Postgame Quotes

Jan. 2, 2015

No. 9 Ohio State 80, No. 6 Maryland 71

Head Coach Brenda Frese

Opening statement:
“First of all, today was a special day with recognizing the 2006 national championship team. The fans that we had come out were huge. A lot of our players from that 2006 team are coaching and playing overseas, so they couldn't be here, but they come through a ton. I think for us, it was nice for us to be able to celebrate what they accomplished in their legacy.

On the basketball end, you saw the effects and the impact of three games in six days. It's not an excuse in terms of how we played. Like I mentioned to the team in the locker room, when you want to be a championship team and compete for titles, there's going to come a time in the tournament where you have to play three games in three days. I thought there was a lot of uncharacteristic plays with us from fatigue, which is the mental side of the game that we have to improve on. I thought Ohio State came in here and had a sensational second half. They came out with a lot more energy and a lot more confidence. We had a lot of uncharacteristic turnovers, a lot of miscues, a lot of breakdowns on the defensive end, and a lot of miss free throws. The great thing about the game is that it humbles you and keeps you hungry, and it allows you to come back and work harder. I know this team will bounce back. Ohio State helped us improve today.”

On how fatigue effected the performance:
“Brionna Jones was extremely fatigued from the minutes she had to play against UConn and the physicality of the last two games. Credit Ohio State, they came in and took advantage. They were a lot more physical and were able to get into her head early and made her really have to work. As a team, that's an area where you have to have other people step up and be able to help her carry the load.”

On Ohio State's defense:
“They went to some zone. I thought our shots were short. I'm not sure it was anything they did defensively versus our legs. We shoot the ball very well, but had uncharacteristic misses; missed lay ups and free throws. You have to be able to lock in and not get frustrated.”

On the slow starts for both teams:
“I think both teams were hungry to get started. I thought we were really loose with the ball, but credit them. I thought through the night, defensively, they got so many deflections and steals just from active hands and active play.”

On the Big Ten winning streak being broken:
“It was a great accomplishment. I don't think we ever set out to do it. We're always into a one game mindset. I thought Ohio State came in here with a great chip on its shoulder and we can't stay in the past, we have to understand every game is going to be a battle in conference play.  It doesn't matter how many games you play in a row, you have to turn around and be ready to play.”

On the difference between Ohio State last year and this year:
“Kelsey Mitchell is a sophomore. She took over when she needed to. She had a great shooting percentage. They got everyone that returned from last year. Just the experience they have on that roster.”

On growing as a team:

“We've been able to really start building as a team coming off of our nonconference schedule. Today we were faced with some adversity and I liked that we still tried to compete. Ohio State showed us a lot of errors that we can improve on and the great thing is that it's correctable.”

Redshirt Senior Guard Brene Moseley

On Big Ten loss after the streak last year:
“We don't really focus on all that stuff. We just try to do whatever we can to get better and prepare for the next game so that we can be ready for tournament play.”

Junior Guard Shatori Walker-Kimbrough

On honoring the 2006 national championship team:
“We always want to respect our legacy and continue it. I don't think I came out ready to play so I'll take this loss for my team. I have to come out play a lot better.”

Ohio State Head Coach Kevin McGuff

On difference between halves:

“I feel like in the first half we were getting good shots, but we just weren't making the shots we normally make. We talked about that and continued to work in a manner that would allow us to continue to get those shots and that put a little more pressure on Maryland at that point.”

On the key to Maryland turnovers:

“I thought we mixed some full court pressure with some aggressiveness in the half court and I thought that kind of kept them off balance. They are a great basketball team and when they get into a rhythm they are very hard to defend. I found our kids did fantastic job switching defenses, communicating, and executing.”

On the Ohio State ball movement:

“I really thought we moved a lot better in the second half.  Our kids did a good job of finding each other and making the extra pass, which led to great shots.”

On a road win:

“This is a great league and its as deep as I've ever seen. Maryland has an unbelievable team. They are very talented and play very hard. They have been a great addition to the Big Ten for women's basketball. It has really helped raise the profile. We're only two games in and the most important thing is to get back to practice and continue to get better. This is a big win because of who Maryland is and how much success they have had over the years. I'm really proud of our kids for coming in here and getting a win.”

Ohio State Guard Kelsey Mitchell

On team dynamic and not getting rattled after being down by eight:

“We've played a lot of great teams throughout the course of the season so far. Maryland is a great team, to their credit. We've been able to compete with them and been able to compete with the previous teams we've played, so it puts us in a good position for when we're down and struggling.”