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BIG TEN CONFERENCE WOMEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIPMarch 4, 2020Lindsay WhalenJasmine PowellIndianapolis, Indiana Minnesota - 85, Penn State - 65. Q. What didn't you do in the second quarter that you did in the third? LINDSAY WHALEN: We sat down in stance and defended. They only had 23 points in the third. In the second half we said, we have to get to McDaniel. We had to get to McDaniel. They only scored 13 in the third, and Frazier. So I felt like we did that better. I think we helped in more on those guys. So overall it was just a much better just attention to those two, because at the end of the second quarter, they were just getting anything they wanted because they were putting their heads down and going. Us clogging the paint, making them kick was what we needed to do. Q. A lot of offense off your defense, too. LINDSAY WHALEN: Yeah, that's the name of the game. That's when every team is really good, if you can get stops and then run and you're playing in more broken-floor situations. Against a team like that, when you have two dynamic players as they do, it's all about getting to stop them, making them kick to somebody else and then closeout and respect that they're good players and they're here for a reason, but make somebody else but those two beat us. I thought that we did that in the third quarter. Q. Were you a little frustrated after the second quarter? LINDSAY WHALEN: Yeah, we all were, but you can't play frustrated and you can't show it. You have to dig in, and that's something our team has worked on time and time again, over and over and over again this season, and when we fight through it, when we get through it, really good things happen for us, so it was exciting for us to see as coaches us just be able to power through and stick together in that third. Q. How important was it to get off to a good start after the last game? You said you definitely didn't want to end the season that way. LINDSAY WHALEN: Yeah, so up 13-3, that was big, coming out and making a statement right away. We always say we need to punch first, and I thought we did that. All in all, it was good for us to come out and have that start that we had. Obviously you don't want to have the second quarter and even the lull at the end of the first, but to start the way we did was definitely good. Q. I've heard of players playing out of their mind but not out of their shoe. LINDSAY WHALEN: Yeah, it was tremendous. She gets her 1,000th rebound as a Gopher, so nothing but good things to say about her and her performance tonight. She struggled in the second quarter, but man, her start and the way she played in the third quarter was really everything we needed, and I thought she was so good at both ends of the floor. Q. Seems like when you guys are going well offensively that Powell is just a part of it in some way, whether it's a steal or whether it's passing. She seems like a spark plug. LINDSAY WHALEN: She was. She was. She was somebody who was there all night. A couple turnovers early, but you know, I thought that whether it was an assist or hitting the roll-around in the drive-and-pick, hit a big three, hits a big step-back jumper at the end of the third, which was a big momentum play to get us back up 12 going into the fourth. That was big for us. It was fun to see her, and it's been fun to see her maturity continue to grow and grow this year. Q. Career high for Brunson? LINDSAY WHALEN: Brunson, career high, yep. She had four threes. Then we went to just some mid-pick at the end, and she hits two jumpers. Just nothing short of amazing for her tonight. Got to go back, get these guys off their legs and get some rest because we've got another one tomorrow. Q. You were pretty unhappy with the way that last Ohio State game went. Are you glad to have another crack at them? LINDSAY WHALEN: Absolutely. You know, there's been a handful of games this season that I feel like got away from us, and that was one of them. They're a great team, he's a great coach, so we're definitely coming out here with a mindset that it's a new game, a new day, and we're excited to still be here and moving on. Jasmine Powell Q. You came in and really changed the tempo every time you were in. Is that part of your game plan as a player, or is that different just for every game? JASMINE POWELL: That's what I try to do like every game. I think maybe that's part of my game. That's what I try to implement is changing the pace when I get out there and try to do my best to change the way the game is going, whether good or bad. But yeah, you could say that's in my game. Q. This is your first Big Ten Tournament; how does that feel? JASMINE POWELL: It feels great. As you could see in the beginning, I was a little nervous, but I just tried to get rid of the butterflies and put us out. Q. There was a big difference between the first half and the second half. What changes did you make at halftime that really fixed that? JASMINE POWELL: I think my mindset, going in, just a little bit nervous and kind of turned the ball over a little bit, not playing my game. And then the second half, kind of just slowing down and getting more comfortable out there. I think that was the biggest change. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports   |
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