Pregame Quotes
COACH FRESE: First of all, it's great to be here. Excited about the next step of being in the Elite 8. Really a familiar step for us as a team and as a program.
Obviously, a very familiar opponent that we faced last season. Tennessee is a tremendous team, outstanding tradition. It's a team that plays with great toughness and tenacity on the defensive end. Really high level of athleticism. Rebounding team. Really, really aggressive.
I thought that last night's game was one of the best games of the tournament when you watch that game between Gonzaga, the atmosphere, and their will to win to be able to come back in that game.
But obviously at this point you're only going to have elite level teams. Great teams that are left to play in the Elite 8. So I think that it will come down to both teams, their battle of wills, both teams being able to take away each other's strengths and whose able to do that.
Q. Laurin, what do you remember about last year's game against Tennessee in the regional semi‑finals and does that matter to you this year? Does that give you any kind of advantage going in?
LAURIN MINCY: I just remember the game being very physical. Very up‑tempo. Both teams competing.
So like Coach B said, we definitely have to come in and play. Tennessee is a great team and it's going to come down to who really wants it.
Q. Brionna, after watching what Tennessee did yesterday, what does that tell you? What kind of information does that provide for tomorrow's game?
BRIONNA JONES: I think it's just going to tell us that they're going to play with passion and heart and they don't want to lose and they don't want to go home. I think that we can play with the same amount of passion. And I think that we'll just go out and play our best game tomorrow.
Q. Lexie, to lose a senior class that you guys did last year and then to return to the Elite 8 against a team where it kind of all started. What's that like?
LEXIE BROWN: It's definitely exciting. We set goals at the beginning of the year and we have met every single one of them thus far. So for us to put in all the work that we did in the summer and preseason and everything that we have been able to accomplish this year. This is more icing on the cake of our accomplishments and we're not done yet. But I'm extremely proud that everybody stepped up this season.
Q. Malina, I assume you watched that game yesterday, Tennessee and Gonzaga. When Gonzaga's up 17 points and playing so well, were you already starting to think how you might matchup with the Zags?
MALINA HOWARD: Definitely not. Like Coach B said, Tennessee is a team of tradition and passion. You can never count them out of the game. I knew watching the game that we had to just keep watching because they weren't going to give up. They weren't going to let their season end and they were going to fight and battle. So just got to take that into tomorrow and know that they're not going to give up on the game and we got to make sure we don't either.
Q. Shatori, last season you were able to turn Tennessee over 22 times and you outscored them 19‑9 in points on turnovers. Is that something going into this game that you think you might be able to do again, force them into turnovers?
SHATORI WALKER‑KIMBROUGH: Yeah, definitely, we have to ‑‑ it's going to be a dog fight. They play extremely hard and I know their defense is up‑tempo. They want to make us have turnovers too as well.
But, definitely, we want to pressure them as well, they have big posts down low, physical and it's going to be a dog fight.
Q. Laurin, Alyssa had a huge game last year against Tennessee, did not have her going into this game. What do you think is going to be kind of an area that you guys are going to be able to exploit?
LAURIN MINCY: Just staying the course and doing what we have been doing all year. We have countless players that can come in and make an impact on this team.
Shatori had a big night last night. Brionna had a great game the first game. Me and Lexi stepped up the second round.
So, we have people coming off the bench making a big impact. So this year, like we have been doing, it's winning by committee.
Q. Lexie, Shatori plays with a lot of passion. Do you guys feed off that energy when she gets on a roll like she did yesterday?
LEXIE BROWN: Definitely. When she's rolling, she's rolling and we want to keep her rolling. So when she has games like she had yesterday, we love that and we just want to keep getting her the ball and keep her in her rhythm. We don't ‑‑ I wouldn't say we go as Tori goes, but we kind of do. So we need her to keep that intensity and passion up for the rest of the season.
Q. Tori, when one of your teammates says your team goes as you go. How do you react to that? Does that feed you? Is that a source of pressure in any way?
SHATORI WALKER‑KIMBROUGH: No. Just back when Mincy said, any night is anybody's night for us. I think that's what makes us such a great team because we have so many weapons. You can't just key in on one player, because we have so many ‑‑ we have such depth and within our starting five and coming off the bench. So any night could be anyone's night for Maryland's women's basketball.
Q. Talking to your players yesterday, the day before yesterday, they didn't ‑‑ they say they never know what to anticipate in your pregame speeches. That you always seem to catch them off guard with what you're going to say. How far in advance do you start formulating these things? Because you're really good at it.
COACH FRESE: It varies. Sometimes something will hit me while I'm watching television or reading the newspaper. So I'll kind of file those things away in my notes.
But most of the time I would say it's really one day, two days out, in terms of really forming them, to just really trying to get them in the right mindset before the game.
Q. How much will you use last year's game in the lead up to tomorrow's game as confidence building for your team?
COACH FRESE: We won't. They're two different teams and two different seasons, two different rosters. So last year was last year.
For us, it's been about just coming out and playing our best game. So, that win last year doesn't guarantee us anything moving forward.
Q. Last season you came out as an underdog to Tennessee. Kind of the motto was they're going to know our name. That and the Louisville game. Now you're the one seed in this region, how does that change the dynamic of this game at all?
COACH FRESE: Last year it was a great confidence booster in terms of where our team was at. Obviously, for us this year it's just been continuing on one day at a time.
So, different elements. I think it's having a pulse of your team, where they're at, what they need in those situations. But, obviously, this team has played well beyond their years this season. So, it's definitely two different elements.
Q. Looking back at your time down in Tucson in Arizona with PCC, are there certain lessons that still resonate with you today that help you in the run that you're in right now as well as passing onto your players for both on and off the court?
COACH FRESE: No question. I think all of your experiences through every walk of life help prepare you for this moment if you're able to utilize it.
So for my time in Arizona, I fondly remember my times as a student‑athlete. So, I think it's helped prepare me as a coach much better when you talk about being ‑‑ going away from home, going through injuries, having a career that kind of went up and down through my set of injuries.
So, being a coach at Pima Community College, so all those experiences have helped me to prepare me to be a better coach.
Q. When you watch that game last night, kind of what's going through your head when you see Gonzaga up 17 and Tennessee is chipping away and then force overtime and end up winning with a great comeback?
COACH FRESE: Oh, it was a phenomenal game and obviously, I mean, your heart goes out to Gonzaga. But at the same time, Tennessee went out and won that game. They showed great tenacity, great energy down the stretch, and showed their will to win. So, obviously two great teams, but Tennessee's the one that has moved on and put themselves in that position.
Q. After yesterday's game, Joanne McCallie said there's a monarchy in women's basketball. There's one team that nobody can beat. What's your reaction to that?
COACH FRESE: She must not believe that her team can beat them. I mean, obviously, Connecticut is a phenomenal team. They have showed it time and time again. But I think that you have to be able to go in with a mindset, just like Notre Dame did against Kentucky, they didn't finish it, but they had a mindset that they believed they could win. So, I think the mindset going into that, if you're fortunate enough to play Connecticut, is you have to believe you can win.
Q. When you talk about their will to win, Tennessee's will to win, there are also a lot of emotions playing for Pat Summitt and to get back to Tampa and the last time that she won her championship there. So, how much are you preparing your team, I guess, maybe to prepare them for that kind of pressure or that emotion that Tennessee's going to be playing with?
COACH FRESE: We have always prepared our team in regards to getting ourselves ready. In terms of playing our best basketball. I think you have to be careful of a lot of the extras that are surrounded around it. I think it's great that Tennessee is able to rally around that, as they should, in terms of what that would mean.
But for us, this time of year, both great teams in the Elite 8 with an opportunity to march on and both teams are going to have great will to want to advance.
Q. Lexie Brown, Bri and Shatori are an incredible sophomore class. Where do you think they rank in the nation as far as their class?
COACH FRESE: Geez, great question. I just look at what they have done here at Maryland and I don't think I've ever seen a class make the jump that they have made. When you talk about going from your freshman year to your sophomore season and being as consistent as all three have been for us and leading this team in their sophomore campaign.
So obviously it's what makes this team so special. The ability to be able to do some of the things that we have been able to do this season is because of such a talented class.
Q. You obviously played a regional final here a number of years ago. I know it's obviously different teams, but what do you remember about that game against Stanford?
COACH FRESE: Oh, first of all it was a blur, I was one month out after delivering twins. So all I remember was the hotel room and that was about it.
But the game itself it was a shoot‑out. When you talk about between Maryland and Stanford, and both teams really should have been in the Final Four, when you talk about the high‑power offenses of both teams. But a game that went down to the wire and I think was one of the all time great games when you talk about in the regional final out here.
Brene Moseley #3 (Redshirt-Junior|Guard)
On the pressure Tennessee brings to the table…
“They bring a different style, but it’s nothing that we haven’t faced before. Thankfully we’ve had a lot of preparation through the Big Ten, so we’ll use that in this game.”
On Tennessee’s comeback win against Gonzaga…
“They turned the light switch on quick. For us, going into our game tomorrow, we are going to know that they can turn on and off whenever they please, but we have to make sure we keep our light switch on the whole time.”
On how Maryland can improve its offensive performance…
“I think it’s a different team, different game. We know that we didn’t have one of our best games last night, but I think we have that as motivation, knowing that we’re playing against Tennessee. This is kind of a repeat from last year and we have extra motivation to get a good start going.”
Tierney Pfirman #22 (Junior|Forward)
On what she saw from Tennessee yesterday and how Maryland can combat that…
“For them, I saw heart and passion. They didn’t want their season to end and that showed, being down 17 with six minutes left and coming back and tying it up to go into overtime. We played them last year in the Sweet 16 to get to the Elite Eight, so we’re kind of prepared for what they’re going to bring and how they played last year. We have to play Maryland basketball because we’re up for anything. We’ve seen a lot of styles of play, it’s just another one to add to the books.”
On importance of post play tomorrow…
“It’s definitely going to be a factor. Both teams are defensively inside-out post games and we just have to battle like we did against Duke and attempt to shut that down.”
On using last year’s Final Four as motivation to get back…
“It’s definitely a motivational factor for us to get back to the Final Four. To know where we were able to go and how far we went last year - we know we just have to focus, lock in, and play Maryland basketball.”
