|
|||
|
|||
|
 |
|
|
BIG TEN CONFERENCE WOMEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIPMarch 6, 2020Kevin McGuffDorka JuhaszBraxtin MillerIndianapolis, Indiana Ohio State - 87, Iowa - 66 KEVIN McGUFF: We can go right into questions. Q. How fun was that great start you guys had, and how important was it to come out firing right away? BRAXTIN MILLER: I think it was really important to just make sure we had a lot of energy from the very beginning. I think we wanted to send a message from the jump and just show that we were ready and we really wanted it. I think it was great also that we had such great chemistry and we were hitting and things like that, so it was really important for us to come out super strong. Q. What made the zone that they were running in the first half so easy to break? DORKA JUHASZ: I believe we were just moving the ball really well, and we always made an extra pass. So it was just people were just hitting shots, and obviously we keep like scoring from outside to inside. So definitely like when we played there, it was a little hard for us to play against their zone, so we were preparing for it a lot, and I believe like we moved the ball really well, so probably that's why we could break it so easily. Q. Braxtin, obviously hitting shots makes a big difference, but other than that, what was the difference this time around, especially early in that first quarter? BRAXTIN MILLER: I think we came out a lot better. I think our defense was a big factor, as well. I think that we were able to create a lot of things from our defense and then turn that into offense and get some transition points and things like that. I think, though, that our defense was a lot today. Q. Obviously you guys excel on both ends of the court, but moving forward, which aspect of this game was more important for you guys, the offensive performance that you guys put up or the defensive performance against a team that came into this game averaging 80 points a game? BRAXTIN MILLER: I think every time it's really our defense that's going to be the deciding factor. I think that sometimes offense can go up and down, and you can hit shots and then go into spurts where the team is not really hitting shots. So I think it's super important for us to be able to have great defense and get stops, which then can turn into easy baskets in transition, where we really excel. So I think defense is definitely the main factor. Q. What was the key for you guys defensively? What changed this time around? DORKA JUHASZ: I mean, I believe just like our team defense, just like overall, help side, also like straight line drives, and just like helping each other was really important. Obviously they have the Big Ten Player of the Year, so we were preparing for a lot, and also great post players and guards. I believe everybody contributed in this win defensively and offensively, as well. But it's just effort. I believe like we were going out, we were hungry for the win, and I mean, in the first quarter, I think we made a really big push. Q. Can you just kind of walk me through that early run that you guys had in the first quarter? Obviously hitting shots makes a big difference, but how were you able to do that against a team that is one of the leading teams in this conference? KEVIN McGUFF: Yeah, no, Iowa has got a great team. I have great respect for them. Really excited for what they're going to do in the NCAA Tournament. I think they'll be a really tough out. But I thought our defense was certainly better tonight than the first time we played them. That was the key. We were going to have to stop them. They're really hard to keep up with, if you're going to let them score like they normally because they're just so efficient. But we were good defensively, we forced a lot of shots from the perimeter that we were able to contest, and then on offense I thought we moved the ball. But the same thing, you've got to make some shots, and we made them, so that allowed us to get off to a great start. Q. From a confidence standpoint not just in this game but moving forward, what does it do for a team to know that they can put a run like that together? KEVIN McGUFF: You know, we've been kind of building towards this, if you kind of look at our body of work. We have a really young team with no seniors and just one junior, and the goal for us was to continue to get better throughout the year, and if you look where we started and where we are now, we've made significant progress, and that's always the goal. But with a team this young we were really focused on that, and so hopefully this will just lead us into postseason where we're playing our best basketball. Q. Do you feel like you guys are peaking at this point? Is this your best performance? KEVIN McGUFF: I think so. That's what I -- we've been kind of building towards is to make sure we're playing our best basketball at this time of year, which like I said, everybody does, but for us, with so many new people and we were so young, it's been a real process, and that's probably what I'm most proud of is our kids have really committed to making sure we improved as a team throughout the year. Q. What was the biggest difference for you guys defensively in this game? KEVIN McGUFF: I thought we guarded the ball a lot better. They really beat us off the dribble in the first go-around, and then also they got us around the basket -- two things: Guarding the ball and our post defense were both significantly better than the first time we played them in Iowa City. Q. I kind of asked them about the zone breaking. What do you think was the difference between this time and the last time you played them? KEVIN McGUFF: Well, we moved the ball a lot better, and then we also made shots. Yeah, I think even last night, Minnesota played a lot of zone and we were getting open shots, we just weren't making them. So we had a hard time pulling away from them until late in the game we finally made some shots. But today we started out really hot from the three-point line, and that obviously made all the difference. Q. Dorka got into some foul trouble. How did you adapt to that situation? KEVIN McGUFF: Yeah, I mean, it's tough. We rely on her for so much, and she's so versatile and she plays both ends of the floor so well. But I thought Aixa Wone came in especially and was really good defensively. She really competed with the post players and she really fought and gave us some great minutes. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports   |
|
||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
About ASAP Sports •
FastScripts Archive •
Recent Interviews •
Captioning •
Upcoming Events •
Contact Us
FastScripts | Events Covered | Our Clients | Other Services | ASAP in the News | Site Map | Job Opportunities | Links |
|
ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297
|