No. 4 Cleveland State vs. No. 2 Wright State - Championship
Cleveland State
Head Coach Kate Peterson Abiad
On turn-around
"If I had the answer for that question, I'd be a hot commodity. I believe that if you get the right people surrounding you- coaches and players, and a system you believe in things will work out in the end. Even when you have failure- you keep plugging away - this group did that. We put the right pieces together and got the job done."
On Rebounds
"This group has emphasized boxing out and rebounding all year long. We didn't want any excuses for not having the big players."
On development of offense
"What I really wanted was an offense where our players could make plays. The kids like to play in the system we have in place because it's up to them what they do with the ball."
On NCAA seeding
"The seeding in the tournament doesn't matter to me at all. I think we are really flying high from this whole experience. NCAA tourney was our goal--from the time I recruited these kids. I like the idea that we will play someone we haven't played all year."
Sophomore guard Kailey Klein
On WSU's comeback in the second half
"We had been in that position over and over this season, but we knew we'd be fine if we stuck with what we were doing."
On getting into NCAA tourney
"Like a dream come true."
On offensive scheme
"It's like ten offenses because there are so many things you can do in it. This system opens up the inside, and it allows us to kick out for shots, and that helped us shoot so well this week."
Junior guard Dominique Butler
On getting into NCAA tourney
"It's amazing - we are making history. You dream about this all the time and we have peaked at the right time."
On momentum
"What happened Friday helped us build confidence - we had momentum. Green Bay is awesome and they win almost every year -- we worked hard to take down a No. 1 seed. It was play hard or go home and that's what we did."
Wright State
Head Coach Bridgett Williams
On Cleveland State
"Their kids are very hard-workers. They were disciplined in their offense and they executed very well. They were the better team today and they really wanted to win this game."
On CSU's three-point shooting
"We knew we had our hands full in terms of guarding the three-point shot. We didn't want them to get what they got the other night."
About the League's growth
"Green Bay has set such a high standard and from my experience, you either meet the bar or you end up at the bottom. They have been a great example for the programs in this League. Kate (Peterson Abiad) has done a great job. YSU, UIC, Butler have all stepped up this year as well and our League will be more competitive from here on out."
On young back-court players
"We have two young kids that have carried our team and that's a lot of responsibility. They are talented and it will help them to become better players in the future. They had to grow up in a hurry."
On Green Bay's chances of getting into NCAA tournament
"They deserve it- at least a look, they are a great program."
Freshman guard Shey Peddy
On Kailey Klein
"She has a great ability to move well with the ball and she can pass it outside."
On her second-half performance
"In the first half, we knew we had to play better and turn it up the second half or we wouldn't have another chance at this game."
On next season
"We are going to take this loss and work extra hard during the summer and preseason months. We have the motivation we need to compete for the championship next year."
