NCAA WOMEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP: FIRST ROUND - SAINT LOUIS VS TENNESSEE

March 17, 2023

Julia Martinez

Brooke Flowers

Kyla McMakin

Thompson-Boling Arena

Saint Louis Billikens

Media Conference

Q. Julia, you were coming off a great tournament. What do you feel was working so well for you guys to get here?

JULIA MARTINEZ: We definitely had a run and won the games that matter the most. I think just those -- our entire team's confidence went up and everyone was having fun. There was a lot of joy and excitment at practices and games.

Everyone just leveled up, took a big step up. We won our conference championship and here we are as a team. We are so excited.

Q. What does it mean to you all be in the NCAA tournament?

BROOKE FLOWERS: It means a lot to for. Very special moment this being my fifth year, last year of college. So just to have gone through this entire season with this teams to be here with this group of people I care so much about. We have been through a lot together. It's very special and very humbling and a very gratifying experience.

JULIA MARTINEZ: For me, it's such a dream come true. When I was a little girl, I would watch the older student athletes who would play in the tournaments. And I was like, wow, that's so excited. On the big stage, everyone is watching. The fact I'm able to do it here with this group of people that everyone really cares about is just so special.

KYLA McMAKIN: I guess I kind of have a different experience because last year, I was able to go to tournament. I just am grateful to have the opportunity again. I know a lot -- sometimes that could be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for players.

So it means a lot to be here and to do it the next year. It's nice to, okay, I have been here before. I kind of got the jitters of being in such a tournament. It means a lot to come back here.

Q. Knoxville in general is one of best places for women's basketball and what it has represented the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame is here. Does that add anything extra for you all to be able to play here for the opening round of the tournament?

BROOKE FLOWERS: I think that adds to the experience. Going into it, we were not sure if we were going to play. I think like my biggest hope personally was I hope we go to a good basketball city, so I think we are in one of the best. Just being here, we got to go to the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame this morning. That was a fun experience. So it definitely, you know, was a little cherry on top being able to be here.

Q. U Mass played in this gym earlier this season and really gave Tennessee all they can handle. You have beaten them twice this season.

What do you take away from maybe the match up that U Mass had here that they were able to play really well? Julia, I will start with you.

JULIA MARTINEZ: We definitely watched some of that film. It's nice to see opponents that are in our conference that we have played before and that we have won, played against the exact same team we are to play again. Scout wise, it's definitely helpful for us to see different schemes of what we are going to do.

U Mass played with them and stayed with them until pretty much the end of the game. So all right these are people just like us. We need to do the exact same thing and we can end up coming off with an actual win.

Q. Obviously Rickea Jackson and Jordan Horston are one of the hardest combos in the country. What's been the discussion of how you guys can stop them or slow them down?

KYLA McMAKIN: I think something that, you know, makes our defense kind of just difficult, it's chaotic. Even to us, sometimes it's chaotic. So just on a lot -- we have like Julia who runs around everywhere and is like that gnat you can't get out of your face.

That's just something we try to do. That's how U Mass being the leading scoring team in our conference, that's something we try to do is kind of just be all over them. That's their coaching of saying they're just everywhere. So we just want to be everywhere on the floor and make every shot we can difficult.

Q. Yesterday you guys arrived and took a picture over next to the Pat Summitt statute. You walk in this arena, and there is lots of orange, lots of banners. Do you have to maybe focus and tune some of that out to focus on the game, the opponent itself, or do you take a moment to soak some of that in?

BROOKE FLOWERS: I would say like take it in. I would say look around you, look at the greatness that's happened here and embrace it. Why not have one of your best personal team performances on a historic court like Tennessee?

So look around at all of the greatness that's around you and then do what you are great at. I think that's my goal, and I'm sure that's all of our goals as we play tomorrow.

JULIA MARTINEZ: I think definitely at first, it's take it all in. What an experience, so exciting to play in this arena and all of the history that's been made here on this court, but then I think, you know, once the clock starts and the ball goes up in the air, it's focus, game time. We are going prepare like we do for every other game. So yeah, just definitely take it all in and then it's game time.

KYLA McMAKIN: I think we definitely know the history is such a beautiful thing to learn. Don't come in with the mindset we are just lucky to be here or we are just, you know, satisfied.

And so you know, this is a historical place. Why not come out and make history with their team being a three. We are trying to focus on that, not just being satisfied that we got here, but keep going forward.

Q. Tennessee obviously has a lot of size and length and is a rebounding team. How big do you feel the battle on the boards will be for you guys?

KYLA McMAKIN: Rebound for your life. We have been saying since, I don't know, we found -- no. Before then, they keep telling us rebound for your life. We will be walking until like rebound for your life. So that's what our motto has been for the last week or so is just rebound for our lives.

Q. For any of you, this game is going to be on ABC. How nice is it to be a part of women's college basketball game that's going to be on ABC, and U Conn follows up after this in a double header. To be able on that national stage, I mean, all of these games have been televised the last few years, but to be on broadcast network, not just cable or streaming network, how does that -- you like that opportunity as well to help possibly make a statement?

JULIA MARTINEZ: I mean, yeah. It's definitely what an opportunity it is for us to show who St. Louis University is, who we are and what we are made of. And yeah, it's exciting. I think it's definitely such -- like I said, we get to show off like who we are and what we are made of.

But yeah, I think it's -- we are going take it like any other game, but what an opportunity we have.

KYLA McMAKIN: I think the opportunity from women's basketball in general like you, you know, media attention towards women's basketball is not nearly in the same comparison as men's basketball.

So to be able to perform at the same level like a men's team would -- it's nice to have ^ finely ^ finally getting media attention towards women's basketball with the same dominating performance as the men's team.

THE MODERATOR: Thank you all so much.