NCAA WOMEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP: SECOND ROUND - PRINCETON VS UTAH

March 18, 2023

Carla Berube

Kaityln Chen

Grace Stone

Jon M. Huntsman Center

Princeton Tigers

Media Conference

Q. You guys have been down this road before. One is the double digits from last year to get so the second round. You are back in the same position this year.

What is different about this year's journey versus last year's journey?

GRACE STONE: I think that for us, we have had a lot of growing to do this year. We had a really tough nonconference schedule that I think we handled well. We started our Ivy League season 0-2, which is something we have not done in awhile. We had a lot of growing to do in that period.

To get to this point, I think I'm really proud of the work we put in to be able to handle an NCAA team that's really good. I think, you know, the only thing that's different is kind of like who we are and how much we have grown as players to be able to handle, you know, a game like that.

Q. Between the Princeton men winning the other day and you guys winning last night, what could that do of the perception of the Ivy League basketball, if not Princeton basketball?

KAITLYN CHEN: I think the Ivy League has grown over the past few years. I think people are starting to realize that the Ivy League can be really competitive with other bigger name schools. It's really exciting to be able to play in a conference like that.

GRACE STONE: I think it takes a lot to be an Ivy League student athlete. We have a lot of sacrifices we have to make that a lot of people that don't realize. So for both our programs to be successful at this level just shows the hard work and dedication of the players, the coaches, the staff and the administration and everyone that comes out of Princeton because, you know, we have so much to give this sport of basketball, but also, you know, we are also students. And so I think that for us, it's an honor to be on this stage. It shows the hard work that everyone puts in.

Q. For either or both of you, you know, going back to what you were just saying about the adversity you guys have faced this season and kind of gritting through some games in the past, when you look back on last night's game, you know, does the way you guys pulled that out or what you had to do to win, does that remind you of some of those games that you played earlier whether it was in conference play or in the nonconference?

KAITLYN CHEN: I mean, we definitely felt like we were in a familiar place last night. I think being in that place before and knowing that we could pull it out as we have done before like sort of -- we had that hope. I feel like when you have that hope, that's all you need to sort of win games.

GRACE STONE: I think like she said, we have been in a lot of tough games down stretch. We took Rhode Island to a game, 1-2 point game, losing to Rutgers in the nonconference by a lot. We had to come up with a win there. Every Ivy League game has been a battle.

So I think we have shown our toughness throughout the Ivy League schedule. I think that toughness transfers over to the national stage.

Q. Kaitlyn, we asked Grace about her game winning three last night. For you, as the primary ball handler on that play, what did you kind of see there? What was going through your head?

KAITLYN CHEN: Coach comes up with a really great play, and Grace was open. I mean, it didn't make my job too difficult.

Q. I'm curious for you guys, last year and this year, I mean, there's such a good alumni presence from Princeton every year. What does it mean for you to see the crowd there even when it's overwhelming with everybody else?

GRACE STONE: I mean, it is incredible. The Princeton alumni network is unlike anything in the country. We have always had support from our alums around the country. And you know, to be able to play for them means the most to us.

I think that, you know, they're such a legacy of Princeton women's basketball, and you know they always show out. They always show up for us, always cheer us on. I got so many text messages from alums after the game. We do it for each other. I think that shows the strength of Princeton basketball as a program.

Q. Obviously coming into the tournament, you guys have the number five scoring defense in the country. Fundamentally at a basic level, what has made Princeton so successful on defense, so stingy to where you are able to put up those kind of numbers?

GRACE STONE: Tiger principles that we joke around that he we just have, you know, a set of fundamental rules within our defense that we have to stick to communication being the biggest one.

I think that, you know, when you have five players that are all on the same page on defense, even if you messed up, even if you make a mistake in the game plan, you are able to cover for people and make up and just a matter of playing as hard as you can.

And I think for us, you know, we have really tried to stick to that, and we have gotten so much better at sticking to those principles.

Q. As you prepare for tomorrow, I mean, what are the biggest things that you are looking to improve from yesterday and where is your head at?

KAITLYN CHEN: I think we are excited, like we are looking forward to -- I mean, we know we will be able to come up with a really great scout and looking forward to hopefully executing it to the best of our abilities.

THE MODERATOR: Thank you, guys.

CARLA BERUBE: We had to turn the page from last night. It was an emotional amazing night to pull out the victory against NC State. A lot of preparation went in last night, this morning, to get ready for -- you have really tough strong Utah team that has had a really, really greet year.

It's been fun watching them. They're definitely different than the team that we have seen this year. So it's going to be a great challenge and really excited for this, excited for us being, you know, back in the round of 32. And yeah, looking forward to getting on the practice court today and talking about what we need to do to be successful tomorrow.

Q. I asked this question to your players earlier. I want to get your thoughts on the same topic. You have been to this point in the tournament before. Comparing last year's journey to this year's journey, what stands out to you as being different this time around? How has your team changed and evolved from last year to this year?

CARLA BERUBE: I think they talked about it. It's been just a different journey, one that -- yeah, we just had to sort of persevere through some tough times in late December, early January. You know, saw some adversity and fought through it and worked really, really hard in practices, in film sessions and meetings. They really have come together and are playing really good basketball at this point.

And you know, it's different too because last year, it was a first time for all of us. You know, for me, that was my first, you know, NCAA experience at the division one level with the Tigers. So a lot of them, it was a new experience as well.

And yeah. So I think there's just a familiarity this year. And that probably had a lot of to do with us just pulling that out last night too, just a big stage, you know, big moments, but we stayed poised and got the job done. So it doesn't get old being here and being at this stage. So there's a lot of excitement too.

But I think when you are excited, and you know, just happy about being here, that could help you. You know, you want to have all of that. You want to have all of those feelings and having, you know, strong emotions, but knowing that, you know, there's work to be done too, but I think it's a good balance of both.

Q. Part of your opening statement you mentioned this Utah team appears to be unlike any other team that you have seen this season. Can you expound on that? What about this Utah team makes you think this is unlike a team you have seen?

CARLA BERUBE: Yeah. I mean, I would say they're a little bit like Columbia where they shoot a lot of threes at a very high clip and well. There's no post player we have seen like Pili, just not. She's extremely -- yeah. She gets it done in the paint. She also can shoot threes, really versatile. And she catches everything that's anywhere close to her, great hands, great finishing, just works really hard in the paint. And yeah, they all can score from the outside. All can score at the rim really well, run fast. And yeah, it will certainly be a challenge.

And we have to be at our best on the defensive end and be able to execute offensively because they're good defensively too. And they're long, and you know, they can wreak some havoc with things they do defensively. And you know, we just need to be, you know, smart and execute the game plan, and yeah, just play Tiger basketball.

Q. Between the Princeton men winning their first round game, your team winning the first round game each of the two last seasons, can that enhance the perception of the Ivy League, if not Princeton basketball?

CARLA BERUBE: I sure hope so. We have talked a lot about the two bid Ivy this year. Columbia had a really strong chance of making it in. I thought they should have. I don't know if everybody understands how good the Ivy League is. It's really great basketball. It's competitive.

The battles that we had with Columbia and Harvard and Penn and down the line, it's certainly got us ready for the, you know, NCAA tournament. And hopefully -- I hope us being successful, the men being successful, that people do understand just how good Ivy League basketball is.

I have several of my players that could have gone to Power Five schools. They chose the Ivy League and Princeton for the balance of academic and athletics. I think that's happening more so across the Ivy League that there's just, you know, great skilled talented players in our league.

Q. Carla, you know, playing in Salt Lake City, how big of a factor is the altitude for everybody, not just for you, and how do you prepare for that and recover from that between games?

CARLA BERUBE: Yeah. I'm not sure how much we are feeling it or not. I know we have been talking about it a lot and making sure we are refueling and hydrating. And you know, we got out into the air quickly as soon as we got here. And yeah, I mean, last night my starters played a lot of minutes towards the end, and they were huffing and puffing.

Yeah, I'm not sure it was the high minutes, maybe had something to do with the altitude, but it's not something we are really too focused on, but we are making sure that we -- it is a quick turnaround. You know, we are used to back to back. We know about how important it is to refuel, hydrate, rest, recover. So we are doing that to be ready for tomorrow night.

Q. We have seen a lot of players go down with game injuries throughout the year, but Princeton seemed to have avoided a lot of that so far. I mean, just talking about like your injury prevention and what you guys do outside of the court, how has that translated to these big games as well?

CARLA BERUBE: It's been great. I think we take really good care of our bodies. We have a great strength and conditioning coach. We have a great, you know, athletic trainer and doctors and nutritionists that, you know, really care about our student athletes, their wellness, you know, from sports psychologists and counselors. It is really important the full body and the holistic approach.

So we have been -- you know, it's luck too. You know, injuries happen, and there's things that -- you know, you just can't avoid. But I think, you know, I think my players really care about taking good care of their bodies, eating right, sleeping, and yeah, getting in the cold pool, you know, cold bath and things like that to really take care of themselves, but also, you know, recover after a tough games and practices.

Q. Obviously a tough defense is a strong part of this team's identity. What has kind of contributed to that identity developing just to kind of a basic level?

CARLA BERUBE: I think just what I have learned when I was at Connecticut and how important, you know, defense is to winning championships. You know, when I was a player, I was not going see the court unless I could really defend well.

So I was just always taking it to heart and felt like you can separate yourself if you could really defend well, if you can have all five working together on the same page in communication is the absolute, you know, foundation of all of that. But there's definitely some things that we drill in practice and we harp on, and it's really, really important.

And you know, defending ball screens and lots of different ways. So there's, you know -- Grace mentioned we call them Tiger defensive principles. And yeah. I think, you know, players that have bought into it. You know, there's some players that just don't really care about that end of the floor and only care about offense. But I think I have a group that truly cares and loves just getting stops and what it can do to offenses and players when you can frustrate them.

So I spent 17 years at Tufts. That's what we hung our hats on there, and I wanted to bring it to Princeton and had a group, like I said, bought into it. It's just who we are.

Q. Lynne Roberts has said a couple times this season that she believes as parity in the women's game keeps being a thing, maybe at some point they take the first two rounds off campuses and put them back at neutral sites because the attendance is going to keep getting better and better.

As a coach who has taken her team on the road, one in home venues, would you be in favor of taking first two rounds back to neutral sites?

CARLA BERUBE: I had the same question last year because we were playing at Indiana Assembly Hall where it was like crazy. It was such a great atmosphere. And so those programs and teams that have put together such a great season and got the opportunity to host, well, there's a reason for that. They had a great season.

You know, and when I was at Connecticut, we always hosted and that was such an awesome experience as well. You know, put me ^ wherefore ^ wherever you want to put me, you know, neutral or not. It is fun to be on a campus, and you know, just seeing what other campuses have and programs.

You know, what Utah has is pretty awesome here. So it's good to see, you know, other programs. So I'm not, you know, so in favor of one or the other.

You know, I love just being able to get on the court. And if we can silence an away crowd, that's really fun too. So yeah, whatever, you know, works for everyone.

Q. Defensively watching yesterday's game between Utah and Gardner-Webb, they were able to get inside a lot and also late game and started to push the three more. How are you planning to balance the defense between working inside and outside as well?

CARLA BERUBE: Just got to defend both. They're very, like I said, really proficient three point shooters. And you know, both of -- and they have, you know, posts coming off the bench too that can really score inside as well.

But Pili and Johnson are tough. We have to work really hard. I love my team. Ellie Mitchell is someone that's different than maybe the Pac-12 has. And you know, it's a defensive effort from all five. It's not just, you know, one on one inside.

We have to have great closeouts. You have to have your high hands so they don't get good looks at the three. Just working together to take away, you know, their strengths.

Q. The other day, I think Thursday, your players were reflecting on last season's tournament run and how sometimes the opponent would kind of punch first and you would weather there and ended up being really successful. And last night you guys lead 6-0 and lost that run out of the locker room. Is that a sign of growth or me reading too much into one game? What do you make of that?

CARLA BERUBE: I don't know. We are all over the map. Sometimes it's a slow start. Sometimes it is a good start. Sometimes we are leading into half. We said at half time last night, oh, we are down six. This seems right. This is a good place to be. You know, no, it's not. But that there's never any quit.

You know, the one thing that I just love about my team is just how mentally tough they are with whatever situation we are in. You know, down eight, late in the fourth quarter or down five with a minute to go, they're locked in. And they're tough. And they're going to make plays. So you know, we are going to, you know, throw some punches. You know, and I'm sure Utah will throw punches. And you know, it's about weathering storms and not letting teams go on long runs. And you know, games are -- it's like a roller coaster ride. It's up and down.

Myself on the side line, I was absolutely exhausted last night after the game because I was jumping around like a maniac because it's just like so many highs to lows and ups and downs. The good thing is my team stays pretty poised, you know, on court. And they don't let, you know, to many tough plays just keep adding on. They're ready to make the next play for us.

Just really, really proud. We will see how tomorrow night goes. Really excited to -- like I said, this challenge of playing Utah in their home gym to get into the Sweet 16, so yeah. It's just looking forward to, you know, the atmosphere and the game ahead.

THE MODERATOR: Thank you, Coach.