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PAC-12 WOMEN'S BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT

March 4, 2016

Seattle, Washington

UCLA - 72, Arizona - 51

We've got the Arizona Wildcats, Coach Niya Butts, LaBrittney Jones, and Keyahndra Cannon.

NIYA BUTTS: Thank you guys for sticking around again. Obviously, this one didn't end the way we wanted it to, but it was certainly a better second half. I think we tied them in the second half, which we took better care of the basketball in the second half, but just didn't have enough fire power. They were making shots there early in the first half, and we just didn't have enough to combat it. Didn't rebound the ball well enough early.

Q. Coach, I know you talked about how much you love the University of Arizona?
NIYA BUTTS: Absolutely.

Q. But now that this has come to an end, what are you going to remember about your time in Tucson?
NIYA BUTTS: You know what? The people. I can't say enough about the people, from the players to the staff, the administration, the folks in Tucson, you know, our fans. Win or lose, you know sometimes by small margins, sometimes by big margins, no matter what, our fans stayed in that crowd and cheered us on until the last second, and you have to appreciate that. I'll always be grateful to the folks and my friendships there. You couldn't ask for a better place and with better people. So I will forever be in debt to University of Arizona and all of the folks in Tucson.

Q. Keyahndra, this was your last game with the Wildcats. What do you think you'll remember most from your time at Arizona?
KEYAHNDRA CANNON: Definitely the coaching staff, my teammates. It's a great place. It's pretty tough that we lost the last one, but I mean, throughout my years, I feel like I've grown as a person, just being around these people and made great friends.

Q. LaBrittney and Keyahndra, what was it like for you guys playing under Coach Butts?
LABRITTNEY JONES: Playing under Coach Butts is great. She's a great coach for us, and I just love her.

NIYA BUTTS: I didn't tell her to say that.

LABRITTNEY JONES: I'm going to miss her a lot. She pushes us hard, she always encouraging us and she's always looking out for the best of us on and off the court. So that`s all you can ask in a coach and that's what I`m going to miss the most.

NIYA BUTTS: You guys got a minute?

KEYAHNDRA CANNON: For me, just how much she cares. I feel like me personally she pushed me and helped me grow and I'll miss her a lot. Even though this is my last year, but I hate to see her go.

Q. Can you talk about the final moments for you guys in the locker room as a team? The last time you're all together in that unit? What we've seen shared. Coach, I know you have had a white board of inspiration going on all the time. Can you just take us inside that experience for you?
LABRITTNEY JONES: I mean, those last moments are bittersweet, just being with the coaches and together, just bittersweet. Just everyone saying how thankful they were FOR each other, and how good of people our coaching staff were. It's just going to be different for us next year. So I mean I cherish those type of moments.

KEYAHNDRA CANNON: To me, this is definitely bittersweet, because this is my last year. But I felt like we gave it all. So I mean, you can't ask for much more.

Q. Coach, I know you've been busy preparing for the tournament and trying to get your team to advance as much as possible. But have you given much thought to what you want to do beyond right now?
NIYA BUTTS: You know, I haven't. I've had a couple calls about doing different things, but right now I just want to take some time and kind of sit down and relax a little bit. But I'm a blessed individual. I have no worries about what the next chapter is going to be at all. I think opportunities will come. I think when you try to do the right things you work as hard as you can work. I don't doubt my abilities as a coach. Sometimes things just don't work out, and we've all been privy or part of some of those situations. So I don't know. You got a job lined up for me? You got something I can do? Talk to me now. Do we need to keep in contact with each other? Yeah, I don't know. I don't know.

Obviously, I love coaching, but I can certainly do other things. I'm pretty confident in that. But right now it's going to be kind of take a deep breath and just kind of see what happens.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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