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BIG TEN CONFERENCE WOMEN'S TOURNAMENT

March 6, 2009

Felisha Legette-Jack

INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA

Purdue Â– 68
Indiana - 64

THE MODERATOR: We'll open up with a statement from Coach Felisha Legette-Jack Jack, then go to Amber.
COACH LEGETTE-JACK: What a great game. What a great in-state opportunity for our community to see that we have great women's basketball in our state.
I just think that we're just going to continue to get better. And we're getting closer to really representing -- we're not over that edge yet, but we're on our way.
I thought Purdue played really hay basketball down the stretch. I thought our kids did some fantastic things as well. And I'd like to watch those last three minutes to see really what happened before I can really let this settle into my spirit.
THE MODERATOR: Questions for Amber Jackson?

Q. Amber, the first I think ten minutes you had 10 points, then the rest of the game only had 3 points. What changed with Purdue's approach to you?
AMBER JACKSON: They changed their defense. And they doubled me as soon as I touched it, so I couldn't get a good look off or even think to dribble because they were collapsing on me pretty hard. So all I could do was really kick out.
I just tried to stay on the boards and do what I could defensively to help our team.

Q. Amber, I know it's tough times right now, but can you put it in words, the disappointment you feel right now, to come so close in a game that meant so much?
AMBER JACKSON: I say right now for my team and myself, the pain is pretty insurmountable. Playing at Indiana, playing against Purdue, that's the one game you don't ever want to lose, especially on a stage like this.
We as seniors are really expecting to get to post-season play NCAA, and hopefully we still have a chance. But this game meant so much to us. And to lose this, it hurts. For it to be Purdue, of all people, just to lose, to come this close, it looks as if everything is so close, three rebounds and we just didn't pull it off at the end. So I'm very disappointed.
THE MODERATOR: Thank you, Amber.
Questions for Coach Jack.

Q. Coach, can you talk a little bit about how maybe things changed for Purdue when Brittany Rayburn came in and started attacking a little bit?
COACH LEGETTE-JACK: Oh, she attacked. We attacked. They made shots. We missed a couple shots. A couple of free throws we needed to hit in order for us to get our momentum going again, for us to set our press.
But I thought they had a collective unit. You can't put your concentration on one kid. You have to put it on all of them. And she just happened to be the one that hit the shot.

Q. Sharon Versyp (Purdue head coach) said that you guys definitely are a tournament team. And after today's performance, I'm assuming yourself that you guys think you're right there and you can beat any teams in the Big Ten and other conferences as well.
COACH LEGETTE-JACK: That's great to hear from my colleague. I really believe that she's right. There's nothing in my spirit that tells me that we're not going to be one of 64. I think we laid our hats out there throughout the season, and it's up to the committee to make that decision.
One thing I know, whether we get into the tournament or we're in the great WNIT, I just know that this is a team that everybody needs to see. I think this is a great television game for all to see our conference.
We have a fantastic conference. I think that Purdue, it's unbelievable for them to go out and do what they did against Texas without their point guard at the time and run the gamut down the stretch as they usually do, it's a credit to their program as well. So I think we're on our way. I think we're on the big stage.

Q. Coach, you called a timeout with 14 seconds left. What were you guys trying to do that last possession? What was the play call?
COACH LEGETTE-JACK: It's teachable moments. Even under duress situations, I ask my team what they think would work, who felt good. I wanted to see what eyes light up before I make a decision on what call to make.
I really felt Jori Davis was the solution down the stretch. After we made that call, we had little Whitney hit the ball. We were trying to make the back defense play little Whitney so we can hand it off to Jori. But the kid never came. So we had to continue with the dribble. They go to Amber Jackson and we just fumbled the ball, fumbled the ball, and we had to make a duress situation.
I like the idea what Kim Roberson tried to do. Let's not try to tie it, let's try to win it. And it just fell short. But I love the spirit of this team. I love the spirit of these individuals, because what they're saying is when they would leave Indiana University they're going to be prepared for a bigger stage and it's called life. They're ready.

Q. Coach, after yesterday's win, you talked about your players' eyes in the beginning of the game. And today's game was a polar opposite start to yesterday's game. Did you see it in your players' eyes tonight?
COACH LEGETTE-JACK: Absolutely, I saw it the whole way. Sometimes the ball just doesn't fall in the hole. I just know there from the beginning to the end everybody that stepped out there was prepared and they were ready and they were defending what we thought that we were trying to receive, is that win.
We just fell short. We ran out of time. I'd love to look at that last three minutes to see what really happened, because I just think we did all we could do to put ourselves in the position to win. And at the end of the day that's all you want from your players.

Q. You guys had some foul trouble towards the end of the first half and they were able to cut it to 1 at halftime, how key was that?
COACH LEGETTE-JACK: That was really key. With Whitney Thomas and Kim Roberson still in the game, with us up by 12, I think we could really take that up to 20 with that momentum we had. And when we had to go to the bench a little bit, that hurt us. Not that they couldn't score, our kids, they wouldn't shoot.
And what we talk about is, again, this microcosm of life thing of the game; if you've got an open shot, you've got to take it because you're not certain if you'll get that second one. When you have Purdue's defense, you certainly may not get that second chance. And our kids wouldn't take those first shots.

Q. How big was it to get Jamie Braun going again?
COACH LEGETTE-JACK: Jamie Braun is not going to stop. She is like the Eveready battery. You think it's dead, want to throw it away, but it sparks up again. She had a bad game.
You won't find Jamie Braun having two bad games. She's a kid that she understands that problems happen, things happen. Next play. Next opportunity.
And she was going to start up whether we got her going or not. It was great to see her step back, but she always does.
THE MODERATOR: Thank you, Coach.

End of FastScripts

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