Geno Auriemma Gabby Williams Napheesa Collier
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NCAA Women's Regional Semifinals and Finals: Albany Saturday, March 24, 2018 Albany, New York couple threes and then you hit that jumper at the Geno Auriemma end of the half and showed a lot of emotion after making that shot? Gabby Williams GABBY WILLIAMS: Yeah, I think the beginning of the game we got off to a quick start, and then it was almost like we didn't expect them to start back like in the Napheesa Collier Sweet 16. I think we were just trying to win the game a Connecticut little too quickly and all at once, so at the end of the second quarter, I think we just started taking it one UConn - 72, Duke - 59 possession at a time and started building our momentum, so that was kind of a good way to go into GENO AURIEMMA: I was telling the team before and halftime. after the game that with each game that you play in the tournament, it gets progressively more difficult to do Q. Gabby, there were situations where they were what you normally do. You have to be able to figure out making little mini-runs at you, closed the gap a how to win a game whichever way the game is being little bit. Is it up to you and Kia to keep things calm played. on the court? GABBY WILLIAMS: Yeah, I think so. You know, just Today wasn't one of those games where you just run kind of regaining control of the tempo, make sure that up and down and shoot 25 threes and everything goes they're playing at our pace and we're not playing at great. You have to grind it out against a good team. theirs because when they start to go on those runs it That's part of what this tournament is all about. So I'm can be really easy for us to get caught up in it, then proud of these guys because we had to do a lot of that's when things get out of control and they start things today to win the game, and our defense was gaining more momentum. It's kind of us to regain it. fabulous, and then these two guys here were really, really good at both ends of the floor. Q. In her presser five minutes ago, Coach McCallie compared Gabby to Maya Moore. What does that Q. Both of you guys, Coach talked about your kind of comparison mean to you? defense, just the effort you guys put forth on that GABBY WILLIAMS: Maya Moore without the outside end of the court to shut down their guards and shot. So just throw that in there. Make sure you know. what pride you take in playing a really defensive game. I mean, it's a huge honor to even be in the same GABBY WILLIAMS: Yeah, I think at the beginning we sentence as her. I think it's -- I don't know, I would were a little lazy with our press and kind of giving too never call myself Maya Moore, but that is a huge many lay-ups and open threes. I think once we slowed compliment. down, started forcing some tougher shots, making sure it was harder for Brown and Greenwell to catch the ball, Q. What is you guys' mindset going into this game and just kind of got into our rhythm. against South Carolina? GABBY WILLIAMS: I mean, the last time we played NAPHEESA COLLIER: I think there was a lot of times them, we kind of got out to a really early run. I don't during the games where we were really, really good at think any of us are expecting it to be that easy. We our defense, and then there was a couple times where know they're going to put up a fight. They don't -- A'ja we slipped a little bit, but I think overall, we did a great doesn't want her career to be over, college career to be job, especially keeping Brown and Greenwell, guarding over on Monday. We know they're going to put up a them with one and a half people, really staying on fight, and it's going to be a battle. them. I think we really did a good job of that. NAPHEESA COLLIER: Yeah, like Gabby said, it's the Q. Can you address at the end of the first half time of the year where everyone is fighting for their there, kind of staying close and scrapping and a season, so it's going to be a good game regardless. Rev #1 by #166 at 2018-03-24 20:46:00 GMT page 1 of 3 So we know that they're going to come out with their A by one player. I mean, that's what makes them really game and we're going to come out with ours, and like good. You need a lot of help. she said, we're just going to play as hard as we can and see what happens. So we try to -- whether it's Lexie Brown or whether it's Asia Durr or any other great guard that we've played Q. Gabby, having seen Lexie today and I know against, it's your team that has to do a good job you've seen Jordin Canada a few times, hoping you defensively, so everybody has got to be aware where could give me a sense of what the differences are, she's going and just be on the same page. You know, the challenges you're facing both offensively and when are we switching, which way are we forcing her defensively? off ball screens. And it becomes a team thing rather GABBY WILLIAMS: I think Brown is a little more than just give her to, say, Kia, you guard her. I mean, physical. She's a lot stronger and can get her way to that's a little much to ask. the basket in a more physical way, and I think Jordin is just so quick, and is probably one of the best finishing She's really good with the ball, and she's really, really -- guards, I think, in the country. They both have great like Gabby said, she's a tough kid. When you've got to outside jump shots. I mean, especially watching what make kids work really, really hard, it starts to wear Canada did last night against Texas was really down after a while, and I thought she had to work really impressive. So I mean, they're similar but very different hard for the shots she did get. builds, very different games. I thought our team just did a great job defensively on Q. You've been in this situation numerous times. her. You control the X's and O's. How do you control the emotion of your team going forward, being that Q. Considering how close they played with you a lot of these top-ranked teams have been knocked guys in the first quarter, what type of adjustments off in the NCAA? did you have to make after that? GENO AURIEMMA: Well, I mean, that's one of the -- I GENO AURIEMMA: I mean, there aren't really a lot of think that's one of the few things that the players can adjustments that you make based on the score, you control is the emotional state that they're in. I think know. If we hold somebody to 14 points in a quarter, sometimes players get a little -- you want players to be we think we did a pretty good job. Then we try to figure emotional. This is an emotional game, and obviously out, all right, what are we not doing on the offensive you need that to be successful. But I think sometimes end that's causing us some problems. And tonight it players get overly worked up for a game, and then they happened to be when do we make that wide-open shot play a little too quickly, a little too fast, try to get too that we got, off the first pass, second pass or third much done in a short period of time. The only thing pass. And when you're our guys, they get very you can control is your approach. anxious. So if you're not careful, you come down, and it's one pass and a shot. Well, that's great when Today we didn't make a lot of shots that we normally they're going in. But sometimes you have to -- you make, so you can't control whether the ball goes in or have to wait a little bit and move the defense a little bit, not once you shoot it. But you can control the so if the shot doesn't go in, you have a chance to approach that you take on in. And when you're dealing offensive rebound. with kids at this age, it's not the easiest thing in the world. So you've got to practice it all year long. It's not And I thought we settled down a little bit in the second something that you get to the tournament and you go, quarter, and I think that was the big difference. hey, we need to be in control of our emotions. You've got to work on that from day one. Q. Geno, a lot was said about the Duke guards and their experience.