COLLEGE PARK, Md. – Members of the Norfolk State Women's basketball team spoke with a wide variety of media outlets on Friday afternoon prior to the team's open practice at the XFINITY Center, preparing for the team's NCAA Tournament first round game against No. 4 Maryland on Saturday at 4 p.m.

Here are some of the Spartans' top quotes from Friday: Opening Statement:
"Good afternoon. First of all, we're just happy to be here. This never gets old coming to the NCAA tournament. You know you work so hard for it. It's your number one goal especially for us as program every summer. It's an honor to be here three times in a row."
 
On what the team learned from its last two NCAA Tournament appearances
"Well, year one, you know, even drawing South Carolina, we were just happy to be there. If you would've heard us in some of our pre-game stuff, we were talking like we generally don't talk. Last year with Stanford it wasn't unhappy to be here, but wanted to have a lot better performance, and we kind of did that up until about the middle of the second. Then they kind of just jumped on us a little bit. This year, we're a seasoned group with nothing to lose. I'm not saying we're coming in here to win but we're coming to compete for 40 minutes and try to keep the score a lot closer than some of the other games have been."
 
On putting the world on notice about the brand of basketball in the MEAC
"It started last year. March Madness did an amazing seven-minute documentary on us. It's on YouTube if you haven't seen it. So, adding Diamond -- where we won 26 games the year before and people were like, why would she go there? They have a good program there. I thought the NCAA and March Madness has done a tremendous job, especially in the women's basketball space, promoting our program, what we do on social media and just throughout the year. You know, just that exposure, you can't pay for it."
 
"So, as we got into the three-peat this year we wanted to just do even more special stuff. We had 26 and then 27. We didn't talk about 30 at all. I can't sit up here and say that was even one my dreams as a head coach here to win 30 games. It's not something what you even dream of at this level. But as it got closer, after we beat Auburn after Christmas we were like, oh, it's attainable, but we have to be perfect to do so."
 
On how special this group is
"This group is very special. It starts with Niya and Makoye. They're the foundation of our team. They were class of 2020. That's our foundation and they built this. Niya is three years in a row unanimous team captain. You know, we do a little voting system. She gets three votes every time from everybody. Last year I was glad that the league gave her second team, averaging six points per game. Her and Makoye are our foundation. Makoye is our energy."

"Those two really started it all. Then we got a chance to add Diamond, you know, add some others. So, this group will be super special. I tell them at this point they're playing for legacy. How many of you are going into the rafters? How big is the picture of us going be in the gym? Little stuff to motivate them."
 
"I was pleased last year in the transfer portal. We had nine returners. Didn't lose anybody in the portal at all. And we don't pay a ton, so that speaks to our culture and the love they have for each other in that locker room."
   
On lessons learned from previous tournament experiences
"I say we can't start off slow. A lot of our games we start off slow, down by 20, 15, 10. Against a team like Maryland we cannot start off that far behind, especially because it'll be hard to come back. Like Kierra said, just discipline. Little mistakes we were making in previous games we can't make because they are going to capitalize off  of it every time. We have got to be disciplined and play our game. We have to come to the game confident and compete like we do every game."
 
On the excitement to be closer to home
"I mean, it's good. Like you said we're close to our home. We have a lot of family up here. Our other teammates do as well. Sitting in this seat last year, like you said, we were in Cali. It was three hours ahead and the time zone was a lot to deal with. So, we're kind of fortunate enough to be close to home. Looking forward to having a good fan base tomorrow. Just the support that we need to make sure we feel like a home game. It feels good."
   
On playing under pressure, and the chance to be the hunter again instead of the hunted
"It was really no pressure coming into the conference tournament. It was just because we had a lot of experience. Also like this group is very mature. Like I've been playing with Makoye for three years. I've also been playing with Niya for three years, Da'naijah for three years. Me and Diamond have a great connection and it's only been two years with us. We spent a lot of time together. So really no pressure. We've been put in every situation possible the last three years. It was just kind of second nature to us, no pressure."
 
On coach Vickers impact on this team
"One thing Coach Vickers taught me is glass ceilings. Like once you reach a goal, once you reach the ceiling, you want to break through it. I've been very grateful that he came in with that mindset. That's kind of the mindset I want to take on for the rest of my life, not being satisfied and not getting comfortable. Yes, we did break goals. They didn't think we were going to make it when they were the 16 seed and now we're the 13 seed. Just very appreciative for his hard work and his motivation and that keeps me motivated. I love his level of competition. He always wants to compete, and I'm a competitor all around. Just being around that environment has helped me grow a lot."