Illinois Head Coach- Theresa Grentz
Opening statement:
"You have to give Northwestern an awful lot of credit. They work very, very hard. They gave it everything they had. They came out, had a game plan, and knew exactly what they wanted to do."

On the  key to winning tomorrow:
"I think it's important for us to believe in who we are. We have to believe in each other. Michigan State is probably playing some of the best basketball in the country right now, and we have to come ready to play."

On a possible NCAA bid:
"I think right now the most important thing for us to do is win. I haven't had any conversations with the team saying, `if we do this or do that.' I think Angelina (Williams) summed it up the best when she said, "we have to play well. We have to win."

On what she told the team at halftime:
"I've coached a long time. I enjoy this game immensely. Life is very, very short. I buried one of my best friends this week. I have no intention of getting riled up with these kids. I just want to encourage and teach them, and lead them the best I can."

Illinois-Forward-Angelina Williams
On the difference of the second half vs. the first:
"The first half, we came out a little timid and had some butterflies. In the second half, we came out more aggressive and were in attack mode."
 
On walking off the court with a win:
"The last three years, I walked off this court either crying or upset. It is definitely a better feeling after a win."

On facing Michigan State:
"I think it will be a good game. The last time we played them pretty well at their place. It will be a challenge for us to go out there and play as hard as we can. It is either play hard or go home, so we have to go out there and play our best."

Northwestern- Head Coach- Beth Combs
Opening statement:
"We couldn't get it done today. I thought we played a fantastic first half. I really thought we were going to make this a ballgame, but we weren't able to answer Illinois' runs. They have too many weapons. Obviously, Angelina Williams really turned it on in the second half. Their defense was able to produce opportunities offensively. We just came up short in firepower today."

On the lessons learned this season:
"One of the things we've talked about all year is learning to compete for 40 minutes, putting it all out there, and not having any regrets. I think if there's anything we can take from how we're playing now, compared to how we played in November, it doesn't show up on a stat sheet, but I think internally we're pleased with the progress we've made. We've been able to recognize some situations, and I think we're able to look forward and build for the future."

Northwestern- Center- Sarah Kwasinski
On the season and her overall career:
"It's been a good season overall. I think we've had a lot of progress on the team. I think as seniors we know the direction that this program is going. We talked about as freshmen, how we wanted to be the building blocks and the ones that turned this program around. Though it may not look that way on paper, we know internally how good this team is going to be next year and in the following years."

On the type of defense Illinois post players presented to her in the second half:
"They just got really physical with me and I couldn't knock down those open shots like I did in the first half. They have great physical post players and they kind of knocked me out of my element."