BIG EAST CONFERENCE WOMEN'S BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT

March 6, 2021

Megan Duffy

Lauren Van Kleunen

Marquette Golden Eagles

Mohegan Sun Arena

Postgame Media Conference

Marquette - 68, Providence - 43

COACH DUFFY: It's great obviously to open up with a win. I felt like we were waiting around a long time to finally get to play. Just proud of the overall effort tonight against Providence. We knew we had to be good defensively. I thought our toughness at times was pretty exciting to see, held them to 30 percent shooting.

One of our goals today was to try and kind of wear them out after a tough game that they had yesterday. And I thought we did overall a really nice job kind of controlling the pace and being in control most of the game.

Q. Coach, last time we talked you said you wanted the team to shoot the 3 a little bit better. You made six 3-pointers. How big of a spark was that to your team's success this evening?

COACH DUFFY: I think we've talked all year long that our team success isn't predicated on how many 3s we make, but it's always nice when the ball's moving to hit open shots. I thought that's what we did a few more times tonight. It was nice to see Claire Kaifes knock down a couple of 3s and see that ball go in the hoop.

But my concern with the offense has always been ball movement, work inside/outside. And if we're getting high-percentage and high-quality shots, whether it's in the paint or from the 3 we'll be happy with that.

Q. Coach, you had 46 rebounds in total, 35 of them on the defensive end and held Providence to two offensive rebounds. You clamped down on defense. What are you looking to carry into tomorrow's semifinal game after the weekend?

COACH DUFFY: Ask Lauren that too. That was a big challenge against UConn. We got whipped on the boards last week. We really challenged the core of -- led by Lauren Van Kleunen and Chloe and Cam, just to have a different mentality about themselves.

And we knew with Geary and Baskerville inside, with their length, it was going to be difficult. I thought it was just a mentality of get back to what we do both fundamentally, boxing out and just the tenacity to rebound every possession on both sides. I thought overall we did a really good job especially on the defensive glass. There was a decent amount of missed shots that we cleaned up and we didn't allow for extra possessions. Just good with the improvement from Monday night's game against Connecticut.

LAUREN VAN KLEUNEN: Kind of echoing what Coach is saying, one of our big things we talk about, the post group, is our identity. And obviously one of the big things is rebounding. Definitely after UConn, we had to come together and understand how we were giving up so many ORBs, and on the defensive end how could we be better. Definitely showed tonight, you know, we made the adjustment. We want to bring that into tomorrow as well, too.

Q. I know Coach has talked a lot about just how well your team assists the ball, always trying to get that extra pass in. How did your offense really get that extra pass in tonight?

LAUREN VAN KLEUNEN: I think with Providence, you definitely have to pack the paint a little more. We understood definitely ball movement. I think it's awesome to have five scorers out there, anyone who is looking to get their shot. We're confident in every single one of us.

It's big that we were able to move the ball, have ball movement, to get those open shots. And I think a big thing is that extra pass to get an even better shot.

And we know, as kind of what I just talked about, with the post group rebounding, they get it on the glass we're going to go get it. That's just a big thing we identify with our team.

Q. You had some really great bench moves there supporting your teammates. The binocular, what was that?

COACH DUFFY: March Madness moves. (Laughter) Now you embarrassed her, Megan.

Q. Lauren, this is your fourth straight appearance in a Big East semifinals as a player. How special is that for just you as a senior knowing this could be your last, but you talked last week to me, you want to continue the tradition of Marquette women's basketball into the Big East Tournament and into March Madness.

LAUREN VAN KLEUNEN: It's obviously a testament to our pass play and how good we have been but we want to continue to take it one game at a time. And I think just our focus today was great. And we have to obviously move on to the next game tomorrow, depending on who our opponent is. I think it's just big for us. It's exciting. I think I even passed down a little bit of experience from the standpoint of just talking to the girls about how much fun March is.

So just kind of getting tidbits with that I think is big. It's very exciting to be in another semifinal and we're going to, whoever we play, it's going to be very exciting.

Q. Lauren, Cam Taylor had 12 points. How have you seen her develop in the post alongside you this year?

LAUREN VAN KLEUNEN: You know, it's been awesome playing with her. And I think just seeing her growth mindset throughout this year. I think one of the big things me and her really, really worked on is just the chemistry with one another and understanding different angles understanding how we can play off with one another. I think it's just really, really big to see the growth.

And I think you might see that I take her under my wing, but I think at moments she takes me under her wing. Usually we have a big relationship, just talking about different things on the court that we see or she might help me with something else. It's awesome to see the growth. And she's only going to continue to get better. I'm very excited to see her next couple of years here how amazing, but it's been awesome playing with her. I think just the relationship has continued to grow as well.