Head Coach Brenda Frese
Opening statement:
“Obviously a really slow start for us. Credit Nebraska in terms of how they came out and their sagging defense and moments within it and denying some of our players on the wings. Obviously we didn’t help ourselves with our turnovers in the first half and I thought [T'eara] Laudermill was really, really good until she got in foul trouble and had to sit.”
On halftime adjustments:
“We locked in and we played harder. I thought we gave greater effort, focus, concentration. We tried to press in the first half and we couldn’t remember. Mentally we were not the same team we typically are. I don’t know if that’s a fatigue factor, but it’s not a reason. We’ve got to be able to lock in for a better 40 minutes.”
On emotion of the day and attendance:
“Just really personal on so many levels and just wanting to showcase our team to the level I know we can play at. Really cool, you get to play the game of basketball and have an impact on so many people.”
Sophomore Guard Lexie Brown
On getting team scoring total higher:
“We just have to lock down on defense. Our biggest points come from transition and today I don’t even think we were in double digits in transition points. Our whole offense depends on how good our defense is, so we really have to get back to that mindset of locking down so we can rebound and run.”
Junior Center Malina Howard
On her inside game:
“I think definitely we just looked inside. The guards did a great job of getting the ball into the post when we were open. We posted really hard. I think it was really just in the flow of the game.”
Freshman Guard Kiara Leslie
On recent playing time:
“I think it’s definitely coming along in practice. They push me everyday to try to get me better and I think what they’re doing is working and results in me getting more minutes in a game.”
Nebraska Head Coach Connie Yori
Opening Statement:
“Right now we’re struggling scoring, so we have to depend a lot upon our defense. Our idea of a run right now is making a basket, Maryland’s idea of a run in this game was making two baskets or maybe three. I think we were able to hang in there because we didn’t let them have big runs but we are just really struggling scoring. They made a concerted effort to try to get the ball inside and we were trying to make a concerted effort of not letting the ball go inside. I thought Lexie Brown’s 3coming out of the timeout was big when it went to nine at that point, I think it went from six to nine and at that point it took us out of the game. Credit to Maryland they’re really good and they’ve got four really good scorers. Malina Howard, I love her game. Their starting line up is clearly the best in the Big Ten I think Maryland’s got a chance to make a really deep run in the tournament."
On the absence of Rachel Theriot:
“Clearly we are missing one of the best guards in the league. Rachel was a preseason top-five player in the league for a reason. She not only could score the ball, but she makes it easier for other people to get shots that we need them to take. We’re missing her, there’s no doubt. That hurts us defensively. There’s a lot of things we can’t run right now because we are limited in our playbook. It means that we got to have some other players make some plays, but we’re not as good."
On the team's effort:
“They are bigger at every position. You go across the board and we’re giving up two, three and four inches at every spot. Our team is very tough minded, we wanted to compete, we did, we gave ourselves the chance. Seven minutes left in the game we had a chance to win, in this environment. Maryland is a great scoring team and we held them 20 below their average and we got to feel good about our defensive effort and our rebounding. It was that stretch where they got six offensive rebounds between media timeouts where they were able to pull away. Our kids are tough and as poor of a scoring team as we are right now we better defend to be able to hang in there."
Senior Guard T’eara Laudermill
On adjustments Maryland made on her after first half:
“I think they limited my mid-range. I think that was their plan when they came in after half time. They did a good job, but I really wasn’t consistent, I have to get in the gym and get consistent but congrats to Maryland”
