No. 11 Cincinnati vs. No. 14 Marquette
Game 4 – First Round, March 2, 2012
XL Center – Hartford, Conn.

Marquette Postgame Quotes

Head Coach Terri Mitchell
Opening Statement:
“I am very excited that we get to play again, that was our goal to have another opportunity to play. Cincinnati beat us twice this year and we know each other extremely well and we battled. They had Arlesia [Morse] on the bench for most of the first half and to see her come out with momentum and wanting the ball. We told her at halftime that she cannot be shy about looking to score. We really challenged our guards; looking at statistics from the first two games, to step up because Cincinnati really packs it in. As you can see they really took our post away. I thought our guards Arlesia and Katie [Young] did a good job.”

What is your game plan for tomorrow against Rutgers? What is the main thing you want to focus on?
“We just played Rutgers on Monday so it is fresh in our minds. In a way that is good for a young team to have a quick turnaround. They are very physical so from an offensive perspective we really need to cut hard because they deny hard. We need to give ourselves opportunities to rip through and not run our offense 10 feet outside the three point line. Defensively, they are good in so many areas and we should switch it up and not let them get into a rhythm. I think Rutgers is very good when they get into a rhythm and they start to pick you apart, so we need to keep them off-balance.”

Was it the plan at half time to give Arlesia more opportunities and filter the ball through her?
“Yes, it was. Arlesia has been stepping it up in the last month even though our record doesn’t show it. We [have been] on the losing end, but if you look statistically Arlesia really found her rhythm. We felt that it was important since Arlesia and Katherine [Plouffe] got into foul trouble. She got her third foul in the first half so we had to sit her for a long time. We ran plays to both of them early to get them going. Katherine was taken away with all the help so it opened it up. We told our guards that they are sitting in the paint so you have to be available, wrap around and come back to look for shots. I thought Arlesia did a good job doing that.”

Freshman Guard Arlesia Morse
First time against Cincinnati, you guys only made two three-pointers and tonight you made eight. You had four alone. What was the key to improving in that category?
“Coach told us that we have to shoot more and we knew that Cincinnati would pack the inside and we needed to hit outside shots. She also said to not think so much. I overthink too much.”

You had such a strong second half, what was it that contributed to it?
“My teammates told me at half keep your head up; we need you in the second half. They said to be just ready to play. My teammate Christina [Bigica] said, ‘we need you’. I wanted to come out, play hard and what happens, happens. At the end of the day we are still a team; win or lose we still have each other. We just have each other’s back.”

Cincinnati Postgame Quotes

Head Coach Jamelle Elliott
Opening Statement:
“It’s always hard to play a team a third time. This third time they came out more confident. The difference between today and the last two games was their guards really, really stepped out and made the outside shot.”

That last shot looked like it went in. Did you have a sense that you were going into overtime?
“We practice that shot every day. After practice we put ten seconds on the clock, everybody has a ball, and everybody shoots it from half court. It was something I learned from when I was on Geno [Auriemma’s] staff. Did I think it had a chance? Absolutely, but sometimes you just don’t get the bounce you want to get.”

How big would it be for your team to make the WNIT and get into the post season?
“It’s a step in the right direction. I bet you there’s a lot of people in Cincinnati that didn’t believe that we would be eligible for postseason after our third year here as a staff. But I know how hard we work every day in practice. I know the sacrifices my team makes.”