Postgame Quotes
February 5, 2016
No. 5/5 Maryland 85, No. 17/14 Michigan State 76
Head Coach Brenda Frese
Opening Statement:
“It was just a really good win. I love the fact that we’re being tested against great teams. Michigan State is a great team and there’s a reason they’re third in the conference. They really had to make us work tonight but I thought we came out ready to play. We talked about how they were going to come out after halftime and be aggressive and I liked how we were able to respond after that run. They have a lot of talent on their roster. We’re playing at a really high level and I like how we’re playing as a team.”
On the play of Shatori Walker-Kimbrough…
“She’s really letting the game come to her. Her efficiency from the floor has been great, she’s doing so much for us and her energy has been contagious.
On the atmosphere during a big game…
“We love these kind of games. It challenges you to see where you’re at as a team and what level you can play at. I thought we prepared really hard in a limited amount of time. I thought it was a great game and thought we did a lot of great things tonight.”
On the plan and execution against Aerial Powers…
“I thought we really made her work in the first half. She’s too talented to come out and play consecutive halves like that and I think we got a little fatigued and think we lost her in the zone. We allowed someone to have 31 points in our own building so we need to take better pride defensively.”
On her message to her team following a 9-0 Michigan State run…
“It was more to re-focus and to lock back in. We’re really good when we lock in and we can be really bad when we lose that focus. Fatigue sometimes plays a part in that but we have to be tougher.
On the play of Brionna Jones…
“I thought she was so quick to the ball. You saw her go up and grab rebounds like they came down from the sky. She was really active and made her presence known on both ends of the floor. She was huge in all areas tonight.”
On her thoughts looking forward towards against Ohio State…
“The last time we played Ohio State it was three games in six days. This time it’s three games in seven days with two of them on the road. I’m excited for the next test for us to see where we are in February and it will be very easy to have these guys motivated and ready to play.”
On the aggressive play of Walker-Kimbrough…
“I think you’re seeing every facet of her game which is why people can’t guard her right now. She’s shooting the three, pulling up, getting to the rim. It’s exciting to see where her game is going.”
On the drop in shooting percentage between the first and second half…
“Credit Michigan State. They adjusted and they stated to double down on the post. They made some plays and I think we got fatigued.”
Michigan State Head Coach Suzy Merchant
On Michigan State’s preparation heading into the game...
“We didn’t get a lot of time to prepare. We played Wednesday and had to fly here and have a one-day prep, but obviously we didn’t do a very good job.”
On what caused Maryland’s point difference from the first half to the second half...
“Probably a little bit of scoreboard pressure. We started to actually make a basket. This was our third game in five days and we have to fly from here to Iowa to play them on Sunday. It’s going to be a difficult stretch for us for sure, but I thought we were a little bit flat coming out. I’m not sure if there was a huge adjustment. We just competed harder. We did a better job of moving the ball and playing a little bit better together, but two of our starters didn’t really come to play at either end of the floor. When you have a good team on the road with a one-day prep, everyone has to show up.”
On Michigan State player performance...
“Jasmine Hines only played 19 minutes against Michigan because she didn’t play well and was in foul trouble. She’s the one right now that’s hurting us the most and has to do a better job. She’s a fifth-year senior and she’s a force to be reckoned with down there when she does when she needs to do. Tori was not good for the majority of the game and normally she’s our second leading scorer. She really didn’t score until she was jacking up threes at the end in desperation and she hit a couple for us just to make it interesting, but I certainly didn’t feel that we were going to get over the hump that late.”
On how she thought her team defended Brionna Jones inside...
“Not very well. 17 points, 17 rebounds, 9 free-throws. Not very well. We were trying to do certain things but couldn’t do it. The free-throw line discrepancy was huge. Usually the fouls go to the kids that play with that kind of attack mode and Jones played with that early and Shatori did as well.”
