Our defense kind of dictates the whole game for us. In the six years I've been here, we always talk about defense first.

From Day 1, we've stressed defense, defense, defense. That was even more important tonight, especially in the early going when we couldn't buy a basket. To hold them to 14 points in the first half was huge.

There's a different feel this time of year for us, and I'm sure for them as well. Since it's been almost two months since we last played each other, there's no doubt that both teams have grown and changed. There's always something new to counter.

That early deficit put us behind the 8-ball for sure. But I told the girls to keep their heads up, and we battled back.

That was the start we've been looking for all season. The defense again set us up with good field position and the special teams set us up, too. We had a short field to work with, but we finished it off.

If our secondary can develop, I believe the defense can be a real strength for us.