Iowa women's basketball
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00:00 First half, we were just a little bit out of sorts.
00:03 Didn't run our offense very well.
00:05 But second half, we did.
00:06 And so that's good that we made that change at halftime.
00:11 The rebounds are very disappointing
00:13 because we really tried to make that a point of emphasis
00:15 this week.
00:16 But they got 33% of offensive rebounds.
00:18 We got 13% of offensive rebounds.
00:21 So we did not do a good job crashing the boards.
00:23 And rebounding has been a good thing for us.
00:26 And in the last two games, we've kind of let down on that.
00:29 And we have to get that back.
00:31 But I love that we had three people in double figures,
00:34 20 assists, forced 20 turnovers.
00:37 So that was good.
00:39 Yeah.
00:40 You called the timeout there late in the first half.
00:43 And then after that, you scored nine to go into halftime.
00:46 What changed?
00:48 What kind of triggered that run?
00:51 I don't know.
00:51 I think the team-- it was just kind of a gut check.
00:53 Maybe I need to call more timeouts.
00:56 But I really was more of a gut check than anything else.
01:00 Seemed as though you were getting shots
01:02 you wanted in the first period.
01:04 But you weren't making them.
01:06 But in the third, the defense created the shots.
01:09 Yeah, I mean, obviously, we forced 20 turnovers,
01:13 which is really, really good.
01:15 I just don't think we were patient with our offense
01:17 in the first half.
01:18 We didn't reverse the ball much.
01:20 Really didn't get any in outlooks,
01:22 which is the best three that you can absolutely get.
01:26 So I just thought we were just a little out
01:29 of sorts in the first.
01:30 But again, came back and played really well in the second.
01:34 Kaitlin, I saw the nine-year-old girl
01:37 that you brought to the court afterwards.
01:40 Did you know about her in advance?
01:41 And did you hear--
01:43 she's got leukemia.
01:44 She just had a chemo treatment.
01:45 Yeah, I knew in advance.
01:46 And I knew where she would be sitting.
01:48 So I knew she wanted my autograph.
01:49 So I just kind of went on my way to make sure she
01:52 had her moment.
01:53 And I was happy that she could be
01:54 able to come to our game today.
01:56 Taylor, you checked in.
01:57 You got that three.
01:58 It seemed like you really wanted that one.
02:00 And when it went in, what was your reaction?
02:04 I mean, I knew it was going in, so I can't say I was surprised.
02:07 But yeah, I mean, just grateful.
02:11 That's about it.
02:12 How sweet is a win like this for you?
02:13 I know these ones against Nebraska
02:15 may be being a little bit more for you personally.
02:17 And how long is it before you can
02:18 talk to some of your friends and family
02:20 that are Nebraska fans?
02:21 Oh, gosh.
02:22 I haven't gotten texts from any of them, so we'll see.
02:26 But no, I mean, it was good.
02:28 And we definitely needed to get the job done and bounce back
02:30 from last week.
02:31 So I was glad that we did that.
02:32 What is it about Nebraska?
02:34 I think you're averaging like 35 points a game
02:35 in your games against them.
02:37 Is there a particular reason for that?
02:38 Do you like playing Nebraska?
02:40 I think there's always people that you just
02:42 enjoy playing a little more.
02:45 I like going to Nebraska.
02:46 Like there's just gyms that you almost like--
02:49 I don't know, like you just enjoy going to every player,
02:52 whatever level you're at.
02:53 Whether I was in high school, there
02:54 were certain gyms I would like playing in, too.
02:56 And I feel like we always have really good battles with them.
03:00 No matter what it is, they always come ready to play
03:02 versus us.
03:03 And they're a talented team.
03:05 And I thought we played well after the first half.
03:08 I thought, obviously, there's still a lot to improve on.
03:10 Rebounding has to be a lot better.
03:11 We're going to play teams that can rebound even better
03:13 than Nebraska, obviously.
03:14 We knew coming into this game, they rebound the ball
03:16 really well.
03:16 But it was a point of emphasis, and it's still
03:19 going to get done in the second half.
03:20 So I think that's just another area to improve on.
03:22 What did you think happened after coach called the timeout
03:25 late in the first half?
03:28 I mean, I think she just fired us up.
03:30 And that's what I love about her.
03:31 Like she's going to get on us and coach us.
03:33 And none of us ever want to let her down.
03:36 Like we want to make her proud.
03:37 And you know what she's given to our team?
03:39 I don't know, she's one of the best basketball
03:41 minds there's ever been.
03:43 And we knew ourselves that we weren't playing to the standard
03:45 of Iowa basketball.
03:47 And I think those last couple of minutes of the second quarter
03:50 were really important.
03:50 It felt like we kind of took the momentum back
03:52 going into halftime.
03:54 You know, we were down four maybe,
03:56 and we end up going up five to go into half.
03:58 Like that's a huge swing right there.
04:00 Coach, Sidney scored seven points
04:02 in that final three minute stretch.
04:03 Can you talk about the impact she has for the team?
04:06 Yeah, Sid always just gives us such great energy
04:08 off the bench.
04:09 I mean, rebounds, she had only two rebounds in the first half,
04:12 and she scored off both of them, I believe.
04:14 Sid, her plus minus is always very, very good for us.
04:19 And she's perfect from the free throw line.
04:22 I'm just really happy with the way that Sid's playing.
04:24 Kaitlin, you know, it's Taylor Swift day.
04:26 And I remember in an interview earlier this year,
04:29 I'm not gwy on her level, but I feel
04:30 like in the women's basketball world, you are Taylor Swift.
04:33 Like having an impact on so many people,
04:35 like what's that mean to you?
04:37 I think it's just really cool.
04:38 I mean, I never take any moment for granted,
04:40 no matter where we're playing at, whether it's at home,
04:42 whether it's on the road, all the people that
04:44 want to come see us.
04:45 And a lot of people spend a lot of time and money
04:47 to be able to come and watch our team play for two hours.
04:49 So you always want to go out there and give it your best.
04:53 Give them a little show.
04:54 Give them something to smile about.
04:56 Make it fun, because this is probably
04:58 a memory people are going to remember
04:59 for the rest of their lives.
05:00 Lisa and Kaitlin, it seemed like you guys
05:02 had a little bit of a disagreement or so.
05:04 Were you jawing at each other a little bit?
05:06 I don't know if that's fair to say.
05:07 What was the message you wanted to send,
05:09 and what was the message you wanted to send?
05:11 Well, my message is let me do the talking to the officials.
05:15 That's my job, so I just want to do my job.
05:19 No, Kaitlin.
05:23 I'm sorry.
05:24 Yeah, I mean, I think what I love about Coach Bluter
05:27 is she coaches me, but she knows when I'm not giving my best,
05:30 that's what's going to make me play really, really hard.
05:32 There's other people that maybe can't take that,
05:34 but that's what I want, and I embrace that.
05:36 I never want to stop being coached.
05:38 I never want to stop being told what's right, what's wrong.
05:40 No matter how good I play, how bad I play,
05:44 there's always things to learn, things to get better at.
05:46 And that's what I love about her is she holds me
05:48 to a very high standard.
05:49 And yeah, she's going to get on me
05:52 because she knows there's still areas for me to improve.
05:54 And this team relies on me a lot,
05:56 whether it's emotionally or to score or to bring the energy.
06:00 And I think that's just always something
06:02 that she holds me to a high standard in that regard,
06:04 and that's something I really appreciate.
06:06 Following up on that, Kaitlin, and this
06:07 might sound like a loaded question.
06:09 It's not meant to be, but do you think you see the game
06:12 better than the officials do?
06:13 [laughter]
06:16 I can answer that.
06:18 100%.
06:21 What about that?
06:23 I mean, I don't know.
06:26 I mean, I'm playing, so, I mean, everybody's --
06:29 The thing is, I have a great relationship
06:30 with a lot of the officials.
06:31 Like, they love me, and we love talking.
06:33 But I'm feisty, and I'm competitive,
06:34 and they know that.
06:36 And I think they do a great job of refing.
06:38 And to be honest, when I get teed up, I go up to them,
06:39 and I say, "I deserve that.
06:41 Like, I deserve that. I'm sorry."
06:43 But, like, it's their job.
06:45 They're not perfect, but sometimes I disagree with them,
06:47 and I let them know.
06:48 But they're human, too, so, you know,
06:50 it's all fun at the end of the day,
06:51 and I'm never going to hold it against them.
06:53 So we see them all --
06:54 It's like there's only five officials in America
06:56 because it's got the same ones all the time.
06:58 I mean, I'm seeing --
07:00 We've all seen you laugh with them
07:02 during timeouts and so forth.
07:03 Yeah, the one told me it was Roy's birthday today,
07:05 so me and Roy are birthday twins, I guess, for the week.
07:10 She told me to tell him happy birthday.
07:11 I did not.
07:13 As you get closer to Jackie Stiles' scoring mark,
07:19 how does that make you feel?
07:21 I think it's -- I mean, she's one of the best
07:23 to ever pick up a basketball, so, like, that's super cool.
07:25 And I couldn't tell you how close I am or whatnot,
07:28 but it's not -- Oh, okay.
07:32 It's not something I'm after, I think.
07:33 You know, just keep playing the game, keep having fun,
07:36 and this is kind of what just comes along with it.
07:38 And I'm just trying to enjoy every single second.
07:41 I think there's only -- I think we're down
07:42 to nine regular-season games left,
07:44 and that's hard for me to wrap my head around
07:45 because the season just goes so fast,
07:47 and just trying to enjoy every single second with my team.
07:52 After what happened in Columbus, not just the quarterfinals,
07:56 but to have a fourth quarter the way it went down
07:59 and then overtime, how important was it to come out
08:01 and then when things kind of settled down
08:04 to get back into a groove
08:06 and play the way you guys are capable of playing?
08:08 I think it's really important.
08:09 You know, we had to sit on a loss for a week.
08:11 That's tough in itself, too.
08:14 But also, I think the thing about Ohio State
08:15 is we knew we were in that game.
08:17 We were winning the entire game,
08:18 and that's probably why it hurt to us more.
08:20 It's like we didn't go to Columbus and lay an egg.
08:22 Like, we went there and played really good basketball,
08:24 but we didn't execute down the stretch
08:25 to put ourselves in a position to win.
08:27 And I think it was a good point for our team,
08:31 for everybody to look themselves in the mirrors
08:32 and find ways to get better, because clearly we're not
08:35 meeting the standard of where we need to be right now
08:37 if we want to be Big Ten champions.
08:38 And I think it was just a good reset week for us.
08:41 We had a few off days. We had great practices.
08:44 And now we basically play twice a week the rest of the season.
08:47 So I think it's just a good reset.
08:50 And I think it provided a lot of confidence for our team.
08:53 It showed us where we are.
08:54 Like, we're up ten points with nine minutes to go,
08:56 but also we lost it.
08:58 So I think there's two sides to it.
09:00 We talk a lot about the culture
09:02 that Lisa and you guys have kind of built.
09:04 I mean, when you hit the first and second three,
09:06 the bench is going absolutely bonkers.
09:07 I guess just from your perspective,
09:09 how is the culture --
09:10 how does a culture like that sort of just get established?
09:13 Because it does seem like you guys are just really,
09:14 really tight. Yeah.
09:15 I mean, I think part of that is just with the relationships
09:17 that we've built over such a long period of time,
09:20 because we do have kids that have been here for a long time.
09:22 And so, I mean, that allows the relationships
09:25 to get even deeper and deeper and whatnot.
09:28 And, I mean, they don't encourage us
09:30 to hang out outside of basketball,
09:31 but, of course, we're going to.
09:32 And, I mean, we just show up to practice every day.
09:35 We get a little too goofy sometimes.
09:36 We figure that out.
09:37 But when it comes down to business,
09:39 we know we can take care of that, too.
09:41 And, I mean, just having a goal
09:43 and fighting toward that together
09:44 is one of the most powerful things that anybody can have.
09:47 So I think it's really united us.
09:49 And, yeah, I mean, it's pretty cool
09:51 having the bench react like that,
09:52 because, I mean, it could be the opposite, right?
09:54 Like, you could have a whole team
09:55 just sitting down when I come in.
09:57 But, I mean, I think they also expect
10:00 high things from me, and so, you know,
10:01 I don't think any of them were surprised either.
10:03 Coach, Molly came away with six assists today,
10:06 and she seems like she's really committed
10:08 to thinking of her own as a playmaker.
10:09 Just wondering what your thoughts are about her performance.
10:13 Yeah, Molly, in my opinion,
10:15 just does whatever we need her to do.
10:18 And if that's to mean score 12 points this game
10:21 or two points this game and just pass the ball,
10:23 I mean, she's the most unselfless player
10:26 that I've probably coached in a long time.
10:28 I mean, you give her a compliment,
10:30 and she turns red in the face.
10:31 I mean, she just is such an unassuming,
10:36 but will do whatever this team needs.
10:39 And I absolutely love that.
10:41 Have you ever seen somebody get a rebound
10:42 like she did before she had a plant in her stomach?
10:46 Yeah, no, I don't know that I have.
10:49 You were kind of in the zone in the second half.
10:51 Does the game feel different mentally
10:53 when you're shooting that well?
10:55 I think, for sure, you just kind of play
10:56 with a little more confidence, a little more pep in your step.
10:58 And I think I got a lot easier shots for myself
11:02 in the second half, whether it was coming off of screens,
11:04 whether it was in transition.
11:06 And once you make a couple, the basket just looks pretty big.
11:08 And I thought my teammates did a good job of finding me,
11:11 whether it was in transition or Kate
11:13 sent me a couple screens to get open.
11:14 So, yeah, I think it definitely gives some confidence.
11:17 And I knew our team kind of needed to boost
11:20 emotionally at that point.
11:21 So I thought it was pretty good.
11:22 You hit that three late in the shot clock.
11:25 Usually that situation is you just got to get a shot up
11:27 so you don't turn it over.
11:28 Do you surprise yourself making that?
11:31 Those are like the most fun shots to take.
11:32 It's like a free-for-all. You can do whatever you want.
11:34 You got to get it up. It's like a free pass.
11:38 Unbelievable.
11:39 Kaitlin, when you get kind of going like that,
11:41 I mean, are there possessions when you get a rebound
11:43 and you just know, like, I'm not passing the ball?
11:45 I'm going to shoot it?
11:47 Yeah, I think everybody can probably see it in my eyes.
11:49 I think there was a couple times where I almost fell in love
11:51 too much with the three-point shot,
11:52 and definitely could have attacked
11:53 a little more in transition,
11:55 just because everybody knows that's what I want to get to,
11:57 so why not do something they're not thinking?
12:00 So I think there was a couple heat checks there
12:02 that I probably could have definitely attacked
12:03 a little more in transition.
12:05 But also, I think my teammates, they, like,
12:07 we play smart basketball.
12:08 If a couple people have made, like, even for Taylor,
12:10 like, if somebody's made two threes,
12:11 like, we're hunting to get them shots.
12:13 Like, that's always what we talk about.
12:15 You know, just an observation is,
12:17 I don't want to get specific because I don't want to get you
12:19 fined, and it can be a problem not fined.
12:22 Regarding kind of inconsistency of officiating,
12:25 especially out, you know, way past the basket,
12:29 it seemed like a lot of times where you specifically were hit,
12:32 and nothing was called.
12:34 Is there -- what kind of recourse do you have?
12:38 Because during a game, you don't want to make the officials mad,
12:40 and then start calling ticky-tack.
12:41 But then again, it seemed very inconsistent.
12:45 Yeah, well, Scott, every time you start a question with,
12:47 I don't want to get you fined, I'm a little bit nervous.
12:51 So, yeah, you know, we can send in clips,
12:54 and I did so after the Ohio State game.
12:57 And, you know, they'd say, oh, yeah, you're right,
13:00 but it doesn't do us any good at that point, right?
13:03 And so, yes, you know, we continue to send in clips.
13:07 But, yeah, it's going to be inconsistent.
13:08 When you have three people on the floor,
13:10 you never know who's going to be where on the floor,
13:11 and you have a different group every night,
13:13 and they call it differently.
13:14 It's never going to be consistent
13:16 because it's subjective, right?
13:18 It's human.
13:19 It's not a computer doing this.
13:22 We hear robot raps.
13:23 All three of you, since it is Taylor Swift day,
13:26 if you had to choose at least one Taylor Swift song
13:28 to describe today, what would it be?
13:32 You're asking the wrong person here.
13:34 She has no idea.
13:36 I don't know.
13:39 Both of them have no idea.
13:41 Bracelets on, though.
13:44 Do you know one?
13:45 I don't know.
13:47 Thanks, guys.
13:48 Sorry, I don't know.
13:49 I don't know how much longer I'm talking.
13:51 It's not good off the top of my head.