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PAC-12 WOMEN'S BASKETBALL TOURNAMENTMarch 9, 2019Jody WynnHannah JohnsonJenna MoserAmber MelgozaLas Vegas, Nevada Stanford - 72, Washington - 61 COACH WYNN: I don't have a lot of voice, so, first of all, that Stanford team is a phenomenal team with a legendary coach and a classy woman. We knew that we were going to be challenged on both sides of the ball today, and it was just tough. They just make it difficult because they're very, very good, and very well coached, and they just made it difficult for us to take one thing away versus another. I will say that I'm super proud that we didn't quit. I'm proud of our overall effort for three games that we had in this tournament. We grew so much. Out of the three opponents, in six games this year we were outscored by 161 points. So what we did in this tournament, what they did in this tournament, I should say, is truly special, and it's absolutely remarkable, and it's something that they will remember for the rest of their lives and hopefully grow from and improve on. We had lost to Stanford in the two games combined by 56 points. You know, I think we gave a hundred percent of our effort. I'm super, super proud of our group. We're very together and proud of our two seniors. That's why I brought them up here with us today. Certainly Amber was a beast today. She really competed on the floor. We all played really, really hard, and no reason to hang our heads. Q. Amber, can you just talk about how you guys felt in terms of energy and physically? I mean, last night was emotional. It's been a big couple days and the third straight game. Did you guys run out of gas at any point? AMBER MELGOZA: I mean, three straight games is obviously a very hard thing to do. But I thought that just we all just played with tremendous heart out there, and we were just battling. We've battled for 40 minutes as much as we can, and, I mean, we obviously didn't have the ending we wanted to because we obviously wanted to compete tomorrow. But I just thought our team did a great job, and I thought that we stuck together and that's something that's really important and that's going to carry on until next year. And these two people here, Jenna and Hannah, they've led us this whole year. I can't be any more grateful for them. And they're some really, really special people. I know they're going to do great things after this. Q. It sounds funny to say this, but you kind of had them where you wanted them, down double digits in the second quarter and you made your run -- COACH WYNN: I guess. Q. How big was that shot they hit to end the half? You had everything going your way, and that's a momentum killer? COACH WYNN: That was the momentum, yeah. I felt like the first shot of the game, that was a bank three, and then the last shot of the second quarter was the half-court shot. Those six points, those were big six points by DiJonai. But we were down 14, and we don't hang our heads when we're down. We know we've got to battle back. We were down a lot this year. It's easy to quit. But we've learned so much in the last couple weeks that quitting is just not the answer. It's not what we're going to do. So those six points and the four free throws at the end, I mean, it could be a different last minute of the game. But we didn't quit. I thought they were tremendous in the paint tonight, and they really did a nice job of isolating us in a one-on-one situation in the paint. Then you couple that with their three stars making threes with high efficiency, it was tough, tough to stop them. Q. The season probably wasn't what you guys were hoping for until this run. How special is it to sort of end your career, even though it wasn't getting to the finals and playing more, but to have this run that is historic for Washington and the Pac-12 Tournament? HANNAH JOHNSON: I actually looked at Jenna before the game, and I said, No matter what the outcome is today, we can be proud because we won two games that we weren't supposed to. And if you would have asked me at the beginning of the season if we were going to be here, or in the middle of season, I wouldn't have thought so, and we were. So I think it's hard it's over, but I'm really proud of my team and the way it ended. JENNA MOSER: Yeah, same. We're really proud, and we're proud of the legacy that we get to leave. And we're thankful for the opportunity, and we talked about just these memories are going to overpower any memories of losses. It's hard to be part of a program that's being built. People don't talk about that enough. It's hard. But we're just really proud of how far we've come, and I'm excited for the future of this program. Q. Hannah and Jenna, what have you seen these last two years from Amber emerging first as a scorer that every team has to think about, and what she can mean next year as this program hopefully takes the next step, and what are you most proud of the players around her and what they've shown in this run here? JENNA MOSER: I think a lot of people stepped up this tournament. Amber, obviously -- I mean, what is the box score? 32 points, and a lot of steals and assists, too, and rebounds. Missy obviously had a great tournament. I feel like we're leaving the program in good hands. Amber is our third captain, and we have a lot of young players who are really going to contribute a lot in the future character-wise and athletically. So I'm excited for them. I'm excited for Amber to get the opportunity to lead them next year. HANNAH JOHNSON: I think one of the biggest things that Amber has grown is in her leadership, and that's something I'm really proud of her. I think next year she's going to be an even better leader. Me and Jenna are passing her the torch, so you've got a high stake right there (laughing). But, no, I think she's going to be great. I think she's learned a lot from me and Jenna. Her work ethic is amazing. Every day I see her in the gym extra, and that's something that we want Washington culture to be about. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports   |
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