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BIG TEN CONFERENCE WOMEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIPMarch 5, 2020C. Vivian StringerDanielle MiglioreTekia MackIndianapolis, Indiana Rutgers - 63, Wisconsin - 55 Q. Start us off with an opening statement on today's Big Ten Tournament. C. VIVIAN STRINGER: Well, first of all, Wisconsin was well prepared, and it was a scary situation simply because when you play a team three times, and they've had very close games to the top teams within the Big Ten, so we were nervous. And what happened at the beginning is that we weren't nearly as impressive as we needed to be, but we did know that we had to step it up, which is extremely taxing, but the team willed themselves to win, and it worked out for us. Q. How relieving was it to get that first win? C. VIVIAN STRINGER: Well, we've got a long way to go. You've got to start with something, right? So we're happy, we're excited about the first win, but we know that we've got plenty more. The biggest issue that we're concerned about is getting everybody back home, getting some rest, getting their legs in ice because we don't have a lot of players, as you know. So that was key because it was a tough game, a really tough game, and we appreciate everybody's contribution. Q. It was a really great game; Indiana tomorrow, how is that turnaround going to feel like for the team? C. VIVIAN STRINGER: Well, we're going to do our best to make sure that everybody is in the ice and we've gotten the therapists ready and getting our legs up and getting rested because that's what's going to make all the difference. Indiana is outstanding, as well, but to have played this team three times is a bit much. Q. I want to ask about Migliore, she had a couple of big threes in the first half. Mack's defense, and Arella's all-around game play. This team seems to be coming into its own the last few games. C. VIVIAN STRINGER: Yes, well, thank goodness. We were talking to Danielle about was that she needed to be a better defensive player, and she got four steals, so she did obviously step it up. She was playing tough on the 55, and that's extremely aggressive, and there's no question about that. And then of course Arella is going to play the normal game that she plays. But the contributions from T-Baby is huge, and it's the engine that really fires us and keeps us going. Everybody, it looks like we are really hitting our stroke at the right time, so we're going to continue to do that. Danielle Migliore Q. Two big threes early on, and you go into halftime tied after a buzzer-beating shot from Wisconsin. What is it in this team that makes you guys not quit? DANIELLE MIGLIORE: Fight. Even during practice every day, we just fight, we compete, and I think that we want into the locker room thinking it's 0-0. Just to step on their throats in the third quarter, and I think that's what we did. Q. Now looking forward to Indiana on pretty much no days' rest, coming right back tomorrow, how is this team going to be prepared, ready to go just one day later? DANIELLE MIGLIORE: Yeah, I think the season prepared us for that, playing some back-to-back games without a lot of days of preparation. I think we're fine. We know what we've got to do, and we're going to stick to this plan. Tekia Mack Q. The team defensively, walk me through that big and-one late in the second half to put you guys up big. TEKIA MACK: I played defense on kind of like a big guard, so I could tell that she was in the lane because she was backing up as I was going forward, so I kept pushing into her because I knew she couldn't block my shot. I elevate so high when I get to those lifts, especially on my left-hand side, and at that point I'm just thinking, it's all or nothing, just go get the and-one or just risk taking the charge. But I had played outstanding defense on the other end to get the steal, so why not go ahead and take it? I got the foul on the and-one. Unlucky that I missed the free throw, but even getting the steal and the bucket, that was a huge push for us. Q. How do you individually prepare for a game in just 24 hours? TEKIA MACK: I really don't prepare. I'm just going to be honest, I don't prepare for games. I just know it's me against them, and I know I should have been Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year, but sometimes that works out differently. I just show up every game, just like I did the last play. You can't out-dribble me. It's me, you and the basketball, and if I want the basketball, you're not going to stop me from getting it. That's my mindset all the time. I just take it or leave it, and at the end of the day I get the steal or I don't, but I just play defense, like Coach said, I'm the engine to our team. If I'm not hyped, then, as you can see, when I got hyped in the second half, we went on a run. Like it was over for Wisconsin at that point. That's what I pretty much did the first year we played them at their school. And I knew that I could get steals, and I picked my poison with certain players, so I just study personnel, watch a lot of film on how people dribble and what go-to move that they have and I just study from that. That's really how I prepare, just study people's go-to moves, especially in the backcourt when they're trying to get it over before they get a 10-second count. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports   |
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