NCAA WOMEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP: FIRST ROUND - SE LOUISIANA VS IOWA

March 17, 2023

Ayla Guzzardo

Hailey Giaratano

Jalencia Pierre

Carver-Hawkeye Arena

SE Louisiana Lady Lions

Media Conference

Iowa 95, Southeastern Louisiana 43

AYLA GUZZARDO: Ultimately, we are very blessed to be here on this stage. When we took over this program a few years ago, this was a goal of ours. I wish the game could have within a different type of outcome.

But one thing that we did from the start of the game to the finish of the game is we played hard. You know we played hard in the fourth quarter. No we didn't make shots. We struggled around the rim. From the three, but we played hard on both ends of the floor. That's one thing that this team does. We talked about they are a blue collar team. They are truly a blue collar team.

It's tough to guard Iowa. It's going to be tough for anybody in the tournament to guard Iowa. They have some piece that is make them very different than a lot of schools. But we it to the best of your our ability. It wasn't one person's fault. We had multiple people on Caitlin Clark but she's a great player. There's a reason she's contender for Player of the Year. Overall very proud of our team and very proud of our fight.

Q. The quickness, especially the point guard, I think that's probably why you won a lot of games this year?

AYLA GUZZARDO: It is. In our league we pride ourselves on defense, our speed, our quickness, our ability to get up the floor at a fast pace has been a high calibre for us. Get to go this level when your speed is almost matched in a way it was a little tough for us and then we had Jen in foul trouble for most of the game. She played the whole second half with four fouls, that's why we want keep milking it is our speed.

Q. What did you think of Iowa's physicality? Had you played anything like that this year?

HAILEY GIARATANO: I think we are used to physicality in our league. That's something that is very prevalent in our league. I don't think it was too much.

AYLA GUZZARDO: They are just a little bigger than us. My two bigs went out. When the two bigs went out, it was going to be tough for us to be able to front the post and be in help side. They can just catch it and score over it.

One thing we are going to do is fight. We are going to make every pass hard and make every score around the rim tough. But you know, that physicality is something that we hit every day in the Southland Conference. It's a great league and it's getting better and that's only making us better.

Q. Iowa got off to a fast start. Clark made her first four shots and a couple of free throws. At that point, did you guys try to make some adjustments or what did you try to do to try to slow Iowa down?

HAILEY GIARATANO: We knew we had to slow the pace back down and make it harder for her and really just lock in on our shots to get back in the game.

JALENCIA PIERRE: We needed to knock down on defense more. When we figured out, you know, we shut it down maybe second quarter on down points, we realized we had to step it up a little bit more and keep fighting?

Q. What was it like seeing over 14,000 people watching you guys play today, hostile environment aside?

HAILEY GIARATANO: I think it was a cool experience, something we've never experienced before.

JALENCIA PIERRE: It was nice. We had to learn how to communicate with each other but it was nice having a big crowd.

AYLA GUZZARDO: They are being modest. This is why we play and coach the sport. What they brought to women's basketball is awesome. The fact that they support -- we had fans shaking our hands on the way out, good fight, good fight of the that's what you want and people supporting women's basketball. 14,000 is loud. It's loud and tough to call plays and tough to hear anything and tough to hear the refs call fouls. It's a great atmosphere and something they will remember forever.

Q. 11 points in the second half, what was it that Iowa did defensively to really be such a challenge in?

JALENCIA PIERRE: Actually after like second quarter they started going zone, so it's like we had to punch more gaps and attack more when we go in there with the bigs, it's like a challenge. So they are forcing us to shoot the outside shots. The zone really, really helped them up.

HAILEY GIARATANO: Like she said, they spread us out more we are trying to drive more, because we are not a great three-point shooting team.

Q. You've played Utah and LSU this year. How does Iowa compare?

AYLA GUZZARDO: Each of them had a very important piece to their puzzle. I'll be honest, though, we haven't seen anything like Caitlin Clark. What they can do with the ball from a scoring advantage to her passing; I think that's where we almost became on the sideline, it's a great pass. She can see the floor, and she has the ability to score over my 5-2 point guard.

What she can do has just been amazing. LSU has more bigs with Angel Reece and same with Utah and their bigs but as far as the guard spot we haven't seen anything like that.

Q. You said Iowa, they are not a big defensive team. What is it they did defensively that you didn't anticipate?

AYLA GUZZARDO: They went zone. I anticipated it. When you look at a Big Ten team you think they can guard a little Southland school. I'll be honest with you, you would think they could guard us man-to-man. But they went zone. Great game plan because we don't shoot the three-ball well. In our league, we are making four threes, it's a good game for us. We can't make four threes going against Iowa. We have to be able to shoot the ball consistently from the three-point line and that would help open up our inside dame a little bit more.

But going zone was a great game plan in the second quarter. They went 2-3 zone and remained zone for the remainder of the game. You hope they go man because we think we could score a little better against man, but that game plan adjustment for them was great.