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

March 19, 2022

Brenda Frese

Maryland Terrapins

Media Conference

COACH FRESE: Yeah, obviously, we're extremely grateful to be able to be here, to coach this team for another day, our seniors to have another practice and another game. But I loved how we played last night. I thought it was one of our most complete games. We've competed, and I thought it was probably the way we shared the basketball was really fun to be able to watch. It was a fun game.

We're going to need that, obviously, against a team with under-seeded Florida Gulf Coast, playing with a chip on their shoulder. And they should. They're not a 12 seed. If that's a 12 seed, they've shown through their play, I mean, just it's an experienced team, playing at a really high level, obviously led by Kierstan Bell, who we're very familiar with from her time at Ohio State. This is a team that wants to shoot a lot of threes, and they don't make a lot of mistakes; they don't beat themselves. So we're going to really have to be on point with our defense and taking away the threes. And excited to be able to have another great crowd, our sixth man in the stands and the energy that they gave us yesterday.

Q. Just curious what you sort of observed from them. I'm sure you've watched the film already of their game already yesterday and sort of how they defended Kitley and what adjustments they made on her late. It's obviously not the same exact situation with your low post players, but what were you able to take from that?

COACH FRESE: You know, they're going to double down. They're going to dig. They're going to throw a lot of different things, you saw, defensively. I mean, they do a great job digging, off the bounce, into the post and making life difficult. So, again, we're going to have to be unselfish and share the basketball, move the basketball like we did for each other yesterday.

Q. Coach, obviously FGCU being so lethal from three. Does it kind of prompt you and your coaching staff to look back at those games, whether it was Maddie Nolan, Taylor Mikesell, where players did explode from three, and kind of learn from that to make sure it doesn't happen tomorrow?

COACH FRESE: Yeah. Fortunately, we've played in games like this, Villanova, especially in the nonconference spreads you out with a five-out. And our conference, obviously, prepares us with a lot of great shooters. But they're a motion offense. To have a one-day prep is really difficult, but this time of year you have to lend back to your experience, you know, defensively and how you play is going to be huge.

Q. Kierstan Bell does a great job of setting solid screens and slipping them and getting to the basket. Can you speak to the importance of communicating on pick-and-rolls and make sure that you identify her at all times?

COACH FRESE: Yeah. Huge piece to their offense, and driven by their best player. So she's extremely talented. She's a pro for a reason. So our communication defensively is going to have to be on point through the slips, being able to guard her. She's really what makes them go within that offense.

Q. The way they share the ball offensively, 19 assists last night on 30 made baskets, the motion offense, what sort of challenge does that pose your team defensively?

COACH FRESE: Yeah. Well, you know, I mean, that and they shoot a lot of threes. So just defensively we're going to have to disrupt. We're going to have to really be on point defensively, because they don't make a lot of mistakes. But from our end we've gotta defensively turn them into making a lot of mistakes. And then on the other end value possessions. If they aren't being turned over, we've gotta be able to value possessions on the offensive end.

Q. On a game like this, in a game like this, is there opportunity for Angel to kind of have a big night considering they're not the biggest team, and the way that she hits the boards and her double doubles and things like that. Is there a little bit of opportunity there for her?

COACH FRESE: Yeah. No question. You saw what Kitley was able to do. I thought Angel was terrific yesterday. She set the tone from the tip, you know, her presence started us, and then it led to her being unselfish to be able to go inside out. Yeah, if I was game planning against us, they've gotta figure that element out. But at the same point, she's shown all season long that she wants that responsibility, and she's obviously the presence we need.

Q. Coach, can you speak to Tishara Morehouse's ability to penetrate the lane and get into the paint and create opportunities for herself and her teammates?

COACH FRESE: Yeah. One of the fastest guards I think we've ever seen up to this point. I mean, she's really, really fast, really talented, makes them go in transition in their half court, getting downhill. Just a really special player for them.

Q. On offense you have to talk to your players about the tendency to stay away from trying to match them in terms of shooting threes, because they shoot so many that perhaps your kids feel like they have to shoot to match their offense?

COACH FRESE: Yeah. Hopefully not. I think we've shown this season we kind of know who we are and what our identity is. But, I mean obviously -- I think they can't get deflated by the number of threes they take, and obviously we need to make it difficult for them from the three-point line. But for us it's just continuing to play the right way, within our own offense.