Caitlin Clark, Aliyah Boston, coach Christie Sides after Indiana Fever win over Dream — season sweep

Caitlin Clark, Aliyah Boston Caitlyn yeah you talked on Friday about you know in the third quarter everything kind of just snowballed how did you guys get ahead of that in the third quarter today I mean I don't think we started off too great either but I felt once we kind of I don't know picked up our Pace a little bit I think we had a lot of turnovers in the first half it was impressive we were honestly still in the game at Halftime considering I think they took 15 more shots than us like so I think that was almost a positive considering it was what two points at half time whatever it was we felt like we were right there and really played a crappy half so I'm proud of us I thought we chipped away we were resilient um and we really executed when it mattered um I think we got down 14 and then we continued to to find a way started off the the fourth really good and then I think they even responded and made it seven again so um just proud of our group I thought tamy gave us really good minutes I thought she was she's all over the place defensively she impacts the game in ways that's probably not going to show up on here obviously she 447 tonight and that that mid-range jump shot was huge that she made late too so um just really proud of her um and then AB was incredible and made some big shots for us so not our prettiest but got a way to get it done go mat and go Christine yeah Kaitlin you play all 45 minutes you help in the comeback um right before halftime I guess right at halftime you quickly go into the tunnel and you're the first one to do so um just kind of what were your emotions like in that moment that was a bad half like I simply thought it was a bad half um I don't know it's all that aiah great game for both of you obviously and just so exciting I mean you know the crowd is just going crazy right um can you describe where this team is we haven't had a chance to talk you in a few days you know what's going right how do you take what I think it was you're down 16 Midway through the third quarter and you come out with a victory like this you've been around this team last year this year what's going on yeah I mean I think right now we're kind of in the space where we just have to make sure that we're keeping our foot on the gas um I think we know that we're very capable of beating um any single team just because of the way we play the pace that we play at and just the weapons that we have um all around the floor and so for us I'm I'm really proud of us today because we were down 15 but that we that didn't stop us we came in timeouts we talk about what we need to do we talked about executing making sure we're getting stops and then being able to score and so I think um that we're in a good spot just continue to know that even if we're down no matter what time of the game is we're very capable of coming back um does this feel like playoff game the crowd you know the being as into it as they are usually are anyway I think every single game when we're competing never played in a playoff game can you predict the future we can see got a little more Al what did you feel in the post it looked like you were being really decisive with what you were doing good footwork getting into your shot um and we've seen a a lot more of that lately has that been something behind the scenes you've also been emphasizing I mean I think it's just being able to make the right read um once again and then sometimes they double sometimes as they didn't so just being able to be patient in the post um and understand if they're coming and where that Double's coming from and if I can still take it then we try to get to the fre the back row then we go to Mike on the right uh aaliah uh the shot that you made I think you went over your right shoulder left-handed layup uh to take the lead uh or actually tie the game what were you what was the the mindset on that what did you see like I saw it coming and I was praying that you guys were in that play but it it happened and it was it was great I mean when you look at how they're playing too um I mean you just have to be able to make the right read and sometimes they jump out too early cuz they're assuming that something's going to happen and just being able to make a move right in that Split Second is important because especially when you have someone like Caitlyn who could be getting the ball they're going to definitely want to jump at her and so just being able to read that and go score St next to on the right Mike you want to start yeah um CIT a game like this where like you said you don't feel like you're playing your best but the resilience how much has that built up even in the last month about this team yeah I think that's one of the biggest ways we've improved over the course of year especially since then the sensus probably a little bit before the second uh the Olympic break and then definitely here in the second half so um I'm proud of our group it's just you know teams that are in the top of our league and at obviously Atlanta's a really good team but you know the Liberty Connecticut Minnesota these are those are the type of teams that do not let you back from a 16-point lead like that just doesn't happen and we have to find a way to you know be able to respond a little earlier for ourselves like you know things I think continue you know we we sometimes get down and we don't always stop the bleeding right away and but I think the positive is like I've said before like at the beginning of the Season that was really bad news for us and 16 turned into 30 or something like that and for now we just find a way to away and I think at the same time we have the confidence of knowing what our offense is capable of and we know what our offense can give it's just really you know on defense getting stops I think we got quite a few we call them kills three in a row um there I think especially when tamy came into the game she she caused a lot of problems with her length and Lexi I mean Lexi's given the hardest task every single night chasing their best player so you have to give her a lot of credit too stay on right in third round uh Rob hunt cnhi uh Kay you mentioned the the turnover was earlier and how bad it was in the first half I kind of want to Circle back that a little bit um what was the kind of the message on that topic at halftime cuz you really clean it up a lot of those turnovers in the first half were were on four what was kind of the message in that first half only four after half yeah I thought a lot of them definitely were unforced whether it was dribbling off the leg back court violation which was not a back court violation you all saw it I don't I don't understand I don't know but that's not a back court violation um yeah I mean and like I felt I felt like one turnover turned into two turnovers and that's was the problem for us and sometimes when it would just play right into their hands like the ones that you know weren't forced that was all our doing um and those are the ones you really have to eliminate if you're you know trying to make a play and it's a good turnover you know we still don't want it but at least give your team a chance to get back and play defense so um I think that was the area we cleaned up the ones in the second half didn't feel as much you know they didn't score as much off of them minus probably the one I threw crosscourt to Lexi that Ryan stole but um a lot better in that area in the second half yeah Leah um coming out of the break you've gone up against plenty of Veteran forwards and and and you've won so is there a conversation uh that you have with yourself a message that you tell yourself coming into these matchups um honestly I just tell myself to dominate like that's really my mindset no matter what um who I'm playing just because like I know what I'm capable of and I know that I'm a and so for me if I go into a game thinking oh my gosh they theyve experienced over me oh my gosh this happened last game then it's I'm already down no matter what and that's not exactly what my team needs and so just continue to come in every single night knowing that um they're going to score and just make it hard for them like I feel like Tina Charles every single time she's played me she's had 20 on my head but that's okay because I come in again and I make it my I try my hardest and we come out with the win that's all right thank you thank you shebly at Jes yeah you talked on Friday about you Christie Sides know the third quarter snowballing just when you got down 16 in the third quarter today how did you just help to prevent that snowballing even more I think that's when I call a timeout pretty quick and um just encouraged them right there during that timeout to we needed to change some things um you know this was um this showed this game showed a lot of growth for our players um you know especially you're talking about the third quarter you know they got out and then we held them to I think like either four or five points the last five minutes and then the same in the fourth quarter held them to five or six points in the last five minutes you know just got to turn it on sooner um got to figure that out understand what we were doing um and and not doing and and I challenged him at halftime because we weren't doing what we were Paul had this scout and we were he he had a great a great game plan and we just weren't executing we were going under screens we weren't supposed to go under um and then we changed all that and so it was just a lot of growth by by us tonight we'll go down the line Matt then Christine yeah Christie um you know from your vantage point I guess was there any um specific examples uh from your team that kind of showed you that they were able to handle that emotional stability you talked about compared to Friday yeah I think I think you saw a different team out there I think there were a lot of moments where they could have um you know got really angry you know let little things bother them um some calls no calls um but I think they did a much better job of just you know handling their emotions not letting it get you know not let getting too upset over things that you know just next play mentality that's what they had they had next play mentality get on to the next Once once we got going that wasn't early you Christine do you know why they didn't get going in other words you know we watched Caitlyn and you asked why they um leave at halftime I mean she was disgusted right and she charged right in there and I figured you know some coaches over the years in football and other sports you know thrown tables and upset water you know coolers and things like that but then they came out of course what Atlanta scored I think it was another nine 10 points do you know why that was happening I I do not know I think we just needed to come out with a little bit more sense of urgency um you know get put ourselves in a position where we're not playing catchup from behind and and just learn to uh come out starts on the defensive end and I can't say that enough and that is where you know offensively we scored 100 points I think in four quarters I don't know exactly but um defensively you you can't just give people confidence and you can't let them um take shots that they like to take and that's just where we have to keep getting that 1% better looking at this one seeing in those moments where we just didn't get get that piece done but it starts on the defensive end for us that was actually the topic I was going to bring up before or the game today you were talking about defense being so important and the crowd was actually chanting it and it not going through your head at the same time yeah no I L it yeah no when when the crowd started chanting defense that was we maybe we get them to do that like to start the game or something I I don't know because you know that got me pumped up and you know it showed um that we you know we started doing what we were supposed to do you got to pressure the ball you got you got to talk you're not you know you're not playing defense I know it's a cliche quote but if you're not talking you're not playing defense we get really silent when we're not doing what we're supposed to do when people are scoring but you know found a way to get it done on that go Scot go Kelsey on the left IIA talked about her message to herself as kind of dominate out there and it's especially in the second half seemed like she was authoritative decisive in her movements Beyond even this game what what have you seen from her in the last week um taking jarge being more authoritative with it in the post when you guys have needed it yeah you know she had a couple buckets that were huge she had the the repost that Lexi she kicked out to Lexi she reposted and Lexi hit her um she just late in that game when we needed to slow down and just run some good offense and and put them in a position where they would either foul us or we would get a bucket and you know Kaylin came down we run ran some good offense we got the ball inside to Aaliyah and she executed what we needed her to I mean what did she end up with 30 and 30 and 13 I mean double double by her um you know it starts there I say it all the time it starts there and that just opens up everybody else go Kelsey on the left and go r on the right lexley obviously a strong Defender but she picked up some early fouls again today um obviously presents a different challenge with her in the starting lineup have you have any conversations with her about may maybe just some adjustments she needs to make defensively especially because she's also a player who you rely on late in the game now yeah we talked about that just discipline just being a little bit more discipline um she tends to get overly aggressive at times when I just you know sometimes she's reaching down for a steal when it might be there but keep your hands high make them take a a tough make a tough two um and just you know that happened the other night as well I mean she picked up those early fouls so yeah you know just need her on the floor um her and Kelsey both are doing great jobs um guarding you know the best offensive player for the opposing team both of them did a great job tonight um at different times go rob and will'll finish up on with one cnhi U one of the things I asked kayit about when she was in here was the message at halftime concerning the turnovers there were 13 in the first half and she agreed that most of them were unforced errors um really clean that up in the second half what was kind of the the the message to to the players at that point yeah I mean I think they had I mean they they total 26 more shots than us anyway even taking care of the ball in the second half I mean honestly I really you know you don't usually get a win like this with that many turnovers and it's just that important we just keep telling them you just got to play good average good defense but got to take care of the ball because we're going to be able to put the ball in the hole I mean that is what we're capable of doing but you can't just keep taking those opportunities Away by you know making turnovers that are not force like on us you know got to clean that up last one on Zoom George go ahead uh coach it's very special to see where the team is now compared to the start of the Season as the coach how do you balance appreciating the journey but also being locked in on what's ahead with the playoff push yeah that was one of my messages during one of our fun timeouts was just you know we're we're not satisfied like there's nothing that we've done yet I mean yeah that was our goal was to to make it to the playoffs but now like what they've shown that they can do like we're not we're not ready to just make that you know where where it lands you know but we can't just um Play The Way We did against Minnesota at times the way we played against Atlanta at times tonight to keep improving so we're ready when that playoff push happens when we get into the playoffs because you're going to play we're going to play one of the top teams in the league again and they you know they have the experience we've got to build that now we've got to build that now when we can't you know just be satisfied and and I don't think they are we've just got to find a way to to get stops early and get us get ourselves going early on the defensive end