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WNBA FINALS: MYSTICS VS SUN


October 6, 2019


Bria Holmes

Jonquel Jones

Shekinna Stricklen


Uncasville, Connecticut

Mystics - 94, Sun - 81

Q. Can you talk about Washington's guard play today? It wasn't like you were just leaving them open. They hit those 17 threes [Actual number: 16] with some defense on them. What were they doing that you didn't expect, if anything?
JONQUEL JONES: I think they were just hitting tough shots. I know for me a couple of times I went out on [Kristi] Toilver on a switch, and I felt like I was there in her space and she just hit tough shots.

BRIA HOLMES: Honestly just what she said, to piggyback off, they just hit tough shots. Everything was falling for them tonight. We got to the rack whenever we wanted, but we just weren't hitting our shots -- the ones that were open or the ones that were contested. We just gotta make shots.

Q. A team just goes off like that. You have less than 48 hours to regroup or the season's over, what goes into the next 48 hours for you each individually?
JONQUEL JONES: Well, obviously film for us, rehab, recovery, making sure that our bodies are right. I think that's the main thing. Just going back, not panicking. We're a team that's in this situation for a reason. We're not going to panic. We understand that. We're just as capable of getting hot and winning games as they are.

Q. When you're looking at film like that, what are you specifically looking for, especially you just said they got shots off. They were falling. What are you trying to pinpoint?
BRIA HOLMES: Just better one-on-one defense, just being able to guard one-on-one and contest shots. If they hit them, they hit them. At least we contested and it was a good one-on-one defense. We're just going to fix what we need to fix and get back on the court for Tuesday.

SHEKINNA STRICKLEN: Just making adjustments quicker. For me personally, [Natasha] Cloud got hot and I kept going under, which I should have been more aggressive going over. So like you said, basically being one-on-one and just being smarter.

Q. J.J., you knew they were going to make some adjustments after Game 2, so what did they do differently and what didn't you guys do to respond that held you just to what you held?
JONQUEL JONES: I felt like it was just when the ball was up, I think it was they just didn't care if they were getting a rebound or not; they were making sure they were hitting me, keeping me off the offensive glass. I think that was the big difference for me this game. And I think it kind of held the team, too, so it hurt us that I wasn't able to get on the boards.

What was the second part of the question?

Q. What adjustments did you guys not make? What do you need to adjust to in the next game?
JONQUEL JONES: I think just a bunch of small things, just trying to win the battle so we can win the war. Simple things like switching a little bit earlier when they started to exploit us with the pick and roll between [Kristi] Tolliver and [Emma] Meesseman.

Just simple stuff like that, like what Strick [Shekinna Stricklen] talked about. And we'll be ready and make those adjustments.

Q. With [Elena] Delle Donne and her injury, her coming back, on the court did it seem she was any different at all, that the injury was hobbling her, or was she full speed out there?
JONQUEL JONES: Honestly, we were just trying to focus on us. She was hitting shots, so I guess once she's on the court she's on the court.

Q. Bria, this question is mostly for you, I'm curious what the conversations were about the pace that you as a team were playing at today and what your role was particularly being able to take up some of those minutes and coming off the bench to infuse some energy to the team?
BRIA HOLMES: I just think me coming in giving energy off the bench was always my role for this year on this team. That's what I love to do, I love to give energy, come in, fastbreak, layups, that's me. Getting to the rack, that's me. I'm a slasher.

So just being able to give that energy tonight and throughout the series, it's a huge thing. It's a huge help for my teammates. And just them being able to have confidence in me as well and my coaching staff, it means a lot.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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