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PAC-12 WOMEN'S BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT

March 3, 2017

Seattle, Washington

Oregon - 70, Washington - 69

THE MODERATOR: Coach, an opening statement, and then we'll take questions.

KELLY GRAVES: Well, first of all, what I told the team in the locker room after the game, I've been coaching, this is my 30th year of coaching, and I don't know if I've ever been more proud of a basketball team than I was of this group tonight. A full house, they weren't cheering for us.

You know, when we fell behind by ten in that second half, and the way we just showed some grit and fight and toughness and battled back, that really speaks to the character of our team. Led by these two, I thought particularly these two played like -- is beast a good word? Warriors. They were incredible tonight. And their will to win, I think, carried us through.

Also, we didn't do it just on heart and toughness, but we executed. I thought tonight our defensive game plan was on point, and these guys went out and really executed it. So, again, very proud. That's a great team. Washington is a great team. That's a Final Four contender. I think we all expect them to get there, at the least challenge to get there. So that was a big win for the University of Oregon.

Q. For both players, Kelsey said you guys played like a team that felt like you needed to win this game. Did you feel like you needed this game when you walked in this gym tonight?
SABRINA IONESCU: I don't think necessarily needed, but I think wanted. I don't think they were ready for how bad we wanted this game. So we need to come out every game just like we did today, ask we'll get some great wins.

LEXI BANDO: Yeah, I mean, we just dame out with so much heart and grit. You know, we're just truly blessed to be where we're at, and it was so much fun playing with the team tonight.

Q. Lexi, I think you guys were actually down nine in the fourth quarter and you kind of went on a personal tear there. Did you take that upon yourself to keep the team in the game or were you just open?
LEXI BANDO: You know, I know I needed to step up, and Sabrina was getting me the ball. I just had the mindset I need to shoot. I need to shoot, and the ball ended up going in tonight, so.

Q. Kelly, you've been in NCAA Tournaments a lot. You have a lot of experience. This group is new. What can a win like this do going forward, kind of regardless of what happens tomorrow, because I think you're definitely in now, we all agree.
KELLY GRAVES: Well, you're challenged so much in the Pac-12. It's incredible each and every night. We've played a lot of very good teams, teams that are going to be in the second and even third weekends. Tooth and nail, right down to the wire. Oregon State, UCLA, Stanford. We haven't really -- other than the UCLA win, don't really have that signature win against a top team.

Now I think a win like this really makes our kids believe that, yeah, we've been playing them close, playing them close. We can play with anybody. About you you've got to get over the hump and get that big win. I think tonight was just that.

We joke, and by the way, these two play it down. They have great synergy, you should see them in practice. They play back and forth with this shot and that shot. So Lexi's pretty humble, and yeah, just tonight, they kind of went in, and there is a lot of heart work behind that.

Q. Sabrina and Lexi, just describe the last half an hour emotionally for you guys? What have you guys gone through?
SABRINA IONESCU: I mean, a whole lot. I think we're just excited. That was a great game that we played, and they played a great game as well. But I think it motivates us to continue winning and competing with these great teams. It just shows that we're right there. We got a few stops and made some big plays tonight.

Q. There were a couple times where it looked like Washington was going to maybe pull away. The crowd was going wild. What was it like on the bench and timeouts? What were you guys saying to each other during those times to stay resilient?
LEXI BANDO: Yeah, well, we knew Washington's going to go on runs. Kelsey Plum is an amazing scorer, and we knew she was going to hit big buckets. I think it was just staying engaged and focused and just coming together and not letting those baskets get to us. We just ended up playing really hard.

Q. Coach, often with the back-to-back games, especially if the team loses, they were like, oh, we were tired. Can you talk about the benefits of actually playing yesterday?
KELLY GRAVES: I think you get the jitters out. It's a big stage. There's a lot of excitement. I think over a longer period of time, the more games you play, that might be a factor. But my guess is late in that game, there was a lot of adrenaline flowing, and that's going to carry you through. So these kids are smart. They're good athletes and they're going to hydrate and they're going to eat right, and they're going to go home and get a lot of sleep, and I anticipate we're going to be able to come out and fight tomorrow.

Q. Sabrina, when they were all in the middle kind of in the mid-court and Kelly said you were a little late to the party, what was that like when you joined them at mid court and you all went wild there?
SABRINA IONESCU: I think I've done that about five times already to be honest.

KELLY GRAVES: It's an ongoing joke.

SABRINA IONESCU: Yeah. But it was awesome. I'm happy they did their cheering. I had to sit down. I couldn't keep standing. I think I was just embracing the moment. I think we all were in different ways. It was a great team win here, especially on their home court, and we're excited to get back at it tomorrow.

Q. Not a big mystery that Kelsey Plum was going to have the ball for their last shot. Did you guys play the defense you were hoping to play on that?
KELLY GRAVES: Yeah, we wanted to foul. We had a couple to give after the first dribble. You know, it gave us a couple of seconds, and then, yeah, I thought we defended that last one pretty well. You know it's going to be in her hand.

I tell you, I thought Maite Cazorla, you don't see it on the stat sheet a ton, even though she did shoot the ball and hit a couple big threes in the second half, I thought she was incredible tonight. That is not easy. Kelsey Plum is a phenomenal player. All of you are from Seattle, so you know that obviously. She still had 34, but she had to work for them. I thought Maite was phenomenal, so with her on her there at the end and we gave some good help.

Q. I thought Ruthy was awesome early and you guys went to her a lot. She's going against someone that's a great defensive player in Osahor and a veteran. How did you mentally prep Ruthy? A lot of freshmen at this point have hit a wall mentally?
KELLY GRAVES: Yeah, I tell you, she's shown resilience in this tournament. She's played really, really well. Yeah, Osahor is a heck of a defender and had a great night. I didn't realize 27 rebounds. I saw a lot of them, but that's incompetent credible.

No, Ruthy grows up right in front of our eyes. She continues to improve and she's got such a high ceiling, I don't think we've seen anything yet.

Q. Kelly, after an emotional victory like this in this tournament setting, you have to turn around and play Stanford tomorrow. At what point do you stop celebrating this victory and already start looking ahead to tomorrow?
KELLY GRAVES: Right now. I think they're all in there being fed, putting ice on them. Yeah, we'll enjoy it. Once we get back to the hotel, we'll start working. I know as coaches, on tomorrow. So I think, you guys are fine, right?

SABRINA IONESCU: Oh, yeah.

LEXI BANDO: Yeah.

KELLY GRAVES: Yeah, we'll keep going. They've played a lot tonight, but I think they've got more.

Q. Sabrina, what were you thinking when you went to the foul line there with the game on the line?
SABRINA IONESCU: Yeah, I knew I was going to hit the free throws, to be honest with you. I've been there a few times. My freshman year I missed it to win the game. So I told myself I wasn't going to do that again. But I was just excited to be put in that position.

KELLY GRAVES: I don't think I would want anyone else in that position because I know how tough it can be to hit those free throws. But after you hit the first one, the second one is pretty much easy.

Q. Lexi and Sabrina, what did you see there on the court when you see Ruthy get a hand on Kelsey's last shot, and what was it like those last couple seconds?
SABRINA IONESCU: Well, we knew she was going to have the ball in her hands. We didn't want to foul on her shooting because she'd hit those free throws as well. But we just stuck to what we've been doing all year, using our principles and doing what we did. And that shot wasn't meant to go in, and it didn't.

Q. Sabrina, you said you've been there before, but you really haven't. This is the Pac-12 Tournament, and you haven't been here before in a situation like this. So why are you so calm at the line because it's not high school?
SABRINA IONESCU: Yeah, you're right. You know, it's just basketball. Wherever you are, you have to step up and hit those free throws, so they came pretty naturally.

Obviously, I told myself I'm not missing these free throws. I didn't want to let my team down, and since I was put in that position, I was put in that position for a reason. I'm excited they went in, and that's why we practice free throws every day.

Q. Kelly, can you give us your quick take on Stanford and how they've been playing? You talk about Sabrina's never been here. Stanford knows how to win in this conference and this tournament, and they can turn it on sometimes. What is going to be key to stopping them?
KELLY GRAVES: Well, it's a challenge, obviously. The thing that I've always appreciated about Stanford, even before I got in the Pac-12 was they just never beat themselves. They're so poised. They're so solid. They rarely make mistakes. So they'll test us at both ends of the floor, offensively, defensively. They play really hard, and, like you said, they're playing with confidence. But, you know, listen, we're going to be ready. We're going to fight. And I think we can go out and play loose, you know. And I think that will help us tomorrow.

Q. Coach, with Kelsey Plum being as dynamic as she is, specifically what goes into trying to defend a player like that when you're game planning?
KELLY GRAVES: You know what? She is so much fun to watch. I hate playing against her, but she's so much fun to watch. I think she's a testament of hard work and a will to win. And I think an example to every young girl out there, and young boy, for that matter, that you don't have to be the biggest, the quickest, you don't have to jump the highest, but you've got to have a will to win and to compete and to get better. That's who she is to the core. She was meant for big moments like that.

So you can't defend her with just one. Maite did a great job on her, but there was always help lurking. We switched off a lot. We kind of went with a guard on Osahor, so anytime those two are involved in pick-and-roll, we just switched it. So, again, Sabrina was involved in a lot of those. Then every time she drove, we had to have somebody kind of lurking around the hoop to help.

So you try to defend her as a team, and that's the only thing you can do.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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PAC-12 WOMEN'S BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT

March 3, 2017

Kelly Graves

Sabrina Ionescu

Lexi Bando