March 6, 2010

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Notre Dame Postgame Quotes
No. 5 Notre Dame vs. No. 13 Louisville
Game 5 – Second Round, March 6, 2010
XL Center – Hartford, Conn.

Head Coach Muffet McGraw

Opening Statement:
“I was really pleased with the way we came out. I thought we looked ready, ready to go. I thought Skylar (Diggins) set the tone for us. She got us on board early. She had the intensity early. I thought we were attacking the basket. Ashley Barlow hit a couple of shots and I thought Deveraux Peters came off the bench to give us some great minutes. I think Erica (Williams) did a great job in the starting line-up. I think that might be her season high for points. She had six rebounds and did everything we needed her to do. I was just really pleased with our attitude coming in.”

Can you talk about the fact that you were not able to get the double-bye, but were able to get in a fairly easy game today?
“I think it will help us, especially the way we played. I think that we executed well, we shot the ball well and we defended pretty well. I thought, actually, that we did a good job on (Monique) Reid until I saw the stats. But, I was really pleased to be able to get out on the floor and Skyler (Diggins), Devereaux (Peters) and Brittany (Mallory) to run. Those guys didn’t play last year so it was a little bit new for them. It was great to be able to get out, get on the floor and see what it’s going to be like tomorrow.”

Senior Center Erica Williams

Given the way this game played out, do you see it as a blessing that you got to come out and play during this round?
“I think all of us wished we had gotten the double-bye, that would have helped as well, but it is nice to get a feel for the gym. Being a senior, we’ve played here for four years. We weren’t able to have a shoot around with the schedule we have and the teams playing yesterday so it was great to go out there, feel comfortable in the first half and then work on a lot things in the second. I think we did a great job.”

Freshman Guard Skylar Diggins

Given the way this game played out, do you see it as a blessing that you got to come out and play during this round?
“Unlike Erica (Williams), this is mine and Devereaux’s (Peters) first time in the BIG EAST Tournament. So, it is good for us to get out on the floor and get a feel for it. It was good for us to be out here and like Erica said, I think we played well tonight. It was good for us to get a feel and we all were able to get involved tonight.”

Freshman Devereaux Peters

Can you talk about things that you want to do differently when you play St. John’s this time around?
“I think I speak for the team when I say that we’re truly excited to play St. John’s again. They came out ready to play us last time. They are a really good team. They came out hard from the beginning and just pounded us, got it inside and got a lot of good looks. So, we know what to look for now. We know we have to box out and get on the boards. Hopefully, we’ll pull out a win tomorrow.

— BIG EAST —