Dec. 7, 2008

Recap | Box Score

2008-09 Notre Dame Women’s Basketball Post-Game Quotes
Notre Dame vs. Purdue
Sunday, December 7, 2008*Joyce Center*Notre Dame Indiana
Notre Dame Quotes

Head Coach Muffet McGraw
On battling back when Purdue took an early lead…
“In terms of resiliency, you look at this team (Notre Dame) and no one put their heads down because they weren’t making shots, they just battled back on defense. That’s maturity that we did not even have last year at this point. I’m really pleased with the improvement. This was a defensive battle; I thought we were playing Villanova for a minute. I knew eventually we’d start scoring.”

On Kellie Watson’s composure as a freshman…
“After Kellie hit two 3’s, Purdue immediately went man-to-man. She’s already making the scouting report for the teams we’re playing; she’s not going to be a secret any longer. For a freshman to come into that kind of environment in front of a sellout crowd and to be able to step up and go three-for-three from the three-point line is amazing.”

On playing in front of a sellout crowd…
“This was our first sellout of the season. We hope it’s the first of many. We were just thrilled with the crowd. They give us so much momentum. We get energy from the crowd. Our fans are so intelligent; they know when to start cheering when we need them. It was great for the freshman to be in that kind of environment for the first time.”

On playing without Ashley Barlow…
“We’re hoping Ashley comes back soon. This is a great opportunity for the freshmen. For Natalie (Novosel) and Kelly (Watson) to play more in these games is going to help us down the road. They’ll be poised in the Big East schedule. Melissa (Lechlitner) and Lindsay (Schrader) had more of a sense of urgency, their attitude was contagious. They have stepped up.”

Kellie Watson, Fr., G
On playing in front of a sellout crowd as a freshman…
“When I came in I had a mindset that the crowd was huge and I did not want to play like a freshman. I wanted to stay composed. We played great defense; we were on lock down. I moved to the open spots, my teammates got me the ball. I just got set and hit my shots. It’s a great feeling to be able to impact the team so early in my career.”

Melissa Lechlitner, Jr., G
On taking advantage of Purdue’s defense…
“During the first half their zone defense was really extended on the wings. It left the middle wide open, so we took what they gave us. Since Barlow was out, I had to take more of an offensive mindset. I knew I’d have to step up a little more. “

Purdue Quotes

Head Coach Sharon Versyp
On the game…
“Having a sell out crowd today really shows you two top programs in the country, in the same state which we have so much pride for ourselves and Notre Dame. Today they did a great job of breaking us down especially in the second half, off the dribble penetration. They made us extend ourselves out a little bit with their three-point shot. We were not real focused in the second half taking away certain things. We might as well not have read the scouting report. But we worked hard and had great effort. We had wide-open shots and had one on one down low, everything that you want. Wide-open elbow shots, they knocked them down and we didn’t. That has been the story of the last few games. I know we are extremely fatigued but that is no excuse when you have an experienced team.”

On Kellie Watson hitting a few key three’s in the first half…

“Our scouting report is not to let her (Watson) have any shots. There was one that was a lose ball that we tried to steal and that’s okay, but the other two there is no excuse for that. We know that it’s her game. We were not supposed to help off her at all, so there you have it.”

On the play of Melissa Lechlitner…
“Well she’s a great point guard. Again point guards do a great job of establishing tempo of the game, understanding what’s needed, coming off screens to a two dribble jump shot, and the ability to hit a wide open three. She’s just keeps getting better and better since she has been here. I have always had such respect for her. She understands the Notre Dame-Purdue rivalry, it’s in-state, and an Indiana kid stepped up and did some great things for them.”

Lindsey Wisdom-Hylton, Sr., F
“They pretty much we letting us do down low what we wanted to do. We weren’t able to finish our shots. We just have to get tougher and stronger and be able to knock down those shots for our team.”

FahKara Malone, Jr., G
“As coach said, the scouting report was right on. She told us what we needed to do and we tried to get the ball inside and knock down open shots. We just didn’t do what we needed to do today as a team.”