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BIG TEN CONFERENCE WOMEN'S TOURNAMENTMarch 6, 2011Julia TrogeleCoquese WashingtonINDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA Ohio State – 84 MODERATOR: We'll ask Coach Washington to make an opening statement and we will open the floor for questions for the student-athletes. COACH WASHINGTON: Congratulations definitely is in order to Ohio State. I thought they played a pretty good game and certainly they're going to be a team that can go in the NCAA Tournament and have a fantastic run when they're clicking on all cylinders like they were today. They're a tough team to compete with. And really proud of our team, the fight that we showed and the competitive spirit that we brought to the game. MODERATOR: Now open it up for questions for the student-athletes. Q. This one is for Julia. I guess I'll start off you had a great game yesterday, today struggled a little bit. Can you kind of talk about that a little bit? Was it the presence of Ohio State size inside or something else? JULIA TROGELE: I just think my shots weren't falling. Really doesn't come down to offense. I don't really think so. I think it's more of the defensive effort. We didn't really get back in transition fast enough. They got a lot of transition points. I think that, you know, we kind of played very selfish on offense at times, so something we just have to work on going into the NCAA Tournament. Q. Julia, you talked yesterday about how you just didn't want to leave without it and unfortunately you have to. I guess just want what your thoughts were walking off the court, in the locker room, talking to teammates, maybe if you don't mind the intrusion just what's going through your head? JULIA TROGELE: I guess just disappointed that we didn't grab the opportunity and really take the chance to make a statement and take the championship. I think that I'm very proud of my teammates, how hard they fought. I think I could have contributed a lot more, but overall I'm just proud of my teammates. And there's certainly things we have to work on the next two weeks to prepare. Season's not over yet, so of course, you know, we don't want to hang our heads. We just got to work on some stuff and get back at it. MODERATOR: Other questions for the student-athletes? Thank you, ladies. And now we'll accept questions for the coach. Q. Coach, we were talking in the beginning because the pace was so frenetic, is it three -- three games in three days and the first thing to go might be a little defense on both sides? I know that's no excuse, but is that part of why offense being such a high efficiency early on and the defense wasn't as -- for both teams, as -- COACH WASHINGTON: Well, I think the game of basketball is you can -- sometimes great offense trumps great defense, and by no stretch am I saying we played great defense, but when you have two high-powered offensive teams and you've got four, five players on the floor for each team that can make shots and make plays, something's got to give, and, you know, you get a lot of wide-open looks. You got two teams that can make wide-open looks, and they just made more of their shots than we did ours. Q. Coach, as an opponent, you and Ohio State, what can you say is the biggest difference between the Buckeyes now versus the Buckeyes a couple months ago? COACH WASHINGTON: I think they play with more intensity and particularly on the defensive end. Q. Speaking for the Big Ten, would you like to wish Jantel a bon voyage, you don't deal with her anymore, a great career, but that's the last you'll probably see of her? COACH WASHINGTON: Personally I like playing against -- coaching against great players. I think it makes -- helps you become a better coach trying to figure out how to deal with great players. So I know she's leaving, but I hope Ohio State and the rest of the conference coaches continue to recruit talented players because it makes for a better conference and it makes it more fun to play in these types of games when you're playing against some of the nation's best players. Q. Coach, could you maybe expand a little bit on how Ohio State was able to play on offense? The stat sheet doesn't really tell you a whole lot about differences other than that Ohio State just shot really well from the floor. Can you talk about their ball movement, what they were able to do? Because there were times they were just moving it really well out there. COACH WASHINGTON: Well, Ohio State has a lot of talent on their team, and you have to pick your poison with them. And they struggled at times this year, but it's not because of lack of talent. And once that talent is clicking on all cylinders, they're tough to guard. The first half Samantha Prahalis is having her way on the ball screen, you make the adjustment, and now Jantel Lavender is getting shots and you worry about those two, and Tayler Hill can turn around and hurt you. They got three, four McDonald's All-Americans on their team. They're a tough team to prepare for. They got talented players that can make plays. So it's really quite that simple. They've got a lot of good players, and when they're playing well, and they're making shots, they're tough to defend. They're tough to defend. And I thought we could have defended better certainly. But the reality is I'm really proud of our team and I feel like Ohio State played like a team that has seniors and juniors who have been here before, many times before, and understood how long the game is, and our team didn't understand how long the game is and played with impatience very, very early in the game. And that impatience led to poor decision-making, that impatience led to -- we were trying to make ten-point plays, and instead of just being patient and understanding how long the game is. But that's the difference between a team that's been there and experienced playing in this type of game and a team that hasn't, and it's a lesson that I hope we learn because we plan on being back here. This is not the last time you'll see us here. Q. Can you talk a little bit about Alex Bentley, the year she's had and the tournament as well? COACH WASHINGTON: She's the engine that drives our train. And when she's playing well and clicking on all cylinders, we're a much better team. I thought she came up this weekend and was pretty focused and worked hard at running the team. And I'm happy that she's able to come back to Indianapolis and have a good showing this weekend. Q. Coach, I think you talked in Columbus about the arrival of Tayler Hill to go with Lavender and Prahalis this year, and how important is it for the next level of the NCAA Tournament to have three at the party like that? COACH WASHINGTON: Well, I think they got four at the party at a minimum, because I don't think you can count out Brittany Johnson, and really you can talk about Ashley Adams and some of their role players. They all step up. They're very talented. They've got a lot of weapons. So but what Tayler Hill definitely brings to them is another ball hander, another player who can create her own shot and opportunities offensively. And when she's able to do that, it takes a little bit of pressure off of Sam Prahalis and opens things up for everybody else. MODERATOR: Thank you, Coach. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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