Nov. 2, 2011
Notre Dame Women’s Basketball
Notre Dame vs. Windsor
November 2, 2011
Purcell Pavilion at the Joyce Center o Notre Dame, Ind.
Notre Dame Head Coach Muffet McGraw
Opening Statement …
“I thought there was a lot of good stuff. There was a little bit of a slow start but I think that was expected. I think we’re trying too hard to get a big lead, but we settled in. Fraderica (Miller) came in and gave us great energy. She turned the game around. It was 15-8 and then we went on a huge run and I credit her defense for that. I really love the way Devereaux (Peters)’ playing and her demeanor. She’s patient and she’s doing everything we needed her to do. And Kayla McBride, welcome back. It was great to see her back out there. There was a lot of good stuff. Markisha Wright came in as a freshman and did some really good things. When she settles in she’s really going to help us.”
On the defensive effort…
“I thought we made some defensive mistakes, but generally I think the defense was good. I thought our intensity was good. I thought our pressure was good, but I would have liked to have rebounded better. I think that’s the one thing we didn’t do well tonight.”
On the defensive break downs that were a concern…
“I think the fact that they got 21 three’s shows that they were open. We just need to try to figure out why we weren’t a little closer. That was really it. I thought they got a few out of transition out of the press. But I think a little more communication and tightening up a few things defensively should be good.”
On Notre Dame’s three point shooting…
“This is our best three-point team. We’re going shoot the ball really well all year. But again, it’s the first game and I think we were just really taking the first quick shot that we got and we were open, but its also probably why we didn’t rebound that well, because we shot it so quickly. But I’m not too worried about that. “
Notre Dame Player Quotes
Devereaux Peters – Senior – Forward
On what the biggest change in her game is…
“I think it’s just being smarter. I know when to choose to block a shot, depending on the time and where we are in the game and how much we’re up. I’m just smarter about it. I actually want to play this year so I’m not just going to go for every block shot. “
On what her 8-of-9 shooting is a result of…
“I think that’s just knowing my teammates. I know where they’re going to go and where I need to be in order for them to get me the ball. They know where I like to move and how to pass it to me so they throw it up and I’m usually there to finish. A lot of it is around the basket so its easy lay ups. They make it a lot easier on me.”
Kayla McBride – Sophomore – Guard
On her experience tonight…
“It felt great. I was loving it. It’s great to be back on the team. It gave me an adrenaline rush. I was a little nervous but the team knew I was nervous and knew I was anxious and they were right there to let me know that they had me. It was a lot of fun. “
On what she took advantage of on the court…
“First and foremost Coach wants me to score. She puts me in a lot of different positions where I can do that and I take advantage of that. It has been hard playing all these different positions but is just going to make me better. I’m seeing that; especially in practice. This helped me a lot. Just getting my confidence up and knowing that I can score in all these different ways and doing it in any way possible is just a confidence booster. “
Fraderica Miller – Senior – Guard
On her defense tonight…
“Today was just a blur. It was like I was just out there moving around because wherever the ball goes I go. I don’t think I was too quick for them. I was just excited to get the season started. We’ve been practicing for awhile and it was just exciting to get out there and actually play a game.”
On how she’s feeling…
“I think as good as I’m going to get. This is my 100%. I feel good. Taking some time off this summer really helped me. Throughout preseason it was back and forth but I feel good now. “
On how she felt they did defensively today…
“We can be so much better. We have a lot to work on and we know that. It’s clear to us even if it’s not to everyone watching because they’re just excited that we’re getting steals. But, we know that there are a lot of little things that we’re missing and when we figure out those little things and get them right this team is going to be amazing on defense. “
Windsor Head Coach Chantal Vallee
Opening Statement…
“We were super excited to get a chance to play Notre Dame. We actually think that this is the best team in the United States, and we are very excited to be here. We were hoping to give them a better game, but in the end we are just very happy to be here and congratulations to their team.”
On Notre Dame’s defense…
“Obviously when they came out with their press I was a little bit surprised. I feel like we have strong guard play, and I think that we were surprised at the athleticism of that press. It definitely took us out of the game. They converted on almost every one of our turnovers, unfortunately.”
On Notre Dame’s offense…
“We have some very strong defenders, and we were focused on Skylar Diggins. She is a very good player. We couldn’t stop Kayla McBride tonight. I don’t think we had that strong third guard to do that. It was difficult, but I know that our girls were excited to play Skylar, and she really had a tremendous game. They have a lot of depth at every position. I think tonight it was really their posts that got the best of us.”
On Korissa Williams’ game…
“We told the girls at the beginning that we hoped that everybody could come here tonight, enjoy it, and play to their potential. Korissa [Williams] definitely made some tough mistakes. She made some mistakes in passing, but she was probably pretty close to her potential offensively and defensively. I am pretty pleased with her game. She is a fierce competitor. You can always count on her to show up and give all she has. That is what we want to see all of our players doing.”