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NCAA WOMEN'S REGIONAL SEMIFINALS AND FINALS: OKLAHOMA CITYMarch 24, 2017Kim MulkeyBeatrice MompremierNina DavisKalani BrownOklahoma City, Oklahoma Baylor - 97, Louisville - 63 THE MODERATOR: We're joined by Baylor. Coach, opening statement tonight? COACH MULKEY: No. THE MODERATOR: I tried. We'll go for questions for coach and student-athletes. Q. Nina, this looked like your kind of game, up and down, able to get out in the open floor. How much fun was this for you tonight? NINA DAVIS: I mean, it was a lot of fun. We came out and got off to a quick start, which is something we needed to do, something we've been focusing on. We were getting out running, everybody was getting out on the fast breaks. They were feeding me the ball. We like to push the ball and play up-tempo. Q. Nina, Jeff was in here talking about how efficient your game was tonight, in particular the way you were able to play off of the two big players in there. Talk about, was it a case of you were able to sort of pick your spots in there tonight? NINA DAVIS: For sure. Coming into the game, we know they focus a lot on our bigger-sized players. They try to double them. I try to release the pressure, get into the open spots, cut to the basket when they're doubling them, just try to make it as easy as possible. Q. Beatrice, earlier in the week it was said that in the game of basketball you don't really know what to expect. Did you expect that kind of game for you today? BEATRICE MOMPREMIER: No. I just expected a tough game, going out there, rebounding, helping my team, doing whatever I could do to help my team. Q. Kalani, y'all outscored them in the paint. What did you like about your interior defense today? KALANI BROWN: We just took what the defense gave us. I was able to get some passes to Nina. Nina was wide open. If they're collapsing on us, we just go to the next option. I think that's what we did. Guarded shots, opened up the paint a little bit so we could score. We offensive rebounded, got put-backs. Just did the dirty work today. It was split between all posts. We all did well. Q. Kalani, in the first game, Teaira McCowan had 26 points. She's about 6'7". Talk about on Sunday you'll be facing another player your size, what you will need to do to combat Mississippi State's inside game? KALANI BROWN: I've actually played her before, on the AAU circuit. She's a big, strong post. If you let her bury you or get you deep, she'll punish you in there. I've got to be smart on defense, keep my hands high, meet her, run the floor. Just do what we've been doing, play our game. Also stay out of foul trouble, as well. Q. Kim, it looked like you guys did a good job against Asia during the first half. She got going a little bit in the second half. What did you do during the first half to hold her down? COACH MULKEY: We hedged somewhat on the screens. I didn't think that they did a lot of handoffs that we expected, that we've seen them on film do. Maybe that's because we played good defense. I thought that every shot she took early was a contested shot. We didn't foul her on any perimeter shots. I thought that every shot she took, I just wanted a Baylor player to make it difficult. I think she got five points there at the end on some kids that don't get significant minutes for us. Guys were on a roll. Just playing good basketball. As I said before the game, yeah, you should talk about our post players, but you better not forget about those perimeter players. Those kids get overlooked. They're hitting big-time shots. They're shooting unbelievable from the three. It's because of the big guys that they're able to get those open looks. Q. Kim, Nina has had to take a lot of different roles for you in the four years. She's done that pretty selflessly. Not necessarily all players would be able to do that. Talk about the attitude and everything that she's brought. COACH MULKEY: Sure. Unfortunately, All-American teams are picked by people who never see kids play. They might see them occasionally on TV. Nina Davis didn't have help around her for two years that she made all these All-American teams. She had to do it every night. She had to take all the shots. She had to get all the rebounds, play all the minutes. She just kept stopping at an Elite 8. Like all good programs, we wanted to get help around her, to relieve some of that pressure. She's handled it like a trooper. She wants to get to a Final Four before her career is over. You're right, selfish, huh? Parents that you see on TV today, selfish players that you see on TV today. They want everything today. Yeah, well, this kid, all she wants today is a Final Four and a chance at a national championship. Send me those kind of kids and I'll coach 'em anytime. Q. Kim, sort of a first impression of going against Mississippi State with what you've seen of them. COACH MULKEY: Well, Teaira McCowan, guys, lives in our backyard. Watched her grow up. She's in the same class as these two kids. Unfortunately, you have to make decisions in recruiting. I'm proud and happy for her because I've watched a young lady grow up really right before my eyes, from the time she was a seventh grader. I'm familiar with Vic and his style of defense, because he was at A&M for so many years with Gary Blair, and that's kind of what they did. They play in a conference where they've seen the bigs before in South Carolina. They're big themselves. It's going to make for a great Elite 8 game. THE MODERATOR: Coach, congratulations to you and the young ladies. COACH MULKEY: Thank you. THE MODERATOR: Get a little rest, and we'll see you tomorrow. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports   |
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