March 21, 2005

COLLEGE PARK, Md. - DePaul Pregame Quotes
Head Coach Doug Bruno
Looking ahead to tomorrow's game: It's a mental understanding of what the Liberty staff and team are trying to do to us and how we have to be able to counter and make the Liberty team deal with what we're trying to do with them. It's much more mental than physical.

On Liberty: They have a very formidable inside presence in their 6-8 (Katie) Feenstra, and that's what everyone focuses on, but everyone around her can play. They are all players, every one of them presents a challenge for us to guard. They are fearless because of their non conference schedule. I was impressed with their fearlessness as much as their talent.

On centers in the women's game: A dominant post player is always going to be important in the game of basketball. Where the game of basketball is changing is that the other big players are developing guard skills at every level. That just makes the game a better game. If you have five players on the floor with guard skills, the game takes on a beauty of its own. That's never going to take away the impact of a dominant post player. Liberty's got a dominant post player, as does Ohio State.

On Liberty's perimeter game: Their entire perimeter played well last night, No. 10 (Allyson Fasnacht) had a tremendous game, No. 30 (Rima Margeviciute), No. 25 (Daina Staugaitiene), and No. 35 (Kristal Tharp), those are four very good basketball players. Every single one of them brought great guard presence, they all had a great feel for where each other was, they shared freely, they all stepped up and made big shots. I was very impressed with the way they handled the Penn State pressure, and exploited that pressure.

On what makes Khara Smith a great player: Her desire to get the ball and her eyes. She's got tremendously quick eyes, and vision to the ball. You've also got to have the heart to want the ball, and she's got that as well.

Junior Forward Khara Smith
On Katie Feenstra: She is the tallest post player that I have faced thus far, and I just know for myself that I just have to get her as far away from the basket as I can, and make her take tough shots over me. I know that she's a good player and a lot of attention is drawn to her, but I just have to use what I have on the defensive side of the ball.

On shutting down Liberty's perimeter players: We have very good perimeter defensive play in Jenni (Dant), as well as (Jenna) Rubino, Allie Quigley, Erin Carney, and our other post players. We just have to be able to contain the perimeter players as much as possible, and I think that our perimeter defense is capable of doing that, and be more dominant than they will be.

Senior Guard Jenni Dant
Reflecting on yesterday's game: Those type of game situations are what this type of basketball is all about. Your whole season can come down to a close game situation, you have to take them on, and stay calm and stay levelheaded and take them as they come. But you definitely know there are situations like that in March. It's what we play for.

On playing point guard: Taking on the point guard position is more than a mental thing than anything. You are essentially the coach on the floor, and you have to know how to get people the ball, where they need the ball, what place in the clock you need to get them the ball. It's really more of a mental transition than physically.

On Katie Feenstra: She does a good job of taking up space. Long arms, she's a good inside presence. She makes people change her shots. You've just got to play around that. You've got to go into her. You can't be afraid to get your shot blocked.