Michigan State 74, IPFW 62
11/15/2010 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Nov. 15, 2010
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Michigan State Head Coach Suzy Merchant
On the play of Annalise Pickrel...
I definitely felt a little bit frustrated with her in the first half because of the way she was defending. We had worked pretty hard on defending a certain way off the ball screen, and I felt like she wasn't doing what she was supposed to do. There was no reason physically she couldn't do it because she's really athletic, so I didn't feel like she was really focused in that first half. I talked to her about it at half time pretty candidly, and then I felt like in the second half she was a different kid. When Lykendra (Johnson) went out, she hit that three, scored with her back to the basket, made some big blocks and got some defensive rebounds. I'll take that any day. She plays hard, that's one thing I know. She's just got to learn to have a little better awareness at times on what's going on around her.
On the play of the seniors...
As the saying goes, the team goes as the seniors go. They worked really hard to get to the point where they want to put a team on their back. Cetera (Washington) does all the defensive hustle things and is really playing extremely well. She's been a big spark for us offensively. And Kalisha (Keane) has come to play night in and night out and is a challenging matchup.
The perimeter defense in the second half...
(Dayton) is a very good 3-point shooting team. They have a system and a style in which they play, and they have certain ways in which they get their threes. We worked very hard to make sure we didn't give those up. At the same time, they're very good if you do defend ball screens a certain way. They're good at trying to get you on a mismatch, whether it be a guard driving a big, or a post posting up a guard. So, I thought it was a chess match for a while there. We threw a couple possessions of zone in there to get out of the flow and adjust our ball screen defense, so we felt like we were able to pull away a little bit.
On the physicality of the game...
I think when we played down there (in Dayton) they out hustled us on the boards, no question. They were coming from every angle. We couldn't keep them off the glass, and they just out played us. We felt pretty strongly that it couldn't happen here. It's been a concerted effort in defensive rebounding for this team. Sometimes you assume that if you don't have the big center in the middle, you're not a good rebounding team. But it's really about locating, making contact and securing the ball. If you do that, it's going to be an offensive foul on them if they come over your back. We're going to have to continue to do that.
The fight the team showed in the second half...
I think this team is still trying to build its identity. We're starting to get there. We're scrappier than we've been, just because we're quicker and maybe more athletic in certain positions, so I think were able to get to the ball quicker. But that was a team that the last time we played them, they out scrapped us, out worked us, out hustled us. And we were not going to let that happen on our floor. We also knew they were going to bring it because they didn't want to go 0-2 to start the season, and that we would get their best effort. So, we knew it was going to be a battle, and I was proud of how our kids fought.
On this being the team's first competitive test...
I've learned that this team has a whole lot of heart and hustle at this point. I still think there is improvements (to be made) tactically and technique wise. I was disappointed in some of the easy looks they got defensively, we're better than that. I feel like it's a team that's done a very good job of hitting the outside shots when they're open. We've been able to spread the ball around a little bit more. We have a little bit more of a team game. I think the versatility piece is kind of coming forward and helping us have success against a team like Dayton.
On the enthusiasm of Madison Williams on the sidelines...
She's an amazing kid. I'm disappointed that people can't watch her play, because she has got a lot of fight and fire. When she went down and had her surgery and came back, she asked our equipment manager if she could wear her jersey. So, she wears her uniform top even though she can't play, and I've never seen a kid want to do that. She wants to be a part of it, and she can't be out there. I think that shows a little bit of her tenacity and focus and wanting to be there for the team.
