MOUNTAIN WEST WOMEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP

March 6, 2023

Heather Ezell

Malene Pedersen

Quinn Weidemann

Thomas & Mack Center

Wyoming Cowgirls

Postgame Press Conference

Wyoming 72, San Jose State 57

THE MODERATOR: Joining us up here on the dais with Coach Heather Ezell is Malene Pedersen and Quinn Weidemann. Please make your opening remark.

HEATHER EZELL: First, really excited to be still playing here in the tournament. We have to give these kids a lot of credit, because we talked about coming out and just focusing one game at a time, survive, and advance, and they took care of business tonight.

THE MODERATOR: We'll take questions for the student-athletes.

Q. Malene, sometimes players, even older players, get nervous, especially the first game of a tournament. Seemed like you were just your normal self. Just what was working tonight offensively to kind of get that separation?

MALENE PEDERSEN: I mean, I just try to focus on our game plan, try to focus on what we've been working on for the past month. Not try to be disturbed by the surroundings or anything.

So I was just being locked in and focused on what we had to get done.

Q. Just a quick follow-up for Quinn. I know at this point in time no one is a freshman, but what can you say about the way she's played?

QUINN WEIDEMANN: I think especially -- obviously she has shown it all season. She's one of the most composed people I've ever seen play in my whole life. As a freshman coming in and the first day of the tournament doing that, like, I think that's pretty impressive.

It's pretty much shown what she's -- how she's helped us for the last however many months.

Q. Quinn, kind of a slow start in the first quarter for the team, but how big was that 12-1 run to end that first half and kind of get some momentum going into the locker room?

QUINN WEIDEMANN: It was huge. We got some separation, and, you know, we went into the locker room like the first five minutes, let's put them away.

We got that opportunity to put them away in the second half because of that second quarter in that 12-1 run.

Q. Heather, Allyson kind of got bottled up a little bit offensively. I mean, how crucial was it to have somebody like Malene to kind of step up and provide some points for the too team tonight?

HEATHER EZELL: You could tell that the focus was definitely Alyson to start the game. They were sending not just double-teams but triple and quadruple teams at times, and I thought that we moved around her really, really well, found the open person, and just happened to be that open person was Malene a lot of the times, and she made them pay.

Q. Quinn, just I'm sure you watched the Air Force game last night. What was kind of the defensive game plan on Holland to keep her in check and just keep them from driving the way they did against Air Force?

QUINN WEIDEMANN: I think help defense. A lot of times we knew that they were going to cut, so, you know, the cutter defender, staying and helping on her, and then just staying in front of her in general, moving her feet.

Q. Even though, you know, it looked like Allyson was a little bit frustrated at times, did you guys feel like the size advantage you had would just wear on them down the stretch?

QUINN WEIDEMANN: Definitely. I think that Allyson, Marta, and Grace's, all of their arms up there, was kind of deterring them from making the shots.

Q. Quinn or Malene, either of you, how encouraging was it to see Marta play so aggressive down the line? She played a big part in the win today. How encouraging was that as a teammate to see that today?

MALENE PEDERSEN: I mean, we know that Marta has that energy, has that aggressiveness from practice, so it was just fun and great to see her put it out there today and just be ready to play.

Q. Then, Heather, so 4 of 18 from three tonight. I mean, how important is it to improve on that mark just looking ahead to Boise State or Colorado State?

HEATHER EZELL: Yeah, we just have to continue to get our feet set, knock down shots. I know they made us play a little fast at times. I think we rushed a couple of those shots, especially early.

But once we settled in we were able to kind of take advantage. I thought we hit some threes when it mattered, but we were able to really work inside-out, and we were successful inside, so we didn't have to get too many more of those to fall.

Q. Heather, you don't get to empty the bench very often in tournament games. What did that mean just to rest Malene and Allyson a bit and get everyone in the game like that?

HEATHER EZELL: It's always nice to play everybody in a tournament game. Everybody gets that opportunity, so next year when they get back there, they're not going, oh, I've never done this before.

But mainly just to be able to get the rest for our kids because the quick turnaround. As we know, tournament play, we've got to be ready to go again tomorrow with the same energy, same focus, and so getting a couple of extra minutes here and there that we were able to get there at the end is always helpful.

Q. Just quickly, your thoughts on if it's a border war, that challenge, or if it's Boise State for a second time, that challenge?

HEATHER EZELL: All we know is that we're in the semifinals. We're taking it one game at a time, and whoever is on that other side for us is who we'll play. I know we've been talking about it all week. It's one game at a time. Survive and advance no matter who is on the other side. We just have to show up and be ready to go.

THE MODERATOR: Ladies, thank you so much. Congratulations.