NCAA WOMEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP: FIRST ROUND - WEST VIRGINIA VS ARIZONA

March 16, 2023

Kyah Watson

JJ Quinerly

Madisen Smith

XFINITY Center

West Virginia Mountaineers

Media Conference

THE MODERATOR: We have No. 10 seed West Virginia Mountaineers. We have players Kyah Watson, JJ Quinerly, and Madisen Smith first and then we'll have coach. Take questions from those in the room first and then go to Zoom.

Questions for the student-athletes?

Q. JJ and Madisen, I believe all three of you, you played with Esmery last year. What is it like for you to go up against her in this game tomorrow?

MADISEN SMITH: I'll take it. It's pretty cool to play against a former teammate. I'm just excited to see her again. I actually just saw her and it was just cool to see her again. I'm excited to play.

Q. Have you been texting since you found out? What was that like, to find out like that you were going to play against her this time?

JJ QUINERLY: I don't know. I think -- I mean, I only played one year with her. Just another game for real, another player to play.

So honestly just take it as another game.

Q. No trash talking back and forth and like I got you in this one?

MADISEN SMITH: No, not really.

Q. What did you think your strengths are for tomorrow?

KYAH WATSON: I think something that will be really important tomorrow is our defense and rebounding. They have a lot of good offensive and defensive rebounders, so making sure that we finish the play, and, yeah...

MADISEN SMITH: Yeah, defense is going to be really important for us. Transition defense, they really push the ball, so really getting back in transition is gonna be important.

JJ QUINERLY: I agree. Defense, but also our energy and us just staying together throughout the game.

Q. For Madisen, I know you have been on a run the last games of the regular season and into your conference championship. What was it that seemed to click even more? Because you were having a really great season before this.

MADISEN SMITH: I don't know. I just -- I give it all to my teammates. They found me when I was open and I took good shots and they were just going in at that time.

I'm hoping to keep that rolling.

Q. What is about -- both of you, JJ and Madisen, your scoring average is exactly the same and you produce a lot of the points for the team. It's odd that you have the same exact scoring average? Do you ever talk about that?

JJ QUINERLY: No, I didn't even know.

MADISEN SMITH: Didn't even know.

Q. And what's it like for all of you to be on this stage?

JJ QUINERLY: Being it's my first time in the NCAA tournament it's been a dream of mine, probably a dream of a lot of girls. So just being here on the stage able to play is just a great feeling. I'm ready to play.

MADISEN SMITH: Yeah, I agree with JJ. I've been to the tournament, but I wasn't able to play because I was injured, so this is really my first chance to go out there and show what I can do. I'm just excited for this last year.

KYAH WATSON: Like them, I'm just excited to play. Was a goal for us at the beginning of the season to make it to the tournament, so just to be able to have that opportunity is amazing.

We're all excited and ready to play.

Q. What's it like to play for your coach this year? What has she brought to the program that really kind of, you know, got you going, got you sparked? What's it like to play for her?

KYAH WATSON: So I've been coached by her for a couple years now, and I think just how much confidence she has this all of us. Always telling us to never give up an open shot and stuff. So just like knowing that she's that confident in us is really important.

MADISEN SMITH: I agree with Kyah, and also she brings great energy to practice and like games, like before games she just gets you really excited to play, and that's really important for me because I'm a hyper person.

So I like to be given that enthusiasm from my coach.

JJ QUINERLY: I agree with both of them. Of course she also keeps us prepared for every game on a different level.

Q. How about a fun one: So how do you come here? Was it plane? Bus? Whatever? What did you do during that time, your travel from them here? Anything fun?

MADISEN SMITH: I slept the whole time.

KYAH WATSON: I slept, too. (Laughter.)

JJ QUINERLY: Yeah, that was really about it.

Q. Did you fly? A bus?

MADISEN SMITH: Bus.

JJ QUINERLY: Bus.

Q. How long was that bus trip?

JJ QUINERLY: Like three hours.

MADISEN SMITH: Or four maybe, yeah.

THE MODERATOR: Anyone have anything else? Anything from the Zoom?

All right, thanks, guys.