NCAA WOMEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP: REGIONAL SEMIFINAL - CREIGHTON VS IOWA STATE

March 24, 2022

Molly Mogensen

Emma Ronsiek

Greensboro Coliseum

Creighton Bluejays

Sweet 16 Media Conference

Q. I was just kind of wondering what is it that makes Coach Flanery's personality and style fit so well with you guys?

MOLLY MOGENSEN: We all really respect Flan and what he has done with this program, and I think that his ability to care about us as people and players, that it's so great with us on the court.

EMMA RONSIEK: Just echoing what Molly said. Just the way that he treats us on and off the court, just says so much about his character. Off the court he can just talk to us like we're real human beings. Not like just carry out on a conversation with friends. On the court he is really serious and does his job really well. We have a lot of respect for him.

Q. Guys, I just want to know kind of how have the last few days been like for you guys? Obviously, a huge win Sunday, but then just getting on a plane, getting to travel somewhere new. Just what has that experience been like for you as a team and personally?

EMMA RONSIEK: It's really been just surreal for us. For a while we've been on Cloud 9 just making it to Sweet 16 and beating Iowa on their home floor. It's been such a fun moment, and it couldn't happen for a better team, I don't think. We're all so close, and we're just best friends on and off the court, so it's just really exciting.

MOLLY MOGENSEN: You dream of this as a young girl, kid watching the NCAA Tournament, and it's just been so much fun doing it with these girls like Emma said.

Q. This is for both of you guys: Has the week of preparation felt any different? You are coming off such a big high. Are you even potentially looking ahead to what you can do? How has it been preparing and trying to come down and stay up for the next game?

MOLLY MOGENSEN: It's been really fun coming off that win. I think we've done a really good job of looking forward to our next opponent. We're just really ready to get into it and get ready for Iowa State.

EMMA RONSIEK: It's obviously going to be hard to come down from such an exciting game, and it is going to be a little different practicing in preparation for the Sweet 16 game, but I think we're all really bought in, and we know how to channel our energy in the right way. So I'm just really excited to get going.

Q. This is for both of you guys: The women's tournament hasn't always had unpredictability with parity. It's often one, two, three, and four in regionals and here we are with you guys and North Carolina is a five. Both of you had to win on the road. I'm curious kind of is that a point of pride in that regard as being one of those teams that surprised people maybe in March a little bit? Here you are as a ten seed and playing when people are really paying attention.

EMMA RONSIEK: I think a lot of programs like Creighton don't get as much screen time or notice that they normally do as other programs, and just like coming into the Tournament and I wouldn't necessarily say that this was an upset for us, but everyone else would say that it's an upset, and it's just super cool even thinking about that.

Obviously, South Dakota beat Baylor, and being from South Dakota, that was just really cool seeing old AAU teammates make it to the Sweet 16 with me. It's a surreal feeling.

MOLLY MOGENSEN: Just to add off of that, I think there's a lot of good women's basketball teams out there that, like Emma said, don't get as much media or exposure just because of the conference that they're in, but there are so many good basketball teams out there, and this tournament has showed that.

Q. I want to ask you just about the seniors and specifically, obviously, Tatum, you know, coming back for a fifth year. Just how much urgency, I guess, does that put on just trying to keep this postseason alive for them, just kind of knowing that this is really the end of the road for them?

MOLLY MOGENSEN: Tatum has been like a big sister to me. She's been such a great leader for all of us, and we have so much respect for her and what she tells us to do on the court because she's, obviously, a vocal leader. Just keeping this alive and playing for her and those seniors has been so much fun and just keeping that alive for them has taken a lot in for us.

EMMA RONSIEK: I've gotten a few questions, like, it's easy enough to say you've been playing basketball for so long this year and we're all a young team. The majority of us are sophomores. We've got next year, but it's like hard to say that you want to be done when you are playing with seniors like this. It's hard for Chloe, Payton and Tatum. We don't want them to be done, so we're going to do everything in our power for them to stick around.

Q. Coach said the thing that's stressing him out about Iowa State is Ashley Joens, Lexi Donarski and Emily Ryan what have you honed in on that you will have to manage defensively going into this game?

EMMA RONSIEK: We just have to pay close attention to our scout. We have to trust in our coaches, trust in each other with the defensive efforts that we need to make on those girls because they are good players, but at the end of the day it's just a game of basketball, and we just have to trust in ourselves and our abilities to do that.

MOLLY MOGENSEN: Like Emma said, just eliminating their touches and trusting what Flan has given to us in our scout and just staying together.

Q. For either player: Iowa State is really good at kind of taking away the strengths of their opponent, and I was just curious what you guys thought in terms of the importance of scoring in the paint and scoring off cuts and making sure you guys are not turning the ball over like last weekend when you were trying to feed the post and things like that.

MOLLY MOGENSEN: I think that we can score in a lot of different ways, and I think that if we just stick to who we are and what we do as a team, I think that we are going to be just fine.

EMMA RONSIEK: Just like what Molly said, we are a team that is super fun to watch because we can score in a bunch of different ways. We have posts that can score inside and shoot threes. We've got guards who can take it to the hole just as strong as anyone. I think just staying together and doing what we can do and I think we'll be just fine.

Q. I'm curious, has Flan said anything to you guys yet to yet to try to lighten the mood. He mentioned not bringing his wife's pants this time. Has he maybe given you any sort of message yet? I know it's not game day quite yet, but just something to try to calm those nerves.

EMMA RONSIEK: Have you heard anything? I haven't heard anything from him yet, but I would not be shocked at the start of our practice today if he says something.

MOLLY MOGENSEN: In the Iowa game he -- right before tipoff he brought us all together, and he said, okay, everyone needs to take a deep breath right now. We all took a deep breath, and we all looked at him. He was, like, okay, now take another one. We all took a deep breath. Just things like that is going to really help us along the way.

Q. Obviously, Morgan really grabbed a lot of attention on Sunday. If people didn't know who she was before, they know who she is now. I'm curious from your guys' perspective, what can you tell us more about her than obviously her ability on the court and just what she was able to do Sunday? Just what have you seen from her coming in new this year? What can you tell us about her?

MOLLY MOGENSEN: So she just brings so much energy to the game of basketball, and off the court she's just the sweetest person you will ever meet. We actually played against each other in high school and in AAU when we were both rivals so we both knew each other through that. We just knew each other on the court, but once we got to know her here, she just fits right in with our sophomore class and especially our team.

EMMA RONSIEK: She's so fun to play with because she's so good at basketball, and she's so fun to be around off the floor. I didn't personally know her that well. I knew who she was through basketball and AAU, but I met her the summer before that she was coming to Omaha, and it just clicked. She hung out with our sophomore class, and it was like we weren't adding anyone new. She just clicked and fit in right away, and I think that's just the coolest thing.

Q. I'm wondering how you both have kind of navigate the or if you have really the name, image, and likeness deals this year, and if any new opportunities are coming your way now that you're in the Sweet 16 and kind of on a bigger spotlight?

EMMA RONSIEK: Personally I haven't done any NIL deals, and I don't really know why I haven't, but, yeah, I would say I got a few more messages on Instagram after the Iowa game because we did get a lot of exposure during that game. So I wouldn't be shocked if I ended up doing something.

MOLLY MOGENSEN: Yeah, same with me. I haven't done any NIL deals yet, but with the exposure that we've been getting, I think that it's really good for our team and for those deals.

Q. Do you have agents, or you just are dealing with it yourself?

EMMA RONSIEK: Yeah, just with ourselves.

Q. Have you let yourselves visualize going to the Final Four yet at all, or are you trying to keep it locked in? Have you talked about it as a team, you know, getting there?

MOLLY MOGENSEN: I'm from Minnesota, so we've always said -- me, Lauren, and Mal are from Minnesota, so we've always talked about it would be cool to go back home and play in front of a home crowd, but I think our focus really now is this next game, but we've definitely -- it's always at the back of your mind.

EMMA RONSIEK: It's always hard to focus especially in this sort of environment, but just taking it one game at a time is the best thing that we can do, but, yeah, the games that we could play or that potentially could happen for us are definitely in the back of our heads.