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NCAA WOMEN'S REGIONALS SEMIFINALS & FINALS: GREENSBOROMarch 28, 2015Brittany BrownAdut BulgakMaegan ConwrightLeticia RomeroSue SemrauGREENSBORO, NORTH CAROLINA Q. Question for Maegan, yesterday was really the first game where you went down completely to the wire after stomping through the first two rounds of the tournament. As one of the senior leaders, how do you keep this team grounded even when the game is going down to a one‑point game? MAEGAN CONWRIGHT: One thing we really focus season is unit and something we've been working on all year, and we haven't hit our peak in it yet. And I feel like we did a really great job yesterday of staying together when things are going down and not separating, and just communicating with each other. Q. Adut, for a while, came dangerously close to being the first team to out‑rebound you since Notre Dame. What were you doing in the paint to make sure that didn't happen and to keep the rebounding numbers as solid as they always are? ADUT BULGAK: The coaches, I could hear them from the bench yelling, "Get around the players." So we had more of our guards start boxing out and crashing harder, and so that made it easier and opened the lanes for our post to also get in the action of rebounding. Q. Adut and Ivey, obviously South Carolina is known for the depth and size that they have inside. You guys have faced similar kind of tough teams. I wonder if you can talk about what it's like going against South Carolina in terms of having people they can rotate in on the interior. ADUT BULGAK: Well, first of all, we're‑‑ can you repeat the question? Q. South Carolina's size, they have got a lot of size and they have a lot of people that they can rotate in on the inside. Can you talk about going against that? ADUT BULGAK: Well, with their size I think we are going to look to our guards to hassle the post when the ball gets in but I think our posts can also handle that. We have played against players that were bigger than us this year, and I think we're going to do a good job of just stick to go what we know and playing good defense; and also with their rotations, just like us, we have a deep bench but I think our match‑ups will be fine. Q. Has yesterday's 21‑point performance sunk in for you and how do you put that in the back of your mind and get ready for South Carolina? LETICIA ROMERO: Well, we got the win. We forget about last night. Now we have another game. I think what we have to think about, get ready for South Carolina, it's going to be a tough game and just be ready. There's nothing else that we will think about. Q. Maegan, to go through a close game and be tested as much as you guys were, does it give you a sense of confidence knowing that you can survive a battle like that going into what is probably going to be a pretty tough game tomorrow? MAEGAN CONWRIGHT: Most definitely, it's always confidence when you're stepping up and getting a tough win. Arizona State was a great team and their pressure was phenomenal, so for us to get through that and stay together only makes us improve on what we can do and how we will play towards South Carolina. Q. Brittany, you're a guard who is averaging maybe about two to three offensive rebounds per game, against a team like South Carolina, how important is it to have guards that can also rebound the ball in case the ball gets away from the post players? BRITTANY BROWN: It's very important. Something that we always have been stressing throughout this whole year that we've done so well is defending and rebounding.        Regardless of who our opponent is, that's what we want to do in every game that we play, and just like you said, it's going to be huge because of how big they are with their posts. We know how hard that our posts are going to work inside, and for our guards to contribute a little bit of that, that takes some pressure off of them. Q. For Maegan, how much have you gotten a chance to see Tiffany Mitchell for South Carolina in terms of she's been the SEC Player of the Year the last two years, but she's really improved in terms of shot selection and different things. Wonder your thoughts on going against her tomorrow. MAEGAN CONWRIGHT: Yeah, it was funny because some of my teammates asked if I ever played against her and I couldn't remember. But when she was a freshman, I was a junior and I think that's when I got hurt so I never got to play against her. So to see her and watch her, I still watch my teammates at Kentucky, and she's a great player and I can't wait to play against her. Q. Adut, the fact that you guys have out‑rebounded almost everybody you've played this year, is that just a statistic or something you take particular pride in? Are you checking the stats sheet after every game to make sure you've upheld that? What does it mean for you guys? ADUT BULGAK: I'd say all of the above, actually, in some aspects. Like to us, rebounding is very contagious for our team. I've had games where I'll have a double‑double, and then Brittany will come around and then she'll have a double‑double. It's like when somebody is rebounding well, you see the team is rebounding well, it just trickles down and everybody wants to be a part of it. So it's become a big identity for our team, and yeah, we check ‑‑ we'll like check the stat sheet to make sure that we have out‑rebounded everybody just because it's such a main focus of our game. Q. A year ago at this time, a difficult time for you, and here you are one game away from the Final Four. Can you even put that in perspective of what this 12 months has been like for you? LETICIA ROMERO: Well, it's just a blessing to be able to play this year. I never thought I was going to be able to play. And with this team, I have told them so many times that at the beginning of the season, whenever we start having games and I was on the bench, I wish I could have played because how much fun you see they have on the court, and that is translated into success. That is I think the key for us to be where we are right now. Q. Kentucky is one of the one teams to beat South Carolina this year. Is there anybody up there that you can maybe reach out to for a last‑minute pointer or two? MAEGAN CONWRIGHT: Yeah, I can, but our coaches have done such a great job of looking at what we need to work on towards winning versus South Carolina and some similar things that we will take from Kentucky. We watched film this morning, and it was really cool to see them beat South Carolina and we are looking to do the same. Q. This is just the second time Florida State has made it this far. One or the other team, either Florida State or South Carolina is going to be a first‑timer in the Final Four. What does that mean to you to be a part of that in the one season you're able to play here? MAEGAN CONWRIGHT: It's such a blessing, you know, leaving Kentucky and not knowing where I was going to go and then Coach Sue taking a chance with me, with a lot of coaches that didn't; as far as me turning my ACL, they didn't know what I was going to bring to the table. To be able to come here and do this for Coach Sue, I couldn't be any happier to be able to be in this position to get to the Final Four. And to be in a region where nobody has done it before; so up for grabs, it just gives us the rest of us confidence that we can do it and we are not going to back down. Q. You've been in this situation before, getting ready to go up against the number one seed in the region to go to the Final Four. Is there any familiarity compared to 2010 when you were matched up against UCONN? COACH SEMRAU: I think people think of the Final Four as a destiny, and I don't‑‑ this team doesn't see that. This is a game and this is‑‑ so I really look at it very similar that it's a great team that we are getting ready to face. And if we put too much emphasis on the destination, then we are not going to be prepared for the next thing. And I think it's really important that we keep our mind on our business. Q. Could you talk about a little bit of the difficulty that South Carolina presents in terms of their size and their depth on their bench? COACH SEMRAU: I could talk a long time about the difficulty that they present. Talk about size; talk about speed; strength; depth; their ability to defend; to feel; their guard play is tremendous. They are such a well‑rounded team, and obviously very deserving of a No.1 seed. So there's a lot of things I could talk about. They are a great, great basketball team. Q. Kind of like what I asked Maegan, as a coach, are you happy to see that you had to go through a test like you did last night before going up against a team of South Carolina's calibre, as opposed to if last night had gone similar to the first two games? COACH SEMRAU: I'm happy now. Last night was a battle, and I mean, it's definitely‑‑ I think any time that you battle and face adversity, you get stronger. Fortunately we were able to be a point ahead when the buzzer went off and so I think absolutely, it strengthens us as a team. Q. I think Coach Hatchell mentioned last night that South Carolina's role players‑‑ just one after the other in the game. Can you think of a team that's comparable depth‑wise that you've played this year? I know you've seen some good teams in the ACC but anything at all that is comparable to it? COACH SEMRAU: I wouldn't call their bench players role players. I think that everybody plays an extremely important role. I would liken them in size to Duke in our conference. There's great size. So we have seen that throughout conference play. But yeah, I think it's probably the only one I can think of right off the top of my head. Q. Can you put in perspective with Leti, she sort of just hit the ground running and I know she played a lot overseas with the junior team and then the national team. But still, the fact that she has made the adjustment really so quickly with this group, can you kind of put that in perspective? COACH SEMRAU: I was shaking my head when you asked her that question, because I haven't even thought that, you know, what, 12 months ago, that she was going through the process of transfer; and for her to be in this situation just shows the maturity and resiliency that she has. She's got a tremendous family. They stayed up Spain time last night watching it on ESPN. They are flying here to see her one way or another this week, and I tell you, she's remarkable. Q. A couple times, you've asked her to let the ball fly a little more and shoot a little more; was last night the game you've been waiting for from her this season? COACH SEMRAU: It came down to, shots weren't coming easy for anyone. And even the ball reversal and getting the ball into operational areas wasn't easy. And so Leti knew that it was a role that she needed to take in order for us to win, and that's when she is at her best scoring‑wise is when she knows she's needed. She loves to get other people involved, and I think that's really the heart of a true point guard. I think it just shows what she's capable of last night. Q. Obviously nobody on your roster was in the Elite 8 the last time you were here, but for you personally as a coach, was there anything of that experience‑‑ taught you anything that you can glean that you can apply to tomorrow? COACH SEMRAU: What's so cool is we had so many alumni come back to our first and second rounds who were in that Elite 8 game and were in Sweet16s, and they spoke a lot to our players about that time. The thing they talked about was family, and the thing they talked about was the people. And I think that's what it's about. Regardless, throughout the course of time, I think that that's what basketball really is all about. It's great to win, but the people you do it with are more important. Q. You went against Jewell Loyd, ACC Player of the Year, three times this year. Tiffany Mitchell is the two‑time SEC Player of the Year. Can you see some comparisons and how does facing Jewell maybe help in terms of preparing for Tiffany? COACH SEMRAU: Yeah, I think they are two different players, but two excellent players. You even mentioned shot selection, and I think both of them have an incredible knack for knowing what their team needs when. Both are extremely efficient when they shoot the ball. I think that the post game for Tiffany depth‑wise ask size‑wise, maybe gives her the ability to do a little less offensively or maybe puts a little less pressure on her than Jewell has. And both of them are great defenders, as well. Q. South Carolina coach is predicting nine busloads of fans coming up to see them‑‑ COACH SEMRAU: Cool. Q. ‑‑ this could be Florida State's first truly hostile environment in this tournament. How do you prepare your team for that? COACH SEMRAU: They will be wearing garnet, I think. It's great. The more people, the better for our team. I think it's fantastic what South Carolina has done with their fan base. They are not too far away from here, so the fact that they are going to jump on buses; I know that if we were in Jacksonville, the same thing would be happening for Tallahassee, so I think it's fantastic. Q. Both teams take so much pride in rebounding. How much physical do you expect tomorrow's game to be? COACH SEMRAU: Probably as physical as it was last night. We felt like last night was extremely physical. And we don't mind that. I think that is all about work and both teams love to work. That's a stat I think that shows when teams have a lot of effort and work, that's what stands out. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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