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NCAA WOMEN'S REGIONAL SEMIFINALS AND FINALS: STOCKTON

March 25, 2017

Stockton, California

FLORIDA STATE 66, Oregon State 53

THE MODERATOR: Please welcome Oregon State Beavers head coach, Scott Rueck and our student athletes Sydney Wiese and Gabriella Hanson.

SCOTT RUECK: Well, I don't know at this point if there's anything real profound to say, other than the obvious. I love this team. I just absolutely love them. This is -- I just told them, you know you're doing something right and you're part of something special when you never want it to end. And this was a group that was just an absolute blast to go to work with every day. They gave everything they had, every day. Every day. And it was demanded out of this group by these two sitting next to me.

Today, you know, obviously started the way we wanted. We were playing against a great team, and Florida State played an awesome game today. Their athleticism hurt us. They hurt us on the boards, even though we won the boards. You know, this game had so many stretches in it that were big runs for us, for them, and then finally for them. And the hot team wins in March, and they were that today.

And so, so it ends for us. But I could not be more broad of what this group has done. It's hard to look at the big picture at the moment, but the big picture is crazy, all the firsts that these two have experienced, over their four years, along with our other seniors, gives me a huge sense of pride to be a part of it. It's a blessing to be their coach.

It was also a blessing to look up and see so much orange today. We knew Beaver Nation would travel and they didn't disappoint. We hoped for a longer weekend, but credit Florida State for a great game today and a great win.

Q. What changed when they started chipping away at the lead?
SYDNEY WIESE: They were starting to sag in the paint a little bit more, and so in the first quarter, we were able to get a few layups, and we were really aggressive drawing fouls, getting to the rim.

But I think in the second quarter they adjusted, and they have always played aggressive on on-balls, and so that threw us off a bit. We weren't able to see or make reads as quick as we should have, and I think we called plays to try and get down low, but they were doing a really good job taking that away.

Q. Sydney, at halftime, what was this team's mentality like?
SYDNEY WIESE: Yeah, everyone was speaking during halftime. We were saying, to go back to being that aggressive team offensively, and they got a roll going on their offensive side of the floor. And so we were talking a lot of strategy, getting through on-balls, trying to slow down Romero from getting any clean looks and getting our hands up. We were just trying to come together and focus on things that we can control and fix going into the second half.

Q. Coach was saying it's the type of run that you don't want to end. What's going through your mind now that the career is over and that there's not a next game coming up?
GABRIELLA HANSON: Well, I'm proud. I'm very proud of what we've been able to accomplish over our four years. I don't think anyone expected us to do what we've done, and for that, I'm extremely grateful and proud. I'll never be ashamed to say that I was a player at Oregon State. But it is hard, because you put so much time and effort into four years, and no one sees what goes on behind the scenes. No one sees all the -- just everything that goes on.

So it's tough, but at the end of the day, I'm so grateful to have played with Sydney Wiese. What she's been able to do is uncanny. It's unlike anything I've ever seen, and I'm just extremely proud to call her my friend, my sister [tearing] sorry. Just proud.

SYDNEY WIESE: I agree with what Gabby said. It has exceeded expectations [tearing] and we're a family forever. And so as painful as it is, we've done some incredible things that we will be able to cherish for the rest of our lives. And incredibly thankful for Coach Rueck especially. He started all of it, and so he's the one that brought us all here. He had faith in us from the beginning. The senior class is so special. I think once we set foot on campus, we were sisters right from the jump, and we have maintained that throughout the four years and it's going to continue on. More than just basketball, I think the season might be over, but these friendships and these relationships are going to go on forever.

Q. What was the most surprising about the way today went?
GABRIELLA HANSON: I can't say if it's really a surprise. I think, you know, you just -- you expect everyone's best effort this time of the year, for sure, and they certainly -- like we started well but they started coming back and hitting really, really tough shots. And it's kind of hard to do something about that. But you just try and make it as uncomfortable for them.

I think we could have done things to adapt a little bit better but it's tough. They played a great game. Just give them credit. They hit tough shots and you know, we tried to get back. It's definitely hard, once you've kind of dug a hole to get back against a team like this. Their athleticism is very impressive.

So you know, it's nothing really surprising, but I think we just, you know, thought we had a great chance.

Q. Can you talk a little about Florida State's guard, Leticia Romero, she ended up scoring 18 points and one of the first really big games she's had in a little while. What was it like out there against a Spanish Olympian?
SYDNEY WIESE: She's good. I mean, bottom line, she's a great player. She was hitting tough pull-up jumpers. I know our game plan going in was to take away the three-point line because she's one of the best three-point shooters in the country. So we were doing what we could against her, and it felt like we were right there, but it's never close enough with her. And so she did a great job running the show, hitting shots, and whenever they needed a big play, she came through for them.

So I mean, Gabby did amazing stuff against her in the second half, and really made it tough for her to get any good looks. And so we adjusted and we did the best that we could against her, but I think that she got going early in the first half and carried that through for the rest of the game.

Q. Can you talk about that stretch to open the second half, because obviously coming in at halftime, there are things you want to do and they come right back out at you again and take the lead.
SCOTT RUECK: Well, starting it off with the turnover, you know, didn't help. That hurt. That created momentum for them.

You know, we talked about being the team that did what they did coming out, and you never know exactly how it's going to go. But you give them credit. Offensive rebound put-back, transition bucket, and then the turnover number jumped obviously in the second half a lot for us as we were pressing a little bit.

And so, what can you say? I mean, you give them credit. They came out and hit shots.

Q. After the first quarter, how confident were you in your team's ability to put this away after being up as much as 17 in the first?
SCOTT RUECK: Well, I don't know if you're ever confident against a team as good as this. You know you're playing well but you know they are capable of it, as well, so you want to sustain.

I thought our defense, I thought we had a little stretch early in the second quarter where we did not have the same intensity and that gave them momentum, for whatever reason that is, I'm not sure why. But we're not challenging quite the same, and shots go down. When you're not within arm's length, you don't have a chance. Those shots are going to go down for them. I thought we did a phenomenal job for the most part, making them take tough shots. They hit tough shots. Transition hurt us, turnovers hurt us, and offensive rebounds hurt us, even though we won the boards, they had 11, and they only had 5-0 boards in the second half but they converted every single one of them or drew a foul. Those hustle plays and their athleticism I thought was the difference.

Q. Both teams had a tough time behind the arc. Was that the defense by both teams or just off shooting?
SCOTT RUECK: That's a great question. I think that we both made each other really work. We chased them hard all day, and when this team scores below 60, typically they are susceptible to losing. Same is true for us. And that's usually one of our advantages, is knocking threes down and having the discipline to eliminate other teams in that regard. If you would have told me before the game, they don't hit a three, I would have said, we probably won the game.

So for us, you know, obviously it wasn't a great shooting game for us, especially from out there. Why, I'm not sure. The shots that Syd got, definitely a few of them were forced, but she also got shots that she hits. The ball just didn't go down. I thought we got some good looks and it just didn't drop. And when you look at this game, you look at every statistical category, the one that really stands out is turnovers. But other than that, it's shooting the ball, and we just did not shoot well enough to beat this team today.

Q. Florida State, 0-5 from three point range, Thomas -- what does it say about Florida State being able to survive and advance against you guys, even though their bread and butter was kind of taken away from them?
SCOTT RUECK: Great teams have ways of winning, any which way and that's what we've done all year. That's how you get to near 30 wins; 31, 28, you get there by being adaptable, playing fast, playing slow, playing through adversity, playing through foul trouble, whatever it may be.

Today we took that away and they hurt us inside. I think it just put more emphasis on offensive rebounds, on transition. If you look at their transition points or points off turnovers, those were created by their defense, and so they rode their defense today and their defense created points for them. Our defense did not.

Q. What do you tell them after something like this?
SCOTT RUECK: There's a lot to tell them. There's a lot to tell them. I had three minutes and maybe not even that long in there with them, and I just told them I loved them. What they have done is incredible. And last year's group was very similar, and this group carried it forward, and they have established a culture that is going to remain after them, and they have been everything a coach could hope for; and how hard it was. For what this team accomplished this year, to be picked fifth, and some people thought fifth in the Pac-12 was generous, to be honest, before the season; to barely be ranked before the season and to win this conference for the third straight year, which is the best in the country this year, you know, that speaks directly to their leadership and how hard we had to push, and that's what Gabby was alluding to. Nobody sees all that stuff behind the scenes that got this team with so much transition going into this year to play at a level capable of being a Sweet 16 team or beyond.

And so I'm just so super proud of them. I don't think that their careers are going to be defined by today. That would be a mistake in my opinion. Certainly we would like to continue to play. We wanted to win today. But what they have accomplished and all the firsts; nobody would argue if you hung all four of them up in Gill Coliseum. I mean, that's what they have done.

Thank you, everyone.

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