Jan. 23, 2011

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Notre Dame Women’s Basketball
Notre Dame vs. St. John’s
January 23, 2011
Purcell Pavilion at the Joyce Center ” Notre Dame, Ind.

Notre Dame Head Coach Muffet McGraw

Opening Statements…
“I thought we did a great job in both halves, especially the second. We guarded St. John’s just as we wanted to and I was happy with the rebounding in stretches even though I know we can do a little better. Overall, I was very pleased and our inside game is really coming along. The guards were shooting well during the Georgetown game so we didn’t go inside as much as we wanted, but this game was a great game to really take advantage of our post players. Becca Bruszewski and Devereaux Peters had great games and a nice job overall by both of them.”

On the defensive schemes…
“I thought St. John’s was looking to go inside on us. I think Da’Shena Stevens made her first three shots but we really didn’t adjust too much. We played a possession or two of zone, but I think we trapped down a little bit more and the guards helped down there too. We tried to stay in front of their point guard because she’s such a good player. She can run their team exceptionally well and she’s difficult to guard. We gave her a little bit of a cushion just to keep her in front of us. Skylar Diggins in particular did a good job of that.”

On the recent play of Devereaux Peters…
“I think she’s a lot more active. She’s really hitting the boards at both ends and she’s also looking to score more often. The guards are looking for her in the post and she’s getting a lot more looks in transition which is really her strength.”

On freshman guard Kayla McBride…
“Kayla will not be suiting up with us for the remainder of the 2010-11 season while she attends to an off-the-court issue. Kayla is a bright and gifted young woman and a generous teammate who has already brought a great deal to our program in a short amount of time. She has our full and unconditional support and we are confident that she has even greater things in store when she returns to the court next season.”

On the shift in player rotations…
“We’re still working it out because Natalie Achonwa was just cleared right before the game. We knew she would be limited and maybe she was limping a little out there. I’m glad we have a week off so she can get healthy. Ariel Braker is someone I feel is ready to break into the lineup. She’s really been practicing well so if we do have any kind of slowdown with Natalie, Ariel is ready to give some minutes. She just needs some experience and I think we’ll be able to get her that experience in the next few games.”

On moving forward through the rest of the season…
“I think this might be a good time to put in some new things and try to figure out what we need to tinker with. Everybody has seen us play a lot now, and the BIG EAST teams know us well, so it’s a good time to really look at some new wrinkles.”

Notre Dame Players

Devereaux Peters – Senior – Forward

On what she’s done differently in recent games…
“I agree with Coach McGraw, I was just being more active. At one point they sat me down in film and pointed out all the times I was standing, so I tried not to stand as much and be more active.”

On how defensive energy translates into the offense…
“Getting rebounds and really being able to push the basketball definitely helps get our offense going and get us into transition which is what we like to do.”

Becca Bruszewski – Senior – Forward

On her positioning in the post…
“There were a couple times on defense when they were able to rebound and score. Knowing where the guards are going to be and where I should be in order to get the ball was definitely key.”

On defending St. John’s…
“We were playing Da’Shena Stevens for the drive so she started knocking down a couple shots. Coach told me I needed to deny her in the post so from that point forward I concentrated on keeping her off the block.”

St. John’s Head Coach Kim Barnes Arico

Opening Statement…
“I thought we lost to a great team tonight. We’re not playing very well, and they are an exceptional team, especially at home. I thought they killed us on the inside. Peters and Bruszewski were dominant. They really have a good team. I’m very impressed with them, and I think this is one of the best teams they’ve had in a long time.”

On Notre Dame’s defense…
“Obviously we couldn’t score. At one point I said ‘how many points have we had in the second half?’ We couldn’t get anything going on the offensive end. They do a great job of forcing turnovers. I mean, we had 26 of them tonight. They get in the passing lanes, they’re super aggressive, they rotate well, and their chemistry is good. They play exceptionally well together”

On Notre Dame’s interior dominance…
“They were physical and long. Peters had a bunch of blocked shots, and even when we had open looks, her recovery was really quick. They challenged us and made us feel a little bit of pressure.”

On what they plan to do differently in the next game…
“Where do you want me to start? We have our work cut out for us and we need to get better. Obviously we need to score a little bit better than we did tonight and take care of the ball. When you have 26 turnovers, that’s a lot of shots that you’re not getting. Work on our offense, I suppose.”