NCAA WOMEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP: FIRST ROUND - MONTANA STATE VS STANFORD

March 18, 2022

Tricia Binford

Taylor Janssen

Leia Beattie

Montana State Bobcats

Media Conference

Stanford 78, Montana State 37

TRICIA BINFORD: I want to say how proud we are of our team and what we got through this season, how we came together at the end of the year, and just the opportunity to get to experience this and win the conference tournament, represent the Big Sky. I knew we were going to give them a lot of effort, a lot of heart, and certainly brought all those things. So just really proud of this team and what they've accomplished this year.

And at the same time, we're rooting for Stanford. I thought right from the get-go I think their size and their length really dictated the start of that game, and then we got settled in once we got to that second quarter, started showing a little bit more of the Bobcats.

Q. Taylor, how did you guys keep your confidence going once you were shut out 20-0 after the first period?

TAYLOR JANSSEN: I think that we came here knowing that this was going to be a tough team, and our mindset going in was that we wanted to stick together the entire time no matter what happened, and I think we did. So even after the rough first start and first quarter, we had the goal of sticking together, and through the Big Sky tournament we showed that we can do that even when it gets tough. So I think that's what helped us kind of get rolling a little bit more into the second quarter. But we all love each other and we're all here for each other, so even after the hard start we still stuck together well.

Q. Leia, just with the starting lineup specifically in the first quarter, what was the toughest thing about Stanford? What were the toughest things, especially on the defensive end for you guys?

LEIA BEATTIE: Yeah. I think for us it was their length. They have tall players at every single position, and so guarding that, and we allowed some face cuts in the middle, and they were able to finish over that. So I think defensively that was kind of tough for us to initially get used to that.

Q. What was the feeling when that first bucket finally went in and not seeing a zero there anymore?

TAYLOR JANSSEN: It was, honestly, really relieving because we were like, we finally got on the board. That's the hump we needed to get over. And once we got those points, I think we felt a little more comfortable and weren't as scared, I guess you could say. Once we got over that hump we could relax a little bit more and feel more confident that our next shot was going in.

LEIA BEATTIE: Yeah, I totally agree with Taylor. I was on the bench sitting next to Ava Ranson and we looked at each other and we were like, all right, there we go, like, Taylor. All right. Taylor is going to get us rolling here. And I think, like she said, it got us over that hump and kind of allowed us to breathe a sigh of relief, like, let's just play freely and go out there and stick together.

Q. Something that helps keep spirits up is a great fan base. Your fans travel extremely well. How does it feel, your first March Madness with such a great fan base and band?

TAYLOR JANSSEN: It's great that our fan base is so strong and supports us so much. It really helps, especially in the Big Sky tournament, it felt like we had a home-court advantage with how many fans came. And I think that's what really helped us and propelled us into this tournament here.

And even today, although it was tough, like every basket or steal or whatever happened that was good for us, all of our fans and the band and the cheer squad, they were all supporting us the entire time, and that really helps.

LEIA BEATTIE: Yeah, it was so awesome to see. We'd get out there on the court and we have our full section. It's completely full. And my family took up probably about a fourth of that. I brought about 12 people. And also for our band. I thought our band was a lot more hyped than theirs. I'm not going to lie. So props to our band and just to our fans for traveling so well.

Q. No one wants to be on the wrong end of a SportsCenter highlight, but nonetheless, have you ever been in a game where someone dunked before and was there any part of you that was like, that's pretty neat?

TAYLOR JANSSEN: No. No, that was a first. I remember it happened and I just turned to Ashley, and I was like, well, I don't really know where to go from here. Let's get ourselves back on offense and try and bounce back off of that. That was interesting. That was the first time that's ever happened or that I've ever been in a game where someone dunked. It was really cool.

LEIA BEATTIE: Yeah, I've definitely never experienced that before. I was a little bit in awe at first, but we had to kind of move on from that and just don't dwell on it too much.

Q. Just in general, if you could talk about the season, not just you guys had, but Bobcats, Montana State basketball, as a whole has had. How cool is it not just you guys make the tournament, but also the men's team, as well, kind of the season that both of you guys had and just having both Montana State teams represent the Big Sky, how kind of cool and special is that for the school?

TAYLOR JANSSEN: I think it's really cool and amazing that both of our programs were able to have so much success this year. And going back to the previous question, I think it goes back to a lot of how much our fan base like follows us and supports. They've made a huge impact on how we play. The coaching staffs for both teams and athletic directors and everyone in our community supports us so much that it's made it feel even more special that both of our teams have been able to have enough success to make it here.

LEIA BEATTIE: Yeah, I think -- I saw a bunch of tweets after both the men and women won the Big Sky that it was kind of the year of the Bobcat between our football team, both men's and women's basketball teams, our rodeo, ski, everything is really just kind of coming out for Montana State.

And the amount of support that we said. Like, at the Big Sky tournament, it was clear we had the most amount of fans there. So just that support, win, lose, or draw I think has been huge for us, and it's just the beginning. I think we're just getting started.

Q. Can you just talk about what this whole experience of getting to come to the NCAA Tournament has been like because it's both of your guys' first times here, and how much does that make you guys want to come back again next year and fight and win the Big Sky so you can get this same experience again?

LEIA BEATTIE: Yeah, I think that, like I said, we're just hitting the tip of the iceberg. Our goal is to come back here for the next however many years that we're going to be here. I think it was a really special experience. Not a lot of people get to say they made it to the NCAA Tournament. Growing up I always looked forward to March. That was like my favorite time of the year. I loved making brackets and watching games all day. They're on from like 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. So getting to be one of those games, it was like a surreal moment for me.

TAYLOR JANSSEN: Yeah, it's crazy to think that we've made it here because, like Leia said, growing up this was like, oh, my gosh, they're so cool, they're so amazing, and now we get to experience that. I don't know. It's like, I would say once in a lifetime, but hopefully we come back next year. That's the goal is not just to make it here but to win a game next year.

Q. After the dunk you guys actually outscored them on a 6-3 run. What do you think kind of got you guys to be able to respond from such a huge moment and not fold and keep fighting?

TRICIA BINFORD: Well, I think it's kind of the personality of this team. They've never given up in any single game that we've had all year long.

There was one thing I knew we were going to bring and that was going to be effort across the board. Obviously the first quarter it was just kind of getting that first shot to fall. A lot of rushed shots, a lot of blocked shots, and really tried to settle in to get a great shot. My thought after the dunk is, well, we've got to take care of the ball better so we're not in this situation again. I just thought they disrupted us. We're typically a team that takes pretty good care of the basketball, and that led up to that. But our kids are always going to respond. They're always going to fight. They're always going to give you grit. And I think that's the characteristic of that team.

Q. Katelynn was wearing a mask. I was wondering why she was.

TRICIA BINFORD: Well, we were trying to prepare for the pressure of Stanford the day prior, and the very first drill in the first 20 seconds, and we had an elbow through the nose, so we had a little bit of blood, but we're really grateful that there were some doctors here to assist us and Stanford was super helpful, and we have a phenomenal trainer, so we were able to get her into it and deal with that, and we were fortunate she was able to compete today.

Q. Curious what the thought process is coaching a 16 seed. Obviously you've got to know the odds are heavily stacked against you. Is it just as simple as not worrying about result and worrying about effort and playing your best brand of basketball? How do you get your team ready for a game knowing what the odds realistically are?

TRICIA BINFORD: Yeah, we use the word next in our pregame speeches. Really we're trying to focus on who we are, what's our identity, what are we strong in, how can we put our kids in those situations, and the things about the process you can win, hustle plays, loose balls, effort, ball pressure. But we also really wanted us to come out with an attack mindset of going at the rim when we are at the rim, going at the paint when we can attack the paint, playing off those two feet, playing into the next, also responding off of their runs, how are we going to respond to that the right way. You can control all those factors. What you can't control is the length. You can't control the size. Very, very talented across the board. But you can for sure control all those other factors. Like we said, the first quarter was really tough. Took way too long for us to get started, get some points on the board. But there were some good moments, and we're going to build off those really powerful, great moments, and this whole week has been such a great week for this team of getting better.

Q. Coach, what was it like for you coaching against legendary Tara VanDerveer and playing the defending national champions on their home court? What was it like for you on the sideline?

TRICIA BINFORD: Well, I told the kids, they're the underdog and I'm the underdog, as well. There is an awe factor of just knowing how good Tara is and how well she's going to prepare. So you're sitting there thinking, okay, what's she's going to do to take our Darian White, her put in a tough situation, our Kola Bad Bear, some of our pieces, as well, even though we are a 16 seed. She's going to always be prepared and have her team prepared. I have never had an opportunity to play Stanford and be in this facility and this place, and it is an amazing experience. We wish we could have given them a better first quarter to start to jump in that game. But a ton of respect for who she is, what she's done, and how she does it every day.

Q. Leia talked about the year of the Bobcat. Could you talk about what this year has been like watching football have so much success, you and the guys going back and forth winning Big Sky championships and what's been going right for Bobcat athletics?

TRICIA BINFORD: First of all, it's such a special time and special place and it starts with special leaders. And we have our president here. We have our athletic director here, who both flew over from San Diego to be at our game, as well. Our family atmosphere, the culture of excellence that they've created both at our university and our community and our athletic department is second to none. And we have coaches that are going to support, and we're all hoping for everybody's successes. We get texts from each other all the time. We're constantly there in support. Same with the players. But it's a community, it's a family atmosphere, but it's a winning atmosphere, and doing it the right way with winning relationships and winning people.

Q. After the game Tara had a nice conversation with Kola Bad Bear on the court. What does that say about her as an ambassador to the sport and how much could a conversation like that mean to Kola and maybe some of the rest of your players?

TRICIA BINFORD: Well, obviously that's huge. There's things Kola is doing beyond the game of basketball. You've been witness to some of our home games with No More Stolen Sisters, all the outreach she's doing, the pedestal she has, and the responsibility she's taking with it. She is just a fantastic young lady. She's an amazing teammate. And she's a really talented basketball player. We grabbed all of our kids afterwards. Like, every season unless you're No. 1, you're going to finish with a loss. This hurts today, but boy, are we super proud, and we're so proud of the people that they are. And yes, that would go a long ways from Tara.

Q. Yesterday you said no matter what your team would get better today. You were joined by two sophomores up on the podium. What do you think about looking forward into next season after today?

TRICIA BINFORD: Yeah, we hugged our seniors, and we still have a lot of youth that's going to be a year older next year. We told them, circle some things, get together five, ten minutes as a group, what are the things we're going to take away from this game that we want to sharpen up, and we sure saw some moments of really, really turning the corner on the offensive end. But obviously on the defensive end I thought we did some things really well early on. We forced some mistakes. We disrupted some actions. And we just have to build off those moments. And yeah, we definitely did get better today.