BIG TEN CONFERENCE WOMEN'S BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT

March 4, 2022

Brenda Frese

Chloe Bibby

Ashley Owusu

Maryland Terrapins

Gainbridge Fieldhouse

Postgame Press Conference

Indiana - 62, Maryland - 51

THE MODERATOR: We'll start with an opening statement from coach.

BRENDA FRESE: Yeah. You know, obviously extremely disappointed in the loss. I mean, this is a feeling for us that we're not used to. But I think it shows you just how tremendous the league has been all season long. Just being able to get the double bye for the tournament and the Top-4 seed.

So all the credit goes to Indiana. I thought they were the tougher team. They punched first. They never looked back. They played extremely hard, I thought, for all 40 minutes, especially on day-two legs.

So really, really impressed. Can't say enough about their game plan and how they really took things away from us.

But for us, it's using this fire to collect ourselves and get back and obviously we put ourselves in a really good position for the NCAA tournament and use that motivation. I've had teams in the past that have used this motivation to take them far in the NCAA Tournament.

THE MODERATOR: Questions?

Q. Ashley and Chloe, it seemed like you had a lot of shots that just fell out. They didn't hit the mark today. It seemed like you were rushing. Were you trying to get the speed of the game up?

ASHLEY OWUSU: I'm not going to say we were rushing. I just think that we didn't shoot the ball as well from the three-point line and I don't think that's like us. So, yeah, but I think we just -- I wouldn't say we were rushing shots.

CHLOE BIBBY: It was disappointing. We shot really bad today. But you got to make layups and got to find other ways.

But our boards were important there and I think we have to capitalize on a lot of those and we just didn't. So disappointed. I don't think we were rushing them as such but it was more we just had to make the open looks that we were getting and we did not do that today.

Q. Similar question, I suppose. Was there something that Indiana did that kind of got you guys out of your regular sets and out of your groove? Because you guys just never found a flow that you usually do.

CHLOE BIBBY: Yeah. I think it all comes from our defense, getting stops and running in transition, and we just didn't have that flowing in the offense, as you said.

And then from that we were driving the lane with four people and we didn't find the open person. So that's things that we have to go back and we got to work on and look forward to when we go into the NCAA. So lots of things to work on there.

Q. Ashley, how are you feeling after your return, obviously the ankle and now the illness.

ASHLEY OWUSU: Just from a personal standpoint I'm happy to be back, happy to be out with my team so, yeah.

Q. Obviously a tough loss but you guys forced 18 turnovers. Could you say maybe say some positives that you can take going forward?

CHLOE BIBBY: Yeah. I thought the second half our defensive energy really picked up and that was great. We got some turnovers there. But again we have to translate into our offense. We missed a lot of bunnies. Regardless of chaos or whatever it is you have to make open layups. You have to make open shots if you want to win.

And, yeah, as I said, we just didn't do that today, but I was happy with how we picked up our defense in the second half.

Q. Wanted to ask with the missing open shots, was there any element of the long layoff between games that kind of played into that?

CHLOE BIBBY: I don't know. We're all in the gym. We're all getting off shots. I don't know, today it just wasn't falling. But as I said you have those games and you have to go get rebounds and you have to find another way to win.

It doesn't matter because you still got to find a way to win at the end of the day and survive or go home.

Q. Rutgers described Nicole Cardano-Hillary as a gnat that doesn't go away on defense. How would you describe her?

ASHLEY OWUSU: Yeah, definitely a gnat. Challenging her, she takes her defense very personal and you see that every time she comes on the floor.

Q. Coach, you only had eight points off of turnovers. Can you speak to you all's ability not to turn defense into offense early and often?

BRENDA FRESE: We struggled in that area today. I mean, it was difficult. Usually we're really good, allowing our defense to go to offense. Credit, I thought Indiana utilized their possessions. They really used the shot clock, and they were able to slow the game down on us.

Q. How do you expect this adversity to also help you all in the NCAA Tournament?

BRENDA FRESE: Yeah. I mean, I know the character and the competitiveness in our locker room, so I think everyone's highly disappointed in the outcome and I expect that it will fuel us going into the NCAA Tournament.

Q. With the slow start for the first half, first quarter, does that make you guys put yourself in your mindset that you have to get better for the second and third quarter because it seemed like you guys were 29 percent from the field and then after that it seemed like you guys were dominating most of the paint and the floor.

ASHLEY OWUSU: For sure. We have to come out and punch first and actually just punch all four quarters and I don't think we did that, especially in the first half. So just coming out ready to play from the tip.

CHLOE BIBBY: Yeah. We got to come out and we have to punch first. Today I thought Indiana smacked us in that area, which was disappointing, again.

But moving forward we can learn from this. Our season is not over yet and so we have to learn from these.

Q. With the week and a half off until the -- is that good for the club to get ready and rested and knowing that you got all your guys coming back after this? I know you guys wanted to be there on Sunday. That's the main goal. But being off for two weeks now are you going to be ready to go?

BRENDA FRESE: Yeah. You know, I mean, this is the situation we put ourselves in, so we'll get extra practices that will put us in a good position to be ready for the NCAA Tournament.

THE MODERATOR: Okay. Ladies, thank you. Questions for coach.

Q. How surprised were you about the 50/50 balls? It seemed like Indiana got to a lot of them, considering that they had played the day before and you didn't.

BRENDA FRESE: Yeah. I think that was highly disappointing because that's usually us and especially when you're talking about day-two legs for Indiana.

But I just can't say enough about, I mean, they were hungrier. They were more aggressive. And they did it for 40 minutes.

Q. First time you've been out this early in a long time. Last seven years you have either won this or been runner up. Interesting what your thoughts are at that.

BRENDA FRESE: I have two thoughts: In 2014 our ACC team lost in the first round, and they went to the Final Four. So it doesn't make me nervous or anxious for what lies ahead if we respond the way we're capable of.

But obviously I think it speaks volumes to the league, you know, that, when you look at the top 5 teams and the seeding and the competitiveness of all the games that have gone on, I think it continues to validate just that we're one of the best leagues in the country.

So not surprised. I knew every game was going to be a battle. We've had our battles with Indiana. But I think it just speaks to the volume, speaks volumes to our league.

Q. Angel's had a double double in all three games against IU. The difference today was she seemed to be very frustrated early on. What do you think caused that? Was it the defense by you was it just her confidence?

BRENDA FRESE: It's definitely confidence. That's her maturation process. It's got to improve. She got caught up in the physicality, the lack of calls that she perceived that needed to be there.

But from her end that doesn't help us. That's an area for her that Indiana did a great job of being physical with her and being aggressive and she had to finish through plays and it impacted us a lot in the first half.

Q. It seems like Ashley and Angel had to do a lot on their own as everybody else wasn't making shots. Was that just Indiana taking something away or how do you get Katie to get more shots off? We don't see her a whole game without knocking down a three and going with zero points?

BRENDA FRESE: Yeah. You know, that's a big part of our offensive execution. That's our guard play needed to show up to be able to help her with Diamond and Shy and their athleticism, to be able to attack and draw to kicks.

I thought there were a lot of times that we sometimes tried to make plays one-on-one versus when they're collapsing and putting two or three at us to be able to draw and kick.

So just being able to learn from it. But, yeah, I mean, we've got to be able to find a way to get Katie more shots, and to go 0-12 from the three-point line is a painful stat to look at.

Q. It was announced today that Nancy Fahey is going to be retiring. What do you think her legacy is in women's basketball and basketball in general?

BRENDA FRESE: Tremendous. Nancy has meant so much to our game. She's won at every level. But just first class individual. Someone that we'll obviously miss immensely in conference. But can't say enough about her professionalism as well as just who she is as a person as well as a coach.

Q. UI, you have had terrific battles this year. How would you be with the top 5 teams you've mentioned, either meeting IU or someone else in the Final Four?

BRENDA FRESE: I would love it. I mean, I got to be a part of that the year we won the National Championship with Duke and North Carolina. So I would have no issues with that. We've been all beating each other up all conference play and I think it would be great to be able to have for our league.

Q. For Indiana, it was a MacKenzie Holmes maybe her best game since coming back. What kind of a challenge did she present for you guys?

BRENDA FRESE: Huge. Can't say enough about the toughness of Holmes, everything she's been through and injury-wise. She was the X-factor tonight. You know, Grace Berger is always going to do Grace Berger things, but the difference was Holmes. I mean, she's coming into stride. They had to wait and be patient for her return.

But she made us pay every single time the game got close and made just great plays for her team on the offensive end and was a huge X-factor.

Q. Your team has had several close battles with IU this season all four games were really tough battles and you obviously have coached several teams to deep runs in March. What do you see in this IU team that could make them a tough out?

BRENDA FRESE: Their experience, their confidence. Whenever you can take a team to an Elite 8, a Final Four and gain that kind of experience it's huge, it's huge going into your next season being able to have those runs. But they, every time we tried to get there and close the gap they were very poised in their runs. I expect that they will make a really deep run and obviously they have got a tremendous opportunity here in the Big Ten tournament.

Q. You had a lot of fast break points through the season, you all were able to get out in transition and run with the best of them. Can you speak to your inability to get out in transition and run today?

BRENDA FRESE: Yeah, definitely, I mean Indiana scouted it well, they were sending multiple players back to take away our transition, so that they scouted it really well and it did impact us.

Q. You guys are going to have to wait until Monday to figure out seeding wise for the NCAA Tournament. What do you hope the committee sees in your team?

BRENDA FRESE: Yeah, the body of work. It's -- the Selection Show will be on Sunday this year, so we'll have a week to wait and then after the men's announcement will be ours. So, yeah, I think our body of work, when you look at our strength of schedule, it's I believe in the top 10. You look at the non-conference schedule we put together, the conference record, now we're healthy and so we're excited about the run that we can possibly make in the NCAA tournament with a really healthy team.

Q. I wanted to ask about Katie. Season low in attempts per in both games with under a minute left from three. Did you think that she was passing up some shots or that she wasn't able to get open and if so what was Indiana doing to limit her?

BRENDA FRESE: I don't think she was passing up shots, I think she just didn't have a lot of open looks. I mean she's a patient player, she's not going to just take shots to force bad shots. So again it's our -- I think obviously people scouted her, they have done a really nice job sticking to her and making it tough for her to get shots off and using their length, but from our end we've got to do a better job between our screening and besides our penetration to be able to find her on those kicks.

Q. Seemed like just a few months ago you were here kind of comparing this year's Big Ten to the 2005, 2006 ACC and when your team won the National Championship. Now that your Big-10 season's wrapped up what parallels do you see between that conference and this year's Big Ten that can help you moving forward here in March?

BRENDA FRESE: Yeah, no question. I mean, you look at the seeding, the standings and I mean the battles of the top half of the league, so everyone's battle tested and it does, I think it's exciting for the NCAA Tournament, you saw it last year and I expect that we'll all make deep runs in the NCAA Tournament.