Q. Ta'Niya, a few moments ago, in LSU's press conference, they said that you require all five on the floor to guard you. What does that level of respect mean to you. How do you plan adjusting to the different looks they may throw your way?
TA'NIYA LATSON: It means a lot. A lot of teams game plan for me, so I'm not really surprised by that statement. Just get my teammates involved, and we're going to shoot a lot of 3s. And we're going to get in the paint too with Kay Kay. Just get my teammates involved and it will open up the floor for me.
Q. Ta'Niya, you played against Flau'Jae in high school. Could you talk about her individual play and what it was like going up against her and what you plan to bring to the game tomorrow?
TA'NIYA LATSON: Me and Flau'Jae go way back. We used to train together a little bit too. She's a phenomenal player. She's grown. She's stronger now. She's bigger now. She can shoot the ball. She's always great to play against. She's a good person, too, off the court, too. I'm going to enjoy playing against Flau'Jae and LSU tomorrow.
Q. How does it feel, you two are seniors, just being here seeing this next game, getting over the hump of winning the first game that you guys have battled for the last couple of years?
MAKAYLA TIMPSON: I would say it means a lot. Like you said, we battled a couple of years. But to get that first win yesterday, it was incredible, just to get our university back where we started. I'm just excited to go into the game tomorrow, have a lot of confidence in my team.
Q. You guys play a similar brand of basketball as LSU. What do you expect to see from them tomorrow?
O'MARIAH GORDON: I expect them to just attack, just attack, attack. They shoot a lot of 3s, play a lot of 1-v-1. They have a lot of good players from posts, from guards to point guards, they have it all. I expect them to try to rip it down our throats. But we have to come out, be strong, be confident on the defensive end, get rebounds, and play our game.
Q. Unlike the men's game, you have to go on an opposing floor, go up against opposing fan base. Do you feel like you've prepared for that, the games you've played during the regular season and so forth? How do you approach that?
TA'NIYA LATSON: Definitely, in the ACC, it's a lot of great fan bases from NC State to Notre Dame. We're used to those type of environments. We're not really scared to go against LSU and their crowd, but we do have our work cut out for us. They're a great team, well-coached team. We're excited for the opportunity tomorrow. We're trying to get this win.
Q. You got off to a quick start yesterday. How important is it to replicate it tomorrow?
MAKAYLA TIMPSON: I would say it's very important. LSU, they're a good basketball team, well coached. We have to have the energy from the start. That's what's going to make it a good game for us. I'm excited to play tomorrow.
O'MARIAH GORDON: Like Kay Kay said, we've got to come from the start. We've got to play 40 whole minutes. This time of year, 32 teams left, obviously everybody has the same goals. Everybody wants to go to the Sweet 16 right now. We want to separate ourselves from everybody else, and we're going to play 40 minutes to do so.
Q. You guys are the highest scoring trio in the country but here at LSU they have the big three. Does it excite you as a competitor to basically show what y'all are made of?
TA'NIYA LATSON: Oh, definitely. They have a great big three from Mikaylah Williams and Flau'Jae Johnson and Aneesah. We have our work cut out for us. Like we said, they're a phenomenal team. We have to come in with confidence, play 40 minutes, like O said, and be aggressive.
Q. Not only starting out strong but ending strong. You had 31 in the fourth yesterday. O'Mariah, you had nine of those. What does it say about your team's ability to finish strong and how that's going to translate into tomorrow?
O'MARIAH GORDON: Honestly, we did very well on the offensive end in the fourth quarter but it started with our defense. I don't know how many points we held them to in the fourth quarter, but I know it wasn't many at all. So our defense is what's going to really determine the game and rebounding at the end of the game.
Q. For any and all, do you guys prefer high-scoring games? Is that something that sort of fits your system and how you want to play, or would you rather it be more of a defensive battle?
MAKAYLA TIMPSON: I would say that's kind of what we prefer, I would say. We play fast. We don't really know how to play slow. We just get out and run and do what we're supposed to do on offense.
Q. LSU did mention that they do like to dictate their own pace and slow the game down sometimes, work the ball around on offense and so forth. This is obviously a game between teams that can do some of the same things, but in some ways do you expect there to be moments of the game where there are contrasting styles and you're having to try to adjust to each other and figure out how to go through that?
TA'NIYA LATSON: Yeah, definitely, they're super handsy, physical defensively. They come and help. They dig. Like I said, they're physical and big. We have to be strong and limit our turnovers. That's the keys to the game. If we win that battle, we'll okay.
Q. What have you guys usually done or how do you feel like -- you find a lot of teams trying to slow you down with pressing, stuff like that, disrupt your rhythm. It doesn't seem to have worked. Why do you think that is?
O'MARIAH GORDON: I think that's because we continue to play us, continue to be us no matter what defense a team throws at us, whether it's full-court press or zone. We have to continue to be us, shoot 3s, continue to shoot the gaps and work around it.
Q. Makayla, did you guys stay and watch LSU last night?
MAKAYLA TIMPSON: A little bit. We watched the first half of the game.
Q. What did you think of their paint play? They have some size, and they have obviously have Aneesah Morrow working down there? Kind of undersized, very feisty player?
MAKAYLA TIMPSON: Are you asking me --
Q. What do you think the challenge they present in the paint?
MAKAYLA TIMPSON: I would say they play inside/out. It's going to be physical down there. I just have to compete and do what I can for my teammates. That's what I would say. Do it to the best of my ability and be able to represent this team.
Q. In last night's game for LSU, their bench stepped up like they hadn't really all year. Is there anything maybe that surprised you guys as you all got ready and scouted for today?
TA'NIYA LATSON: No, not really. They were a really good team. We were expecting their bench to come off. They're really deep, too, that's what makes the team so special. They have a lot of good guards and posts that can come off the bench, give them really great minutes and score a lot of points. They're super deep, and we've just got to wear them down, as they will try to do to us. Just gotta compete.
Q. Ta'Niya, you drove and got to the rack easy yesterday. Do you think it's going to be more difficult to do the same thing on Monday and how will that alter your approach?
TA'NIYA LATSON: Definitely. They're more handsy. Like what K. Mokey (phonetic) or LSU said, they said they need five players to stop me from getting to the basket. I know they're going to try to pack the paint because that's where I get most of my shots. Just get my teammates involved will obviously help me get to the basket more easily.
Q. Is there a team you guys faced this year that play similarly to LSU?
O'MARIAH GORDON: I would say maybe Tennessee. They have a different style of play, but I definitely say, when it comes to players and being in the SEC and being big and having guards that are versatile and post players that are versatile, I would say Tennessee for sure. Even though we lost that game, it was a great game. It gave us a great challenge, and it prepared us for moments like this.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports