March 16, 2001

DURHAM, N.C.-The NCAA held press conferences for UWM and Duke before their scheduled practices on Friday afternoon at Cameron Indoor Stadium. UWM coach Sandy Botham, with players Teri Stoltenberg and Jessica Wilhite, and Duke coach Gail Goestenkors, with players Georgia Schwietzer and Rochelle Parent, answered questions by the media.

COACH BOTHAM ON MAKING THE TOURNAMENT:

" We're just thrilled to be here. It's one of those dreams come true. You work so hard for so long, and to actually see it become a reality is so exciting for everyone involved with our program and with the university. It's an exciting time for us. When we saw on the screen we were playing number one-seeded Duke, we were like, 'Oh, man.' But why not the first time play the best and see what we can do? And I'm proud of these kids. I'm so happy for them to have this experience."

BOTHAM ON KEYS TO SATURDAY'S GAME "You can never prepare for it. It's hard to simulate an environment, especially because we've never been in it before. We know that poise is going to be really important. Keeping our heads, staying in the moment, and focusing on the task at hand."

SENIOR GUARD TERI STOLTENBERG ON ADVANCING TO THE TOURNAMENT:

"We worked very hard to get to this point. We're excited and thrilled about being in the tournament. What better way to make our first appearance in the NCAA Tournament than to play a team like Duke."

STOLTENBERG ON BEING NERVOUS BEFORE SATURDAY'S GAME:

"I think we'd be lying if we said we weren't nervous. I had butterflies just waking down the hallway in this place. Just the differences between where we are and where this program is. But of course, you're going to have nerves. You're going to have nerves every time you step on the floor. It's not going to be trouble for us to get up for this game. If you can't get up for a game like this, you shouldn't be playing college basketball."

STOLTENBERG ON DUKE: "They're a very guard-oriented team so that means on both ends of the floor, we're going to have to play that much harder. As far as Jess is concerned, I think we just have to make sure that we're setting a lot of tough screens. We can't rely just on her to get herself her own shot. We have to help because she is such an important piece to our team. She has the ability to get her shot off at anytime. She has the quickest release of anyone I've ever played with. She'll have confidence, we'll make sure of that."

SOPHOMORE GUARD JESSICA WILHITE ON BEING GUARDED BY DUKE FRESHMAN ALANA BEARD:

"Yeah, that thought has crossed my mind that she might be guarding me. It doesn't worry me though. We have plenty of scorers on the team. If one of us isn't scoring, the others step up."

DUKE HEAD COACH GAIL GOESTENKORS ON SATURDAY'S GAME "We are excited to be playing again. It feels like we have been off forever. I know the players are tired of playing against one another in practice. We are ready to move on and play someone else. We think it will be a great challenge for us. UWM is playing great basketball right now. They are a very unselfish team and execute very well. They are very well coached, tenacious, and play with a lot of heart and hustle. Those are things that we pride ourselves in as well. They get loose balls and dive on the floor, and do all the little things that make a good team great. They have a great outside shooter in Wilhite. She is playing her best basketball of the year and really carried them through the tournament. They are very patient offensively and they work the high/low as good as anybody, so we are going to have to be ready to play some defense. We want to focus on playing our game."

GOESTENKORS ON DEFENDING WILHITE: "We don't want her to get 36 on us. We don't feel like we are going to shut her down because she is such a great guard and is so versatile. She is going to score some and that is okay. We just cannot allow her to have an All-America night. We are hoping to have a little more size on her with Georgia (Schweitzer) and a little bit more athleticism on her with Alana (Beard). We will give her some different looks that make her work for her points."

DUKE SENIOR GUARD GEORGIA SCHWEITZER ON DUKE'S BIGGEST ADVANTAGE GOING INTO THE GAME: "They are a great team and they would not be in the tournament unless they were. Obviously our biggest advantage is playing at home.l That is always helpful, but other than that, you have to be ready to play. They are going to come out with everything they have."

SCHWEITZER ON BEING THE TOP SEED: "Initially we were very excited about the No. 1 seed. At least for Rochelle (Parent) and me, we have been here four years and we know the seeds don't mean too much. We have pulled off our own upsets a couple times and have been upset."

DUKE SENIOR FORWARD ROCHELLE PARENT:

"We are excited to come out and play. We have had two weeks off and are ready for our first NCAA Tournament game. I am going to contribute the same thing I contribute every night, great defense and rebounding."