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BIG EAST CONFERENCE WOMEN'S BASKETBALL TOURNAMENTMarch 4, 2018James HowardCynthia PetkeDionna WhiteChicago, Illinois Georgetown 63, Villanova 58 JAMES HOWARD: Thank you very much. I just want to say our kids fought hard today. We started off with a little adversity on the defensive end. Villanova, a good team came out, shot the ball well, jumped out to an early lead. But for our kids to rally around being down and not losing their focus and being able to get back into the team. We're so proud of them. Q. Cynthia, what was going through your head in the fourth quarter when you were on that 11-1 run? CYNTHIA PETKE: I just thought we had to do anything to win. We knew they weren't going to quit at any time. So I knew I had to keep talking to the girls and just keep staying together, focused, because we knew it wasn't going to be easy. So we knew we had to go for every rebound contest, every single shot, and I'm proud we did that. Q. You're the only team in the league who has beaten all four of the top four teams. You did that tonight against Villanova. Now you're going to the semifinals for the first time since 1999. What is it about this group that you've been able to turn things around this season? DIONNA WHITE: I think it's just because a lot of people didn't really believe in us, didn't believe we could beat these top teams. When we play against them, it's like we have a chip on our shoulder, and we played our best. When we play our best, we come out with the win. Q. You've had so many remarkable games this season. What has been the difference maker from last season to this season? DIONNA WHITE: I think just finishing, capitalizing on the turnovers and really focusing at the end of the game and not letting little plays slip away from us. CYNTHIA PETKE: I just think that everybody's just doing what they're supposed to do and playing their role on the team. Everybody has accepted that each and every one has a role on the team. When we're going into games, we are ready for them because we always go as the underdogs. So when we go there, we know it's going to be a fight, and nothing is going to be given to us. Q. What does that feel like in the locker room right now? You just did something amazing. What's it feel like? CYNTHIA PETKE: I mean, excited. You can't really describe it. You have to be there. We've done something that hasn't been done in 19 years. You can just imagine how the girls are feeling. They're excited. They're pumped up for tomorrow. We're going to enjoy the moment right now and then we'll focus for tomorrow's game. Q. We talked earlier in the season, and you were still looking for this type of team to break out. At what point did you begin to believe we could do something? JAMES HOWARD: When we played Marquette at home. We played really, really well. Defensively we were prepared, and the girls bought into the scouting report, and they were focused. By winning by such a big margin, I think that was what kicked them off. They started to believe. Marquette was No. 1 at the time in conference, and beating the No. 1 team like we beat them, it kind of made them think there was no one they couldn't play against. Then as some adversity starts to happen around the team that also started to rally us. We had a lot of loss of life. Cynthia Petke's uncle. Once we finished playing at Butler and we got that win and we get down stairs, she gets a call. She starts screaming. Then we find out that her uncle in Cameroon had passed. So that was tough. Then a few weeks ago, Dionna White. We were here in that DePaul game. Dionna White played her tail off in that DePaul game and her grandmother had passed away. When she figured that out, she had to go back home for the funeral Saturday and then come back for Marquette. So the adversity that we faced. Then our Associate AD and her mom who was a big part of our team. When we hit adversity and we see all the folks dealing with cancer and things like that, I think the key is to rally around that. They believed we were playing for those folks who were here that supported us. That's when I started to see more team. I saw it meant something, and when it means something, it's bigger than me. It's bigger than them. It's just been a blessing to be here with them along with them on this ride. We prepare, but it's them right now believing that they can win. Q. Can you put this into perspective from your first year coaching and doing something the program hasn't done in nearly two decades? JAMES HOWARD: Well, again, I walk by faith. I know faith is there back behind there playing for us. But faith knows as a coach at Georgetown for the last four years, I'm faith based in everything that I do. I believe in the Lord. I believe that things happen for a reason. I've coached for 31 years, and I've coached with some of the best in those 31 years. I think it was just my time. I came along at the right time. I was given an opportunity by President DeGioia, Lee Reed, and (Indiscernible), and this is the moment. I just took it and I ran with it. Plus the young ladies, we knew each other. They knew me. I knew them. So the transition was easy. Q. What did it take for Cynthia for her during the off-season, and even throughout the season to just get her to this point to see her have a new level of confidence? JAMES HOWARD: Cynthia is a gym rat. She loves the game of basketball. She's one of the most passionate people that I've met that loves the game. She's there. She's going to break down this tape before we break down this tape. She's going to be looking to see what's next, how she could have improved on some of the shots she missed. What she could have done defensively. But her work ethic took over this summer. Cynthia stayed around. She was in that gym night and day just working on her game. Working on her game. That's the thing that when you look at Cynthia Petke and you look at the double-doubles, you've also got to look at the little things that she does that goes unnoticed. She'd go in there and give her body up to take a charge. She's all team. She's all team. That's where that transition came in to why she's playing this way, because when you love something and you're passionate about something, you want to see good things like the things that are happening for her right now happen. Q. What does it mean for you to get this win first season as head coach? JAMES HOWARD: My word has always been great. Tony the Tiger said it best. Great, great. Again, this win comes along with all who came before me. Natasha Adair, The Terry Flournoys of the world, all of those coaches who came before me. All the players, Faith Woodard, Jade Martin, all of those young ladies who also practiced, and worked hard and played. It gave us as alums, a great day to be proud of this team. So for me it was great because that's what it's all about. It's all about the sweat and tears. Now we're seeing a little success, but we're going to keep fighting. Q. (Indiscernible) how do you get Dionna to score 21 like she did? JAMES HOWARD: Dionna is a very quiet person by nature. Villanova's scheme was to shut down the lanes. They kind of stopped for penetration, so she had to make an adjustment in her game. We ran some different actions to try to get her better looks. I think she started to become a little comfortable once she hit that first shot. It's Dionna, you know? You never know when she's going to just turn it up. When she turns up, it's hard to guard. But I'm thankful that she plays for the Hoyas. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports   |
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