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BIG TEN CONFERENCE WOMEN'S TOURNAMENT


March 5, 2015


Briyona Canty

Kahleah Copper

Betnijah Laney

C. Vivian Stringer


HOFFMAN ESTATES, ILLINOIS

Rutgers – 63
Indiana - 52


THE MODERATOR:  We're joined by Rutgers head coach C. Vivian Stringer along with Kahleah Copper, Briyona Canty and Betnijah Laney.  Opening statement, Coach.
COACH STRINGER:  We're happy to be a part of the Big Ten Tournament, and I was really appreciative of the way our team played.  We played with a great deal of heart and enthusiasm and played together.  So we're going to have to do that throughout the tournament.  And I think that probably the WNIT run is going to help us, I'm hoping, at least.
THE MODERATOR:  Questions for the student‑athletes.

Q.  How did it feel to get that first Big Ten tournament win under your belt?
BETNIJAH LANEY:  It was great.  And especially for it to be a team effort, everyone played well.  We were balanced across the board.  We had a few players in double figures.  We had Briyona with ten assists.  Great to have Rachel back and be a full team effort.
KAHLEAH COPPER:  Yeah, just going off what Betnijah said, it was good to have good players step up, especially Briyona with the ten assists.  And it was good to have the support from the band come, and it just played a good part in us getting a good one.
BRIYONA CANTY:   Just what they said.

Q.  Coach, it was a tough against the Northwestern, a tough game against the Wildcats, what does the team have to do to prepare for the next round?
COACH STRINGER:  The first thing we have to do is get an ice bath and recognize the things we've got to do better.  Northwestern is an outstanding team and Joe, the coach, has done a great job.  They're very confident and played extremely well against some of the best competition in the country.
So we know we have our work cut out.  We wanted to rest our starters today a little bit.  We're going to have a tougher time, but I think with the addition of Rachel, should make for a little different scheme, so I've got to give some thought to that.  I just deal with it one game at a time.

Q.  Rachel made her return on the court after going against Michigan State.  How did it feel to have her out there today?
BRIYONA CANTY:   It felt great to have her back me dishing and her with the ball on the court.  Makes it easier, my job easier anyway.
THE MODERATOR:  Thank you, student‑athletes.  Questions for Coach.

Q.  Coach, is it harder or easier to prepare in these kind of tournament games where you have such a short window?
COACH STRINGER:  You can imagine that it is harder.  But on the other hand, you have to‑‑ it's extremely important that you're fundamentally sound and that you make little tweaks.  And that's what happens.  And again I'm happy that our team had an opportunity to play the number of games as they did for the WNIT so they're not totally shocked.
And, of course, having to play today and then backing this up with the game tomorrow.  And every other day, that's going to be tough.  But we've got to rely on the fundamentals of how we play this game.
What you saw today was a little different for us because we generally don't play five guards.  But it's because Betnijah, as well as Esse are extremely bright, they convert from being a 2 guard to a 3 guard playing as a 4 or 5.  For those who know basketball we're talking about inside play.  And that's major.  They knew the patterns.  We were able to run certain things.  That's the reason why we were as effective, I think, defensively as we were.

Q.  Coach, you've played IU three times spread over three months.  Did you see any improvement or change in the team, from December to now?
COACH STRINGER:  Yeah, Coach should be given a great deal of credit, and those players.  Let me tell you something, they just played a tough game last night.  And I think that anybody knows that to recover before 24 hours, and that's basically what they did, is tough.  They're always coming back.
And, yes, they played with a great deal of heart.  They execute well.  They've got great skills.  When we write all the things they do on the board, then it's clear that everyone, just about everybody is shooting at the 3‑point range.  Coach does a great job of keeping them positive and pumped up and they're rebounding, playing hard.
I have nothing but praise for them.  And believe me, we had to put our team on high alert, because what our statement was that we were particularly vulnerable with this game, because anytime you play someone three times in a year, you have to be greatly concerned about that, because there's kind of a lackadaisical kind of approach.
And believe me, I was really trying to fire everybody up.  So this team, Indiana, did a great job.  And Coach has got a great future with them.
THE MODERATOR:  Thank you, Coach.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports




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