NCAA WOMEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP: SECOND ROUND - ALABAMA VS MARYLAND

March 23, 2025

Shyanne Sellers

Sarah Te-Biasu

Kaylene Smikle

XFINITY Center

Maryland Terrapins

Media Conference

Q. For any of you guys, Alabama is another high scoring team. What's the prep like on the defensive end, and does it change at all during this quick turnaround in the tournament?

SHYANNE SELLERS: I think, you know, the defense stays the same. Be aggressive, make them uncomfortable. Obviously they play in the SEC, so they're used to being aggressive so we have to match that energy.

Q. Sarah, we talked after the game yesterday and you were talking about how much your confidence has grown throughout the season. I'm curious for Shyanne and Kaylene, like how have you seen Sarah's confidence grow though the season?

KAYLENE SMIKLE: Confidence, I can see the way she leads us, a lot more vocal now. She's a lot more confident taking her shot from the beginning. I think it's just time from transitioning over. She's a great shooter. I'm always telling her shoot the ball. I tell her she missed an open shot, like we need those shots she's going to take.

Yeah, she's becoming more of a leader for us.

Q. The game really changed in the second half when you guys got into it offensively. The three of you all at once. What can you say about how you're going to try to start the game offensively against Alabama, obviously knowing you don't want to go in a hole early if you can help it?

SHYANNE SELLERS: We need to come out, like I said, aggressive. Can't start slow. We have to put the pressure on them early.

You know, we're going to go as far as we want to go if we bring the right energy, yeah.

SARAH TE-BIASU: I think also we started to make the right plays. The first half we had like 16 turnovers, something like that, but I think we just start to make the right play and played for each other and that just works, yeah.

Q. Alabama is one of the best three point shooting teams in the country. I think they shoot it just under 39%. After Michigan hit 12 in the Big Ten tourney, what's the defensive approach to close the perimeter tomorrow against Alabama?

SARAH TE-BIASU: I would say just make them uncomfortable. Just being aggressive on them on defense. It's going take all of us, just talk and communicate so we can make the best game we can, yeah.

SHYANNE SELLERS: I think also making sure -- I mean, they're going to shoot threes, so I think how many can we make contested, make them tough.