Post-Game Quotes: Eastern Michigan

Michigan State Head Coach Robyn Fralick

Opening Statement…
First of all, just I know Coach Sahar, the head coach for Eastern Michigan, and credit to her. I think we played Eastern Michigan a year ago, and I think they are a much-improved team from where they were a year ago and really gave us a good battle, a good fight, a very physical game, a physical team. I think we learned a lot from this game, a lot more than from our first game, the physicality. Our second quarter, I thought we really found a rhythm and kind of found the way we play. But a lot of things to clean up, I don't think any of us leave this game feeling like, 'oh, we're all locked in and all cylinders defensively,' cleaning up our spacing, cleaning up our rebounding, that's got to be better moving forward. But we did open it up with some pressure, some steals. I think we're sharing the ball very, very well. So, those are things that we've got to be able to continue to do. But the physicality of the game, we've got to match our speed with physicality moving forward. And I thought we got exposed on that tonight.

On what to improve upon heading into Youngstown State…
Well, defensively we just we get out of position too easily. I think to be a good full court team you've got to be able to bother people and then you've got to be able to guard, it's not a home run, we're just trying to make people work. If we get a steal great, if not, we'll guard you in the half court too and we've got to get better at that, we got to get better at repositioning and moving as the ball moves and then rebounding, you know, that that's something that We have to get better. We've got to get better habits and physicality with that. I love the way we're sharing the ball. I think we're playing our effort is good, but we've got to match effort with execution.

On creating defensive pressure…
Well, we press and we do different things disruptively. We've got good speed. I think over the course of the game, it's hard to be pressured good, sustained pressure and execute. If our pressure is right, that's the point, is that it becomes harder to do what you want to do. And we've got more people that can come in and bother the ball, and we can kind of move people around in those positions. But that's been good. I thought Spider, (Rashonda Jones) did a great job, especially that second quarter, kind of just got us going with some disruption, some steals. But as a unit, it only works if you do it together. I would say you can't press if three people are doing it and two aren't. You can't pressure unless it's a team. It's got to be a team commitment to it. And I saw it in flashes, but we've got to get better at five people doing it together.

On the response entering the second half…
It's a great response. It's also how we play, some of it you got to stick with it. I will say the first quarter we missed five layups. So, that's something we got to clean up. You get five layups, early in the game, and you get some momentum from that. And that's a focus thing of we're good enough to go up and finish those. But, to keep playing and we know with the way we play, you got to stick with it, and you got to keep doing it, and you got to have a relentless effort and a relentless connection with it.

On Jullian Woodard making her season debut…
Well, I shared with the team after the game that was the highlight of the game. It's tough when you're out. I was talking with her today about it, some days it feels like forever. It feels like it's so far away and then all of a sudden, we're here today and she's gotten herself ready. She's worked really hard. We know she's an elite shooter. So, to check in a game for the first time in nine months and the first play we run for you, and you knock down a three. That means you're ready. That's being ready. No excuses. Right away, her ability to do that was a really, really cool moment for her and a moment that she's earned, and we're excited to continue to get her playing live competitive basketball and having her help us help the Spartans out.

On how Rashonda Jones fits this team…
We feel like Spider's such a good fit for us on both sides of the ball. She's a speedy, pesky defender. She's an unselfish player. She's able to get into the paint, get into spaces to create for herself, create for other people. But, the way we play, she's-- and credit to her, she's a willing learner. When you come in somewhere new, there's a lot to learn, even if it's just drills and language. And our style of play is different. So, she's been a willing learner, and she's played-- she's had a ton of experience, and that's translated very, very quickly to our program. But her unselfishness and her willingness to just do what the team needs, I think, has been a huge reason that it has translated so quickly.

On four players finishing with double digits…
Well, when you move the ball and share the ball, you're harder to guard. I think when you become, it becomes one-player centric. You become easier to guard. But, when you share the ball and you move together, you create better shots for each other. That's what we share in our program all the time. You've got to help each other out. You've got to help each other out. And sometimes it might be just that you cut on time to get your teammate open or you make that one extra pass where all of a sudden, we're really consistently getting high-quality shots. But I love that. 23 assists, I love that. Balanced scoring, and to me, that's a sign that we're playing team basketball.

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