Head Coach Brenda Frese
Opening statement:
Obviously, it was a battle when we went to Michigan and played them. We were not surprised that they came ready to play from the tip. We knew Kim [Barnes Arico]’s teams are always very well coached and very aggressive, and they showed that in the first half. There were a lot of plays in the first half that were disappointing to see, but I liked our response. We were able to regain some poise and some composure after halftime. We ended the third quarter on a 16-4 run, which was tremendous. We cut our turnovers down. We were obviously a lot more locked in with a sense of urgency. Now, we just need to turn that into a 40-minute game.
On starting slow and finishing strong:
I wish I could say what happened to start, because we had a great practice leading up to the game. I credit Michigan for being aggressive to start. They made some plays that we need to be able to read a bit better. Once we settled in, our bench play was great. Kiara Leslie had one of her best games that she has had all season. Brene [Moseley] was sensational. We need to be able to get those key contributions on a consistent basis.
On Shatori Walker-Kimbrough having an off night:
When you’re a great player, there comes great responsibility. Shatori [Walker-Kimbrough] and Brene [Moseley] bring that on a consistent basis. It was a tough night for Shatori, but we have grown as a team to be able to see that we need other players to step up, and we were able to do that tonight. We have to be able to continue to do that going forward.
Junior Center Brionna Jones
On taking advantage of Michigan in the second half of the game:
My teammates just found me when I was open. While Michigan was doubling and triple teaming me in the beginning I would kick it out, then the team would just find me in the cut again. So I think we just worked well together and just found opportunity when I was open.”
Sophomore Guard Kristen Confroy
On the difference in tempo from the first quarter to the rest of the game:
I think a lot of it is just taking care of the ball. I know the first the minutes we had eight turnovers, which is something we need to definitely work on, but once we started to get control of the ball and started playing Maryland basketball the game started to open up.
On having Brionna Jones and Malina Howard down low:
It changed the game. I think that is what is special about our team is that if the guards are having a hard time, the post will step up. Though we are the most dangerous with the ability to be on the inside and to kick out and have shooters, and hopefully we will continue to build on that.
Senior Center Malina Howard
On the reasoning behind the turnovers in the first quarter:
Like Coach said, Michigan came out ready to play aggressive, and I do not think we responded well at first. We bounced back and I think that is what is great about us, and the second half shows that we can take care of the ball.
On being in the paint and the battle they faced from Michigan:
That is something we talked about in the last game, so we just wanted to come out and just get as many looks in the paint as possible. Like Brionna said, we do a really good job of playing inside outside, so if it is open on the inside the guards are going to get in, as well as if we are doubled up, we just try to kick it out to make plays and that is what is great about our team.
Michigan Head Coach Kim Barnes Arico
Opening Statement:
“I thought we did a great job obviously in the first half of really taking Maryland out of what they normally do. I thought Siera Thompson did a tremendous job on Shatori, but I think the No. 6 team in the country really showed why they were the No. 6 team in the country tonight. With the balance attack that they had and other people stepping up and being able to contribute with four players in double figures. Brionna Jones just wore us down, down the stretch like she did the first time and really showed why she is one of the best players in the country.”
On Michigan’s press:
“Changing tempo has kind of been what we are trying to do a little bit. The scary part of doing that against Maryland tonight was their size. We went for it anyway just to change the tempo and that was really effective for us. It helped us to score, but in the second half we couldn’t score as well because we couldn’t get stops and then we couldn’t score and put pressure on them as much.”
On success of scoring in the paint:
“I thought we came out and were scrapping and clawing. I thought we were going after loose balls and we had hustle plays. We got kind of worn down and that is attributed to a bunch of things, but one of those things is definitely Maryland. They wore us down with their size and physicality. When they got stops they didn’t allow us to press.”
Whether Michigan was fatigued in the second half:
“Yeah definitely. We had a tough flight last night. That is no excuse, sometimes that happens, but we had an eight-hour flight delay so we got in at 3:30 this morning. That kind of made me a little nervous coming into this game and like I said I think we ran out of gas. That probably had something to do with it, but Maryland definitely had something to do with it. That is why they are such a good team because they didn’t go away. We are still young and inexperienced and Brionna Jones is just warming up against us in the third and fourth quarter.”
On Siera Thompson’s effective defensive ability against Shatori Walker-Kimbrough:
“Siera Thompson is one of the best defenders in the country. She keeps getting better and better. She really keyed on her. She has guarded the other team's best player in the last few games. She guarded Rachel Banham and did an incredible job on her. So she did a really nice job on Shatori tonight, but I also think Maryland didn’t need to go to Shatori as much as they sometimes do because other kids were making plays for them. I also think Shatori gets a lot of her stuff in transition and we did a pretty decent job of stopping them in transition, especially in the first half.”
