March 22, 2004Head Coach Rene Portland
"We had a lot of naysayers talk about this team before the season, but this team stuck together. Their motto has been 'It's about us.' We played such a tough schedule that I believe it has prepared us to be in the situation we are in right now."
On home court advantages:
"If you look at wins and losses, even in the men's tournament, home court advantage or anything close to it has an effect on the players, the officials and the coaches. I've worked very hard for this sport, and I hope things can change to benefit everyone."
On the keys to the game:
"We certainly have goals that we can take care of ourselves. We talk about rebounding in every timeout. We have to rebound well, know to read switches and know our offense because we know they are a great defensive team."
On having 20 turnovers against Hampton:
"We certainly have concerns about that. I do think the type of opponent we played, as well as playing so many people, had an effect on how many turnovers we had. But we know the guards were a problem. Tech is such a great defensive team that we know we have to take care of the basketball."
On Kelly Mazzante:
"She will stack up as one of the finest players and individuals ever at Penn State. I've seen coaches change their whole game plans to defend her. For three years, Big Ten coaches did that, but this year they just quit and let her score. That's how good she is. I've never had a player that caused so many problems for opposing coaches."
On Reicina Russell's play:
"She has added wonderful things to our team. We took a shot in the dark and put her in to start against Purdue in her home state. In that game, we saw a whole lot from her, and the team felt comfortable with her. Our post play will be the difference whether this team will go further than it has."
Student-Athlete Kelly Mazzante
"I think it is much more difficult for teams to zero in on me because we have so many offensive weapons around me. I really haven't thought about this being my last game. I am just focused on our great opportunity to get to the final four. Anything less than that wouldn't be accomplishing our goal."
On Shooting:
"I think I have developed more into an attacking type of player if the shots aren't falling. I think my improvement has been a combination of working to get shots off quicker and natural ability."
On Virginia Tech's Carrie Mason:
"I have seen film on her and obviously she's a great shooter. She's their biggest three-point threat, so we've got to work on defending her."
Student-Athlete Jessica Brungo On Kelly Mazzante:
"Kelly is a unbelievable player. She's made the level of play around us so much better. She's not just a great scorer anymore, she's a terrific defender too. She has made us all better on defense because we have to guard her everyday in practice."
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