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BIG TEN CONFERENCE WOMEN'S BASKETBALL TOURNAMENTMarch 2, 2018Alexa HartKevin McGuffKelsey MitchellIndianapolis, Indiana Ohio State - 82, Rutgers - 57 Q. Kevin, what's Asia Doss' status for tomorrow? KEVIN McGUFF: Yeah, she had an ankle injury, and it's close. If we really, really had to play her, I think there's a chance we could, but we're trying to give her a little bit of rest. So she's day-to-day, to answer your question. We have a doctor here. He'll continue to evaluate her and she if we can get her out there or not this weekend. Q. It's kind of a thin line to tread because you go after a conference championship or try to extend your chances in the NCAA? KEVIN McGUFF: Correct, that's it, exactly, because we know if we rest her now, we can have her back 100 percent by the time we would play a game after this weekend. So we'll continue to evaluate, just kind of see how she does. Q. Could you talk about just the way your team reacted to that? Alexa came out with a lot of fire. KEVIN McGUFF: I thought we did a good job, Alexa in particular. But overall the group responded well and I thought today was a good performance, especially on the defensive end. Our kids played hard and competed. It's a good win. Rutgers is a very talented and they've had a lot of success this year. Overall good first day for us. Q. Just the confidence level that you have in your team without Asia out there on the floor, I think the final score kind of reflected that, but just what was that like, having Alexa step up and the rest of the team kind of pick up the slack? KEVIN McGUFF: Yeah, you know, I've got a lot of confidence in all of our players, certainly Alexa being one. She's a fantastic player. She's played a lot of hard, tough minutes over her career here, so my expectation is that she would play well, and she did, and I'd have the same expectation for tomorrow. Q. Kelsey, you played a lot more on the ball today. How do you embrace that without Asia in the lineup? KELSEY MITCHELL: Well, I was just telling the Big Ten reporters that it's a lot more difficult when our best defender is out, and with that being said, you kind of try to fill those gaps and those holes and start doing some other things, whether that be in the gap or being in help or apply pressure. Asia was always good for that. It wasn't a totally different role for me, but I did step out of my comfort zone a little bit. Q. Kevin, it seemed like in the beginning you guys felt Asia's absence a little more on the defensive end. You only got like two points off of a turnover. Did you make any adjustments at halftime? KEVIN McGUFF: Not really. We made a couple of adjustments in the zone, how we were guard certain actions, but I think it was just kind of indicative of a tournament where they played yesterday and they were probably just a tad more comfortable to start because of that. But kind of once we got going and got in a rhythm and got the game going the way we wanted from a pace standpoint, then I thought we looked really comfortable. Q. Yesterday Rutgers was pressing and breaking Purdue all on defense. How were you guys able to break through their defense today? KEVIN McGUFF: Well, one, I thought our defense was really good, and so they were -- they couldn't set up their press a lot because they weren't making a lot of baskets, especially in the second and third quarter. It's just harder to do all that when they're not scoring. So I thought that was the biggest thing. And then secondly, I think we have enough ball handling and a veteran group that can handle that type of stuff, especially with the ball in Kelsey's hands. Q. How do you maintain that press that you're talking about without Asia, especially when you add instead of a guard you have a forward in there? KEVIN McGUFF: Like I said, we played a little differently today. That was partly because Asia wasn't in there and partly just the matchup where we played a lot more zone defensively, and I think that was the right call for us today. That's not necessarily -- that doesn't mean we'll do the same thing tomorrow. But I think we got it right today in terms of how we played on that end of the floor, the defensive end. Q. Makayla and Stephanie had three fouls going into halftime. How much of a concern was that heading into the second half? KEVIN McGUFF: Yeah, and it was -- a couple of them were silly fouls, just running people over, things like that. But one of the things I thought they did a good job with, they continued to play really hard and play the way we want them to play, and then they also came out of the locker room, and it really didn't -- sometimes that can have a bit of an effect on you mentally, but I thought they both played through it pretty well. Q. Alexa, Mavunga and Makayla pick up three fouls in the first half. You got the spot start. You looked like such a happy player today. What was your -- what were your designs today? ALEXA HART: Just to go out there and just pick up from where Asia started with her high intensity. Just go out there and just try to do whatever I need to do. Q. You played so free and easy with two of your teammates with three fouls. I mean, that made you the only real big. ALEXA HART: You know, I just -- I mean, I tried to talk them through it, like telling Steph, it's okay, just keep playing, and then just trying to pick up from where KK and Steph started off, just keeping their intensity up during the game. Q. Kelsey, the Iowa team was flashing by when I was walking off the court. They looked very, very large. What would happen if you played Iowa without Asia? What are you going to have to do? KELSEY MITCHELL: Same thing we've always done, stick to the game plan, apply to the game what Coach has for us to do, stick with personnel and just play the game for 40 minutes. Q. Alexa, when did you know you would have to go into that starting role, and what was going through your mind when you knew you had to replace Asia and kind of step into the lineup? ALEXA HART: We didn't really go over that until like yesterday when we were leaving, Coach McGuff came over and talked to me about it. But just to come in and just keep a high intensity level. Q. Kevin, when you have someone like Asia who obviously brings so much energy to the team, what is sort of the mentality when she's on the bench and obviously she's not in that starting lineup? KEVIN McGUFF: I mean, I just think she was really good on the bench today. She's very smart. She knows the game, so she did a great job talking to our players, kind of helping coach them through some things and just keeping the energy up on the bench. That's what she could do today. That's how she could contribute, and she did a great job of that. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports   |
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