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BIG TEN CONFERENCE WOMEN'S TOURNAMENTMarch 5, 2010Jim FosterJantel LavenderSamantha PrahalisINDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA Ohio State – 66 THE MODERATOR: We'll go straight to the student-athletes for questions, please. Raise your hands and we'll get a microphone to you. Q. Jantel, it seems like every time you play Illinois it's a really physical-type game. Was this just a typical Ohio State-Illinois basketball game, and how did you guys wind up winning it? JANTEL LAVENDER: I think in the beginning, in the first half, I think we were rushing a little bit, as far as me in the post, and I think I wasn't getting as deep as I should have. And it was physical. And once we made the adjustment with me getting lower and getting deeper in the lane, I think that it turned around a little bit. Q. Sam, there was a point when you guys were up by 15. I think somebody had a 3-pointer, I think, then they came back with a real significant run and cut it under 10 finally. How did you guys respond to that? What enabled you to respond to that and ultimately -- SAMANTHA PRAHALIS: Just stayed poised. We got the ball inside that one time when Jantel had a good steal. I think just stay poised and stay calm, and I just think like it's going to be running, we have to contain them. It's about us containing them and staying poised. Q. Again, Jantel, the tournament is basically -- I mean, you want to get to the next tournament. But I think you said you wanted to step it up in this tournament defensively. How do you think your defense played in this particular game? JANTEL LAVENDER: I think our defense was really good. I think our zone was tight. I think everybody was rotating well. I think Shavy came in, played ferocious defense and gave us a spark on defense. Basically was on the same page, we were moving. Everybody was finding the open spots. There was maybe a couple of breakdowns and I think for the most part tonight this is the tone we need to set for defense and we can get better for the next game. Q. Were you ever worried in this game when they were making their comeback and why wouldn't you have been if you weren't worried? SAMANTHA PRAHALIS: I mean, I don't really think like -- I wasn't worried. I just go play. Like I said, it was just about staying calm and just getting the win any way possible. Q. It seems like deja vu too with Shavy at the end of the game when she made the steal at the end that basically sealed the game, put the game away. But could you see that setting up? Could you see what was about to happen? SAMANTHA PRAHALIS: We went to man, so I kind of figured like if the girls were going to cross in front of her she was going to get it. I'm real confident with her whenever we go man. Even in the zone, her pressure when she stays down and just stays in front of her, pressure is really good. THE MODERATOR: Thank you, ladies. Questions for Coach Foster. Q. Overall, it was a solid defensive game, don't you think? COACH FOSTER: Yes. Q. But overall how would you say things went? COACH FOSTER: I think Sam said it; it's a game of runs. When they made that last run and they were coming at us, and I think when we switched out of zone and went man, we did it very, very aggressively and soundly. And I think that's what you're looking for at this time of the season. I thought the zone did some really good stuff for us. I don't think they were expecting us to play it. And it sort of disrupted their continuity. And when we went man, we were in great position, great communication, and did the right things. And then offensively, the games are some days you're going to make a lot of shots, some days you're not. And you know they're very good defensive team. They're a very good basketball team. You've got a First Team All Big Ten player, and you've got an All Defensive First Team Player, and you've got a player on the Freshman All Five Rookie Team. Come on, they've got players. They're good. Q. You touched on it a little bit, but could you talk about your use of the zone and why you felt like that was an effective strategy to use today? COACH FOSTER: Well, I learned that in the SEC when I was at Vanderbilt and I didn't have a very quick team. I found that it to be to our advantage if athletes were standing still. Q. With Jantel, you took her out a little here and there in the first half. Was that a physical thing or just another slowdown? COACH FOSTER: No, no, just get a little rest. I did it around the timeouts, so you sit her down a little bit, and then you know that the timeout is going to be two minutes. She might get a five-minute blow by doing it that way. And that was all I was doing was buying her some time. Q. What was your strategy defensively against Jenna Smith? Looked like they had maybe just a little trouble getting the ball to her today than they did yesterday? COACH FOSTER: Don't let her breathe. I mean, she's very talented. She's got -- she's got a -- like a 15 over league game. It looks -- you're just always surprised. She's always coming at you with something else, looks like she's played the Game 100 years. Q. You mentioned it, but athletically where is Illinois? Are they one of the better athletic teams? COACH FOSTER: I think defensively they can move their feet. They get out after you. I mean, Simpson, Simpson's terrific. Jenna is Jenna, and the people they have in the wings. They're long and they're quick, and I think our kids do a pretty good job not turning the ball over. You look down, a ten turnover game, this stage of the season, you'll take that. It means you're getting shots. Q. Seemed like Brittany had good energy at both ends, kept shooting, stayed aggressive. Did you like what you saw from her today? COACH FOSTER: What I liked from Brittany in the first half was her weak side rebounding. Thought she did a great job sealing off. Sometimes you worry about rebounding in the zone. But I thought she did a great job. Q. There came a point in the game when they weren't making the run. You brought in Andrea and Shavy and Maria, your seniors. I think Andrea -- COACH FOSTER: Andrea scored. Q. And Shavy -- COACH FOSTER: Shavy made me nervous. And the one time she started to penetrate the zone, I sat her down, calmed her down and put her back in. And I think she did a great job. Maria is steady. THE MODERATOR: Thank you, Coach. End of FastScripts |
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