NCAA WOMEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP: SECOND ROUND - FGCU VS MARYLAND

March 19, 2022

Katie Benzan

Ashley Owusu

Angel Reese

Maryland Terrapins

Media Conference

Q. Angel, how nice is it when the two people sitting to your left and right get going like they did last night, and it starts to feel a little bit more like last year felt?

ANGEL REESE: Yeah, I mean it's a great feeling, especially going into the tournament. I think everybody in the starting lineup had double figures. So that's a great thing going into the tournament and them having their confidence, getting boogie. So I was letting them do their thing, and I was just getting rebounds and doing whatever I can to hit my shooters and my point guard.

Q. Katie, I'm curious, this is two of the top five three-point shooters, I guess, all time, playing in this game. Do you know Kendall Spray at all? Have you followed her career at all? And I'm just curious, what are your thoughts on sort of the way FGCU plays with the number of threes they take in a game. Does that look like a fun system to play in?

KATIE BENZAN: Yeah, their style of play looks pretty fun, just launch from three and go from there. And it's definitely unique. Not many teams play that way. We're looking forward to the challenge of playing them. They're a really good team, so it's going to be a hard battle, and in terms of spray, she's a great shooter. I don't know her permanently, ^ ‰ but I've heard great things, so it's just going to be a fun game.

Q. Katie, can you talk about kind of your role as a grad student leader in the locker room, especially in this March Madness format, how you can keep everyone loose and keep the moral high year obviously with the stakes so high?

KATIE BENZAN: It's not a hard job after last night's game. Everyone is feeling confident after last night. And we're just excited for the new challenge, just taking one game at a time, just keeping that same mental toughness and that same preparedness for tomorrow and hopefully more games to come.

Q. Ashley, your offense seemed to be clicking yesterday. What are you looking forward to build on going into tomorrow's game with Florida Gulf Coast?

ASHLEY OWUSU: As a team or just myself?

Q. Collectively and yourself.

ASHLEY OWUSU: As a team, just continuing to have fun and share the ball. I think we did a great job taking care of the ball and just sharing the ball and having fun as a team.

Q. Angel, the last couple of weeks there have been a lot of stand alone games, the week off before the tournament and then two weeks off. How nice is it to be back in a rhythm where it's a game, off day and a game again?

ANGEL REESE: I mean, of course, we enjoyed our off time, but I mean, I think we've learned a lot from practice and focusing in practice and I think that we learned from the Big Ten Tournament. So I think we've focused as a team, getting our confidence back, and of course, being at home is a great thing. So I think we're in a good space right now.

Q. Ashley, how did you feel health wise? I know you said practices you kind of felt all the way back, but did you feel all the way back, and yesterday, when did you kind of feel like you were in the groove? I don't know if there was a point of the game or the flow of everything. But at what point did you kind of feel like yourself?

ASHLEY OWUSU: I would just say at the start of the game. I felt great in warmups, been feeling great in practice. I've enjoyed the time that we've had off to regroup and get our stuff together during practice. I'll just say I felt good at the beginning of the game.

Q. Katie, tomorrow will be your last game at the Xfinity center. What will you take away from playing at this great arena?

KATIE BENZAN: Just cherishing the moment. I've had some great games with my teammates and with my coaches. It's been a blessing to play here, and so I'm just looking forward to it.

Q. Crowd last night, if you could address the lift that it gave you folks. And then what are you expecting tomorrow from the crowd here?

ANGEL REESE: Yeah, I mean, that's like our sixth man. Being from Maryland, being from Baltimore, having my family here and my friends here. I think our student section, they came out as well. So I think a lot of people came out to the game, and I think we'll have more tomorrow. So it's been great.

Q. Who on your schedule does FGCU remind you of? And can you talk about the challenge of playing a team who plays so differently than any other team that you might face?

KATIE BENZAN: Yeah. I think FGCU really reminds us of Villanova, just playing five guards and just spreading the floor really well. And like you said, it's different from any team we've played before, and I think we're looking forward to the challenge. You know, it's going to show how much we've improved this year, and we're just looking forward to going out there, playing hard and seeing how far we've come.

Q. Ashley, I was wondering if you had any thoughts or just remember anything from Kierstan Bell. Obviously she was at Ohio State your freshmen year, and kind of the player she is now and going against a player like that.

ASHLEY OWUSU: Yeah, she's a very talented player, very versatile. Big guard. So I'm excited for tomorrow.