"Our Group Just Wants To Win." | Alanna Smith & Courtney Williams Postgame Sound | 09.13.24

that's pretty stunning number isn't it yeah it's nice so I mean for all the points scored I mean talk about the defense that you guys slapped on after the first quarter I think they were 9 for 17 in the first quarter they shot 28% the rest of the way what was the key to that um I think we had to buckle down and uh protect the paint um obviously we knew that uh they was going to try and attack us through the paint so um yeah they got it going in that first quarter and you know we had to refresh res it and get it popping coach was saying in the before the game that when your guys are playing the kind of Defense you're playing over this stretch that you can have stretches where you don't execute the way you want to on offense and still come out on top you guys kind of started slow in the first quarter and in the fourth quarter but over you know the defense was always there right yeah I think um that's the good thing about being a good defensive team is that you might miss a couple shots in a row but you can rely on the fact that you know they're not going to score or at least we're going to attempt to try and not let them score um and if the score was like 60 to 70 we would be happy you know like lowc scoring games are fine as long as we get a win um and we rely on our defense to do that double doubles for both of you season High and in rebounds I think for for you um when you guys did get going offensively it seemed like it was just a classic kind of share the ball everybody taking the shot down of situation wasn't it go right um I think like I remember one play where it kind of encapsulates like what our style of basketball is where the the ball was kicked out to Chi for a wide open three and she passed it up for a wide open Maisha in the paint um and chy could have taken that shot and it would have been a great shot cuz ch's an amazing three-point shooter but she chose to get Give It Up to m in the paint by herself under the basket and I think that kind of um represents what we do as a whole on the floor is we might have a great shot but we know that we want our teammates to succeed as well and Courtney kept getting mad at me today for passing up shots and I said Courtney I'm trying to get you the ball that's how you went seven for 10 my last question I mean uh there was a lot made U of Chicago talking a lot about how they didn't think you guys could defend them in the paint or Rebound with him was was there any of that motivation today you guys got more Second Chance points and outrebounded him yeah I mean we don't really get into all the you know all the chatting we just going to show you and that's what we did did we outrebound them yeah we did okay believe it so we did what we needed to do uh Courtney and great night for you as well but you know six for your last six um I believe in a couple games ago he said if they go under the screen I'm going to take it it felt like you were getting a lot of space out there was that surprising you know how many open looks they were giving up to you at any point I mean honestly every team is doing it so I'm kind of getting used to just getting to my spots because she has great screeners that's a fact and no for real all jokes aside I think it's because like people choose the Lesser evil and the Lesser evil like statistically is long twos so but that's what I do to lay up yeah so it's like are you going to give up land wide open three or fee midrange in in the pocket or are you going to give up my long too and I think teams choose to give up my long too but we going to keep shooting um I've had a chance to ask you about this individually but both you here together you guys are obviously very excited to come here uh in the offseason when you got introduced together just how how fulfilling and fun of an experience has it been now that you're at 28 and N that M matches a franchise high and and wins in a season like it seemed like you were very confident at the very beginning but like did you see it going this well and just how much fun is it to be here together winning all these games I just help right um I think you know we had a really tough season last year it was really challenging and not to say that there weren't moments that we enjoyed but um overall it was quite a challenging season so to come here together and um it be as successful as it has been and have our own personal success as well um like it's just it's it's why you play like it's why we do what we do you want to be able to play good basketball with good people um and we've we've been really really fortunate enough to land ourselves in a very very good position with great people um and I know I'm really fortunate to have been able to do it with Courtney like I don't think I would have been able to get through the season last year without having Courtney as a teammate it was like it was quite challenging and so knowing what we went went through and being able to use those experiences um and apply it together this year and being as successful as we are like it's just it makes it all worth it and I think from the very beginning we we knew that we had the potential to win a ship like we were ranked ninth right yeah and we were like what what the hell like we're actually really good like in training camp we were like this is bull like yeah like we're we're really good and I think um we we continue to prove that each week and yeah it's just a joy to do it with the group that we have kind of going off of that you know the last shot before you guys checked out of the game was that Courtney dish out to you for three uh little celebration at midc court did that mean a little something extra being against Chicago or n no it was extra because that was my 10th deas and I had missed five thrs before that and I kept telling her to shoot so I was just hyped that she finally made a shot and I got my tth decision and Courtney going off of that I mean as this season has progressed your leadership role on this team bringing players in together for huddles talking to them even on the court during free throws has just kind of grown and grown what's that meant to you to be able to step into that leadership role and kind of be the voice of this team yeah I mean it meant a lot to me um coming in coming into this team Cheryl told me to be vocal and she told me she would have my back in everything that I said and that I did um and I feel like that just gave me that Comfort to be able to you know coach my teammates up talk to my teammates um yeah and they're so receptive they so coachable and myself included I think we just want to win I say this all the time our group just want to win so if that means anybody from our train us to our media it don't even matter right anybody can tell us something and I think we receive it and don't like try and just be a energy vampire I don't think we have no energy vampires on our team um so it makes it easy like I said to just talk to my teammates and them talk to me as well so like Lance said we just have such a great group man and I'm I'm so fortunate to be here with not only L but like she said just great people man sure for either player another really strong third quarter by the Minnesota links what what what is the key to that I think it's really important to come out out of half time um really strong it sets the tone for the second half and I think half time is a chance to kind of reset get back to the basics and I we do a really really good job of um assessing what we need to fix and then doing it on the court and I think that's a testament to our coaches one telling us and identifying what we need to do and then us as players on the floor being able to do it um and it's what wins US games like it's really really hard to play against a team who comes out punching after half it's really really hard and I think we do a really good job of that and fr you get nice to get some momentum you've got a big couple of games coming up about East how important to go into that on a rooll knowing how important those games are going to be yeah yeah I mean it's super important obviously we want to stay at that two spot um you know hopefully New York fumble a little bit and give us opportunity to get that number one spot but I mean obviously we just want momentum going into the playoffs so we want to come out every night and and get wins so I think that's our goal go out get wins and go into the playoffs with all the momentum this being the last regular um season game um how does it feel playing against your fans and like what has been like something that has been like a highlight of your season with the fans we got one more we got one more or is that the regular season the LA Sparks oh yeah we yeah yeah we've got one I'm sorry second to last okay I think um playing being having a Home courau Advantage uh is is important um and playing at Target Center with the links fans um i' I've said this so many times but I remember being on other teams and coming to Minnesota and playing in Target Center and hating it because yeah the fans the fans are really good the fans provide a really good atmosphere um you can hear them the entire game like I when I was sitting on the bench all I could hear was like fans from the Baseline just like screaming the entire time and it was awesome like it's so good for the home team to be able to feel that and it makes it really hard for a visiting team to play against um so yeah being able to have homec court advantage is awesome especially when you've got the type of fans that we do and so like that last regular season game that we'll play against La will be like a really special game I think because it marks like the end of a great season that we had playing in front of those guys like being able to play in front of the lynx fans is another reason why we do it it's it's super fun last one again for either one of you Misha just continues to integrate herself into this team and do big things I mean that three she hit after you guys kind of started a little slow on the four that was a huge shot um we just talk about how quickly she's kind of become a huge contributor for you yeah I mean Ma has been in this league for a minute now um so again her coming in with the experience that she has and she she just like us super coachable she receives things well she um she learns fast um and honestly she's a great addition for us um coming off the bench doing what she did her physicality um the way she passes the ball I mean thank you God yes yes for real