Big Ten Conference Women's Basketball Championship Saturday March 9, 2019 Brenda Frese team. Especially when we come together, we put our mind to one goal. And we've been playing for Bri all Blair Watson season, and we want to send her out the right way. I had faith, and I think they did, too, and we all believed Channise Lewis we could win.

Q. Channise, you had some big baskets in the third Kaila Charles quarter. What did you see from Michigan's defense because you seemed to be more aggressive? CHANNISE LEWIS: Yeah, of course going into the half Maryland - 73, Michigan - 72 I was on the bench for foul trouble, so I definitely saw what we could change going into the third quarter, so I BRENDA FRESE: You know, obviously just a just had to be more aggressive going off the screens, tremendous game by both teams. No team deserved more aggressive to the hole, and it was just opening up to lose this game. But proud of our finish. I thought it for me because there was more focus for everyone was a hard-fought game by both teams. Came down else on the team, so that helped me out. to being able to make one more play and one more stop on the defensive end, something that we've been Q. Kaila, they seemed to have been denying you building for and have put ourselves in a lot of great the ball a lot in the fourth quarter, but again and situations to have great confidence to be able to finish again you got open and coming down the stretch it out. Just really proud of our resiliency there to stay you had those last two free throws. Talk me the course. through that. KAILA CHARLES: It was my teammates setting Q. Kaila, you've been a part of a lot of milestones at screens for me to get open. Yeah, basically that, they Maryland, especially some this year. What does were setting me screens and then at the end Taylor set the 1,000th win mean to you, to be part of that for me a good screen and the girl happened to foul me the program? and we were able to get on the line to get two KAILA CHARLES: I mean, it's just a blessing. I'm glad opportunities or two shots to get the lead. So just my that I was able to get the opportunity to play for this teammates getting me open. program under Coach Frese and I'm glad I'm a part of making history here in the program. Like I said, I'm just Q. Kaila, you were emotional towards the end of grateful to have this opportunity. the game. What were you feeling? KAILA CHARLES: Yeah, fired up. I'm really passionate Q. Blair, what did you see during the first half to about this game. I love it. I love the fact that our kind of give you -- to pull away second half with the league is so competitive. I love competition, and I was lead? just excited. I love a close finish. I love to get the BLAIR WATSON: I'd say like the way we pushed in adrenaline, so it was just fun. transition. Coach B was emphasizing that, that we had to get out and run and definitely helping in on the bigs Q. Tonight you were able to pretty much take -- and sinking in on Thome and getting her out of her more or less take care of Thome tonight for rhythm and I think that helped us a lot to pull away a Michigan. She only had two points and two little bit in the second half. rebounds compared to last game against you guys, where she had 30 points. What was the game plan Q. Kaila, I spoke to Bri after a couple of you guys' for tonight to try to limit her? close wins during the regular season. She said KAILA CHARLES: Yeah, just making sure we knew she felt like you were never going to lose those who the shooters are and the drivers were. And if we games like against Minnesota. Was it the same were guarding a driver, making sure we were sagging feeling tonight? in to help dig off of Thome because we know she KAILA CHARLES: Definitely. I have all the faith in my makes a big impact in the paint. There was a lot of

Rev #2 by #400 at 2019-03-10 00:49:00 GMT page 1 of 3 team defense on Thome that I think Steph and Shakira Q. Coach, could you really just put into words what and Bri came in and did a good job of keeping her out 1,000 wins means and I guess really you hoped to of the rhythm. On the flipside, offensively, we were celebrate it with cutting down nets tomorrow, attacking her, hopefully getting her into foul trouble, and right? I think that's what really caught her off because she BRENDA FRESE: Yeah, that would be a special had to sit most of the game. feeling. But I think it speaks volumes of the University of Maryland and the program and the legacy. And I Q. Blair, you guys were so back and forth and can't say enough about the two coaches before me trading leads so often in this game. Why couldn't with Dottie McKnight and , who set the bar you guys get any space or momentum? What were and set the standard for me to follow. It's all of us that you seeing on their end? have continued on that tradition, the great tradition that BLAIR WATSON: I would say Michigan is a really good we have here at Maryland, and obviously we're one of team and they played their best game of basketball very few programs in the country to be able to own a against us tonight. Yeah, they gave us their best shot, milestone like this, so it's pretty special. and at the end of the day, we just came out and got it done. Q. Coach Frese, how relieved were you late in the game there when Kaila went to the free-throw line, Q. Channise, then Kaila, you guys find yourselves making seven free throws already and then again going into the Big Ten Tournament knocking down those last two? championship. What are you going to take into BRENDA FRESE: Yeah, I don't know if relieved was this year as opposed to last year, just trying to get the right word. I was relieved that she was the shooter that win? at the free-throw line, but I knew there was still a lot of KAILA CHARLES: We're just going to make sure we time left that we were going to have to be able to get a stick to our standard and our brand of basketball. Last stop defensively. So just staying in those moments, but year we came really close and we lost it, so we have if there was anyone out there that you wanted on the that chip on our shoulder. We want to get back and free-throw line, I knew she wanted that opportunity. hopefully get the win. We're just going to stick together and get the win. Q. Going into halftime, you guys were down 40-37 and then you guys came out of halftime on a 16-8 CHANNISE LEWIS: We've got to stick together and run. What message did you give the team? play for 40 minutes and play to our standards. We're BRENDA FRESE: You know, we were actually -- I ready for this game tomorrow, and we're just going to mean, we just talked about poise and composure. We play hard from the start. kind of became rattled in their press. A big piece of that was having Channise on the bench. Just kind of Q. Channise, at the end of the third quarter, Kaila collecting ourselves. We needed that time at halftime was taken out, and then Coach came up to you and and just knowing what we were more than capable of Taylor about like a minute and five left in the third and being able to go out and being able to execute it. quarter if you can remember. There was a message that she sent to you guys and then you Q. What was it like playing and defending against immediately drove to the basket after she met with Amy Dilk? She's a freshman, but it seemed like you. What was the message behind that, and what she was playing kind of beyond her years and did you try to do to take advantage of it? seems like she's been doing that all year long. CHANNISE LEWIS: I don't remember, but I'm pretty What was it like having to try to stop her? sure it was to be aggressive, and that's exactly what I BRENDA FRESE: Yeah, I mean, obviously an did, and I got to the hole. extremely talented player. I thought she played with even probably more energy, probably with a lot of Q. Kaila, since you scored a lot of points, what was family in the stands, being back home, and she's just a the hardest thing you had to do during the game? hard match-up with her length and her size, her court KAILA CHARLES: Just make sure -- honestly, just stay vision. Obviously when you look at her 11 assists, she present. We knew Michigan was going to come out had a tremendous presence for them I thought on both and score baskets, and they would go on their run, but ends of the floor. as long as we stayed present and I was able to be a good leader to my team, we could ultimately come Q. Late in the game there, you guys made a basket, together and get the win. I was just trying to be a good but referee blew the whistle and there may have leader and not get focused on when I made a basket or been a mistake timeout. Talk me through that and when they missed a basket and just try to be present. what happened or what didn't happen. BRENDA FRESE: Yeah, I mean, a timeout was called.

Rev #2 by #400 at 2019-03-10 00:49:00 GMT page 2 of 3 That's what they heard. And so it's -- I mean, there's really nothing else you can do. At that point the decision was made, so we had to move forward. When you talk about moving to the next play, just moving through that.

Q. I understand it's a big win today, but I want to look toward tomorrow a little bit. Can you talk to me about how you plan to get your players ready, and what mentality you want them to come with tomorrow? BRENDA FRESE: Yeah, well, I think if you don't have players that are motivated for tomorrow, you probably have the wrong team. It won't be hard at all. This team is highly motivated and excited for the opportunity that we have that's ahead of us for tomorrow. We know every time you advance how hard it is, that we're going to have to play a complete game. We need to play better tomorrow than what we did today. But it won't be hard to motivate our team to be ready to play.

Q. Brenda, how much did those games against Minnesota and Purdue prepare you guys for today. And then I think Steph's left leg was taped up to her knee. Did she just get hit or something? BRENDA FRESE: We tend to tape a lot of bandage, so she probably just had blood and a cut. So it wasn't anything significant. You know, there was just never any panic from anybody, between players, coaches. We've been in these situations so many times that there's actually just a calming, peaceful, collective mindset of what we need to do, and I think that's obviously because we've been through so many intense games this season. The conference has prepared us, just so many great teams, like you see the 4 seed with Michigan and everything that they threw at us today.

Q. The media timeout when you guys were up 67- 65 and you guys came out of that timeout with a layup, what was the huddle like? BRENDA FRESE: Yeah, well, first of all, I've got to tell all the junior journalists that you guys have done a phenomenal job asking your questions, and that time- out for us, again, was just getting one more stop. We wanted to put Shakira on the ball. She's 6'5", use her length, and we had a collective poise to ourselves of just wanting to be able to finish it with one defensive stop.

Rev #2 by #400 at 2019-03-10 00:49:00 GMT page 3 of 3 Women's Basketball Championship Saturday March 9, 2019 Kim Barnes-Arico refs are doing the best to make the game as even as possible and to call the best game. They have a lot of Nicole Munger things going on in their mind, too, but being a captain we're allowed to talk to the refs, so I always try to ask Amy Dilk them in a polite way what was the reasoning for the call Michigan Wolverines and if it's for me I'll take note of that. They called me for a block, which I thought it might have been a charge, but I just asked why and they said I was a little Maryland - 73, Michigan - 72. late. Next time I try to get there a little earlier. If it's for somebody else, one of my teammates, I'll let my : Were you guys there for the teammates know right away. I'll ask them, hey, what game? That was a pretty awesome basketball game, was that about, they say they're moving or something, wasn't it? Pretty exciting. I thought we should have I'll just let them know that they got there too late or they won. Great basketball game. Maryland is a great got their arm or something. team. I think Michigan has a pretty great team, as well. Really proud of the way we played. I can get really emotional about it because I thought we had a chance Q. Not the outcome you wanted, Nicole, this is your to win the game. I have some great seniors, and one senior year, what legacy will you leave for your of them is here right now in Nicole Munger and Hallie underclassmen? Thome that really left it all on the court today, and our NICOLE MUNGER: First and foremost, I hope they goal coming into the year was to win a Big Ten know how proud of them I am. I know Hallie is, as well, championship, and we thought we put ourselves in and Sam and Taylor who came in this year, all four of position to do that tonight and just kind of fell a little bit us are just exceptionally proud of them, the way they short. But proud of our team, proud of the way we fought, the way they bought in, they believed. We fought back when we got down, and I think we play in made a bold statement coming out at the beginning of one of the toughest leagues if not the toughest league the year saying we wanted to win this. And I think we in the country, and that was on display tonight. Just a put ourselves, like Coach said, in a position to win it, great basketball game and proud of our team. and I think that's what's so tough. We played a heck of a game today. We left everything out there and the ball Q. Amy, not the outcome you were expecting but bounced the wrong way a couple times. That's nothing can you tell me what it was like coming back -- this that they should be ashamed of because we played our hardest. is as close as you're going to get to your home turf coming from Carmel. Can you tell me what that But moving forward I talked to each of them during the was like and being able to put a career-high 11 game and told them they have one, two or three years assists up? left. They only have three more shots at this, and to AMY DILK: Yeah, coming back is always great. I've got make each one count, and that it's limited, and that I a lot of people in the stands rooting for Michigan. You see it now because I'm older and I'm done playing in know, the Big Ten Tournament, it's really competitive, Big Ten basketball, but how fun it is, and like Coach as you can tell. We had a great run, not what we said, it's the best conference in the country, so just wanted to finish like, but for next year, you've got to have fun with it. remember this pain, and you've got to learn from it, learn from your mistakes, and we've still got season Q. What have you seen from Amy all season long in left, so we've still got to learn from this and grow. terms of her maturity and her growth? KIM BARNES ARICO: Amy is an incredible, incredible Q. How do you feel with the refs? There was player. I feel like I have the best point guard in the probably a lot of fouls but they never called them. country on my team, and I say that all the time. And KIM BARNES ARICO: Be politically correct. maybe there's some coaches out there that feel like theirs is the best, but I feel like I have the best point NICOLE MUNGER: That can be a tough one, but the guard in the country on my team, and she's just a

Rev #2 by #400 at 2019-03-10 00:58:00 GMT page 1 of 2 freshman. She controls the entire game. She has incredible vision. She has incredible pace. She just sees things. She has incredible length. She has great size. She can affect the game on the defensive end as well as she can on the offensive end, and she has the ability to rebound the basketball. I mean, she gets up and grabs the rim. That's how athletic she is. So she's just a special player for us. I'm so happy to be her coach. She's a competitor. She's a winner. And I'm just a proud coach, and I'm glad she's at Michigan. I'm glad she left Carmel, Indiana, and came to the University of Michigan because she's certainly a difference maker for us.

Q. What do you think you can do better for next year? KIM BARNES ARICO: Hmm, well, to get a shot with 10 seconds left, I think we have got to get a shot, so that will be something we work on, making sure we try to get a shot and have the confidence to take the shot when the game is on the line. And just continuing -- each individual player just continuing to try to get better.

Q. What will you take away from this game? KIM BARNES ARICO: I probably won't sleep for like three days. It's going to be horrible. But just really proud of the effort of our team.

Q. The game kept going back and forth, and I could see you pacing on the sideline. You called a big timeout with 29 seconds left and you came out of that timeout and executed. What was the mentality going into that play? KIM BARNES ARICO: I thought we did a tremendous job of executing in the fourth quarter all the way down the stretch. I mean, we outscored them 16-6 until those two free throws at the end. So we were really confident in our offense. We were really executing. Nicole Munger was hitting big shots and we were going inside and out, and I thought that our kids were locked in. We've been in this position a lot of times this year, so we really felt confident that we were going to be on the winning end of it coming out tonight.

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