March 5, 2006
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Ohio State Head Coach Jim Foster
On the difference of having Debbie Merrill back in second half after early foul trouble:
"She made a difference for us offensively. The game was ugly in the first half. But when you walk off with a two point lead, not functioning offensively, we were happy to know she was going to be back into the game."
On the last seconds of the game, and MSU hitting some shots:
"Well (Michigan State) is a good basketball team. In my mind, we had enough of a lead. One shot they hit was a pretty serious horse shot. We just had to negotiate getting the ball in, and making our foul shots."
On the physical play throughout the game:
"It was a very physical game, and I thought that was to (Michigan State's) advantage. Yesterday (Michigan State) played the same way. But our kids really stepped up and did what they needed to do in the second half. That's an important dimension to have this time of the year. We have to adjust ourselves to the situation at hand."
On the clutch free throw shooting down the stretch:
"In close games all year we have hit foul shots. We have good foul shooters and when the game is on the line, we hit them."
Debbie Merrill
On being physical;
"We came into this game knowing that it was going to be very physical. So, we were prepared for their performance. We are happy that we came out of the game with a win."
On being aggressive;
"Jessica (Davenport) was drawing double teams throughout the entire game. Because she was being double teamed, there were times when I was wide open. So, when she got the ball she passed it to me and I received a lot of great passes from her."
Jessica Davenport
On Michigan State's defense;
"Michigan State was double teaming me throughout the game. This caused me to rush some shots on offense. So, on defense I had to make my presence down low in the paint."
On their past performance versus Michigan State;"During the game today, Debbie Merrill played the biggest role. She played a big difference in our ability to come back in the second half."
Ashley Allen
On free throws;
"At the end of the game we shot our free throws very well. In fact, we were 11 for 12 in the last few minutes. Marscilla (Parker) came through at the end for us with her ability to convert on free throws."
On Michigan State's offense;
"We knew that (Liz) Shimek and (Lindsay) Bowen were going to play a big part in this game. They are both great players and we tried to neutralize their performances. We tried our best on both of them but they came through with a few great shots."
Michigan State Head Coach Joanne P. McCallie:
On the team's performance:
"It was a very interesting, exciting game; a good crowd game. It was a very physical game that went down to the wire. It is a type of game you learn from and motivates you."
On the team's offense:
"Davenport is a great player, but look at Shimek's numbers. She played a great ball game. Bowen had four steals and played all forty minutes with a defender that was draped all over her, and our bench showed up to play. There isn't much to say badly about our offense. I do wish we got to the free throw line a bit more; that would have made a difference."
On any adjustments the team made after the last two OSU games:
"We threw out the last two games; we threw out the tape. In a season you have your ups and downs, and this was a time we had to not look at what we did in the past because obviously that didn't work."
On what to take away from this game:
"We are in no way looking at this as a moral victory. I feel this was an even game; an excellent game played by two great teams. Now instead of playing, we have to practice. We can't be happy about this game, but in saying that I don't want to take away anything from Ohio State. They are a great team."
Lindsay Bowen
On Jessica Davenport's effect on the game:
"On offense you really have to play inside-out. If she blocks a shot, you have to get it back and keep going up. If it's not there you need to kick the ball back out."
Liz Shimek
On losing to Ohio State three times this year:
"I think it can only motivate you. You have to be optimistic and take the lessons you've learned from the game. You can't change what happened in the past. We're going to practice hard this week and get back after it."
On driving to the basket more in the second half:
"It was part of the way the game went. Going into the game, you have to have a mindset that you're going to attack the basket. That didn't happen as much in the first half, but you have to pick it up in the second half."
On trying to take positives from the loss:
"What we were doing in the last minute we should have been doing for 40 minutes. To be able to score that many points in that little time, we should be able to take a lesson from that."
