	products recent interviews FastScripts archive about ASAP Sports

Our Clients:

Browse by Sport

Find us on

Subscribe to RSS

Click to go to
Asaptext.com

View our
e-Brochure

PAC-12 WOMEN'S BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT

March 9, 2019

Las Vegas, Nevada

Oregon - 88, UCLA - 83

COACH GRAVES: First, I want to congratulate UCLA on a great tournament. It's two years in a row we've played a classic against them, and it just seems like we bring out the best in each other in the Pac-12 Tournament.

But this time, again, we were able to come out on top. We're obviously excited and happy that we get to play again and play tomorrow for another championship. But really proud of our team. I thought tonight we really showed our championship mettle, making plays when they really needed to. I thought we played a good basketball game. I thought they played a good basketball game. This was women's basketball at its highest.

Q. Not statistically the strongest game for Satou, but she made so many pivotal plays and key plays, particularly in regulation. The jump ball, drawing the charge early on when she had three fouls. Could you speak to the caliber of game she had, even though statistically it may not show up there?
COACH GRAVES: And seven assists. That's probably a season high for her. I mean, yeah, sometimes people look and maybe our third option or fourth option, but it's nice to have someone like that be able to do what she does.

I thought defensively she was really good tonight, and like you said, made some really important plays. It won't get noticed. They'll look at the box score, like you said, and those plays will get unnoticed.

But we know what she did and her value to the team.

Q. Ruthy, what was your mindset tonight, obviously missing the last UCLA game, and knowing you had to scrap for every point, every rebound against their post players?
RUTHY HEBARD: Yeah, I think it's the same as every night. I wanted to come out and give my team what I could. Yesterday we knew we were unhappy how we played, so I think we were all ready to come out and play Duck basketball, and I think that's what you got today.

Q. Was this fun to coach this game? It seemed it was a great showcase for women's Pac-12 basketball. But, I mean, was it fun to be part of as a coach?
COACH GRAVES: Maybe after the moment. It's never really fun in the heat of the moment (laughing). I wouldn't say fun, but it's challenging. I think that's great. I think that's when coaches and players are at their best, when the moments are challenging and critical. Each possession for really the last quarter-plus overtime, every possession seemed to matter big-time because neither team could separate much from the other.

But, listen, I know I have a great group, and they've bailed me out many, many times, and they did again. I thought just Ruthy was big-time.

I thought Maite, she played 45 minutes on heart, you know. On pure heart. This kid was quarantined three, four days ago and wasn't near humanity anywhere, and she just played 45 minutes against elite pressure.

These are the ones that, man, they got it done tonight.

Q. We know what Sabrina has brought all year from a tangible perspective. Tonight, 45 minutes, key plays down the stretch. What does she provide to your team from an intangible standpoint?
COACH GRAVES: Everything. She had a tough shooting night. She'll be the first to admit that. Maybe forced a few. But there's nobody we'd rather have the ball late in the game to make a play or make a free throw or just get the inbounds pass.

I mean, she just finds a way to make the play when you need it. It's nice to know when she doesn't have her best game that we've got certainly other weapons. You know, that came through.

But, listen, Sabrina, she's the straw that's stirring this drink and the conductor of this orchestra. That's who she is. Again, on the biggest moments, you can count on her.

Q. Maite, obviously, you didn't have Ruthy last time you played that team. How different a match-up is it to have her in there as an option, as a scoring option in the post, but also to open things up for you on the perimeter?
MAITE CAZORLA: She's been huge, especially offensively, but defensively, getting the rebounds, make it tough for the other team. So she's been a huge impact.

Q. Kelly, what kind of problems is UCLA going to present somebody in the NCAA Tournament?
COACH GRAVES: A team that's really playing with a lot of confidence right now. They're good. They're legit. They have a lot of talent. We don't have anybody on our team that plays like Michaela. We don't have anybody that plays like Kennedy Burke. And Japreece Dean is as good a point guard as we've had to play, and this is a league full of really good ones.

So they are a very good team. We've talked about the keys tonight for this game is you have to keep them off the boards. We actually had more offensive rebounds than they did. It seemed like they got every one, but we actually had more. And the other thing you have to do against UCLA is take care of the ball. We only had ten turnovers. So you do that against these guys and you're going to have a chance to win.

As they go and play other teams in the NCAA Tournament, are those teams going to be able to do that? We'll see. I've got them being a candidate to win several games in the NCAA. That's a good team. Because we're a good team who played well tonight, and we were pushed to the brink.

Q. Maite, we know that you've been under the weather, and you were able to play 45 minutes today. When you felt your worst earlier in the week with the flu until now, just tell me what you've been through and what made you be able to push through today?
MAITE CAZORLA: I mean, on Monday and Tuesday I was literally laying in bed. Couldn't hang out with anybody. I was in my bed. Didn't go outside at all. But now I definitely feel better. Obviously I'm still tired, but I definitely feel way better than how I felt before the week.

Q. Kelly, you've had a lot of games over the course of this Pac-12 season where you guys have cruised a little bit, wins by 15, 20, 30, even 40. Is it almost nice that you guys are getting counterpunched and seeing a little bit of adversity here leading into not only this final but also toward the NCAA Tournament? It's not as much of a cruise as points in the conference season might have been?
COACH GRAVES: Well, those days are over. Every opponent now is big-time. This is postseason. It's a grind. You're not going to see those hundred-point games and 30-point blowouts. Those are over. So we play the winner of this game, and then NCAA Tournament teams.

So they're all going to be grinder kind of games. Listen, I don't think anybody is better in the country in an open-court game and passing and moving and shooting it. We're the best shooting team in the country, and the best passing team in my opinion. The numbers will prove that out.

But it's nice to know that we are capable of playing the grind-it-out games, and we've won two of them in this tournament alone. That, again, speaks for a really talented group that knows how to win.

Q. Can you speak to Morgan's night, and some enormous three-pointers there late from her?
COACH GRAVES: Thank you for bringing her up. You have some injuries, Taylor Chavez. We have some confidence in Morgan, and she did it tonight. It was really great to see. She didn't hesitate and she was confident and certainly capable.

What gets lost is she defends pretty well. She's good at the other end too. So she's a dual threat, and we're going to need her to continue to give us those kind of productive minutes the rest of the season.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297

PAC-12 WOMEN'S BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT

March 9, 2019

Kelly Graves

Ruthy Hebard

Maite Cazorla