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March 10, 2015
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA
Boise State – 64
UNLV - 46
THE MODERATOR: We're joined by UNLV.
Coach, just some opening remarks on today's game.
COACH OLIVIER: I think it's hard to end on this kind of note. I really actually enjoyed this group of players. We had one run in the season. I thought this team was always going to pull it out, they were always going to find a way, get it done.
Today I thought our defense was better than it's been in the last couple games. We played good defense. Held our opponent under 35% from the floor. But we just offensively couldn't get it going.
You know, I thought Redmon had a really good game. She was a strong force inside.
But with that said, great group of seniors. Super proud of them. They're leaving this program as young women, and they're going to be very successful.
THE MODERATOR: We'll now take questions for the student‑athletes.
Q. Dani, they switched man coming out the second half, made a point of emphasis of defending you. Was it frustrating with the effort they made against you?
DANIELLE MILLER: It's not frustrating. I feel like, you know, kind of comes with the territory, being one of the top scorers in the conference. I feel obviously the teams are keying in on me.
Just got to be smarter with the ball. Had four turnovers.
So, you know, I just feel like we could have, you know, executed down the stretch a little better. It starts, you know, with seniors. I'll take the blame for myself. I felt like I could have been a lot smarter down the stretch for us and our team.
Obviously, with being the top scorer in the conference, I feel like I'm creating a lot of attention. I just got to find the open man, try to see a few of my teammates down the stretch. Just came up short, so...
Q. You were up two, then they hit a 10‑point run to the half. Did you start pressing in the second half? Was it just a matter of maybe you started trying too hard?
ALANA CESARZ: I don't think you can ever technically try too hard. I don't know. We just kind of had to try to press towards the end because we were down. I don't think anyone was trying too hard.
But I think maybe sometimes we'd do a little too much, but I don't think we did that tonight. I don't think we adjusted well to the defense the second half, and like Dani said, executed well.
Q. You came out making four of your first seven shots, you were on fire. When they switched to man, they keyed on you. How frustrating was that?
ALANA CESARZ: It's a little frustrating not getting the clean shots in the zone. It was a really smart move on their part to switch. I knew going into the second half they were going to switch to man.
Don't get as clean of looks. But, like I said, it was just smart on their part.
THE MODERATOR: We'll dismiss the student‑athletes at this time. Thank you, ladies.
We'll continue with questions for Coach Olivier.
Q. When they went on that 10‑0 run late in the first half, what were they doing different? Were you thinking of a change in the game plan in the second half knowing you had to switch things up?
COACH OLIVIER: I mean, teams have been doing that to us. They play a little zone, play a little man.
I thought they both said what we talked about. We have to execute better. When teams do that, we got to make sure we set better screens, have to be a little more patient.
I actually thought in the second half we did a good job attacking them early on, and we were getting foul after foul after foul. We didn't really do anything with that, you know.
We, I want to say, picked up five, six quick fouls. We were saying to keep attacking. We thought if we could attack, we could get to the free‑throw line. You have to make your free throws if you get to the free‑throw line. We never got in a groove.
It takes a toll on your defense. If you can't get it done on offense, it takes a toll on your defense. If you can't get it done on defense, it takes a toll on your offense. Those droughts killed us all year.
Q. Talk about how crucial it was to get 14 trips to the line, but you only made eight of them.
COACH OLIVIER: I thought we got to the free‑throw line at a critical time where we needed to get those baskets, then we could do some things different defensively.
I mean, we're a team that attacks the basket. We've done that all season. We've done a really good job of getting to the free‑throw line more than our opponents. There's some games we don't take advantage of that. If you don't make your free throws, it's almost like a turnover.
Alana was on fire at the beginning of the game, got some clean looks against their zone. When a team goes man, I mean, it's just a different game. They were very physical. They started pushing, just being more physical with us. I didn't think we adjusted well with that.
But we did at times, because then we started attacking the basket. You have to make your free throws before attacking the basket.
It was a rough game. We never got on a roll, on a run offensively, defensively. We held them under 35% from the field. That's pretty good defense for us.
Q. Were you surprised at all with how well Boise State rebounded?
COACH OLIVIER: Well, you know, we're actually a good rebounding team. I feel that we are. They beat us twice this year on the boards. We split with them in the season. Obviously they beat us at home, we beat them at their place.
But they beat us both times on the boards. We talked about that.
The other thing we talked about before the game was that it's tournament time, so the refs let you play a little. It was a little more physical. We got to be ready for that. Let's hit them before they hit us.
Again, I don't normally point out opponent players. But I thought Camille was very aggressive and springy. I thought she was the difference in the game, just her rebounding efforts.
Q. Talk a little bit about Rodriguez, eight rebounds also.
COACH OLIVIER: Yeah, she runs things down. We talked about that for the three days we prepped. She's a little go‑getter. We think of those balls as 50/50 balls because she usually runs down the longer ones. It just wasn't our day. Too many times this year it wasn't our day.
Hopefully the players that are returning understand all this. You can't wait for tournament time and think you're going to step it up because it's not going to happen. You can't wait for the season to step it up 'cause it's not going to happen.
You got to be ready to go the first non‑conference game. It's a long season. You play 30 games.
For us, we have a young team. A learning experience. It's hard because these three seniors and Bri Charles included, they were special in so many ways.
I really felt that we were going to get it together and go on a little run, so... Disappointing.
Q. With the way the season ended, do you think that had some carryover effect today? It looked like when you couldn't buy a shot in the second half, it was wearing on the players a little bit.
COACH OLIVIER: Yeah, uhm, I didn't think so. Before the game we had a good mindset, a very refreshing, positive mindset. I think the seniors have a lot to do with that. The young ones do. The freshmen, I mean, they're good. They're going to be really, really good. We have a good mixture of upperclassmen and new players.
I didn't think so, to be honest. I didn't think so. I thought we were flat, which was weird to me because it's tournament time. I get all fired up when I hear the bands. The electricity in Thomas& Mack I absolutely love. Vegas in tournament time, there's nothing like it. I've been in a lot of tournaments in my career.
Mountain West Conference does such a good job with the basketball tournament, such a big event. Everyone takes so much pride. I just felt like we were going to step up and do what the Mountain West does. Thought we could have competed a little better.
Again, we're a team. If things don't go our way, we get a little down about it. You can't do that in life. So it's a life lesson.
Q. Except for last year, a series of one‑and‑outs in this tournament.
COACH OLIVIER: I know.
Q. How frustrating is that?
COACH OLIVIER: I can't even go there. Again, I think I have a group, a really good group, of people. I think my coaches work incredibly hard. I have a great staff. I have a very supportive administration. I truly believe UNLV has it going on. We got it going on. Now we got to get it right.
I know people think it's our home court. It's really not. I think that's the hard part.  I had players going to classes today. I had players that missed shoot‑around because they had a lab. You know, I think that's hard for UNLV. It's probably hard for the men.
Sometimes it's good to be in a hotel and you're just doing your own thing, you're in your own little pod. I think that part is hard.
But I love that it's here. I love what we do. I love what the Mountain West does. I think they do an incredible job. It's better than any tournament that I've ever gone to. We've got to figure this out and not be one‑and‑done because it's really, really old.
THE MODERATOR: Thank you, coach.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports
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