Nova Southeastern University Athletics

General Thoughts
Head Coach David Midlick: Could not be more proud of the team. Alabama-Huntsville made a great run in the conference tournament. Conference champions last week, beat a very good Tuskegee team yesterday, playing at a high level, a lot of confidence up on us at half. I just told our radio crew I wish I could take any type of credit for halftime but it was these young ladies. I just told them to stay confident, those shots would fall. We were getting good shots in the first half. I liked our defense for the most part. One or two possible adjustments if they came out in the zone for what we were going to do, they did not play a whole lot of that in the first half. This player to my right, KK Chaney, she has been such a hustler all year, and such a tough defensive player.  Every day in practice when we see her shoot that shot, she knocks it down and I think I got on her once or twice in the first half, I said “you stepped in without any hesitation to knock it down.” She not only did that, but she got a few offensive rebounds at the beginning of the second half when they went to the zone. She scored 14 big points for us. I think all in the second half.

Q: What surprised you about how Alabama-Huntsville was able to come back in the latter part of the first half?
Midlick: They are just good offensively. Out of their starters, everyone really shoots three-point shots other than Kelly, number 22. They hit some deep threes, I do not think we got back in transition the way we were supposed to. We were kind of in the lane instead of matched up to them. They hit four threes in the first half and then they had double-figure offensive rebounds. When that ball was shot they ran right past us, I think they either had nine or 10 offensive rebounds at halftime and those two things hurt us. Those were the two defensive points we tried to make to the team at halftime, but nothing surprises me about that team. They have been scoring bunches of points lately, they have shot it well, they have been playing extremely confident so for us to play good defense against them the way we did. I am just impressed by our young ladies and their effort.

Q: How important was it to get back on track for the second half?

Midlick: I think the first four minutes of the second half sets the tone and KK set it again. She put the ball in, did not hesitate, drove straight to the basket for an and-1, got an offensive rebound, and I think that fired up the team. Not only her, but I think the team said, hey let’s be aggressive and let’s take what we talked about at halftime out to the court.

Q for Chadisty Hickman: Explain how you had to step up you game in that first half to make sure your team kept going offensively.

Hickman: I just had to come out and bring a lot of effort to my shot. Bring a lot of effort to the team, play like we normally play, give a lot of effort. Do what I do and make the game come to me.

Q for Juquecia Chaney: What did you guys say in the locker rooms to pump each other up when going back out against Alabama-Huntsville?

Chaney: Take the ball to the goal strong, be confident in what we do. Go out there and play hard and have intensity out there on defense.

Q: How important was it to be tough offensively and force those turnovers?

Midlick: It is very important because we are not real tall. These two young ladies, I can kind of look over them a little bit, I have a little bit of height on them. But they just give great effort, they get in passing lanes, they are tough defensively. I asked them to be tough defensively, I probably hound them a lot about it but they have bought into it and they have done a great job in the last few weeks. We need to play that way to compete in these games. With that, since we can get in the lanes though, we are a little bit smaller and we have to box out. And once again I will go back to that, we did not do it in the first half and I thought in the second half, I will have to watch the tape, we at least got defensive rebounds. I do not know how much we did put a body on but I thought we were more aggressive going to the boards, especially Seneca.

Q for Hickman and Chaney: Alabama-Huntsville won against you at the Gulf South Conference Tournament, what was the difference between that game and today?

Hickman: At the Gulf South Conference (tournament) we hung our heads and then when they made their run, we did not keep up the effort or the intensity we were supposed to. And now today we just stayed focused and kept our heads and played with effort the whole 20 minutes.

Chaney: Basically what she said.

Q to Midlick, Hickman and Chaney: What does the excitement of going into the third round of the regional championship feel like?

Midlick: I’ll let these ladies answer it.

Hickman: We just have to bring the same intensity as we did today.

Chaney: Go hard, play hard like we did today. Then see what it turns out to be.

Midlick: And I will say as well too, extremely excited about it. Proud of these young ladies, I have said it after each game and I really am. We have come a long way since November, the team that we face we do not know that much about, each one who are obviously very deserving to make it to the championship game. Hopefully we will give them our best effort two days from now.