NCAA WOMEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP: FIRST FOUR - ST. JOHN’S (NY) VS. PURDUE

March 15, 2023

Cassidy Hardin

Lasha Petree

Purdue Boilermakers

Media Conference

THE MODERATOR: Thoughts on making this 2023 NCAA Tournament?

CASSIDY HARDIN: Obviously I've been here for a long time, and I decided to come back for my fifth year to make the NCAA Tournament. So to be able to do that to have this opportunity and come and represent Purdue and hopefully make some noise in the tournament is surreal.

I was so excited when our name got called, and I can't wait to start playing.

LASHA PETREE: Obviously, I haven't been here that long, but I believe this team can make it here. That's why I joined this year. I'm so excited and happy we made it here. Now it's time to take it one game at a time and win the next one.

THE MODERATOR: I'm going to follow it up for a question for each of you. Can it help that you've played in Columbus? I apologize for not looking at your schedule to see that, but I'm assuming you have played games in Columbus. Does that fact, the fact that you guys have played here, can that help?

CASSIDY HARDIN: I definitely think it can help. We're used to the environment. We're used to the arena.

LASHA PETREE: We won here.

CASSIDY HARDIN: Yeah, we played really well here when we did. So hopefully we can use that momentum and carry it into the games that we play here.

THE MODERATOR: Lasha, same thing?

LASHA PETREE: Uh-huh.

Q. Just the start of the season, just kind of ups and downs, what it's taken to get here. (No microphone.)

CASSIDY HARDIN: It's definitely been an up and down season. The work starts in the summer obviously. We really bonded as a group, and we had some new pieces that we kind of had to integrate and see where everyone was going to fit.

We started out the year super well. Then Big Ten play comes, and we have some good moment and some low moments too, games that we didn't really play like ourselves.

To be able to rally and come together and get two ranked road wins was a really high point for us. I think that helped with confidence in ourselves and Coach Gearlds in what we're building here. Obviously I think that's a big reason why we're in the tournament today.

So to be able to rally with some tough losses and to be able to bounce back, I think that's a testament to our team and our toughness.

LASHA PETREE: I think, like she said, we've had a lot of ups and downs this season, but through it all, with the ups and the downs, we always remembered that we wanted to get to this tournament in the spot that we are.

Coach Gearlds has always said throughout the season that we belong here, and I believe that to be true.

Q. What has Coach Katie meant to this team, kind of how she's brought this whole group forward?

CASSIDY HARDIN: Having been here the longest of anyone on the roster, I think I can speak to the difference that Coach Gearlds has made with us. She's brought new life to this team. With her offensive and defensive philosophies, I think that she's got some really good things going, and she's bringing in good recruits.

I think she's a breath of fresh air for us, and obviously she was able to get Purdue back in the tournament her second year here. So that's obviously a huge accomplishment for her as a coach. Hopefully it continues trending up that way.

THE MODERATOR: Lasha, Cassidy, thank you very much, and all the best tomorrow.