Lindsay Whalen Jasmine Powell

Big Ten Conference Women's Basketball Championship Wednesday March 4, 2020 Lindsay Whalen LINDSAY WHALEN: Yeah, so up 13-3, that was big, coming out and making a statement right away. We Jasmine Powell always say we need to punch first, and I thought we did Minnesota Gophers that. All in all, it was good for us to come out and have that start that we had. Obviously you don't want to have Minnesota - 85, Penn State - 65. the second quarter and even the lull at the end of the first, but to start the way we did was definitely good. Q. What didn't you do in the second quarter that you did in the third? Q. I've heard of players playing out of their mind LINDSAY WHALEN: We sat down in stance and but not out of their shoe. defended. They only had 23 points in the third. In the LINDSAY WHALEN: Yeah, it was tremendous. She gets second half we said, we have to get to McDaniel. We her thousandth rebound as a Gopher, so nothing but had to get to McDaniel. They only scored 13 in the good things to say about her and her performance third, and Frazier. So I felt like we did that better. I think tonight. we helped in more on those guys. She struggled in the second quarter, but man, her start So overall it was just a much better just attention to and the way she played in the third quarter was really those two, because at the end of the second quarter, everything we needed, and I thought she was so good they were just getting anything they wanted because at both ends of the floor. they were putting their heads down and going. Us clogging the paint, making them kick was what we Q. Seems like when you guys are going well needed to do. offensively that Powell is just a part of it in some way, whether it's a steal or whether it's passing. Q. A lot of offense off your defense, too. She seems like a spark plug. LINDSAY WHALEN: Yeah, that's the name of the LINDSAY WHALEN: She was. She was. She was game. That's when every team is really good, if you somebody who was there all night. A couple turnovers can get stops and then run and you're playing in more early, but you know, I thought that whether it was an broken-floor situations. Against a team like that, when assist or hitting the roll-around in the drive-and-pick, hit you have two dynamic players as they do, it's all about a big three, hits a big step-back jumper at the end of the getting to stop them, making them kick to somebody third, which was a big momentum play to get us back else and then closeout and respect that they're good up 12 going into the fourth. That was big for us. players and they're here for a reason, but make somebody else but those two beat us. I thought that we It was fun to see her, and it's been fun to see her did that in the third quarter. maturity continue to grow and grow this year. Q. Were you a little frustrated after the second Q. Career high for Brunson? quarter? LINDSAY WHALEN: Brunson, career high, yep. She LINDSAY WHALEN: Yeah, we all were, but you can't had four threes. Then we went to just some mid-pick at play frustrated and you can't show it. You have to dig the end, and she hits two jumpers. Just nothing short of in, and that's something our team has worked on time amazing for her tonight. Got to go back, get these guys and time again, over and over and over again this off their legs and get some rest because we've got season, and when we fight through it, when we get another one tomorrow. through it, really good things happen for us, so it was exciting for us to see as coaches us just be able to Q. You were pretty unhappy with the way that last power through and stick together in that third. Ohio State game went. Are you glad to have another crack at them? Q. How important was it to get off to a good start LINDSAY WHALEN: Absolutely. You know, there's been after the last game? You said you definitely didn't a handful of games this season that I feel like got away want to end the season that way. from us, and that was one of them. They're a Rev #1 by #222 at 2020-03-04 23:57:00 GMT page 1 of 2 great team, he's a great coach, so we're definitely coming out here with a mindset that it's a new game, a new day, and we're excited to still be here and moving on. Jasmine Powell Q. You came in and really changed the tempo every time you were in. Is that part of your game plan as a player, or is that different just for every game? JASMINE POWELL: That's what I try to do like every game. I think maybe that's part of my game. That's what I try to implement is changing the pace when I get out there and try to do my best to change the way the game is going, whether good or bad. But yeah, you could say that's in my game. Q. This is your first Big Ten Tournament; how does that feel? JASMINE POWELL: It feels great. As you could see in the beginning, I was a little nervous, but I just tried to get rid of the butterflies and put us out. Q. There was a big difference between the first half and the second half. What changes did you make at halftime that really fixed that? JASMINE POWELL: I think my mindset, going in, just a little bit nervous and kind of turned the ball over a little bit, not playing my game. And then the second half, kind of just slowing down and getting more comfortable out there. I think that was the biggest change. Rev #1 by #222 at 2020-03-04 23:57:00 GMT page 2 of 2.

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