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BIG TEN CONFERENCE WOMEN'S TOURNAMENT


March 1, 2007


Pam Borton

Emily Fox

Zoe Harper

Kelly Roysland


INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA

THE MODERATOR: Once again we will ask Coach Borton for an opening statement and then we'll direct questions to the student athletes and then we'll continue again with Pam Borton.
COACH PAM BORTON: I think we're really excited to be playing another day tomorrow with this basketball team. This team really deserves to go onto the next round. I thought this was one of our better defensive efforts for the evening all season. I thought our shooting percentage obviously in the second half was a lot better. Again, we did a great job on the boards, and this time of the year you've really got to hone up your defense and really rely on your rebounding to win basketball games in March.
We've got to take care of the turnovers. We had 23 turnovers tonight, so that's something we've got to improve upon for tomorrow.

Q. Kelly and Emily, the last time you were in a Big Ten tournament you had a tough loss in the first round against Indiana. Is there something you wanted to establish right from the start in this game to keep that from happening again?
KELLY ROYSLAND: Yeah, definitely. We didn't want to be -- wanting to play one game and be done. We wanted to keep playing together as long as we could. We definitely knew Northwestern was going to put up a fight. They played us tough at their place last time. We have a high regard for this team. We want to make a run at this tournament and we feel like we've been playing good basketball, just haven't been able to finish games down the stretch. It was nice today to be able to play fairly well, shoot well in the second half to get a decent lead and not worry so much at the end of the game. But we're looking forward to getting on track with Michigan State. Like you said, they're a great team, but we're playing good basketball and are totally confident in ourselves, with what we're doing, and it should be a lot of fun, and we're looking forward to it, like I said playing as long as we can with one another. Because it's just a great team.
EMILY FOX: Yeah. We came into this game with the mentality that this is the toughest game of the season and that we were going to bring our best game. We knew Northwestern was going to bring it, and I thought defensively we really mixed them up, and that's where we created a lot of our offense.
Q. You guys hadn't seen Northwestern since they kind of mixed up their lineup and put the ball in the hands of their freshman point guard No. 3 Beth Marshall. It seemed like your plan today was to make life as tough as you could for her.
EMILY FOX: Yeah, we were trying to mix up our defenses. I thought Leslie (Knight) did a great job helping me out in the beginning trying to mix it up and get the ball out of her hands because she didn't want it. So just mixing up our defenses really worked out.

Q. Zoe, what was it like to get serenaded there at the end by the fans?
ZOE HARPER: Yeah, it was good. I wish I hadn't gone out with five fouls again. It was really good, the fans were behind us, and it's great.

Q. Kelly, how tough has it been for you to get back into your groove shooting? You've had a few games where you've scored under double figures, but you've found a way to impact the game.
KELLY ROYSLAND: You know I feel like I've gone in streaks where I've hit a few shots and will go 0-for-5. I was very disappointed with my effort at Michigan State. I really did not feel comfortable there with what I was doing, but it was great for me to get back out there, knock down a couple shots tonight, and play a lot more minutes. I had been playing just to get my confidence back, my wind back, and I'm personally am excited to get back and play Michigan State. I was personally disappointed in the effort that I gave and how the game turned out. I'm really looking forward to tomorrow. I don't want to use my injury as an excuse as to why I have been shooting bad. I mean I've been trying to get in there and working with Danny to get my exercise up. I think the big thing is getting it in the groove from the get-go and getting off a few shots right off the bat, so hopefully that will work out for tomorrow.

Q. Zoe, do you get to celebrate your birthday two days, one today for Australia and one for here?
ZOE HARPER: No, just one today. My parents were going to call me today, but unfortunately, I haven't had a chance to talk to them, so I think I'll be calling them instead.
No, I think just one day is good enough, and hopefully tomorrow we'll get another win, so hey, I'll take it as a second birthday present.

Q. Zoe, what have you seemed to find here in the last couple weeks? You seem to be playing a lot better, more productive.
ZOE HARPER: Yeah, definitely. I think I just feel like that I needed to step up, and I knew I could do it, so it was just a matter of time for me to step up and do the moves that I know I have, and I think it's just working well for me. It feels good.

Q. Did you just realize you were close to a double- double?
KELLY ROYSLAND: Before the game coach said we needed to go in there and rebound. I just found the ball and went and grabbed it every time. I don't know, I think that's good that the guards are getting more involved with rebounding.
THE MODERATOR: Thanks, ladies. Questions for Coach Borton?
Q. How important was it to start off strong, because most of your team hadn't experienced playing in the Big Ten tournament?
COACH PAM BORTON: You know, I thought that it was important to start off strong because we've only got two players that played in a Big Ten tournament game, but I thought they played well. I thought we played intense and played aggressive, and we played like it was going to be our last game of the season, and we didn't want that to happen. I was pleased with our play, and obviously we've just got to fix the turnover category.

Q. How concerned were you about this game? It looked like Northwestern has really improved in the last maybe six, seven games or so you guys have been on a little bit of a downslide. How concerned were you about the improvement Northwestern had made?
COACH PAM BORTON: No matter what we're playing in the Big Ten Tournament, I'm concerned about everybody because everybody knows each other like the back of their hand, and Northwestern, they've improved a lot in the last four games. They've switched their lineup a little bit, they've been shooting the ball a little bit better the last four games, so I figured it was going to take a great defensive effort for us to really throw them off balance, force them to take shots not within their offensive sets, and I thought our defense really made that happen.

Q. Can you talk about the presence of Korinne (Campbell) on the floor and kind of the opportunity she's opened up for herself and others in the last couple games?
COACH PAM BORTON: The last couple games she's played her best basketball of the season. She's out there, playing smart, playing within herself, and we really need her on the floor. She's just got to stop following so we can keep her on the floor a little longer. She's playing great for us. She's playing great on the boards and that's a big part of our game. She's a great defensive presence out there, and I think she's feeling more comfortable on the offensive end, as well.

Q. How important is it to get balanced in scoring when you have Kelly (Roysland) not shooting the ball the way she's used to and then Emily (Fox) maybe not having the big game?
COACH PAM BORTON: Well, I think everybody has got Kelly and Emmy's number. They're two of our best players on the team and they're going to make them take very difficult shots, but it's important for us especially during tournament time and towards the end of the season to really establish an inside presence. I thought Zoe did that for us tonight. I can remember back when we made it to the Big Ten championship game that we had great inside presence from not just Janel McCarvell but all the players on the team, and I think that was a big reason that we were able to play from one day to the next.

Q. How do you like the setup that you're playing a team that you just played five days ago that your players probably want another crack at?
COACH PAM BORTON: Our players would definitely like another opportunity against them. We know them very well and they're fresh in our minds. I thought our defense was very successful against them. We've got to shoot better. I think we shot 30 percent for the game, but I like our chances, and it's going to be a different ballgame. We're on a neutral court and we'll see what happens.

Q. Do you think Zoe was auditioning for point guard there at the end?
COACH PAM BORTON: I hope not. We'll keep her in the paint.
THE MODERATOR: Thanks, coach. We look forward to seeing you tomorrow.

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