(Beijing, 23 April) - Comments from Anne Donovan (USA), Sylvia Fowles (USA), Katie Smith (USA),Mike McHugh (NZL) and Angela Marino (NZL) following their game at the Beijing Olympic Basketball Gymnasium.
 
Anne Donovan (USA) - Coach

On the comment of the result:
"I'm very happy that we can win today since we are going to go against China tomorrow. I'm very pleased."

On the performance of New Zealand team:
"They have done a great job, especially in the second half. They never quit."

Sylvia Fowles (USA) - Center

On the comments of today's game:
"Actually I don't think it was a big win. It was still not our best performance. We just work hard to pick up."

On the comments to the opponent:
"The New Zealand team works very hard. Though we pressed them very hard, some players still had good performance. Say No. 6 (Angela Marino), she ran around the court, passing balls and assisting other players. No. 15 (Aneka KERR) also did a very good job."

 
Katie Smith (USA) - Guard

On the comments to the opponent:
"They played hard, and they played well. They've made a lot of efforts."

On the comments of today's game:
"I think just so-so in the fourth quarter, we relaxed a little bit. We played well. It's not our best performance.”

On tomorrow's game against team China:
"I don't think it will be easy. China is a good team. They are playing continually better. It's tough playing in China."

Mike McHugh (NZL) - Coach

On close scores at the start of the game:
"We played intelligently. We played smart basketball at the first quarter, and we played smart game at the fourth quarter, but in the second and third quarter it was not so good."

On Angela Marino's scoring fewer points:
"(Because) It's a better team. The China and America are better teams."

On difficulty of this match:
"They are bigger and more professional - a lot of their players play in the WNBA."
 
On their disadvantages:
"We are a young team, and we have a lot of young players who lack experience."

Angela Marino (NZL) - Guard

On their low percentage of field goals:
"They played very good defence. We didn't execute properly. It was a disappointment. But we tried very hard. It's all about improvement."

On committing too many fouls in the first quarter:
"We had way too many fouls. They scored many free points, and so we can't get into the game."

On their defence:
"There's a lot of room for improvement. If we keep playing we can change our defence."

On her performance:
"It's hard to score against the American team. It's the best team in the league. I tried my best, but whatever happens happens."