Michigan State Women's Basketball NCAA Tournament Postgame
Press Conference and Locker Room Quotes
Second Round – March 22, 2011 – Wichita, Kan.

Michigan State Head Coach Suzy Merchant
Opening statement…
“You have to give a lot of credit to Green Bay. I thought they had us really rattled in the first half. At one point I think we had more turnovers than points. They had great intensity defensively. Obviously 25 turnovers is not a good thing. We had opportunities where we missed a lot of layups that were difference makers. But I liked our fight. I thought we came out in the second half with a different mentality and got right back where we needed to be.”

On Michigan State's special group of seniors…
“They've done something at Michigan State that no other team's done and that's win an out-right Big Ten title. I'm really proud of them. I think they'll look back over time and realize what they've accomplished.”

On Green Bay's defense…
“You can show it on film but you can't really simulate it. I thought their intensity was very aggressive. We could have done a better job by making some of those lay-ups to kind of relieve some of the pressure.”

On halftime adjustments…
“Offensively, we just needed to get into a flow. But we're a team that let's our defense do the talking a little bit. We finally got some opportunities where they were missing, we were running in transition, we scored off our defense. That's kind of been our staple. I thought when they went to their half-court trap we liked to see that better than we liked to see their man. I thought we got really good looks and made a comeback when they went to their half-court trap.”

On the game, overall…
“I think there were two good teams out there today and I think they were just better today.”

On the early deficit…
“Had we not dug ourselves a hole, when we made that run we would have been up six or eight.”

Michigan State Student-Athlete Brittney Thomas
“I don't think it was necessarily what they were doing, but how hard they were doing it. We went against a defense similar to theirs, but way less intense the day before. The coaches tried to describe to us and we watched film, but I don't know;  I guess it caught us off-guard with equal turnovers and by the time it's out of bounds we dug ourselves a hole that we just couldn't climb out of.”

Michigan State Student-Athlete Kalisha Keane
On the second half and what Michigan State did differently…
“I think we came out with a different intensity. I thought we kinda came out a little flat in the first half for the first five minutes or so. We attacked their pressure and did a better job of kinda being poised with the ball. The last five minutes, I thought we were right in the game. I mean, it was a two-possession game, one-possession game, going back and forth, and you know the play when Lykendra did fall, they did hit a three, but I felt like we still were fighting. That's why I have so much respect for my teammates.”

Locker Room Quotes

Michigan State Student-Athlete Taylor Alton
On the changing defenses of Green Bay…
“Give a lot of credit to them, they are a great team and they definitely pride themselves on their defensive intensity. We saw their press, we were prepared for it. I thought we got good looks, but they just didn't fall.”
 
On 3-point shooting…
“They were keyed in on me. Every time I caught the ball, there was always someone right there. You just have to give them credit.”

On motivation for next year…
“Absolutely. I got the taste of the tournament, I like it, and I want to be back. I think we are all going to work our hardest this off-season, and of course we want to get to the Final Four next year, and I think we can.”

Michigan State Student-Athlete Lykendra Johnson
On the changing defenses of Green Bay...
“It wasn't a surprise to us. I think we underestimated their physicality throughout the game. We let them dictate how we play.”

On coming back next year...
“There is always motivation. We are going to have it in the back of our minds during the off-season. It's a learning lesson and I hope we can turn it around next year.”