Dec. 2, 2007

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Q: Can you put into perspective how big of a win this is for you?
A: It's definitely a big win. I think it's probably the biggest win any of these players have experienced since they've been here. Our team hasn't experienced a lot of this type of success, beating a team like this. Certainly the program has over the decades, but for this group of players, this is a big confidence booster for them.

Q: Can you talk about Mashea's play in the second half?
A: You know, Mashea's probably one of the most mentally tough kids on our team. She's one of the biggest competitors and it doesn't matter what our situation is, she's going to fight. And like she said she's going to find a way to help us whether its to get a big steal or get a big rebound or hit a big shot and that's just her character. So, I'm not surprised at all that she stepped up when their pressure was starting to get to us. We were having problems entering the ball, making entry passes to the wing; and she just got the ball in her hands and made plays and made plays. That's the kind of mental toughness that she exhibits all the time, and we're better off for it.

Q: Talk about the last drive...
A: What we talked about in the huddle was that we just wanted to get the ball in bounds. We honestly talked more about our press breakers, that we anticipated them coming out and pressing and trying to trapped so we really talked more about just getting the ball in bounds and then going. They didn't press and the girls kind of looked like "what do we do now?" and I said just go! So, Brianne did what we talked about doing: attack, attack, attack. That's our mindset; we're going to attack. She made a great play, which is what great point guards do. She made a great play at the end of the game to win it for us.

Q: Does a win like this add more pressure to the season? A: We're picked to finish eighth in the Big Ten. This is a great win, it's a great feeling, it's a great experience. But on Tuesday, we're going to get back in there. We have a lot of room for improvement. We gave up 84 points, and they're a very good team but 84 points is too many points. I come in here and you probably get sick of me saying this but it's not about who we play, it's not about wins and losses, it's about playing to our standards of excellence. And we did that in stretches tonight but there were stretches where we just weren't quite there. And what I tell our team all the time is that we can play great, and lose, and that's okay; and we can play horribly and win, and that's not okay. We did some good things. We're getting better. We are getting better and I like that about this team but we're certainly not where we need to be. We're not in our March form. But it's a good confidence booster, we've got some things to build off of, but we've got a long way to go.

Q: Talk about the difference free throw shooting...
A: We talk all the time about making easy baskets, and free throw should be the easiest shots to make, there's nobody guarding. So we practice free throws every day. We shoot a lot of them every day and when we go to the line we expect to make them. That's one of the reasons why we stress attacking and getting to the free throw line because we know we can make those shots.

Q: What was the focus going into halftime?
A: We knew they'd make a run. They're a very strong team, and they've got a lot of offensive weapons. They had four or five people in double figures. And they're a very good rebounding team. So we knew that they would make a run. We knew that they would turn up the pressure. We talked about them pressing and trapping us and that we had to be ready to handle it, and that that was how they were going to get back into the game. I told them the more that we just relax and keep our composure against their pressure even when they make a run and it gets close, if we can keep our composure we can make plays down the stretch to bring it home.

Q: How did Duke missing that free throw at the end change the huddle? A: Oh it changes it big time. We were a lot more composed and a lot more relaxed because we knew that all we had to do was to try to get the ball down and get a shot off and that they weren't going to be looking to foul us, we could just really attack. If we were down one, I don't know how confident we would have felt. Like Tyra said, she wanted to hang her head just for a second but her teammates and everyone were like we have the next play. The next play is something we talk about a lot. The next play was them missing the free throw and us having a shot to take it and we took advantage of it.

Q: How proud are you of the way the team has come back after the Old Dominion game?
A: I was very pleased. What we talked about after the loss was that we were awful. We were awful against Old Dominion for 12 minutes. We were pretty decent for the first half, and maybe about five to seven minutes in the second half, but we were awful down the stretch. But we're not an awful team. We need to fix some things. We need to come out with a little more focus, a little more composure. We'd be fine if we played with the kind of intensity and we stayed together. Honestly against Old Dominion, when they came at us and they made their run and got the score to tie the game up we kind of fell apart. We didn't stick together, we all looked a little confused and disjointed. We talked about today, "they're going to make a run, they're a great team, they're going to make a run, we're going to get ahead, and they may come back but you've got to stick together and finish the game plan" and that's what we did tonight.

Tyra Grant
Sophomore, Guard

Q: What does this game mean to you guys? It was a difficult game and they are a good team. How does this affect your confidence?
A: It is a big confidence booster knowing that we came off the game against Drexel, and we didn't do so good even though we still won. The ODU game, we didn't do so good and we lost. Even Duke that came off of two losses, you know we only came off of one. We both were shaky with confidence and things like that. I would assume for Duke as well. But just to come in there with a lot of intensity and keep fighting and fighting and do the things that we didn't do as well in the ODU game. We never gave up and stayed with it. It was a big confidence booster, which we will carry on into the next game.

Q: What do you attribute being 28 for 30 on free throws to?
A: You know, going and shooting 50 free throws after practice everyday. Coach Coquese. Shooting 30 after practice. I think it is just practicing them first of all. Getting your preparation. Knowing that you are going to get those in the game, so you mine as well have confidence and know that I have done this already in practice. Know that you have prepared yourself for it. Just go on and relax, stay confident, and make them.

Brianne O'Rourke
Junior, Guard

Q: Can you describe the last play from your prospective?
A: Well, we in bounded the ball, and I just dribbled down the court, trying to get a good shot. I drove to the hoop and Janessa's girl picked me up and I was basically doubled-teamed. So, I dumped it off to Janessa, having all of the confidence in the world in her, and she finished it off.

Q: You had a four-point lead with 22 seconds left and then Duke got the steal and tied it back up. What was the attitude like in the huddle before the final play?
A: Well, I mean we just came in together. We said that we fought through this whole game. There is still time on the clock and we are going to get a play from our coaches, and stay in the game. We didn't want to give up, and just stick together and fight till the end.

Q: How did it change things for you guys when they actually missed the free throw at the end of the game?
A: I mean it felt great, honestly, that they missed that free throw. We knew we still had a chance. We were going to be confident if we went to OT, but we were just happy about her missing that free throw.

Mashea Williams
Junior, Guard

Q: Can you talk a little bit about the second half, and how you were able to find away to make a basket or get to the foul line when they would make runs at you guys?
A: Well, first half I wasn't doing so good, but my teammates and I were trying to all stick together because we knew it was going to be a fight in the second half. We just all came together and played as a team in the second half. Whoever was open got the shot and I thank God it went in.

Q: You seemed really confident with the ball today, looking for the big shots. Were you feeling it today out on the floor?
A: I was confident with the ball today. I was just trying to help my team out anyway I could. That is whether it is on offense or defense. I was just trying to do whatever I could to keep us in the game and keep the fight in us. It came offensively today, the next game it might be defensive.

Janessa Wolff
Freshman, Center

Q: Can you describe the last play from your prospective?
A: I honestly don't even know how Bri got it up the court. I was on the block trying to occupy my girl and all of a sudden Bri is on the free throw line, and I see my girl leave. I don't know if I screamed her name or anything, but she looked at me so I put my hands in the air, said a quick prayer and put it up there.

Q: Have you ever hit a game winner before, and if so how does this compare?
A: My junior year in high school, I actually hit the game winning 3 against our rival team. We were actually really good my junior year and we set up a play. I wasn't actually supposed to get the shot, it was supposed to be for our point-guard but I was the second option. I knocked it down with four seconds left in the game. It happened the same way as this game; they threw it down from the free throw line. My junior year, it was a big game for us. We weren't really with them the whole game, it wasn't the same. Today I didn't really expect it. I didn't think that is was coming. I knew going into my junior year I knew someone had to hit the shot, and this game I was just kind of sitting back. We had a play set up and Bri just passed it to me and things just kind of happened instead of an actual play set.

Q: What do you attribute to the team playing much better offensively, shooting much better from the three-point line, and also being able to force turnovers?
A: I think if you've followed us, we've had quite a few injuries. That was the first true game back for Abby where she actually had practice time. She's been out for about fourteen days. And although she's played against Connecticut and Vanderbilt, she was not back at all. She was still having difficulty. It was great to see Abby be able to play her game. She might have come back a little early. We have a starting guard out with Wanisha Smith out. So I think we are a team to check back with in a little bit when we are healthy.

Q: What do you think opened up in the second half for Abby that she was able to get so many three pointers behind the arc?
A: I think Abby stayed active. I don't think she was that open. Some of her shots were with people running at her. I think she played hard and stayed active and she really took advantage of the opportunities that she had. She's a terrific player and it is nice to see her be able to play the minutes she played. That's way up. It's almost ridiculous for her to be at 35 minutes. That's almost too much for her, with what she has been dealing with in her ankle. But I thought she showed great courage and great fight. I really liked our timing scoring down the stretch. Abby made some big plays and we had two freshmen make some big plays: Jasmine Thomas and Karima Christmas. But I don't think that is where it all was in this game. I think this game had more to do with throughout the game.

Q: This Penn State team had struggles last season and this has been a rebuilding year. Coquese said going into this game that this would be a good barometer of the things they have to do and the gaps that have to be filled. Can you assess in your mind where they are? Is this a team we can see making the tournament, which they haven't done in a few years?
A: Oh sure. What I would tell them is that they have no excuses. They played beautifully tonight. Shooting 54 percent, having four people in double figures... they have to learn how to play on the road because these girls did a great job. Hats off to them. They played hard. They made a lot of tough shots, but it's about doing it consistently. It's not about a one-time thing and it's not about, "it's easy because we're an unranked team and they are." You've got to do it all the time. And I'm sure that is what Coquese, who is a terrific person, is going to try to teach them. Now they've shown it. They have exposed themselves to what they can do, and that is a good thing. But that is also a challenging thing for Coquese and her team.

Q: Can you talk about your second half press and how it helped you get back in the game?
A: It was great hustle by the team. We press. We like to press. It's not a new concept. It's something we like to do, but it is players that make plays. Our kids made a lot of plays in the second half. In the first half, we gave a lot of plays away and that was unfortunate and Penn State took full advantage of that. There were some good things for us in the game, but when you look at this free throw shooting business... that just can't be. Obviously a phenomenal percentage for them: 28 out of 30. They might want to frame that. That is a very good job on their part. Again, for us, we've got some work to do, and we have no excuses. We are better than we played and we'll get back at it.

Q: You being with Michigan State in the past, you are no stranger to this place and how difficult it can be to play here. Can you talk about that and how that was a factor and also being at the end of this five game road trip?
A: I would not consider it a factor because we've played in such interesting environments. Being the road team that we are, I think it is a great environment. I think our kids are pretty well versed in that environment, but it doesn't take away from the fact that folks came out to support, and they did. Penn State has always done a great job with environment from all that I can remember. I just think it is great for women's basketball. But do I think it affected the game? No. We need to do what we need to do, but that was certainly a great crowd and a loud crowd. And they were rewarded with a really nice victory.

Q: After you guys made your run, Williams kept getting the ball. Can you address how she was able to keep you guys from coming back?
A: She was a pain, and I mean that respectfully. She was a royal pain. She did a great job. She attacked off the dribble and hit some shots and just created. Again, it shows what she can do. I thought it was an excellent show of determination on her part. I think most of her points came in the second half. I remember this team when it was much younger than it is now. They've grown up a lot as I can remember, but she played very well. Her flat out scoring ability has developed from last year. She is much more of a take on artist than she used to be.