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PAC-12 WOMEN'S BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT

March 5, 2016

Seattle, Washington

UCLA - 73, Cal - 67

THE MODERATOR: We welcome California, we've got coach Lindsay Gottlieb, Courtney Range, and Kristine Anigwe. Coach, I'll let you open.

LINDSAY GOTTLIEB: Oh, it's harder coming out here first. I was in the locker room and saw you guys, and you guys made me emotional. First I'd like to credit UCLA. That's a really good basketball team, and they're going to go deep in March, maybe into April. And I for one will be cheering for them. This has been such a crazy year for us, and the Pac-12 coaches have been unbelievable. But Cori has been a great friend. They went through some stuff last year, and I told her, hey, a Cal team, let's be on that team, went to the Final Four two years later, and I think you had (indiscernible). And she similarly responded this year, just encouraging us to keep our heads up and I really appreciate that. There are a lot of tough kids in that locker room and, again, credit to them for coming back from a deficit and doing what they need to do. But I'd like to talk about the kids in our locker room. And I told them in there, celebrating is the most fun part, and winning is really fun. But the second best thing in some weird way is having your guts ripped out and feeling like, you know, you want to cry, because that means you left everything out there, and I think our players did that today. I think they've done it all tournament. And I really credit them for in the middle of this difficult season being able to decide what they wanted for themselves and not wait till next year. I think we're just disappointed to lose this game and not to be playing in the final, and not to have the chance to cut down nets this time or playing in the NCAA Tournament. But I am not discouraged. I have a lot of respect for them as a coach. We still have a lot of room to grow, but I'm not concerned about their character, and I'm not concerned about our talent. I'm excited to move forward and get this off-season going. I'm sure they want a little rest, but I'm really proud of our team. And we will be back.

Q. After three games in this tournament, two of them going into overtime, you're only playing six or seven women, do you think they ran out of gas in the overtime?
LINDSAY GOTTLIEB: I think maybe the overtime was tough for us. Obviously, they had hit a big three. They had the momentum going in. I think I'll watch the film and see. I think our players laid their bodies on the line, that's for sure. A play here or there could have gone either way in regulation or overtime. But both teams left it on the floor. I just think they made the critical plays at the exact right time in order to pull this one out.

Q. Kristine came back on the floor with 6:00 to go in the fourth. Do you wish you would have put her in sooner? Were you having talks about that on the bench about how long to leave her on the bench?
LINDSAY GOTTLIEB: I've been pretty liberal all year with playing her with fouls, playing her with two in the first half, going back with her with three quite early. Most people would hold someone to three or four minutes, you know when they have fouls. So I think it was six and a half. But I don't know. I'll have to look at the film, but I was pretty comfortable with that. It was such a physical game, that she could have gone in at seven and picked up her fifth right then. But I didn't want that to happen. It was obviously enough to take a lead. I mean, we had a three-point lead. So just wish we could have gotten one more stop.

Q. Courtney, can you talk about Korver's three, and what you thought that did to you guys emotionally?
COURTNEY RANGE: She's one heck of a player. I credit her for knocking it down. But she was just in the right spot at the right time and she just knocked it down.

Q. Coach and players, I know it might be tough to put this in perspective coming off a tough loss, but what are you going to remember from this tournament run being the number 10 seed and nearly going to the final?
LINDSAY GOTTLIEB: I think I'm going to remember when we're really, really good again and we're doing all the things that we want to do, I am not going to forget what it took to get there. I am not going to forget that it's not easy sometimes. I'm not going to forget that our players stuck with me, stuck with each other, and stuck with us when it's not easy to do so when you're not winning, and they found something this weekend that was the starting point for where we're going to go. I'll not forget the way they carried themselves and the excitement and fun they brought to this tournament. Knocking off a Top 10 team, taking another top 15 to overtime, and proving that we have it in us.

Q. Kristine, did you, in the second quarter you limped out. I was wondering what exactly happened to you there? And late in the game I think you hit your head. It looks like you hit your head pretty hard on the floor. What happened there too?
KRISTINE ANIGWE: Well, UCLA plays very physical, so, of course we were just going at each other the whole time. But I felt like the game was very physical and we just tried our best and they tried their best too.

Q. Lindsay, if you had an NIT invitation, do you think you'd take it?
LINDSAY GOTTLIEB: Yeah, yeah.

Q. Over the last decade there have been a lot of good post players to come through Cal. Can you share where this season ranks in there? And of all the players, does she have the best hands of any player that's come through Berkeley recently?
LINDSAY GOTTLIEB: Well, I did the filibuster of names yesterday. You're going to make me do it again, because there`s are a lot of great Cal post players, Talia Caldwell, Ashley Walker, Shonda Gray. You're asking me to pick a set of hands out of there. I don't know. But I will say, if she's not national Freshman of the Year, I don't know who is. I think it's been a ridiculously good season production-wise. I think people sort of don't understand what's put on these kids in terms of roles, and obviously she's had to play a central role and face double and triple-teams and continues to put up good numbers and great numbers against some of the top teams.

I also credit the rest of the team because to have a brand-new person come in and be such a huge part of what we do takes a team effort as well. But, yeah, her hands and ability to finish with her right and left and catch stuff in traffic is really pretty remarkable. And I think her freshman season is as good as any that we've had at Cal.

Q. Kristine, you seem to be emotional right now after your coach just said what she said. Do you have any thoughts or feelings you're willing to share about that?
THE MODERATOR: I think we can close. Thank you, Cal.

LINDSAY GOTTLIEB: Thanks, you guys.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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