NCAA WOMEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP: REGIONAL 4 SEMIFINAL - COLORADO VS IOWA

March 24, 2023

Lisa Bluder

Caitlin Clark

Monika Czinano

Climate Pledge Arena

Iowa Hawkeyes

Sweet 16 Postgame Media Conference

Iowa - 87, Colorado - 77

THE MODERATOR: We'll get started with an opening statement from coach and then take questions for the student-athletes.

LISA BLUDER: Well, we're thrilled, obviously, to be in the Elite 8. Beat a really good Colorado team tonight. Third quarter was a real big difference-maker for us. I thought in the third quarter, we got our transition game going. We really did a good job on Frida Formann. She was having a spectacular first half and we held her to two points. Thrilled that our team -- we have four people in double figures.

I think Addison O'Grady came in and did a great job for us when we were in a little bit of foul trouble with Monika. She used her height in there and really happy for Addison and how she contributed to this win today.

THE MODERATOR: Questions?

Q. Caitlin and Coach, at the end of the game there when Colorado cut it to four, Monika had a big put back and then a rebound. What did you see from her in those moments? And then how crucial was that just to pulling over the victory?

CAITLIN CLARK: I think anytime we need a big bucket at the end of the game we're kind of looking for Mon on the block because she's so efficient in there. I think that's the highest percentage shot in basketball, so we always want to get it inside to her. But it was not an easy finish at all. I think she shot it with her left hand turning middle with three seconds left on the shot clock. So that stretches it back out to six points.

So it was a huge bucket for us and we were able to waste quite a bit of time using the whole shot clock too, so I thought that was huge. I thought Mon rebounded really and secured rebounds when she was in there.

LISA BLUDER: That wraps it up. (Laughing.)

Q. Caitlin, what led to you guys' surge in the third quarter and specifically that sequence where you hit a three and then stole and drove the length and the crowd went crazy, did that fire everybody up?

CAITLIN CLARK: Yeah, I think it was started on defense for us. I think we had eight stops in a row and just we gave up a couple O board where they got put backs, but other than that, we were getting stops. That's what leads to really good offense for us, so it's always a key. I thought we executed, we got out in transition, but I remember Coach Bluder told us, we forced them to use two timeouts there to start the third quarter. I think the biggest thing was just getting stops on defense and securing rebounds.

Q. If both of you could discuss just -- I know you have broader goals, bigger goals, coming up, but to just get back to the Elite 8 or get to the Elite 8 for the first time, what does that mean to you to just be able to get to this point and to also have a great crowd that was pretty pro-Iowa, for the most part.

MONIKA CZINANO: Yeah, I think anytime you get to play basketball for this long it's really special. None of us want this to end. We're such a family here that as long as we can be together, we're going to try to be together. So it's super special. I know our team, every single person, deserves this, has put in the work for it, so we're just really excited to still be playing basketball right now.

CAITLIN CLARK: I just thought the crowd was incredible. I guess it was kind of our crowd. It felt like there was a lot of Hawk fans out there, I don't know if they traveled from the state of Iowa from the Midwest and if they did, we really appreciate that, and if you're from out here, we appreciate you coming too or maybe we've turned a lot of Seattle Storm fans into Iowa Hawkeye fans, so that's pretty incredible as well.

Q. For either of the players, that first half it seemed like Colorado was getting some open looks, hitting some shots. Was that just a matter of them moving the ball really well or were you guys having some breakdowns on defense? And then what changed in the second half for you guys to start getting some stops?

MONIKA CZINANO: I think a lot of it was second-chance opportunities more than anything. Especially right when we started the game, we needed to do a better job of boxing out and limiting them to one shot per possession. So, I mean, I think when we came out from halftime, we started doing a way better job of that, but kind of doing it more consistently is going to be huge for us.

CAITLIN CLARK: I thought we did a lot better job on Formann, obviously, lit us up there in the first half, and she made some tough baskets. We were chasing her around. She's a good player. She shoots the ball really well, but I thought we did a lot better job in the second half, which was kind of a difference for us.

Q. You mentioned tonight's crowd. Do you hear and absorb that energy or you try and work through it, whether it's positive, negative. There was a lot of positive tonight. So how did you absorb or work through that crowd energy tonight?

CAITLIN CLARK: I think we tried to use it to our advantage at times. I thought the fans were cheering pretty loud for us. I think anytime we go on the road or play at a neutral site, there is always really, really good crowds, and I expected the crowd to be like that. This city supports women's basketball. Obviously has the best franchise, most winningest franchise, I'm pretty sure, of all time. That did not surprise me, by any means, and I think the moment I realized it was really loud out there is when me and Mon walked off the court after the game, you know, the fans got really loud and excited for us.

So I thought that was a really cool moment too. But more than anything, we just try to use it to our advantage and let it help us during the game.

Q. I wanted to talk to you about how you've talked about working on your mental toughness and resetting. How did you do that this game and how did your team do that this game? Because, again, coming into the third quarter, it seemed like the whole different mindset.

CAITLIN CLARK: Yeah, I felt like my first half wasn't my best half of basketball I've ever played. I know there can be times where shots don't go down that you want, but I felt like I was playing a little frantic. I felt like I was rushed on offense. We were talking about at halftime. It feels like we're playing defense way longer than they have to play defense. When we got in the second half, I thought we calmed down quite a bit, got stops. But I think just buying into your teammates, I don't think I shot the ball for quite a few possessions to start the second half and then got them easy, I'm pretty sure, layup to start the second half. So it's always nice to see the ball go through the hoop, and then obviously some assists to get my teammates open. That just opens everything up for everybody else.

But I think when nobody gets inside of our circle and we stay strong as one unit, that's when we're really good, and I think that's what we were tonight.

Q. Monika and Caitlin, wanted to talk to you about your transition game. Monika, it starts so often with you getting the rebound and the outlet. Just that beautiful brand of basketball that you guys can play, what's that like from your vantage point? And then, Caitlin, for you, just the anticipatory passing, the soccer style, how much did you have to learn your teammates and encourage them, maybe even, to like continue to run as you kind of got that going?

MONIKA CZINANO: Yeah, I think it's so much fun. I maybe passed it a little bit too quickly after getting a rebound than Coach likes. But when I see Caitlin cutting down the floor really fast, I just know that that's when we're in our best offense. Our transition's our best offense, so getting her the ball. And it's, honestly, so much fun when I pass the ball up and I'm like at half court and we've already scored. I'm like, oh, nice. I get to run back now on defense. It's.

It's just a really fun way to play basketball and it's kind of why I came to Iowa. There's a lot of reasons why I came to Iowa, but it's just so -- the style of basketball we play is just so much fun for people to watch and to play.

CAITLIN CLARK: Yeah, I think the passing especially is at my best when I'm in transition, that's at times a lot when Mon gets the rebound, you know, our 4s run the floor really, really well or Kate runs the floor and cuts in from the wing. So I have to anticipate and put the ball in front of 'em, even if they're not there. I thought there was quite a few of those passes tonight that I made kind of having to throw it behind the defender. Whether we finished it or not, those are good looks, those are looks that we want to get in transition. We're a team that loves transition offense and that's really where we thrive.

But like you said, I think it really does start with the defensive stop and outletting the ball and getting down the court really fast.

Q. You mentioned the other day that you don't really dribble. You're like a very much a back to the basket post, and Aaronette Vonleh is similar. What did you think of that matchup? It looked like it was very physical, very tough.

MONIKA CZINANO: Yeah, she's a great post player. I think it was a super tough, super physical, matchup, and I'm really glad we got to play Georgia before this game because it was a similar look, again, really physical post.

But she does a great job of ceiling really low. I know I got burned on that a couple times. And, yeah, she does a great job. I think anytime I get to play against a great post it makes me better and it makes them better, so it's just -- it's good.

Q. For you, how do you balance kind of being intense and being animated, but also remaining calm? Was it something you kind of developed over time or how did you kind of do that?

CAITLIN CLARK: I think it's definitely still something that I'm working on. I'm somebody that's full of fire and passion and that's who I am, that's always who I'm going to be, and I'm never going to lose that. It's just understanding the moments of when my team needs it and when I need to lock in and turn on to the next play. I think it's something I've been working on, especially this year. I knew if we wanted to go far, I can't get too hung up on other plays. I can't get hung up on turnovers I've had, missed shots I've had.

So I think being mentally tough and understanding everything's not going to go your way. You got to win, what, four games to get to Dallas? You're not going to shoot incredible for four games. That's unrealistic expectation. So just accepting that and coming in with the mindset that, I don't know, teams are going to hold you, teams are going to be physical with you, and you just got to play through it. I think buying into the four people that are on the court with me at the same time and knowing that they have my back has been really, really good for me.

Q. And was that something that you talked to Coach about during the summer? Was it talked to Monika? How did you learn that skill this year?

CAITLIN CLARK: Yeah, it's definitely something me and Coach talk about quite a bit. She's somebody that I wanted to play for because I knew she was going to challenge me in a lot of ways and make me a better player, and she still coaches me super, super hard every single day in practice. I think she knows more than anybody that I have so much room to get better, and she knows she can make me a really good player, and that's why I decided to play for her. But it's something I work on. I go back and assess games where maybe I had moments that weren't my best, and nobody's perfect, nobody on our team is perfect. Coach would stand up here and say she's not perfect too. But I think my mental toughness has really, really grown this year and I think that's a huge reason why I've been able to take a step forward.

THE MODERATOR: We'll excuse the student-athletes and take questions for coach.

Q. What was the message for your team going into halftime trailing by three points? The defense was allowing probably a few more points than you wanted. Just your message to the team and how they were able to carry it out in the third quarter?

LISA BLUDER: Yeah, well we were down one, not three. So basically it was really boxing out on defense and denying Frida the ball. I mean, she was really doing a great job. We thought we missed a couple double opportunities in the post.

But offensively we were playing too fast. I don't mean in our fast break transition, I mean in the quarter court we were playing way too fast. So we kind of really said, take a deep breath, let's take a deep breath and we can do better than what we've been doing. We can reverse the ball a little bit more we can get some more touches in for Mon.

Q. Lisa, Caitlin puts on a show pretty much every time she walks on the floor. You get to see her every day in practice. But I'm wondering if there are times -- obviously you're focused, but are you ever just like, oh, crap, I can't believe she did that? Like are you ever just a fan and like blown away at something she does?

LISA BLUDER: Yeah, and it happens a lot actually in practice. Nobody's around to cheer in practice, but I get, I call 'em oh-wow moments and we get a lot of oh-wow moments with her. These passes that she does, she does 'em all the time. It doesn't surprise us in games because she does 'em all the time in our practices against our practice squad. So she's an amazing passer and I think sometimes people forget that. They talk about her range, they talk about her shot release and stuff. But it's her passing, I think, that makes her the most spectacular player that we have in America right now because of that.

Q. You talked about in your opening statement having multiple players in double figures. How important were Makena and Kate and Gabbie tonight in today's win -- not just today, but this whole tournament and sort of being, not like role players, but just picking up the slack when needed?

LISA BLUDER: It's when we're at our best. When we get four people in double figures -- and Gabbie I know has seven, but she worked her tail off on defense and then also hit a big three for us. So we shot the ball very well tonight. And I'm proud of that because of Colorado's defense. We scored more points than anybody has all year against their defense. Their defense is very good, but we were still able to shoot over 50 percent from the field. But you do that when you're having the balance of the four people in double figures and able to do that, I think that's when it's really special.

Q. Caitlin mentioned that she felt like she was playing frantic in the first half. I think that probably led to what you said about being too fast. How often have you seen that this year where she kind of -- and that leads to the offense getting a little out of whack -- and is it as simple as just, hey, calm down, slow down, bring it back just one notch for the second half?

LISA BLUDER: Yeah, I mean, she was playing a little bit fast out there. But the thing is, is you can talk to her about it and she will adjust. She's not somebody that will disagree with you. She takes it to heart and she will really be coachable out there and make those type of changes.

But it's hard not to play a little bit heightened just because Colorado was pretty aggressive defensively. And I thought that just having halftime and being able to take a little breath was really good for us.

Q. Two different questions. One, we heard Caitlin talk about somehow she feels like her mental toughness has grown. How have you seen that, from your perspective, over the course of the year? And secondly, how do you think playing such intense defensive teams like Georgia in the last round and then Colorado today is going to help you guys with your long-term goals?

LISA BLUDER: I think everybody now is going to play great defense. You're looking at -- I mean, you're in the Elite 8. Every team is really, really good. So I think we're going to see that every night. I thought our defense was pretty good in the second half. Especially that third quarter we held 'em to 13 points. Frida has 19 in the first half she has two in the second half. So I thought we did some really good adjustments there.

And I'm telling you, Sherrod is fast. She is hard to guard because she is so fast. But Caitlin has really worked hard on her mental toughness. She understands -- I think the first thing is, any time you want to improve on something, is understand that it's a problem, right. And that I can be stronger in this area. Maybe not that it's a problem, but it's not one of my strengths. She wanted to make it a strength. Like she said, I'm going to play with passion. And I never want to take that away from her because that is what makes her so competitive, that's what makes her so fun to watch. And I would never -- I don't want people to mistake, you know, passion for being cocky or being mad at herself or her teammates, because she is a very passionate player. But that's what part, that's the part of what is a strength of hers too. And I never want to dull that.

So mental toughness is something that we've, that we talk about a lot and we work on it a lot with our whole team, not just with Caitlin.

Q. The follow-up on that, how do you coach that mental toughness and what are you trying to see from Caitlin specifically? Is it her affect, the way she reacts to things, how much of it is just more of an internal thing? What are you looking for and how did you guide her through this?

LISA BLUDER: She's grown up, right, she's just gotten mature. In her freshman year we didn't have fans, right. It was COVID, so we never played in front of fans much. Then her sophomore year is the first time playing in front of fans. That was different for her to be able to -- and I'm telling you, she takes a lot. I mean, not only does she always get the best defense, but she takes it from the crowd. She's taken it from the other coaches before on the opposing bench. I don't think, you know, a 20-year-old should have to withstand some of the things that she does from the opposing crowds. So that's kind of a, it's a sad part about our game right now. I'm sorry but what was the other part of that?

Q. We were talking about reactions, but just what else goes into mental toughness and what else are you trying to bring out not just in her, but in all of your players?

LISA BLUDER: Yeah, we want to be unaffected by things that we can't control and if that's a bad call, if that's playing on the road, if it's somebody who doesn't feel. We always talk about control the controllables. Do not be affected by something that you can't control. We talk about that a lot. We talk about our culture. Our culture is very strong. We try to be very positive all the time with our players. We coach them, we hold them accountable, but I think we can do that in a way that also builds their confidence and builds their esteem. We have a very tight circle. We talk about it all the time. How everybody is important on our team. It's one of our values. Everyone matters. And when everybody feels that way in the locker room it just makes us stronger. It does make it -- because you know everybody on that team has your back. Caitlin absolutely knows her teammates have her back. And that just is a comforting feeling. And it just makes you a little bit, I think mentally stronger. Bend but don't break. We talk about that. We're unshakeable. We want to be unshakeable in those situations.

Q. JR talked about early in her time in Colorado you guys played each other in the WNIT. How impressed are you of this program and what she's built there at Colorado and what kind of team they are with the defensive intensity and what makes them so tough?

LISA BLUDER: I think JR done a great job, fabulous job with her team. She's done a fabulous job recruiting, implementing her system. Obviously defense is an important part of her system. But she's done a great job with recruiting and having two posts. Getting Frida Formann over here was really tremendous. She's done a good job in the transfer portal. I think JR's done a really good job.

Q. Wanted to ask about Hannah Stuelke, who just played a minute and a half tonight. Was that a coaching decision or did it have to do with her ankle? And if it was her ankle how much did you miss her on the rebounding side tonight?

LISA BLUDER: It wasn't with her ankle. It was really more of a situation where I thought she was getting buried in the post position. I thought they did a really good job. Again I think JR did a really good job of isoing her. And she's a freshman and that's a lot of pressure on a freshman. But she's more of a finesse 4 and 5 than like a Monika Czinano type of 4 and 5. And that's why I went with Addi. With a little more height, a little more girth.

Q. What's up for the rest of the evening? On to the next one? Will you be hanging back to watch the game that's going on right now? What's the next couple hours look like for you and your team?

LISA BLUDER: Yeah, we're definitely going to watch this game. Try to figure out our game plan for our next opponent. Then we'll go back and we'll meet with our team and have scouting reports and films. We already have scouts done on both teams, but now it's getting that information to our players. Get a good night's sleep.

THE MODERATOR: Thank you.