|
|||
|
|||
|
 |
|
|
ATLANTIC COAST CONFERENCE WOMEN'S TOURNAMENTMarch 7, 2015Ka'Lia JohnsonJoanne P. McCallieElizabeth WilliamsGREENSBORO, NORTH CAROLINA NOTRE DAME – 55 THE MODERATOR: We'll go ahead and get started with an opening statement from coach and then take questions for the student‑athletes. JOANNE P. MCCALLIE: It was a great basketball game. We ran out of time. We needed a longer game. We gave the first half away. They played well, we did not. Then we spent the whole second half getting ourselves in a position to try to get after the game. I'm extremely proud of our team's fight in the second half. That reflects the kind of fight have you to have in this world. Very physical game, some really tough shots going down and some great team play. Some incredible defensive stops. We had some very, very good defense throughout the day in a lot of areas and one guard made the difference. Jewell Loyd is a great player, she's very, very good. I think she's the best in the country. And she was the difference in the game. Q. What were the biggest problems in your offense early in the game? JOANNE P. MCCALLIE: It was just, I think, really silly. Problems? Put the ball in the hole. Focus on what you're doing. There's just an entirely different attack mode in the second half. This, we're not messing around at this level. You're getting after it and it's going to be physical and you're going to be bumped. I thought in the second half we had a whole different persona. I thought Elizabeth was outstanding in the second half and showed what she could do. I thought Ka'lia was steady throughout. She played a smart game, she had a lot to manage and the floor, and but you got to play two halves of basketball. Q. What do you think were the factors in Notre Dame winning the rebounding battle today? JOANNE P. MCCALLIE: That's really disappointing. Wake won the rebounding battle. Another difference maker. They were more aggressive. I think they worked harder for position. That's something we'll take back to practice. That's really disappointing. Q. Elizabeth, did you notice that they were doing anything differently from the last game to this, as far as rebounding and trying to do, trying to be more physical inside? ELIZABETH WILLIAMS: Well, they were definitely physical. I think they did a good job, like Coach P said, of being in position, they were consistently in a good box out position. I don't think we did a good job of kind of fighting back, specifically in the first half, and getting our position to get some offensive rebounds. Q. For coach, do you feel like the kind of defense you played today could take you a long way in the tournament? JOANNE P. MCCALLIE: Absolutely. Absolutely. Trying to shut down a player like we did a little bit better job and I wanted Jewell Loyd to have like 16 points, not what she had. But that defense, if we could get our rebounding back where it should be, that's absolutely the kind of thing that can take you deep in the tournament. Q. So you guys are known as a rebounding team, how do you get back to your identity of being a rebounding team in practice for the NCAA tournament? JOANNE P. MCCALLIE: I'll leave that for the players. KA'LIA JOHNSON: I just think we have to be in position and just go get the ball. At the end of the last three minutes those two free throw box outs really hurt us. We got to really, really put bodies and people and go get the ball. One person has to box out and they just grab it and grab it, don't tip it. Q. Coach, how do you think the momentum you guys built in the second half with that good offensive play is going to help you going forward into the tournament? Is this what you want to see from your team the way you guys played in the second half on offense? JOANNE P. MCCALLIE: Absolutely. I thought Ka'lia showed a lot of poise in making good decisions. Getting the ball in the right places. I'm really proud of the team. They were executing a new play we came up with and doing a very good job of it. So there was a lot of good things. The second half is how you play. The second half, I'll take every bit of that second half. That's just how you play. You know it's going to be a blood bath at this level, you don't wait for it to start. I think that's a little bit of what the problem was for us. But without question, if I could take that second half, we could take that far. We could take that very far. Q. You battled the number two team in the country toe‑to‑toe you're not going to face anybody any better in the NCAA tournament. Does, even with a loss, is this performance particularly the second half a real positive for you going into the tournament? JOANNE P. MCCALLIE: Yes and no. I think that‑‑ I don't think you have to lose to learn. I'm not into that too much. We have had some great times here in Greensboro doing well and I think it feels strange to be going home to practice and not play Sunday. So, I guess there's no doubt we're going to take the lessons now, but that's not the way we want to operate. You want to be a dominant team, you want to take advantage of being in Greensboro. The fans are great, it's a special place, and we're fortunate that we're just a little bit of a ride away, but the idea of being sent home, I don't think that feels too good. Q. Coach, Mabrey made some 3‑pointers in the first half, which extended the lead, one, why are they able to do that and why are they so good at defending the three‑point shot? JOANNE P. MCCALLIE: Yeah, we did spot her nine points. That was most disappointing. You're absolutely correct about that. First of all, they have got more shooters. I mean, we have led the nation in three‑point shooting percentage for two years straight. Just not this year. You got to have the people that are shooting that in high school and coming to college, they have got some terrific shooters. I think everything goes around Loyd. I think Loyd's the best player in the country. I mean between her and Stewart, pick one. Q. Why are they so good as far as defending the three‑point? JOANNE P. MCCALLIE: Well, that's what I'm saying is when you have a player of that caliber, she elevates the play of everybody around her. You talk her off the floor, it's very, very different. So, it's the intensity it takes to defend. And again, we don't have the three‑point shooters, they didn't have to defend our three‑point shot. That's not what we do this year. We're an inside out team. That's just the nature of who we are. Q. For both of you, you're seniors and you didn't quite get what you wanted this time, how does this motivate you for the next tournament you're in? ELIZABETH WILLIAMS: It's definitely a lesson learned. Unfortunately, we don't like to learn lessons this way. But I think that like Coach P said, if we can take the momentum from the second half and not wait when we play our games, especially in the tournament, we can't wait and hesitate to be in attack mode. So if we can kind of take that mentality and take that toughness throughout the tournament, I think we'll be okay. KA'LIA JOHNSON: Just kind of going off that, I mean, any game, you can't wait to start playing at the 10 minute mark. We spotted them nine points with Mabrey's threes and stuff like that, but we have to be ready and I don't think today we came out ready and of course we turned it on in the second half, but it's tournament time, you can't just wait around. So, we'll just carry that momentum, we'll go home and practice tomorrow and unfortunately learn from a loss. Q. You struggled a bit in the first half against their length and just missing easy shots down low. What do you think really changed in the second half when you were able to get into the flow of the game and take over a bit? ELIZABETH WILLIAMS: Well, just putting the ball in the basket, honestly. I missed a lot of chippies in the first half and I don't think I was in full attack mode, so I think in the second half I just focused a little more getting it higher off the glass and taking my time on offense. THE MODERATOR: All right. Thank you. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
|
||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
About ASAP Sports •
FastScripts Archive •
Recent Interviews •
Captioning •
Upcoming Events •
Contact Us
FastScripts | Events Covered | Our Clients | Other Services | ASAP in the News | Site Map | Job Opportunities | Links |
|
ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297
|