THE MODERATOR: We're ready to talk to some ladies from Florida State University. To my immediate left is Ta'Niya Latson, and to my far left is Makayla Timpson. Welcome to Baton Rouge. Congratulations on your season. Congratulations on making it here.
Makayla, since you're a senior, I'm going to break the ice and start with you. Tell us about the journey, a recap of the road to get Florida State here to the regional.
MAKAYLA TIMPSON: I would say we had a pretty great season. We won a lot of good games. We did way better than we did last year, and that was our biggest goal for us to come into this tournament to be a 6 seed, but we've just got to keep going. I'm grateful to be here and excited.
Q. Ta'Niya, you had eight teams in your conference that made the tournament. I'm curious, playing that type of competition in the ACC, what did that do to help prepare you, do you think, to what you're about to face at tournament time?
TA'NIYA LATSON: Of course I believe that we play in one of the best conferences in the country. The ACC, it's a dogfight any game. It's just a testament to how good our conference is. It's going to help us during this March Madness run.
Q. Ta'Niya, George Mason will likely focus on you a lot of their defense. How do you plan on preparing for double-teams that they're going to throw your way?
TA'NIYA LATSON: I've been facing double-teams all year, so that's not nothing new to me. I've seen this defense before.
Getting my teammates involved is really important. I feel like, if we share the ball and we play the right way and we play our system, the game is ours, but we have to do the little things like defense, rebound. That's been a really big thing for us over the last couple of weeks.
Yeah, just doing all the little things will help us win this game.
Q. Ta'Niya, let me ask you this question about your teammate Makayla sitting to the left of you. I want to talk about defense. Since she's the only one in the Power 4 with three games of seven or more blocks, what does that do defensively for you all when you know she's got your back?
TA'NIYA LATSON: Gives us a break. She helps us out a lot. Usually when we get beat, we just send it to the wolf, and that's KK. She times every block perfectly, and she gives us energy on both ends of the floor. We're just grateful to have her down there offensively and defensively.
Q. You all had streaks this season of seven wins and then streaks of six wins, two different nice long winning streaks of the season. What were those consistencies of those winning streaks that you hope to carry over when the tournament starts?
MAKAYLA TIMPSON: I would say we go on those winning streaks when we have two losses. Right now we're coming out of of two losses, so we're trying to get all the wins we can. I feel like that streak will come back during this time, and I'm just ready for it.
Q. Trying to set the scene. Hey, you only need six to get the title. Setting the stage maybe, you're laying it out there. This is the 12th straight tournament for your program. It's one of the longer active streaks. Both of you are upperclassmen. Both of you answer what that experience means. Since you all have been here, done that before. It's certainly a different time of year, different level of play. How will that experience, tournament experience help you all?
TA'NIYA LATSON: It helps us a lot. I feel like we have a lot of vets on this team. We don't have any freshmen. I feel like everybody understands the game. We've been here before, like you said, and it's just a matter of us actually doing some damage in the March Madness tournament.
That's one of our goals, and I feel like we will achieve it, especially with this team.
MAKAYLA TIMPSON: I would say the same thing. We've got great experienced people on our team. We've been here before, but we want to reach past that first round. We're hungry for it. So we're excited and going to go in tomorrow and win the game.
Q. How important is it for a quick start? Because everybody talks about tournament play is a different level. The atmosphere, the crowds, everybody knowing the next loss is the last loss. How important would a quick start mean for you?
TA'NIYA LATSON: A quick start means a lot for us. We know we want to get out there and run. I feel like George Mason hasn't seen a team like us, and we haven't seen a team like them. It's different for both teams.
Defense is really the key for both teams. I feel like that's what matters in tournaments like this. Shots don't always fall, so we have to rely on our defense.
Q. Makayla, do you like that you're seeing an opponent you haven't seen so everything is brand new?
MAKAYLA TIMPSON: Oh, yeah, it's always exciting to play new people instead of playing the same people in our conference.
Q. For either one of you, is there a mantra or motto that you guys are taking into this tournament?
MAKAYLA TIMPSON: I would say One is our motto we've been doing ever since the summer practices. So one just means something different for each player. It can mean like one rebound or like one look, one system, one heart -- anything associated to how they feel about it, but that's what we've been going for all this time during each game.
TA'NIYA LATSON: Yeah, One is our motto of the season. We've been sticking with that. It's on our practice jerseys. It's on our walls, everything. We say it when we huddle.
That just means coming together as a team whether, like she said, it's a rebound, one love, one anything. It means that we're together.
Q. I wanted to ask you all you're one of the best offensive teams in the country. What has allowed you to play that level of offense, and how do you think it can help you get through this region?
MAKAYLA TIMPSON: I would say playing fast and playing free. We've got the scorer leading the nation's scorers right here. We just play for each other, and we just get a lot of possessions and make sure we score on every possession that we can.
TA'NIYA LATSON: Yeah. Coach Bill has a system where we play fast and we play hard and we attack them. I feel like that plays hand in hand to how I play, how my team plays. We all have the green light to be ourselves, and I feel like that's what makes our team so special.
Q. I'll ask you a quick follow-up on that offensively because the team that's hosting here has been known to have a big 3. You have a big 3 that's the leading big 3 in the country. Have you all focused on how important it is for others to step up and support and what that would mean in the tournament?
MAKAYLA TIMPSON: Yeah, it would mean a lot. We had a couple players, they stepped up in our season maybe a month ago when Ta'Niya and O was out. We know what our teammates are capable of doing, and we just have to be consistent with it.
Q. For those who don't know, she just said you were out with injury. Are you okay?
TA'NIYA LATSON: Yeah, I'm fine. I'm ready to play.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports