2005 Big Ten Women's Basketball Tournament Semifinal Quotes

PENN STATE
Rene Portland, Head Coach
On problems Michigan State poses:
"Their balance causes a lot of problems for us. If you shut down one, then the next one comes and can be just as effective. They had four kids in double figures last night. Their defense is their claim to fame. You have to learn how to attack it and change a lot of the things that you are doing. We've watched a lot of film in preparation for this and will have to know where the holes will be in the defense."

On the disadvantage of not having a dominant player in the post:
"We're still here. Last year was a year that we had a great graduation rate. Everyone questioned what the Penn State team would look like. Penn State is about rebuilding, tradition and the student athlete, and I think we've done a great job of that."

Tanisha Wright, Guard
On the advantage of previously beating Michigan State in the Big Ten season:
"It's a whole different game. When it comes to the Tournament, nothing really matters anymore. It doesn't matter if you beat a team by 50 or by two; everyone takes a different look at it. I definitely think that it helps us knowing that we've beat them, but we have to put that behind us and focus on ourselves."

Jess Strom, Guard
On playing against Kristin Haynie:
"We've played each other a lot in our four years and I think that we know each other very well. She gets a lot of steals on the defensive end. We have to work on taking care of the ball when she's around. She's a great player and you can't be surprised at anything that she does."

On Michigan State and its match-up zone:
"They play a great zone. They play it all the time and they really know what they're doing. We just have to find holes. We're going to watch film so that we can be prepared and know where the holes are. We need to not shoot too quick and still attack the bucket even though they are in the zone defense."