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BIG EAST CONFERENCE WOMEN'S TOURNAMENT

March 6, 2011

Sam Quigley

HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT

DePaul: 66
St. John's: 54

THE MODERATOR: With this win DePaul improves to 27-5, they will face the winner of the Louisville Notre Dame game. Joining us is head coach, Doug Bruno along with Anna Martin and Sam Quigley. Coach, an opening statement.
COACH BRUNO: I thought our basketball team did a great job and they got a win over the Big 10 NCAA team and Kim does a great job with the program so it was a tough, hard-fought game, my only regret is I wish I could have gotten Sam off the floor more tonight and there were some technical regrets but in the big picture -- that's what Sam does and we played her almost forty minutes tonight.

Q. Sam, you guys ran in the first 15 minutes of the game and then they started to press you, what was it that slowed you down or allowed them to get back in the game?
SAM QUIGLEY: I think it was a combination of a lot of things, they were taking us out of our offensive sets and they were getting a lot of rebounds, offensive rebounds so that's something we've been focusing on this year and we let up a little bit.

Q. Coach can you talk about the prospects of facing Notre Dame again a week after you had a close battle with them?
COACH BRUNO: I really have to talk about facing Louisville first because Louisville beat our butts and they did a great job of winning at the KFC a few weeks ago. If they get through this game, they have the potential -- 25-point win over Kentucky, that's a great win. If Notre Dame does win, that's what tournament ball is all about, facing people within a week -- St. John's had to beat a tough West Virginia team, they had to play a great game last night for their victory over West Virginia and that's what tournament basketball is all about.
Our players played a tough ballgame on Monday night, it was a great win for our program because this group has put together a great season. Yet losing at Louisville and at Marquette we needed our collective psychees to come back. Notre Dame is one of the best teams in the country as well and when you go player-for-player, down that lineup it's a great basketball team. If they win tonight we're going to have our hands full, they have three first-team all Big East players, nobody else does so that should tell you something right there, they have the defensive player of the year, they are just a talented basketball team.

Q. Anna, you guys didn't make a shot in the last 5 minutes and they started to come back, can you speak about that? Your shots weren't falling and they were maybe going to come back, can you talk about that?
SAM QUIGLEY: They had great defensive intensity and they wanted the game and so did we, but it was a tribute to them for their defense but if we stayed together as a team we were going to pull it out.

Q. Can you both discuss the fact that you're known as a 3-point shooting team but when the shots aren't falling you were able to get other things done tonight. What was it that you were looking for there?
SAM QUIGLEY: This year it's something that we've been working on and it's helped us is being patient on offense, getting an inside/outside balance and just because they aren't falling doesn't mean there isn't something else that can come to us.
COACH BRUNO: It's important for us to establish an inside and outside game and take what the defense gives us, they were sending a second player to Felicia and she didn't score like they can but she occupied St. John's people and it's huge for us to have an inside presence. The whole idea of this game is for the three's to set up the post feeds and the slashes and vice versa, they're intermixed and that's what we're trying to do and have been trying to do and I think it's important for us to establish both inside and outside balance.

Q. Sam, you guys are an experienced team, your senior class has been around for quite a few years and you've pulled off quite a few wins this year. The semi-finals thing is new to this team since you guys have been there, how do you feel you're prepared tore that?
SAM QUIGLEY: I think we're going to be prepared to play good teams, the Big East gets you prepared and we've had that benefit for the past 16 games or whatever so we're getting ready for the postseason and knowing that every game could be your last.
COACH BRUNO: Postseason basketball especially league postseason basketball is a one and out crash and burn deal.
It doesn't -- it matters in the questioning, it's a great question about, you know, we make it into the semis, but when you're a player and you don't look like it you're in the quarters, the semis or the first round. You know going in if you don't get the job done tonight you're going home.
In that respect that's why these league tournaments are fun for the fans the media and the players. It's an experience that doesn't take place in the NCAA because of the day off in between so it really is -- I think our players have experienced -- they've won a game here, one of the only teams in the league to have won a game in this tournament for the last six years now.
And while it hasn't always taken them to the semis because we didn't come in double byed like this, they have a good understanding now of ice bathing it tonight and what they got to do tonight and Sam has to -- she's just -- I just wish she would mess up sometimes and I asked her to do her final online at midnight and she said "It's done" and we have other people that have to get their finals done and she's already done with it. That's the kind of kid she is. They are good student athletes and they've got to turn it around fast against a good basketball team, whoever comes out of it.
THE MODERATOR: Thanks, you guys.

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