March 19, 2001
Notre Dame Quotes
Notre Dame head coach Muffet McGraw
Opening statement . . .
“We are excited about getting back to the Sweet 16 for the fourth time. It was a great performance by the entire team. I think our bench was much maligned this year, but they have come into these two NCAA tournament games and played extremely well. It was just a great team effort. Our three seniors, Ruth (Riley), Niele (Ivey) and Kelley (Siemon) have been great leading the team this year and setting the tempo. They are just a joy to be with. Michigan is a great team with some excellent inside players and I thought our defense was outstanding today.”
On the play of Jeneka Joyce…
“She was playing so well and to score at the buzzer like that (to end the first half), I think it breaks your back when you are on defense. I was really pleased with the way she played and I wanted to reward her by starting her in the second half. She gave us a three-point threat and really made the defense extend, which opened up Ruth.
On Rutgers early exit from the tournament…
“That is disappointing for the BIG EAST. I think we have a great conference and we were hoping to send three teams to the Sweet 16, Hopefully, Connecticut will win tonight and we will have two.”
On the play of the bench…
“I was not happy with the bench early in the season and they have really worked hard to prove me wrong. That is the kind of attitude this team has.”
On playing in the Mile High City…
“The bench is going to be a key factor in our performance in the first game. We definitely will be substituting a little bit earlier then usual. But they played so well that they are definitely ready to play in the game.
On the play of the senior class…
“They have done so much for this program and so much for me. They have set all kinds of records this year. But for the four years they have all been here, they have all been such a joy to be around. I think our success this year is due as much to Imani (Dunbar) and Meaghan (Leahy) on the bench as it is to Ruth, Kelley (Siemon) and Niele (Ivey) and what they do on the floor. I think you have to have great chemistry in the lockerroom to be successful, as well as on the court.”
Notre Dame senior center Ruth Riley
On facing Michigan’s triple team defense. . .
“Double teaming is something I have faced a lot this year. I did not expect them to triple team me with all the talented players we have on the court. I did not pass well out of the double team in the first half, but the second half I was much better.”
On playing her final game in the Joyce Center . . .
“It was a perfect way to end my career here at the Joyce Center. It was so much fun to play in the tournament and see everyone come out and support us. It was a great crowd today, and playing in the tournament at home is really something special.”
Notre Dame senior forward Kelly Siemon
On her personal adjustment to Michigan’s defense against Ruth Riley . . .
They were really crowding Ruth inside inside and it was really easy for me to get open. I wish I was more comfortable taking the free-throw line jumper, but driving and shooting the lay-up was easier. You can’t really triple team someone on a team of our caliber because we have so many threats offensively. “
On playing her final game in the Joyce Center . . .
“I just had fun and I think we did the things we needed to win the game. We were laid back and I think this final game is a great way to end our four years together.”
Notre Dame senior guard Niele Ivey
On any adjustments for a possible Michigan second-half surge…
“We definitely kept that in mind. Being down 16 at the half of the Virginia game and coming back to win in overtime showed that they are a good team. We made sure at halftime that we stayed focused and just played 20 minutes of solid basketball.”
On playing her final game in the Joyce Center . . .
“It was great to get a win and see a lot of players get playing time in the game. It was fun. I was off the court a little bit more today and it was great to experience. We have had a great four years together and I just can’t say enough about this team. We have a lot of fun.”
On any special defensive adjustments against Michigan guard Alayne Ingram ….
“I think we just wanted to be aggressive. Having that many points in one half against Virginia means that she is a great player. It was a team effort on defense to just keep a hand in her face.”
Michigan Quotes
Michigan head coach Sue Guevara
On the game…
“Just before I walked out of the lockerroom to go onto the court, I put my jacket on. I went to zip up my jacket, and it busted. I don’t know if that was a sign or not of what was supposed to happen. Let’s give Notre Dame a great deal of credit. They had too much too quickly, and we just didn’t have enough. We tried to throw everything we possibly could at them, and they responded to everything we threw at them. They have a lot of weapons, and we had trouble shutting them down. On the other end, we could not put anything in the basket. It’s a little bit frustrating. I want to wish Notre Dame all the best. One day, our program will be exactly where they are.”
On Notre Dame’s Jeneka Joyce’s three-point field goal heading into halftime…
“It hurt a lot. We were making a mini-run. With seven seconds left to go, we knew who the shooters were. At that point, I didn’t think we were playing very smart. When you play a team like that, you can’t leave players like Jeneka Joyce and Alicia Ratay wide open. You have to make it very difficult for them.”
On the role of fatigue in the game…
“I thought we looked tired. That’s why I took Alayne (Ingram) out. I took Anne (Thorius) out because I thought she looked especially tired. I went to put Michaela (Leary) in for Anne with four minutes to go, and my assistant told me that she wanted to play it out. This was it for her. That’s what happens when you’re trying to stop transition, you get tired.”
On Anne Thorius’ thoughts after the game…
“Anne Thorius is a very competitive person. She is kind of anal about her performance, and she didn’t have a great shooting performance tonight. She turned it over, and she was frustrated. She’s had some great games for us at Michigan. She’s been a great building block for us. I think she’s feeling a little down in the fact that she’s all done.”
On her team’s shooting woes in the first half…
“I kept thinking, ‘Please, God, let a shot fall.’ We were getting some shots. If you go five for 33 from your three starters, it’s going to be very tough. We came out in the second half, and we still had a shot. Then, we were 35 points down with nine minutes to go. At that point, you just have to play for pride and keep praying that a shot will go. You have to keep shooting it.”
On LeeAnn Bies’ lack of playing time…
“I didn’t feel she was being as effective as Smitty (Jennifer Smith) and Raina (Goodlow).”
Michigan freshman forward Stephanie Gandy
On the crowd…
“We have played in front of big crowds like this before. I don’t think that the crowd affected us that much, it was just that our shots were not falling.”
On being a freshman in this situation…
“I don’t think I was nervous because of the crowd. I was nervous because it was the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament. We approached it like any game, it was just a little bigger. We just tried to stay focused on the game.”
On the outlook for next year…
“It was good for me to get a lot of playing time. We have a lot of players coming back and I think that we can be where Notre Dame is.”
Michigan junior forward Raina Goodlow
On playing against Ruth Riley…
“That is all we talked about since beating Virginia, needing to use head fakes to go around her. We knew she was big and we tried to simulate that in practice.”
On defending Notre Dame…
“It is difficult with their balanced attack. That is one of their strengths. We doubled and tripled Riley, but the other four players on the court stepped up.”
On the team’s thoughts after the game…
“We weren’t so much thinking about next year, yet. We just lost to one of the top teams in the country and we just tried to bring it in and stay together. We had a good season, but it had to come to an end.”