NCAA WOMEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP: SECOND ROUND - WEST VIRGINIA VS IOWA

March 24, 2024

Lisa Bluder

Caitlin Clark

Kate Martin

Carver-Hawkeye Arena

Iowa Hawkeyes

Media Conference

Q. What are your initial thoughts on watching West Virginia? It looks like they play a pretty aggressive style of defense, both half-court and full court. I'm curious what you guys have seen from watching film on them?

KATE MARTIN: They hang their hat on defense. They're a really good defensive team, and they try to turn you over, full court press, and we've seen a lot of teams do that to us this year. Yeah, they're definitely going to try to speed you up and want to turn you over.

So that's how they get into their offense really is they turn defense into offense. We're just going to have to stay composed and handle their pressure.

CAITLIN CLARK: Like Kate said, they're going to want to turn us over, and that's exactly what they did to Princeton last night in the third quarter. I think that was kind of the point in which the game changed. They're one of those teams that really feeds off of turnovers. One turnover can turn into five for a team.

So I think that's going to be the biggest thing is taking care of the ball. We expect them to play some zone, play some man. That's what we're prepped for, and it will be a good battle. They have good guards on their team, they're long, they're athletic.

I think the biggest thing for us is going to be taking care of the ball.

Q. Caitlin, you spoke a little bit on the guard play from WVU, a big part of that is JJ Quinerly. What have you seen from them as a whole but also on her in specific as a player and a defender?

CAITLIN CLARK: I think their guard play is really where they thrive offensively. That's going to be something that we really focus on. I think JJ specifically is somebody that's really going to put her head down and want to get to the basket. I think that goes for all their guards, and that's kind of what they hang their hat on.

They're capable shooters, but I think they want to drive first and create opportunities there. So we'll throw a few different things at them. They're a really good team. They run some really good stuff.

We've been prepping for them for a few days going through their actions. I think that will be the biggest thing. Obviously she's a great defender too. They're all good defenders, 1 through 5. Being able to handle the pressure and not let one turnover turn into multiple turnovers and then start stacking up.

I think just staying patient and running our offense and running our stuff will be really good.

Q. From both you guys, just dealing with the emotions of the last home game, this is going to be it.

KATE MARTIN: Oh, geez, why did you say that? No, I'm just kidding.

Yeah, it's definitely bittersweet. I feel really grateful to have extended my time into six years and I've gotten to play a lot of games out here on this court, and I feel really grateful for that.

So just staying in the moment. And we can deal with that after the game, but first we're obviously focused on getting a victory tomorrow and just enjoying every single moment with our teammates, trying to have fun out there and smile a lot and just play some basketball.

Yeah, I don't think it will hit me until the season's really over. But I feel lucky that we've gotten two extra home games on our home court here.

CAITLIN CLARK: Yeah, what she said. I would echo all that. I think the biggest thing is just being grateful. How lucky are we that we get to play two March Madness games on our home court in front of our fans and never letting that opportunity pass us by?

Like Kate said, it's all business. We're going to be locked in. I don't think any of us five seniors are going to be thinking, oh, my gosh, this is our last game. I think the environment is too competitive. You're wanting to win so hard that's not really what you're focused on.

Like she said, I feel that's something that will hit you either after the game or once the season ends. I think more than anything, we need to use the crowd to our advantage. Having 15,000 people that want to cheer for you, that's huge.

Q. This question is for Caitlin. To your left is Kate Martin, who you've played with for a long, long time. How has she impacted your career at Iowa, in what ways? And then also University of Iowa athletics.

CAITLIN CLARK: Oh, wow, I think the thing about Kate is she's been somebody that's been here with me through it all. It's kind of crazy to think about. When I first stepped on campus, Kate was already a captain. She was in her junior season, she was two years older than me. She's somebody that I admired and looked up to, and she became one of my best friends.

I think everybody in our locker room and even one of the coaches would say she's someone we learn from every single day, somebody that has our backs, somebody that's one of the best leaders any of us have been around.

I feel like the coaches would even say that. I feel like the coaches have learned a lot from Kate, how she goes about her business and what she does on a day-to-day basis.

I'll miss playing with her. She's just somebody that's really been there for me. She's somebody that's wired the same way as me. At times that means me and Kate butt heads, but at the end of the day, we know how much we love each other. We step off the court, and it doesn't matter, we just make each other better.

I think for myself the thing that I'm going to miss the most is just being around her every day, somebody that's one of her best friends, she's one of mine. It's been fun to see her evolution as a basketball player. I think to me she's a pro. She's somebody that should be drafted. She's somebody that can offer a lot to a professional organization. If not, she'll make a really good coach one day.

So I've been very lucky over the course of my four years.

KATE MARTIN: Thanks, Caitlin.

Q. This is for both of you. Harrison and Quinerly on the WVU side, both top 15 in the nation in steals per game respectively. Does that guard play remind you of anybody in the Big Ten, or do they seem to pose a completely different threat?

KATE MARTIN: I feel like with their press and their pressure, it kind of reminds me of Penn State a little bit. It definitely reminds me of Georgia a little bit from last year. They like to go back into their zone after their press sometimes.

I don't know, I just think they're really active and they like to put ball pressure, and they just kind of want to get in your face and intimidate you.

We're just going to have to really stay composed and handle that. If people are doing that to you, there's counter options, and we're going to have to take advantage.

CAITLIN CLARK: I would say the same. I think within the Big Ten, they kind of remind me of Illinois with really good guard play at the guard position. I think also additionally with the way they press, I would say Ohio State, those two teams kind of combined.

But they're unique in their own ways. I think they run a lot of good stuff. They rotate quite a few post players in and out of the game when all those post players are kind of unique in their own way. Some can shoot. Some don't shoot as much.

I think the biggest thing is knowing our scout. It's easier when you're in the Big Ten and you're really familiar with teams and you get in this situation and you have a couple days to prep for a team like this. You've got to know your scout and watch extra film.

But like I said, really good guard play. They're going to want to create turnovers. They're going to get their hands in the passing lanes. It's going to be a physical game. You can't expect the refs to call fouls 94 feet. That's not how it's going to go. That's not how you want it to go. We don't want to get in a free-throw-shooting contest.

They're very fundamentally sound. They're well coached. I expect it to be a really good game.

Q. Caitlin, you said all along, especially when you get to the second round, every game is dangerous. You've reiterated that. We saw Ohio State lost today on their home court. You guys have been through that before. Is there any key when you're sort of the favored team, but there's a lot of pressure on you, to sort of make sure the underdog, if you will, doesn't get a foothold in the game? Or do you think about it from that standpoint?

CAITLIN CLARK: I think coming out with a strong start will be really important for us, but I think that goes for any game. You want to come out and set the tone.

Also, our group has played in quite a few March Madness games where we didn't come out and set the tone, and we were able to take a breath and respond.

I think understanding we're not going to win by 25 points. That's not what this is at this point. It's going to come down to single possessions, and you have to execute possessions. You need to get O boards. We need to not turn the ball over. Little things like that.

That's kind of what Coach Bluder has been preaching. Yeah, I think our group knows better than anybody this is a game that it's going to be close. Every team that you play from here on out is a top 25 team. Doesn't really matter what number is next to your name. It's going to be a great battle.

That's what makes this tournament so fun. You've got to come ready to play. Like Kate said earlier, they do remind us of Georgia in a way. Georgia gave us a great battle. We only won by, I think, six points. It was two points with a minute to go. It just shows how important singular possessions are in these type of games.

Q. Caitlin, with the 13 days between games, that's a long time in basketball. Was it any harder keeping your mind relaxed? Mostly ignoring the outside world, all the talk about you and just everything that surrounds you?

CAITLIN CLARK: Honestly, it was nice to have a couple weeks off, especially after playing three games in three days at the Big Ten Tournament.

I don't think it's like any different than what I've experienced over the last two years. I think I've been able to kind of step away and focus on my business and what that is, and that's on helping this team win.

Certainly I know that spotlight is there. Certainly I know that pressure is there, but that's not anything you ever shy away from. I wouldn't want it any other way.

I think it's something this team has deserved and really earned over the course of the last two years, obviously with our run in March Madness. But I'm not sure a lot of people coming into this year would have thought we'd be a 1 seed in this tournament and had the year we did with losing Mon and McKenna. I think a lot of people have stepped up into roles they didn't have last year, and I'm really proud of them.

The biggest thing our team needs to remember is we've worked for this, we've earned it. Sure, there's pressure, but it's not anything you shy away from. We've performed to that level all year long, and these are some of the most fun moments of basketball right now.

So just enjoy that and continue to rise to the occasion.

Q. Question to Caitlin. I know we're still in the middle of the college tournament, but thinking about the years to come, about your future, what kind of a champion, what kind of a person and personality would you love to become?

CAITLIN CLARK: You ask the hard questions. Did you Google it last night?

I don't know, the way I've gone about my college career is how I want to continue to live the rest of my life, whether it's playing professional basketball, whether it's my dreams outside of basketball. I think that's what has allowed me so much success as a basketball player is everything I do is the same way I live my personal life.

I want to give a full effort. I want to rely on a team and other people around me. I know not everything can be done by myself, and I have a lot of people that support me, whether it's my teammates, whether it's my coaches, whether it's my family.

I have a lot of goals and aspirations in basketball and enjoying that, but at the end of the day, basketball isn't the end all, be all for me.

I told my mom earlier this week I know I can hold my head high whatever happens in this tournament because I've given my heart and soul to this program, and so have my teammates. I've loved every single second of wearing Iowa across my chest.

That's goes for everything that I do in my life. I do it with 110 percent effort. Maybe at times that's bad, but that's just how I go about my life, and that's what I'm going to continue to do as I become a professional working adult. I think it would be the same for any other normal individual too.

Q. Kate, question for you. Caitlin had some nice praise for what she's learned from you over the last few years. I'm curious if we can turn the tables a little bit. Obviously you're two years older, had some college experience before she was here, but over the last four years, what have you learned from Caitlin?

KATE MARTIN: Great question. Caitlin, close your ears.

No, I've learned a lot from Caitlin, and I feel grateful I've gotten to spend four years with her. She's just come in since her freshman year and made everyone better around her. That's what the greats do is raise the level of competition every single day in practice.

She had goals, and I hadn't really -- typically I was looking up to people who were older than me. Then somebody younger coming in with such a fiery mentality and wanting to win, and I just loved it. Sometimes you don't really think about looking up to somebody who's younger than you, but I always admired her, even since the day she stepped on campus, because I knew she wanted to win.

I would take somebody like Caitlin, who's fiery, might snap on people, over somebody who doesn't give a crap. I would take that all day.

And Caitlin's been there for me through so many aspects of my life, mainly off the court and on the court. She's just always going to have my back, and I appreciate that.

I've said this before, but I want Caitlin in my foxhole. I want her -- if things go bad, I want her to be right next to me because I know she's going to have my back and I know she's going to give 110 percent in whatever it is. So I do really appreciate that about her.

Q. Question for Caitlin. For you, what are the priorities about the future and the development of women's sports?

CAITLIN CLARK: I think the first thing is -- it's hard to kind of think about the future when I'm in this moment right now. So I would say that's my main focus, being here, being in this moment. Obviously I know the future is going to come very quickly within the next month.

I think for myself, I think the biggest thing, I've said even throughout this year, I still feel like my game can grow so much. I feel like I can still improve a lot. Like you said, I think women's sports in general are growing so much, and that's so cool. As you see, it's like all over the world. Women's sports are really on the rise, whether it's women's basketball, whether it's soccer, whether it's volleyball, you can go down the line of every women's sporting event that is growing. The attendance numbers are growing. The viewership is growing.

If I can be a small part of that, that's really special, and that's really unique. I want to do whatever I can to help move that along and help inspire young girls to maybe dream to do whatever they want to do.

I guess that's the biggest thing is continue to enjoy these moments and smile and inspire young people to want to be just like us because they're going to be the next generation that keeps continuing to move this thing forward.

Q. Just wondered, you both referenced being hard on each other and helping each other raise the level of competition. I can remember when Beth yells at me to get better at my job frequently. Can you share an anecdote with us of a fight you remember or a moment you remember that's like, Come on, Kate, you've got to do this. Or, Come on, Caitlin, you've got to do this.

KATE MARTIN: Do you remember any?

CAITLIN CLARK: I'm trying to think. Summer scrimmages, me and Kate are never on the same team.

KATE MARTIN: Never.

CAITLIN CLARK: We always play pickup like three times a week in the summer, and me and Kate are never on the same team.

Me and Kate get into it, and we bicker back and forth. We don't ever punch anyone or punch each other, but like we'll go back and forth. I think that just speaks to how badly we want it. It's a summer scrimmage. Really at the end of the day, it doesn't matter. It doesn't matter who wins. It doesn't matter who scores what.

But like we want our teams to win that badly that it gets super competitive. It's honestly not just me and Kate, but all the girls get super competitive. I would say we're probably the two biggest culprits, Kate's team versus Caitlin's team. That's kind of how it goes.

Once we step off the court and walk down after practice is over from the practice gym, it's all fun and games. We just laugh. We giggle.

I think that's the best thing about being a competitor. You can separate the two things. That's what I love about Kate is like I hate when she beats me at things, and she definitely hates when I beat her at things. That's how it should be. That's what pushes you to get better.

If you don't have that competition, I don't really know how much you're going to be able to grow and improve in your own ways.

Q. Question for Caitlin. I couldn't help yesterday but notice the large amount of people that wait for all of you guys to get signatures, pictures, meet you. When you look back at your time in Iowa -- I know you said you're focused on the game, but with it being your last game, what do you hope your legacy has been through your four years here?

CAITLIN CLARK: I hope we inspired a lot of people. I hope we brought a lot of people joy, whether it's young girls, young boys, older men and women. I think we have. I think we've touched generations across the board.

And I think also you'll see our legacy, whether it's me and Kate's or whether it's the other girls in the locker room. I hope you continue to see it for years and years to come.

I hope fans continue to support this program. Obviously they have before I arrived on campus, before Kate arrived on campus. Obviously it's on a whole different level than it is now. I hope they continue to support this program because what Coach Bluder has been able to build here has been really special. We've been lucky enough to be a part of it and have a lot of wins with her.

There's been a lot of girls in the locker room that have contributed to this year that it was their first time and they're going to be here next year. Continuing to support them is important.

But I hope there's a lot of young boys and girls that grow up to play basketball, play soccer, play whatever they want, and they can say the Iowa women's basketball team is the team that inspired me to go after my goals and my dreams to do what I want to do.

I think me and Kate would say we had those people growing up. I know for Kate, that's exactly what it was. She grew up with an Iowa women's basketball poster glued to her ceiling. That's how much she loved this program and wanted to be a part of it.

We got to live out our dream, and I hope at the same time we were able to inspire others to dream too.

Q. Kind of along those same lines for both of you, tomorrow's the last time you're walking out in Carver-Hawkeye Arena with that number on. What's it meant to you to wear that for the duration of your career?

KATE MARTIN: I feel really lucky and honored to wear Iowa across my chest every single day. Like Caitlin said, it was a dream of mine as a little girl to play for Coach Bluder, and to spend six years here, that's rare nowadays. I mean, it just is.

But I feel really lucky that I've had the opportunity. I tore my ACL my freshman year, and it just kind of led me to this moment right now. You don't really know why you tear your ACL in the moment, but I got another year to play here with these girls right now, and I just feel super grateful.

There's just a sense of pride that you get whenever you put on your uniform, run out to 15,000 screaming fans. My family comes to every single game, and to get to see them in the stands and then do that with your best friends every single day, I just feel extremely honored. I could never say thank you enough to Coach Bluder and the coaching staff for giving me the opportunity.

CAITLIN CLARK: I would say all the same. It's crazy how fast my four years have gone. I feel like it was just freshman year and I was playing in front of nobody. Now we're running out to sold-out crowds, whether we're here or on the road. I don't know that I would have been able to have the success that I do and that our team does if I wasn't playing for Coach Bluder. She's allowed me to be myself. She's never taken anything away from me or held me back from anything.

I'm grateful for her and grateful for all our coaches. Also, I've had really good teammates that have allowed me to be me too. I wanted to play for this school because I love the state of Iowa. I love representing the state of Iowa. My family lives really close. My family hasn't missed many games in my career.

I remember running out to our first sold-out crowd, and I got the chills. Now I get to do that every single night. That's never anything that has got old.

It will take a while for this to set in of this being my last game in Carver-Hawkeye Arena, but just really grateful and thankful. Thankful to our fans the way they support women's basketball and want the game to grow.

I know when I take off the jersey whenever my last game is, I can hold my head high and reflect back on a lot of great memories inside this place.

THE MODERATOR: Kate and Caitlin, thank you very much.

We'll go right to questions for Coach Bluder.

Q. We asked Caitlin and Kate if there were any teams that you guys have faced that kind of are similar to West Virginia. I think it was Illinois because of their guard play, Georgia, Penn State and Ohio State. First off, do you agree with those teams? Then kind of is there anything you can take away from those previous matchups that you point out to your team about, hey, we did something well in this game that West Virginia is going to do and here's something we didn't do well in that game that West Virginia can do?

LISA BLUDER: I agree with Ohio State. I think they're similar to this team and the pressing.

We handled Ohio State's press well. We handled Penn State's press well. That's going to be the goal tomorrow because they're very, very good. Very good at creating. They force 24 turnovers a game.

We cannot afford to turn the ball over that many times. They count on it. They get easy scores off those turnovers. So we have to do a good job taking care of the ball.

Q. Obviously the goal will be to not turn the ball over, but many teams go in with that mindset and they still get turned over. If West Virginia is able to turn you over that many times, is there other things you can do to kind of make up for those turnovers?

LISA BLUDER: I mean, threes are greater than two. It's about possessions. If you turn the ball over, you're in trouble. Possessions are so important. But if we control possessions, we're the No. 1 team in the country in points per possession.

So we have to do a good job on the boards. We have to do a good job valuing the ball.

Q. You've played two teams from the Big 12 in Kansas State and Iowa State. Is there anything that you can take away from those matchups that you might try to emulate in this one? Or is it a completely new challenge?

LISA BLUDER: I think it's a new challenge. We played those teams such a long time ago. I've watched their films against West Virginia, but again, those were a long time ago. I think our team is different.

The last time we beat Kansas State, we didn't have Hannah Stuelke. She was unbelievable. She wasn't healthy at that point. Hopefully having her will help us.

Q. We talked with West Virginia head coach Mark Kellogg, and he feels like they can play a slower game if they need to, they can play a little faster as well. Is that something that you see from them, they can do both those things, they can excel if you find yourselves in either type of game?

LISA BLUDER: I agree. I think they can change up their press to do whenever they want, speed you up or slow you down. They do a really good job with that.

Q. Coach, I think during the first round, 31 out of 32 higher seeded teams won. Meanwhile on the men's side you see upsets happening and all this hoopla over that. Of those 31 teams, 16 of them played on their home court. Do you think it's time for the women's tournament to reconsider awarding two home games to the top 16 teams?

LISA BLUDER: I don't think so. I don't think we're there yet. We tried it, and I've been around long enough that we did try that for a while. It was very unsuccessful. That's why we abandoned it and went back to this. We tried eight games at a neutral site, or eight teams at a neutral site, and it didn't work.

I think it is a huge advantage to the top 16, but maybe they deserve it because they did it during the year. So maybe they deserve it. You're going to give up a crowd like this and a television experience like this in favor of going to a neutral place? I don't think so.

Q. I wanted to ask you about Kate Martin's impact on this program since the day she walked in. She talked about learning from Megan, learning how to become a good teammate, when she had an ACL, to now where she seems to be one of the greatest captains you've ever had. What's been her impact, and what's her legacy?

LISA BLUDER: She truly is one of the best captains I've ever had. I put Sam Logic up there, Kate Martin. What makes Kate so tremendous is she works so hard all the time. She demonstrates the level of play that you want out on the court. But she's also communicating. She's our best communicator on the floor, whether she's pumping people up or whether she's communicating defensive calls and skills, that sort of thing.

She's the first person that will hold people accountable, and she's also the first person that will pat everybody on the back when they need it. She builds people up. I think that's the biggest thing about a leader is when you can make the people around you better, and Kate Martin has done that.

She's going to be a fabulous coach. I'm not going to want to coach against her because she's going to be really, really good in time.

Q. Obviously not a ton of time to prep for West Virginia. I'm sure you've been doing it for a couple days now. How much of a focus point is transition defense, and how tough is that to practice transition defense in just kind of a one- or two-day window?

LISA BLUDER: You're not going to practice that today and be ready for it. You have to practice that all year long. It has to be part of who you are. I mean, you just are not going to get better in an hour and a half practice of something like that. So it's something you better have started working on last June, July, August, October.

Q. We talked about how West Virginia's defense can lead into their offense, but when they get into the half-court, just what things do you see from them on their half-court offense that could be a challenge for you guys?

LISA BLUDER: Just how fast they are going downhill. They're extremely fast. Jordan and JJ are incredible. I think they feed off each other really well, but they are very quick going downhill.

I think Lauren Fields is an excellent spot-up three-point shooter. Then you've got your post Kylee that can come out and hit threes too.

Defensively, it's tough to match up with them just because of their speed.

Q. Sometimes when you're going through the moment it's hard to stop and smell the roses and think about the things, but you've coached through a ton of Senior Days, seen a lot of great leaders here exit the program. How do the ones on this team, how do you feel knowing that tomorrow is the last time they're going to wear Iowa, an Iowa uniform on this court and the impact that they've made, which seems to be obviously profound?

LISA BLUDER: Their impact has been amazing, and it's not only an impact on our program, it's an impact on the entire state of Iowa. It's an entire -- our community, our university. I think women's basketball nationally. I truly believe that this team has elevated the play, the enthusiasm, the excitement for women's basketball across the country.

I am not thinking about tomorrow being their last game. I can't. If you start thinking about that and focusing on that, you're not focusing on the task at hand. So that's something I'll think about after the game, but it's not something that I really want to prepare myself for now.

Q. I asked Caitlin this right before. When it is all said and done, what would you define her legacy as, whether for this program, or you touched upon it, the state or women's basketball in general?

LISA BLUDER: Caitlin, my goodness, she's the face of women's basketball across the country right now. So absolutely, she's elevated this game. I mean, she really creates a lot of buzz. Whether it's good or whether it's bad, it's a buzz out there.

I think she's taught people they can be passionate about this game, competitive about this game, and they don't have to hide their feelings. I think there's a whole lot of little boys and girls that are playing basketball right now because of her, because of watching her play and her inspiring the next generation of basketballers.

Q. I was asking Caitlin about this. When you're a real guard dominated team -- and I'm not short changing your post game at all, but you've got so much experience on guards. Is it easier in some ways to prepare for another team that's guard dominant, or does it really make much difference?

LISA BLUDER: I don't know if it makes a whole lot of difference. I haven't thought about that, and I do think our post play was good yesterday. Even with Hannah going 0 for 2 and not playing many minutes, we were 11 for 16 from the field with our post play. So I think they did a nice job.

But certainly when you talk about Iowa, you talk about our guards right now.

Q. Coach, yesterday in the Princeton-West Virginia game, Princeton actually had fewer turnovers than West Virginia in the first half and more points off of turnovers and more fast break points, and we know what happened in the second half. So how important will it be for your team not to play a great 10 minutes against that pressure, not a great 20 minutes, but a great 40 minutes?

LISA BLUDER: I think every game you play this time of year, you're playing against great people. West Virginia has a 21 NET. They're a really good basketball team. I think they're under seeded or whatever you want to say about that. I think they should be really like a 7 or a 6 right now, or a 5 possibly.

I'm not on the committee, so I can't make those calls, but I was really surprised they're an 8 seed. I'm sure they were. They have something to prove about it.

I think anybody you play now, you've got to be locked in for 40 minutes, or you're going to go home. So that's the goal.

And you're right, it hurt when Jordan got into foul trouble a little bit in the first half. She's the front of that press, the kind of two-headed monster up there, and she's one of the principal parts of that.

Q. I wanted to ask you about physical play and the challenges it could present for you if -- depending on the way it's called -- and I'm not saying it's good or bad, I'm just saying like balls and strikes. If it's called loose and there's not a lot of fouls, how do you keep Caitlin focused and not maybe getting into -- yesterday she just seemed to be a little out of character. How do you keep her kind of focused and not worrying about other things?

LISA BLUDER: Caitlin and I had a really good talk this morning. I think she's going to be great tomorrow. I really do. I have full faith in that. She got frustrated with herself, with the situation last night, and she's too much of a veteran to let that bother her. She knows that a lot of times whistles are swallowed this time of year.

But hey, there was 57 free throws shot between West Virginia and Princeton. That's a lot of free throws and a lot of calls. So that game, they didn't really swallow their whistle, in my opinion.

Q. Coach, you mentioned just how tough these games are, really from the first round, but definitely I feel like the second round now are incredibly tough. Caitlin mentioned you can't go into this game thinking we're going to win comfortably. It is going to go down possibly to the last possession. The confidence, I guess, you have in the way you guys execute at the end of games, because that seems to be a huge difference maker this time of year?

LISA BLUDER: We practice our end of game situations often. I'm not going to say every day, but often. We did it in shootaround yesterday.

I just feel like with a player like Caitlin, you're never completely out of a game because she can do some amazing things at the end of games. We've all seen it over and over again.

Yeah, end of game situations are very important, both offensively and defensively.