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NCAA WOMEN'S REGIONAL SEMIFINALS AND FINALS: LEXINGTONMarch 23, 2018Dijonai CarringtonBrittany McPheeTara VanDerveerLexington, Kentucky Louisville - 86, Stanford - 59 TARA VANDERVEER: Well, it's not the press conference that you want to have. I think we've had a great season. Our team has really demonstrated, I think, tremendous resilience and fight. We had to do a lot of that tonight. I thought Louisville played very well. They knocked down shots. They were extremely aggressive. We turned it over too much. We didn't do a good enough job keeping them off the O-boards, and I thought we battled in spurts really well, and then the two people next to me I thought really made some major contributions to give us a chance. But I think we're better than what we showed tonight, but I'm really proud of our whole team and how well -- the season that we had. Q. Brittany, talk about what they did that was so successful and some things that normally you're able to do you weren't able to do tonight. BRITTANY McPHEE: Yeah, they were just really physical. We faced that earlier in the season and struggled with it. But yeah, they just came out and didn't back down, so it was difficult just to get open or just to get a handoff or something like that. So they played really difficult defense. DIJONAI CARRINGTON: Yeah, they just knocked down a lot of shots. They were very aggressive on the offensive boards, from the 1 to the 5, and we didn't match that today. Q. Brittany, from one scorer to another, what do you recognize in Asia Durr's game? What makes her so effective? BRITTANY McPHEE: I think she just exudes confidence, and she'll take any shot and think it's going to go in. She was feeling it tonight, and she has range from anywhere, so she's just a great player. Q. Brittany, can you talk about what this team is going to mean in terms of your memories of Stanford and your Stanford career? BRITTANY McPHEE: It's going to mean a lot. Everything does. I don't know. Each year is different, and this year was great, and I wouldn't have wanted any other teammates. Q. For both players, do you think in the fourth quarter the Cards were a little bit faster than the Cardinal? Were you getting tired, or was the strength still there? DIJONAI CARRINGTON: I mean, our goal is not to back down at all. We always thought -- in every game never give up. It doesn't matter what the score is because as you guys have seen this season, last season, we have come back from big deficits. Yeah, I didn't really see that, but they played really well the entire game, and I think we were a step slow the whole game. So I don't think it was a little bit slower in the fourth, I just think that's how the whole game went. Q. Can you talk about what you'll take from both Brittany and Kaylee as they move on? DIJONAI CARRINGTON: Yeah, especially Brittany, she's a super hard worker, and I've seen the progression of her game from when she was a freshman until now, and that's definitely something I want for me is just to continue to improve and not become complacent. Last year she had a great season and especially a great postseason, and I mean, she improved from then to now, and that's what I want for myself. And then with Kaylee, just her leadership. She is always talking, always just communicating, making sure everyone is aware of what we're running, keeping everyone engaged and ready to go, in practice, in games, and I think that those are two things that I definitely want to take into my game and the whole team, as well. Q. As a Pac-12 team, how do you see them matching up with Oregon State? BRITTANY McPHEE: I think it'll be a really good game. Both teams probably are going to scout super well, and it should -- I don't know what else. DIJONAI CARRINGTON: Yeah, they obviously play very different styles, but I think both teams are well-coached, and it's going to be a battle. Q. For both players, you guys have mentioned Louisville's shooting and their strength on the offensive glass tonight, but what were they doing on defense that disrupted you guys? BRITTANY McPHEE: Yeah, they were just being really physical and then they were limiting us to one shot most of the time. It was tough to get extra momentum. They were getting back on defense, so we didn't really get any fast breaks or anything like that. Q. Coach, what makes Louisville's defense so tough to deal with, and why the 19 turnovers? TARA VANDERVEER: You know, I mean, they have a combination of athleticism and aggressiveness, size. They really extended their defense on us, and I think that we -- intellectually we knew that was going to happen, but you can't -- it's hard to kind of talk to people about this is what's going to happen, and when it happens, it's a little bit different. I thought they were extremely aggressive, and they were quick to the ball. A lot of times -- they were just more physical. You know, just sometimes you kind of just get kind of put on your heels right away, and I don't think we recovered very well. Q. Louisville is a team offensively that can score from the 1 through the 5 position. How much more difficult does that make it to play a team that has the depth that they have? TARA VANDERVEER: You know, I think that they do, they have a very balanced team, and they're a No. 1 seed for a reason. Like you said, they did score 1 through 5, and then they had some people come off the bench and score, too. I think what's -- there are a lot of things that were very impressive about their team. I thought they passed the ball very well. They shot the ball well. In the first half they were like 64 percent, and I mean, they -- our defense, we were not aggressive enough. We didn't keep them off the glass well enough. We didn't take care of the ball well enough. But that's a credit to them. They have an All-American in Asia Durr, and she's, I think, a candidate for national Player of the Year. She had a great game tonight. We worked hard on her, but she still found spots and was able to knock down her shot. Q. Talk about Brittany McPhee and what she's meant for you over the last years. TARA VANDERVEER: You know, Brit is really -- it's been really exciting to see her development, come in and -- she's really improved a lot. I think this year -- each year we've seen more and more from her in terms of her scoring, her passing, her rebounding. She's really been a great leader for us this year. So it's been really fun to see her development. Our team is going to really miss her a lot, and I'm really proud of how well she's done and proud to have been her coach. Q. You spoke about Brittany's performance during the season, but in regards to her play tonight, could you give us a few words about what you thought of her play tonight and Di's play tonight, also? TARA VANDERVEER: Well, I think kind of the way Louisville played you, there were basically players that can put the ball on the floor and attack the basket were successful, and that's what Di does and that's what Brit does. Brit loves to score. She puts the ball on the floor really well and goes to the basket, and she was doing that really throughout the whole game. There were some points in the game when two and three and four people would converge on her, we need her to pitch it. But I think her ability to put the ball on the floor and go to the basket is something that helped her, helped us do well tonight. Q. You've seen both these two teams now, Louisville and Oregon State. What do you think that game is going to look like? TARA VANDERVEER: Well, you know, I think that Louisville probably will try to do the same thing. One thing, the way Oregon State plays, they really -- they spread the floor very well, and if -- and they have someone that they can go to inside. Gülich is -- I think Gülich is an All-American, too. So they put her in there, and they'll go to her, and if she's one-on-one, she'll score on whoever is guarding her. And if you help off of her, then they have, I think, excellent three-point shooters around her. I think as Dijonai said, I think it's going to be a battle, and it'll be kind of who can win out. Is it the defense, aggressive defense, extended out, or are they going to be able to attack that and go inside? Defensively I don't know that -- when we played Oregon State, defensively they're not a super quick team, but they play really good position, and again, they have someone inside that blocks shots and is a kind of protector. I'd come back for the game. I'll watch it on TV. Q. Obviously you guys had never played Louisville before, but watching from afar over the past few seasons, how have you seen their program develop to a place where they're a contender now? TARA VANDERVEER: Well, I mean, it's about players. They have really complementary players, and they play very well together. I also think that -- I think it's great they've also built a great following with a lot of people coming and cheering for them and getting really big crowds, which is great for women's basketball. If you're not playing them, I think you could really enjoy watching them play. They pass the ball well, they shoot the ball well. They work hard on defense. They're extremely physical, as our players pointed out. A very well-coached team and a very unselfish team. They score well together. Q. You spoke about Louisville's following, but the NCAA I don't think would have sent you this far east three years in a row if your fans weren't such great followers. Speak about your appreciation for your fans if you would. TARA VANDERVEER: Well, I think that we have great fans, and they've followed our team. Our team struggled early, and our fans have -- just as our team stuck together, our fans stuck with us, which has been a great thing. And again, I think that the journey that this team has been on is a real credit to the type of person we have on our team, the young people that we have. They're really mature, and the fans have recognized that and I think been very supportive. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports   |
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