Post-Game Quotes: Illinois
1/4/2026 5:29:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Michigan State Head Coach Robyn Fralick
Opening Statement...
Yeah, well first of all, our fans were unbelievable tonight, so I want to thank everyone who came out and supported our program. We appreciate you so much. Thanks for making the Breslin such an awesome, awesome place to play. You know, a huge credit to our group tonight, Illinois, a very good team, coming in one of the hottest teams in the league, one of the hottest teams in the country, coming off a huge win. They have tough matchups. They've got a lot of, you know, physical guards. And so I loved our first half. Our second half, we had a lot, plan A went to plan D pretty quickly. You know, we had to make a lot of adjustments because of lineups, rotations, matchups, and proud of our kids. Like, it wasn't perfect, but we figured it out. Juliann Woodard is the perfect example of being ready when called upon and made a huge impact in that second half of the game for us. Big plays, big buckets, big stops, and just so proud of the whole team effort that it took for us to finish out the game.
What was the message at the end of the third quarter...
Well, they cut it to three and they had a lot of momentum. And we were, as I shared, you know, when Grace was not playing in the second half, that really changes up a lot of our lineups, rotations, matchups. So, we called an action out of the timeout. Julianne hits a huge three. I mean, that's fearless. You know, it's one thing, like, to sit for that long and then be called on and the very first shot you get, you make probably the biggest shot of the game. You know, when they have the momentum that goes from three and immediately we get it back to six and then hits free throws. I'm just like, it gives me the chills because, you know, it's the things we talk about all the time is like being part of something, feeling compelled, right? Star in the role you have, work towards the one you want. And tonight we saw all those things come to fruition.
On Kennedy Blair's play tonight...
Well, I thought, especially that first half, she just made so much happen in transition. She was aggressive, got downhill, got to the free throw line, 12 free throw attempts, really kind of just set the tone, especially in our, transition offensive of making stuff happen and being assertive. And then, she rebounds. So that was, you know, at the end of the game, I'm like, oh my gosh, we have got to grab the ball. And she has a knack for finding a way to come up with it. But she also plays fearless, you know, sometimes, and she's never played this big of a roll or in these big of minutes. So it's, there's these learning moments we're getting throughout it. But one of the things that I think has really created momentum for her is she's fearless. And so she's willing to make a mistake, but learn from it, right? So that next time we can, you know, sharpen it up a little bit. But she really had a, she had a big physical impact on the game.
Was the strategy to wear down Illinois starters?
Well, I mean, we've been doing a lot of full court man to man at different times. Their point guard, their starting point guard, Jackson, was out for chunks of that first half with foul trouble. So, you know, not a lot different than what we normally do. I mean, we felt like they had, we didn't feel like there was something we could take great advantage of. They have good guard play. But we did feel like at the very least we could try to disrupt a little bit.
On earning her 250th win as an FBS head coach…
Time to retire. Just kidding. No, I mean, most just gratitude. Nothing in this game is done alone. Great players, great coaching staffs, people who believe in something, people who feel part of something over the course of a lot of years, good things happen. Tonight's win is a perfect example. We had a lot of things that weren't as planned, and all of a sudden, we have different kids that feel part of something and feel compelled to the mission of the group. And so, grateful to have been surrounded by really good people.
On how big free throw shooting was in the victory…
Well, it's how we won the game. We talk with our team a lot about the margins and games are so small, especially in league play. And one of the margins is free throws. So, as the margin of the game shrinks, those become more important. And tonight, we did a great job finishing those. I mean, Kennedy (Blair) was awesome. How about Spider (Rashunda Jones). down the stretch? Those are pressure free throws. And she did a good job extending the game for us. And we knew coming in, they're actually first in the country in free throws as a team (Illinois). So that's a margin you've got to really pay attention to."
On keeping the team level through the runs in the game…
Well, it's a game of runs. It's basketball, it's a game of momentum, and the trick is when you have a run, try to make it a little bit longer, and when they have a run, try to shorten it, but it's a game of momentum. And we made some mistakes at the end. We're going to see film and we're going to have to get better from that because we kind of, we kept letting them hang around when we have a seven-point lead, all of a sudden, it's three. But a ton of learning film, but proud of our group. Every time we still had to respond, we did. And, yeah, we say the goal is to figure out how do we win this game right now, tonight. And it doesn't always look the same. And tonight, our team did a good job of figuring out how to win it tonight. We started running some offensive stuff that we don't run a lot, but it was what the game required at that time, and our kids did a good job of executing it.
On containing Illinois forward Berry Wallace…
She played good. I mean, I think she had two bank threes. I mean, coming in, we were really much more worried about her as a driver and a paint player. We know she can shoot, but that just hasn't been as big of a part of her game this year. She banked two in, so I don't know. The other two, we kind of lost her, but she's a good player. I mean, she's been a very good scorer for them all year and is a tough matchup.
On the performance of guard Emma Shumate…
Well, I think it's a great example of staring your role. Emma (Shumate) knows what she's good at. And she's, they always say when you are really aware of what you're good at and you make it your superpower, you become an even better player. And she knows what she's good at. And if she's not open, she moves it, which is part of being having a good feel for how to play.
Opening Statement...
Yeah, well first of all, our fans were unbelievable tonight, so I want to thank everyone who came out and supported our program. We appreciate you so much. Thanks for making the Breslin such an awesome, awesome place to play. You know, a huge credit to our group tonight, Illinois, a very good team, coming in one of the hottest teams in the league, one of the hottest teams in the country, coming off a huge win. They have tough matchups. They've got a lot of, you know, physical guards. And so I loved our first half. Our second half, we had a lot, plan A went to plan D pretty quickly. You know, we had to make a lot of adjustments because of lineups, rotations, matchups, and proud of our kids. Like, it wasn't perfect, but we figured it out. Juliann Woodard is the perfect example of being ready when called upon and made a huge impact in that second half of the game for us. Big plays, big buckets, big stops, and just so proud of the whole team effort that it took for us to finish out the game.
What was the message at the end of the third quarter...
Well, they cut it to three and they had a lot of momentum. And we were, as I shared, you know, when Grace was not playing in the second half, that really changes up a lot of our lineups, rotations, matchups. So, we called an action out of the timeout. Julianne hits a huge three. I mean, that's fearless. You know, it's one thing, like, to sit for that long and then be called on and the very first shot you get, you make probably the biggest shot of the game. You know, when they have the momentum that goes from three and immediately we get it back to six and then hits free throws. I'm just like, it gives me the chills because, you know, it's the things we talk about all the time is like being part of something, feeling compelled, right? Star in the role you have, work towards the one you want. And tonight we saw all those things come to fruition.
On Kennedy Blair's play tonight...
Well, I thought, especially that first half, she just made so much happen in transition. She was aggressive, got downhill, got to the free throw line, 12 free throw attempts, really kind of just set the tone, especially in our, transition offensive of making stuff happen and being assertive. And then, she rebounds. So that was, you know, at the end of the game, I'm like, oh my gosh, we have got to grab the ball. And she has a knack for finding a way to come up with it. But she also plays fearless, you know, sometimes, and she's never played this big of a roll or in these big of minutes. So it's, there's these learning moments we're getting throughout it. But one of the things that I think has really created momentum for her is she's fearless. And so she's willing to make a mistake, but learn from it, right? So that next time we can, you know, sharpen it up a little bit. But she really had a, she had a big physical impact on the game.
Was the strategy to wear down Illinois starters?
Well, I mean, we've been doing a lot of full court man to man at different times. Their point guard, their starting point guard, Jackson, was out for chunks of that first half with foul trouble. So, you know, not a lot different than what we normally do. I mean, we felt like they had, we didn't feel like there was something we could take great advantage of. They have good guard play. But we did feel like at the very least we could try to disrupt a little bit.
On earning her 250th win as an FBS head coach…
Time to retire. Just kidding. No, I mean, most just gratitude. Nothing in this game is done alone. Great players, great coaching staffs, people who believe in something, people who feel part of something over the course of a lot of years, good things happen. Tonight's win is a perfect example. We had a lot of things that weren't as planned, and all of a sudden, we have different kids that feel part of something and feel compelled to the mission of the group. And so, grateful to have been surrounded by really good people.
On how big free throw shooting was in the victory…
Well, it's how we won the game. We talk with our team a lot about the margins and games are so small, especially in league play. And one of the margins is free throws. So, as the margin of the game shrinks, those become more important. And tonight, we did a great job finishing those. I mean, Kennedy (Blair) was awesome. How about Spider (Rashunda Jones). down the stretch? Those are pressure free throws. And she did a good job extending the game for us. And we knew coming in, they're actually first in the country in free throws as a team (Illinois). So that's a margin you've got to really pay attention to."
On keeping the team level through the runs in the game…
Well, it's a game of runs. It's basketball, it's a game of momentum, and the trick is when you have a run, try to make it a little bit longer, and when they have a run, try to shorten it, but it's a game of momentum. And we made some mistakes at the end. We're going to see film and we're going to have to get better from that because we kind of, we kept letting them hang around when we have a seven-point lead, all of a sudden, it's three. But a ton of learning film, but proud of our group. Every time we still had to respond, we did. And, yeah, we say the goal is to figure out how do we win this game right now, tonight. And it doesn't always look the same. And tonight, our team did a good job of figuring out how to win it tonight. We started running some offensive stuff that we don't run a lot, but it was what the game required at that time, and our kids did a good job of executing it.
On containing Illinois forward Berry Wallace…
She played good. I mean, I think she had two bank threes. I mean, coming in, we were really much more worried about her as a driver and a paint player. We know she can shoot, but that just hasn't been as big of a part of her game this year. She banked two in, so I don't know. The other two, we kind of lost her, but she's a good player. I mean, she's been a very good scorer for them all year and is a tough matchup.
On the performance of guard Emma Shumate…
Well, I think it's a great example of staring your role. Emma (Shumate) knows what she's good at. And she's, they always say when you are really aware of what you're good at and you make it your superpower, you become an even better player. And she knows what she's good at. And if she's not open, she moves it, which is part of being having a good feel for how to play.
Players Mentioned
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