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BIG TEN CONFERENCE WOMEN'S TOURNAMENT

March 7, 2008

INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA

THE MODERATOR: For Michigan we have Coach Kevin Borseth, Carly Benson and Jessica Minnfield. If you'd like to start with an opening statement.
COACH KEVIN BORSETH: Iowa has a really good team. They've come a long way since the beginning of the year. I think Lisa has done a great job with those kids. They're pretty talented. Obviously very good size and they're really smart and that bodes well. Of course they've got a lot of veteran people, makes a difference, too.
They played well. They deserved to win. And here we are.
THE MODERATOR: Questions for the student athletes.
(Lost Audio)

Q. How did it transpire you don't get a 3-point attempt for about 25 minutes? It seemed like effort-related attempt that it was lacking. Your kids did play really hard.
COACH KEVIN BORSETH: The game plan to start was to get out on them, get out and put pressure on them and see if we can get them to cough it up. And the first half they got shots were on the basket. They got drives. They got rhythm 3s. They got offense. Everything. Everything.
Second half, they didn't get anything. You saw the same game I did. But they had 16 points with the right tone. We did a great job defensively. And to start the second half we came out with a quick 2. And two wide open 3s and a layup we missed. If we made those, boom, you're right back in the game. But we didn't score. To give up 58 points in a game like that is really, that devastated -- they caught us on a couple of flip screens late in the game when we made some substitutions, two slip screens that hurt us late.
In the first half we gave them a lot of things we probably wouldn't have given had we decided to change the plan at the start of the game. But offensively you've got to score. We couldn't score. We couldn't find any rhythm. And what we do it just is so predicated having players that can create for themselves. Really is. Gotta space the floor. We have perimeter players that we give the latitude to post up. Janelle is down there against a kid six-two trying to post up. Jess is trying to post up against kids getting their shots altered.
I know why coaches run plays. You recruit players who can't play, and you have teach them to get open. A lot of that comes into play. We like to get ourselves into a position where our players can do it themselves. And until today we did a good job at it. Iowa is big. You get around that basket, holy smokes, Janelle gets right there. Boom, there's that big hand coming up there. I thought we did a good job creating for ourselves. They played very good defensively, I thought. That was my take on it.

Q. You guys played Iowa tough for the first two matches, you guys beating them at home and then following close in Iowa. Was there something different they did today to be able to shut you guys down so much on defense?
COACH KEVIN BORSETH: They got better. They're big and they're veteran, and they're well coached and they're smart. You know, I mean I go back and look at the videotape, maybe things are going to jump out at me. But nothing right now jumps out.
They're playing extremely well. They're a very good team. They're clicking on all cylinders, they really are. I don't know how much we've improved in our ability to put the ball on the basket between the beginning of the year and now. I know early on we catch people because we penetrate and they would suck and we would kick and hit them. And after a while people say make them score it. Don't let them shoot it.
And we really hit a cold streak late in the year from the arc. Hit one yesterday and we hit a cold streak later in the year. My goodness, Carly shot the first one against Wisconsin, missed the rim. Shot another one today and missed the rim. We hit a cold streak late in the year, for whatever reason. We were hoping not to be able to do that.
Iowa is good, talented, big. We didn't turn the ball over. We had 11 turnovers. For the most part that's pretty good. But our assists during the course -- we haven't had many assists. Consequently, I'm learning assists and turnover ratio doesn't necessarily tell you how well you take care of the ball. You keep your number of turnovers down, it will. This game we had 11 turnovers. That's pretty good afternoon. We just don't get enough assists. And that's a pretty critical part of the game. To be able to create for other players as well. Get to the rim, command such a presence that it forces teams to W so you can create for somebody else and Iowa did a good job of taking that away from us.

Q. Is it fair to say that the season met your expectations, exceeded or somewhere around there?
COACH KEVIN BORSETH: I don't know. That's a good question. I love the kids we have. They work hard. They've really -- I hate the word "bought in." I don't buy into any of that stuff. They've really accepted the coaching staff well. We've given them some feedback on their games. They've accepted that. They've tried to bring it to another level. I think they tried and there was never a game where they ever caved in and just cashed their chips in and said we don't care. I think they played hard the whole year. That's really what you want. You want a team that's gritty and a team that cares.
If you do that, sooner or later things start to work your way. But harmony is a pretty big thing. Work hard, get along together and good things happen. I thought we had a lot of that.
THE MODERATOR: Thank you, Coach.

End of FastScripts

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