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MOUNTAIN WEST WOMEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP

March 13, 2019

Las Vegas, Nevada

Boise State - 68, Wyoming - 51

THE MODERATOR: We're joined by Boise State head coach Gordy Presnell and student-athletes Marta Hermida and Braydey Hodgins. Coach, an opening statement.

COACH PRESNELL: I want to say congratulations on a great season to Wyoming. Joe Legerski is a fantastic coach, and they're very, very hard to guard and play against. And he has a great staff. And so they've had a great year.

Really proud of our players. It's a great group. It's a great group to be around. I've coached for about 32 years. It's the closest knit group as I've ever been around. And I thought they played very well today.

So with that, I want to also thank my family and our administration, our athletic director and SWA and president, we're all here, and I appreciate that. And thank all these players that have made my life so great in the last three months.

THE MODERATOR: Questions?

Q. It's becoming old hat to go up the ladder and cut down the nets. What's it feel like to go do it again tonight for the third year in a row and the fourth time in five years and just the emotions when he you held up the net and looked at the crowd?
COACH PRESNELL: Just the culmination, it all started July 6, and we have a terrific strength coach and athletic trainer, and it's just it's a long process, and everyone believed and bought in. And I think we all put it together today.

And it's just a little moment, you take a little mental picture of getting up on the net and looking around. That's a fun one, that's for sure.

Q. Probably got tired of me asking throughout the season, I kept asking are you going to be able to get in if you don't win the tournament. To be able to not leave any doubt and to take care of business yourselves and get back to the Big Dance, what's that feeling like?
COACH PRESNELL: I'm just so proud of them and they executed so well, our game plan. And our defense was terrific tonight. That's Cody Butler, he did our defense and they communicated so well. And offensively we performed.

And today I think we were 42 RPI and we beat a 60, so maybe we'll get in there a little higher and possibly get a neutral-court game. We'll see.

Q. Wyoming's coach just said in the press conference that he couldn't match your guys' experience in that starting lineup. Obviously you guys work on strategy as coaches, but how much do you guys have to kind of pump these girls up and help them mentally? Is there anything left to do for you?
COACH PRESNELL: They kind of are self-starters and we're just a team of early risers. And everyone's always early for everything.

And they're just really a wonderful group to coach. And I've done this for a long time. And just so blessed to be a part of their lives.

Q. Braydey, I saw you leave the court with about 1:07 left, got a big cheer from the crowd and I think you hugged all your teammates. Did you say anything in particular and what were you thinking at that moment?
BRAYDEY HODGINS: I didn't say anything in particular, gave them hugs. We couldn't be here without all of them. Whether they played one minute or zero minutes, I think everyone got in tonight, mostly everyone. So we wouldn't be in this position if we didn't have them all season.

And sometimes they go unnoticed because they're not in the box score or they're not making those huge contributions on the floor, but what you guys don't see is what they do in practice or what they do on the bench that maybe goes unnoticed like making sure we're in the right defense, making sure that we talk through switches or knowing who is where. So I think it's really imperative that we have that experience on the bench and all those people who contribute.

Q. That second quarter you guys really started to assert yourself and built a little bit of a lead. Talk about the second quarter there. And then in the second half anytime that they tried to get somewhat of momentum you were able to keep them arm's length the rest of the way?
MARTA HERMIDA: Yeah, I think that we did a great job like trying to get the pace of the game the whole time. And we did a great job on defense and we knew like as soon as we stopped them, then we can run and do our plays and we did. That's what we did today.

Q. Knowing that it wasn't a sure thing as far as the NCAAs, did that even focus you even more tonight?
BRAYDEY HODGINS: I definitely say no because we don't really look ahead like that. And everyone wants to talk about, well, you're on the bubble; you could get in; you could do this. But we just focus on the now and tonight it was beating Wyoming.

So we assert ourselves in that conversation and then we punch our own ticket. So we don't need the outsiders or the doubters who really say we shouldn't be in there despite our record and despite how successful we are. So we just had to take care of business ourselves and punch our own tickets there.

Q. I know you've been saying recently that Jayde is a good 3-point shooter, but the one she hit from just inside half court, you were pretty excited. It kind of really sealed the deal there. It was probably over anyway, but to have her hit the shot and kind of know it was over, what was that like for you?
COACH PRESNELL: She went 3-for-3 from 3 and people weren't guarding her, and they were going under her on ball screens. And so she hit a couple. And then I think she got a technical. Well, she did get a technical. And I guess she made up for it with about a 40-foot launch. And it was just kind of a culmination of a long season and knowing that we kind of won it with that shot.

Q. You mentioned maybe getting the neutral-site game, being a 12 or higher. Obviously stuff can happen in the next couple of days, but having to, the last couple of years, play the 1 and 2 seeds on their home court, what would it mean to you guys to get the 12 or higher and be able to have more of a fair shot in that first game?
COACH PRESNELL: We just want to see what we can do. And it's pretty hard when you go play a Tennessee or a Louisville or a UCLA or a -- who else we play? A George Washington. It would be nice to be on a neutral site just to see. I know it will be a very formidable opponent, but it would be fun preparing and just see if we could play someone on neutral floor.

Q. Braydey, you have played in the Mountain West Tournament championship game every single year. Every single you've gone to the NCAA Tournament. Does it get harder or easier as you go along?
BRAYDEY HODGINS: I definitely say it gets harder just because the pressure gets bigger. Me and Riley just hugged after the game saying we're 9-0 in this tournament. That's something we take pride in. We don't ever want to walk off that floor crying. We want to be crying because we're happy about what we just accomplished.

We're just happy to be here and be in this position and have teammates like Marta and others who are able to kind of lead the way. Marta is a senior. She's been here before. It's not her first rodeo, nor is it ours. But backing on that leadership is really something special. And I wouldn't want it any other way.

Q. Marta, as a senior, could you have drawn it up, the script, any better to be able to win it as a senior, cut down the nets, get to go play in the NCAA Tournament again?
MARTA HERMIDA: No. No. Like I came here my first year. I lost the first game. I promise I cried more than ever. After that I've never lost here and I don't want to have that feeling.

So I was leaving this year and I'm, like, I'm not going to leave here losing. So, yeah, it's a great feeling. I'm glad that I did this with Joyce, since my freshman year. And I'm glad to have teammates like Braydey and Riley and every single one that was here today. Winning this together, that's the most special part for me right now.

THE MODERATOR: Thank you.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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