BIG TEN CONFERENCE WOMEN'S BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT

March 3, 2022

Nancy Fahey

Adalia Mckenzie

Aaliyah Nye

Illinois Fighting Illini

Gainbridge Fieldhouse

Postgame Press Conference

Nebraska - 92, Illinois - 74

THE MODERATOR: We'll start with an opening comment from coach and then we'll go to the student-athletes.

NANCY FAHEY: Yes. It's always hard this time of year when it finally is, the season's over. We knew Nebraska was going to shoot the ball well, but they shot the heck out of it tonight, obviously. We tried to see everything we could on their ball screens, but Shelley was pretty impressive obviously tonight. 9-13.

But I'm proud of this team. We've gone through a lot and they have stuck together, locker room's tight. Played a lot of young people today that I thought they really showed up too. So I think the future's bright.

THE MODERATOR: Questions for the players.

Q. Aaliyah, last time you guys talked about doing the little things. Tonight that kind of got away from you. These are the things that Nancy was talking about coming in that you guys were working on. So tonight for the younger ones that are still in the program, what are some things they can take away from tonight?

AALIYAH NYE: I think just giving it your all because you never know when it's going to be your last. So, yeah, we just got to keep focusing on it and getting rebounds, getting stops, and doing the little things. I think just reinforcing it and knowing that it could be your last game any day.

Q. When you look at the game and the way Nebraska shot the ball, it's lights out. Anything that you did except compete, compete, compete?

AALIYAH NYE: Yeah. I think we just tried to stop their three, but obviously they had their post players shooting threes. It's hard for our posts to get out there as well.

We knew she was going to shoot the 3, but I think just focusing on what they have been doing well throughout the game and trying to fix that. Like, we knew they were shooting threes. Maybe we should have got up and made them drive. So I think just changing our game plan throughout the game.

Q. As a freshman, you're looking at the game -- at this point in the season you're not a freshman anymore. What are some things that you learned from this that you can take forward with your teammates from this point forward?

ADALIA MCKENZIE: I learned a lot. I really just want to stay focused and stay present during the game, but most of all just give your all. And it is about the little things, but just going out on a consistent basis throughout the game and off the court as well.

Q. Illinois had some really good wins in this tournament and they have come far. Is this something that you use this now as, hey, this is the bottom line, this is where we go from here?

ADALIA MCKENZIE: Yeah. Like, we got to just talk about next year and working harder. And we don't want to be playing the first game, we want to play the second game and the third. So just taking that on for next year.

THE MODERATOR: All right. We'll take questions for coach.

Q. Last night the same thing we just talked about. You were so proud of the girls last night, but even with that run that Nebraska made, how they shot the lights out, your kids were competing and you could see they were competing, they just weren't up to the task tonight. What can you do about this in the future with them? Is this more competition? More repetition? What?

NANCY FAHEY: The core of what you're talking about is the competitiveness of the team. I think one thing about it that was really challenging with Nebraska is they're post popping to be able to shoot threes. And so where your help came from was a challenge. How you get that better, you just try to bring in, continue to recruit. They were bigger than us.

And so I'm proud of this team, but we have to fill in some spots. We feel like we got some of that coming in. But as it is right now that's what the name of this is, is, you know, if you got the competitiveness then you got to get the right combination of players and that's where we're at.

Q. When you look at Amy's team, what are some things that you could take from that team because, I mean, we have seen Gustafson in here before and how she dominated. Nebraska has some of those same young kids. That's what you're shooting for is some of these kids that can make an impact for you, right?

NANCY FAHEY: Well, if you noticed, two of our top-3 scorers, one's a sophomore and two freshmen that were our top-3 scorers. So I think that the key, when they picked up Shelley, that changed Nebraska to another level. That's what the transfer portal does right now. It gives you quicker opportunities to fill in spots and that's what -- that was a key cog for them.

Q. While you're recruiting, the same thing, and you're going to go back to the transfer portal, but you also look at the Illinois and Chicago area for kids and around, correct?

NANCY FAHEY: Yeah. We've got four kids and we got one of the top players in Chicago coming next year. So it's a combination of both. I don't think you want to build it totally on the transfer portal because, but in the Big Ten, like as you see, Adalia through the course of the year and watching Jayla, they're now seasoned Big-10 players where at the beginning they will make some freshmen situation, you know, and they just have to grow through it.

So I think it's a combination of both, but it does change because of that initial like play right away.

Q. What are you going to take away from this season?

NANCY FAHEY: Resilience. The kids were really resilient. I mean, we've gone through COVID. Last year was a different COVID. This year was COVID. It affected us in a different way because of the January stoppage twice and then playing so many games.

What I take from it is it would have been easy in our situation to stop. I also take from it that I challenged our players. It's like, we need to get better, you know? That's just flat out. And that's my challenge to them.