2011 NCAA® Division I Women’s Basketball Championship April 2, 2011 • Conseco Fieldhouse • Indianapolis, Ind. National Semifinals • Connecticut

Connecticut Locker Room Quotes

Junior Tiffany Hayes

On the advice she has given the freshmen:

“Just play their game. It is going to be a different atmosphere. It is going to be a lot of people. They may cheer for you and they may not, so just rely on each other and rely on the coaches to tell you what to do. And just have fun.”

On playing an opponent they are so familiar with:

“Playing someone for the fourth time and winning for the fourth time is going to be hard. Playing them for the third time was hard, so we are definitely going to have to come out there and play our hearts out because if we do not, we can be beat.”

On the team not fouling a whole lot:

“We can’t. We do not have a lot of depth. It is important that we keep our hands to ourselves and work on not fouling throughout the game because if you do there isn’t anyone to come in for you. You have to make sure you are playing smart but at the same time stay aggressive.”

Sophomore Kelly Faris

On playing at home as an Indiana native:

“It is great to be home. I am a homebody and I love being home in front of my fan. It is nice to be back and to have the experience of having played in here. It is different because I haven’t been in here in a while, but to get back and get your bearings, it kind of feels like high school again.”

On getting used to winning:

“I do not like to lose, so I try to surround myself with the best players and try to pull out the wins.”

On having won a championship and having gone through the long winning streak:

“It has meant a lot this year. I know last year we did it and I did not have as big of a role last year as I do this year, but we have gone through a lot this year with a lot of different obstacles that we have had to overcome and it would mean a lot if we can get to the end and pull it out.”

Freshman Bria Hartley

On Notre Dame:

“They play really hard. Skylar Diggins does a great job of getting into the lane and finding her teammates. Devereaux Peters is a good player as well. They have a lot of good players so we know we have to crash the boards and play good defense and just go out there and execute on offense.”

On being at the Final Four for the first time:

“It is just exciting, especially your first one. Just sit back and enjoy everything that happens. Not a lot of people have this opportunity so you can’t take it for granted. All the hard work that our team has put in this season and this was one of our goals, to make it to the Final Four. It is a wonderful accomplishment.”

On Maya Moore and what she has learned from her:

“Maya is a great player. You see her breaking all these records, 3,000 points, a three-time Wade Trophy winner. She just has a great winning edge and is so competitive out there and if there is anything she is not good at it, she will get better at it. That is a great quality to have and she is just such a hard worker, and she proves it every day. You look at her work ethic and her competitiveness and you just try to follow in her footsteps and know that if you do those things, you will always be your best out there.”

Freshman Stefanie Dolson

Talk about the doubt surrounding your program throughout the season:

“Coach has done obviously an amazing job. I think a lot of people didnʼt think weʼd get this far even though we were ranked #1 overall. We had four or five freshman coming in. I think obviously coach has done an amazing job of knowing how to individually grow a player. He knows what buttons to push, and to give us constructive criticism. Heʼs definitely done a good job. Thatʼs why we play under Coach Auriemma.”

Does Coach Auriemmaʼs mentality change during this time of year?

“No, Coach is still how he is during the regular season. He will get on us during the game whether it is the right or wrong things. When it comes to this time of the season, we compete.”

Talk about Bria Hartleyʼs success this season

“Yes, absolutely. Bria has done an amazing job and has come a long way from the beginning of the season. You know I think sheʼs definitely filling in that spot of leader on the court really, really well. I donʼt think her mistakes really bothered her. She had a few turnovers during the Philadelphia region, and that game against Georgetown, but she made a big shot at the end. She knows how to respond to the coachʼs criticism.”

What problems do Becca Bruszewski and Devereaux Peters pose for you?

“Just athleticism. They are, every time we play them, they run the court so hard. They play with such grit. They get every rebound. I mean itʼs definitely going to be hard. You know boxing out, going hard on the boards and going hard offensively and defensively and out rebounding them.”

What are the keys to victory?

“I think itʼs definitely about heart, fight and toughness. The challenge is really going to be who wants it more, and that team will come out on top.” Comments on your first Final Four®

“I think you can get a little overwhelmed with everything going on. I mean with upperclassmen. Theyʼre so much help with leading us through everything and helping us just with everything. Pointing out and explaining things.”

Emotions for your first Final Four® game:

“Yeah, Iʼm not nervous. Definitely feeling good. Last night was a lot of fun, and we had a great open practice. You know tomorrow, itʼs down to business. Iʼm excited for the game and excited to work hard.”

After coming off of a lopsided victory against Duke:

“When you play so well, definitely it will show. Itʼs not necessarily how many points you score, but as a team we executed great offensively and played amazing defense. I think that definitely gives us amazing confidence as we know we can play that well coming into this game.”