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NCAA WOMEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP: FINAL FOUR

April 1, 2018

Columbus, Ohio

Notre Dame - 61, Mississippi State - 58

THE MODERATOR: Joining us on the dais from Notre Dame, we have head coach Muffet McGraw. We have her five starters, Marina Mabrey, Jackie Young, Jessica Shepard, Arike Ogunbowale, and Kathryn Westbeld. We'll take an opening statement from Coach.

MUFFET McGRAW: I'm just so speechless at this point. To see this team come back from yet another huge deficit, to see Arike make an incredible shot, to see the resilience of a team that never gave up.

Mississippi State was a tremendous defensive team. They really gave us a lot of problems in the first half. We lost our composure a little bit, but we got it back, and we just kept fighting.

Thank you, Jesus, on Easter Sunday.

ARIKE OGUNBOWALE: Amen. Hallelujah.

Q. Arike, walk us through the final shot. Did you think it was good right away? How did it feel when it went in?
ARIKE OGUNBOWALE: When I saw it travel a little bit, I thought so. But that last play, there was just a lot going on. I can't even describe it.

Q. Arike, were you as off balance as the video looked like you might have been?
ARIKE OGUNBOWALE: I mean, I was kind of falling to the baseline. I think, when I shot it, I was kind of at a good angle to the basket, but once I started falling, I was a little off.

Q. Kat, what did Coach say to you guys at the half? She said things weren't going right and you lost your composure. What did she say to get you guys to rally and win this game?
KATHRYN WESTBELD: She was just going over what we needed to work on and what we weren't doing. We really weren't playing our game at all, and I think just kind of getting -- she talked about getting our mental game back. I think a lot of us were shook a little bit. Our minds were kind of going everywhere. I think she tried to calm us down as much as possible and just get us focused on the main goal again.

Q. Jessica, Vic Schaefer in a very complimentary way said, in effect, you put your head down and went to the basket when the outside shooting wasn't working. Was that accurate?
JESSICA SHEPARD: I think we knew we had a little bit of a mismatch when I was at the high post driving on McCowan. When you have great shooters around you, it opens things up. To have a one-on-one matchup makes it a lot easier.

Q. Can you take us through what's going through your mind winning a National Championship in your home state of Ohio? What's going through your mind here?
KATHRYN WESTBELD: It's honestly so surreal right now. Just trying to process everything. There's so many alums back, which makes it even so much better. But just -- I'm just so proud and thankful to be on this team. And for what we've overcome this season, for them to send our seniors out on this note, like it doesn't get better than this. And for it to be in my home state, it's just have all my friends and family here, I just honestly couldn't ask for anything else.

Q. Jackie, on the last play when you were inbounding the ball, first of all, what were the instructions from Coach McGraw on the play? And then what did you see and how did you manage to get the ball to Arike?
JACKIE YOUNG: Initially, we were looking for Jess, but -- I mean, whenever I was looking at it, I didn't like the way it looked. I knew, if I threw it, it would have possibly been a turnover. So I talked to Arike before, and I was like, if the matchup doesn't look right or if Jess isn't in the position that we're looking for, then come back to the ball. And I just made sure that Arike was literally coming to the ball before I passed it to her.

We had confidence in her. As soon as she put the shot up, I knew it was going in.

Q. Marina, this is for you. 58-53 when Ro Johnson hits a three. You guys haven't hit a three all night. Take me through your thinking and just sort of what you were looking to do getting that three to get you right back to 58-56.
MARINA MABREY: I was definitely looking to make it (laughter). We weren't even looking for a three. We were 2 for 9. We didn't even get any. We were looking for Jess inside, and my player left. I think she trapped down or something. Jess just kicked it to me, and I was like, okay, Marina, it's time. You really need to make this. So I got lucky.

Q. Arike, you were 1 of 10 the first half. I don't want to remind you of that shooting, but what got you on track the second half? It seemed like getting to the basket certainly helped.
ARIKE OGUNBOWALE: It's just my teammates. They're talking to me all the time. No matter if I'm 1 for 20 or whatever, they're like, Keep going to the basket. We need you. So I think they give me the confidence to keep going.

THE MODERATOR: Thank you, ladies. We'll take questions for Coach McGraw.

Q. What did you think when the shot went up? Did you think it's going in again?
MUFFET McGRAW: Yeah, it was kind of a desperation shot, you know, with only three seconds. She had a great idea of the clock going in her head and got it off just in time. She was our second option. We wanted to go to Jess first, but I knew that she would get a shot off. When it went through, I couldn't honestly believe that it went in.

Q. Muffet, you said the other day how this is a great thing for women's basketball, like Friday night when you had the two overtime semifinals. I think this just adds icing to the cake for how great the weekend was for the sport.
MUFFET McGRAW: Phenomenal for women's basketball. Three exciting games. I hope the ratings reflect it.

But the crowd was tremendous tonight. Everybody came back. Just an incredible job by Columbus and the local community. Great support for women's basketball and definitely one of the best Final Fours since 2001, right? (Laughter).

Q. Muffet, the decision for you guys to go a lot more up tempo second half, pushing to the rim, was that an adjustment to their defense, or was that something you wanted to do all along?
MUFFET McGRAW: No, it was rebounding. I think we were able to get some rebounds and get going a little bit more in transition. Just really couldn't get anything going in the second quarter. So I think the third quarter we definitely came out and were a little more focused on trying to use the high ball screen.

Q. Muffet, we used the word "resilient" a couple of days ago. It doesn't seem quite sufficient considering how much you guys sort of keep coming back at it. Do you have other words that you would like to choose at this point?
MUFFET McGRAW: What though the odds, part of our fight song. The fighting spirit of Notre Dame is just amazing. Relentless, competitive, they have a swagger, they believe in themselves with the confidence that starts with Arike and Marina and just filters down through the team.

Q. Muffet, Vic was in here, and he said they talk about one more. His experience is it does come down to that one play. At this level, at this point, is that what you've seen through the years, that it is that one turn, that one play that changes everything?
MUFFET McGRAW: You know, I don't know. For us, it's -- like our thing is every possession matters. Every possession is important. You have to get it right on every possession. And then I think it's the runs. It's a game of runs. One team's going to go on one. You've got to be able to withstand it and then answer it.

Q. Muffet, you talked about the fighting spirit to win your second national title 17 years to the day after the first. What does it kind of say, not just about you, of course, but about your program? We don't see the day-to-day work you guys put in, but just longevity and what you've put together at Notre Dame.
MUFFET McGRAW: I think we've established a great culture. I think starting in 2011, when we were able to get back to the Final Four for the first time in ten years, and I think the culture just perpetuates itself, starting with the seniors and how they address the team, how they indoctrinate the freshmen into our culture, and the work ethic. I think that's what really separates the good teams.

Q. When you did get back to the Final Four in 2011, was it almost a feeling of like, okay, we're getting closer and closer, just any one of these years now?
MUFFET McGRAW: Yeah, well, 2011, Skylar kind of led us, and we had just a really good team. And then she graduated, and we're like, now what's going to happen next, and then Kayla McBride brought us back, and then Natalie Achonwa brought us back. It has been fun doing it with different teams and knowing that the culture is going to continue.

Q. Congratulations. Two parts to this. One, you've talked very fondly about this team. You always do talk fondly about your teams, but it seems like you have a particular attachment. Now that you're at the end of the road on this particular season, does this feel like someone -- one that's atop the list for you?
MUFFET McGRAW: Yeah, there's been so many great teams and so many players here with us celebrating in the locker room just now, all the former players. And we talked about how we've done it for all of them that weren't able to finish the job. So this team is really special just because of their personality.

You know what, they're a fun team. They have a great time together. They're always enjoying each other's company on and off the court. They have fun in the locker room.

The season's a grind. I mean, it's a long season. So you have to have a passion for the game, and you have to be able to enjoy it, and this team, probably more than any other I've had, enjoys it.

Q. Just the second half of that being you're bringing these players back. You're bringing reinforcements back. You have Brianna Turner coming back from injury. Do you think this is a team that has a chance to do something that sets it apart even from every other team you've had here?
MUFFET McGRAW: Yeah, I definitely think they have a chance. There's no guarantees. Bringing back some good players. We're getting some good players. We're returning some good players. The ball bounces in a funny way sometimes. You have to take advantage of your opportunities, and that's why I'm so thankful we were able to finish this one.

Q. Muffet, you kind of just answered it there, but was it sweet having some of those players like Natalie and Becca and those that were here to celebrate since they were so close those years, and to take part in this wonderful night for Notre Dame?
MUFFET McGRAW: It was great to see so many of our alums and how happy they were for us. They were just -- they couldn't be happier for this team, for what they've accomplished, for the whole program, for the coaching staff. We are a family, and it's great to have them back.

Q. First half, they pressed a lot, and you went between Jackie and Marina as the ball handler. Neither one seemed to be working. What did you do in the second half that really kind of eventually got you able to get that offense going again?
MUFFET McGRAW: I think Jackie and Arike did a little more ball handling and running the point, and I think that took Marina off to the wing a little bit more. I think that was the most success that we had against their pressure because it was really great pressure.

THE MODERATOR: Thank you.

MUFFET McGRAW: I just want to say McCowan is an unbelievable player. She had a fantastic game. She's so difficult to guard. She is definitely an All-American.

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