD Senior Forward Cara Wright

It looked like you guys just couldn't get over the hump today?

"Yeah, today was a bad day to have a bad day. We couldn't get the shots we wanted or the shots we usually make. They just weren't falling for us."

I thought they made it tough for you guys to get good looks for a long time, did you feel like they were covering it well?

"I don't know that it was them doing it. We were kinda on our heels about shooting cause we missed a couple shots that we thought we should have made. I think that put us on our heels."

Were you more up for this game because of the chance to play Tara Boothe?

"No, I try to get up and be focused for every game. Nothing was anymore special about this game."

Dayton made a run to get close in the first half. Talk about the momentum heading into the locker room.

"We just still weren't able to get shots the second half. Usually we are cold in the first and turn around in the second half for five minutes. We came out and weren't making anything and that kind of set the pace for the rest of the game."

XAVIER HEAD COACH KEVIN McGUFF

What were you thinking some of the keys are here?

"Going in I thought one of the big keys would be rebounding, Dayton will always play really strong and they are really good on the glass. The other big thing I wanted to do is try and limit Cara Wright, and as you can see we weren't very successful with that. She was outstanding. She's a great player and really doing great things for Dayton."

Why were you able to overcome even though she (Cara Wright) played above average?

"We played really well offensively. We had four people in double figures and we really had everyone contribute. That's what makes us a good team. We really share the ball and we're very good offensively."

Even though you were 2-3 in the conference you probably feel like your still in the thick of things.

"No it's a tough stretch in the terms of who we're playing and what we're doing is taking it week by week. But I feel really good about the team and the things we can accomplish."

I thought you really made it tough for them to take good shots, is that your observation too?

"That's what we wanted to do but I still think they made some tough shots, especially Cara Wright and Jennifer Strong they played outstanding. (They are) both great players."

Tara is a great player. Talk about her performance.

"Cara is a great player. I'm really happy for the success she's had and she's working extremely hard to put herself in those positions."

Were you worried at all when they closed it at halftime?

"Yeah, we were playing really well in the first half and then Dayton made a great run and we lost our composure in the end of the half but at halftime we regrouped and we had a great start to the second half."