Nova Southeastern University Athletics

General Thoughts
Head Coach LeAnn Freeland: We knew it was going to be a battle. Rollins is a traditional team in the Sunshine State Conference and Coach Wilkes does a tremendous job getting his team prepared, so I want to congratulate them on a great season. Like I said, we knew it would be a battle for 40 minutes, even when we established a big lead in the first half, we knew it was not over and Rollins sure did show the crowd and our team just that. We battled for 40 minutes and I was really happy with our players down the stretch to show the resolve that they did to finish the game.

Q: In the first half you were up by 23, what happened after that?

Freeland: Great question. Well I think Rollins is such a traditional team and I think they knew that they had to do something or the game was going to get out of reach. They found a different level in the last four minutes of the first half, at a time when we were feeling a little comfortable and things were going our way. For the last four minutes of the first half we kind of lost our flow so we went into the locker room having to regain the momentum in the second half.

Q: What sort of adjustments did you make in the second half to keep the lead?

Freeland: Well I am not sure if we made any adjustments, I think we just stuck to the game plan.  We have a very talented team and we had some players hit some big shots.

Q to Meixandra Porter: What was going on in your mind when you made the 3-point shot that bumped you up 15 points? Did you feel like it made the game for you?

Porter: I never get that feeling against Rollins personally but when you are in that kind of moment you just play, and you just feel it. It is not necessarily a thought. Basketball is the kind of game where if you think too much is it going to be very difficult for you. Amanda was feeling it, so was Buie, it was just a fun game to play.

Q: What does a game like this do for you going into that championship game on Monday?

Porter: It was a good win, especially on our home court, our fans were there and they support us and I definitely think we are going to have even more fans on Monday. But just to take care of business personally. I feel like Rollins is the team that we needed to beat again just to make sure it was known that we are a good team, a really good team. I just think that we want to go out there and have fun playing as a team and I feel like we did that very well.

Q to Taylor Buie: Can you talk about what was going through the player’s minds, if you still believed, and if Rollins could come back?

Taylor Buie: We just kept telling each other stay together, stay up. Even though they came within five, it did not matter. We knew we had each other and we have actually been hanging out more, coming together and just growing as a team. We have had a goal to have a national championship and that is what we plan on doing.

Q to Amanda Burakoski: How big was it making that first 3-pointer today, after struggling a bit yesterday?

Burakoski: Yesterday it was a little tough but I walked in to shoot around this morning trying not to have any remembrance of yesterday. So after hitting the first shot, I was like okay, that is it, I am feeling it. Even though I missed the second one, I was just like keep shooting, keep shooting and that helps a lot.

Q to Freeland about Buie: What was it like when Buie was missing her shots, but kept shooting?

Freeland: Buie is definitely, like I discussed yesterday when I spoke after the game, she is very unshakeable for a freshman and she has a very short memory. Does a great job in like-game situations and is not afraid to take a shot, it is just another shot to Buie.

Q to Coach Freeland: What will you be doing in preparation for Delta State?

Freeland: Delta State is a very athletic team. They like to get up on defense and pressure. They like to set a lot of ball screens, a whole lot of ball screens. They are a traditional team, that was a team I was playing back in 1997 to advance to the elite eight myself. Actually I saw them in the elite eight. It is a team about six years ago Florida Gulf Coast when I was an assistant there we had to beat them to advance to the elite eight. Different coach now, but it is the same program, and it is a very good program so we are going to have to refocus quickly and be ready to play. It is a team we have not seen and it will be kind of nice to face another team we have not seen all year.

Q to Coach Freeland: Do you allow the players to appreciate where they are now as a team, making program history by coming this far, or is it just back to business?

Freeland: I think we definitely enjoy it, I think we always enjoy a win but we want to be ready for the next game. The players are just so focused on keeping the season alive as long as possible. We are happy, we are not satisfied, but I think we are in a pretty good place right now.

Q: How does it feel being one night away from a position to be in the elite eight where the program has never been before?

Porter: A step in the right direction. It is just one more goal for us and we need it to achieve our ultimate goal.