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NCAA WOMEN'S 1ST AND 2ND ROUNDS: WACOMarch 23, 2019Sylvia HatchellJanelle BaileyParis KeaWaco, Texas California 92, North Carolina 72 COACH SYLVIA HATCHELL: Well, we gave it all we had. I'm really proud of my kids. I thought they played their hearts out. We just ran out of gas. First half, we played pretty doggone good, and then I thought second half, you know, we got a little bit tired and the rebounding was huge. I mean, that's been our Achilles' heel all year is the rebounding. But I thought our kids really played hard. I thought Janelle did a really good job inside, especially the first half. She battled her heart in there. I thought she did a great job. But the rebounding was you huge. But we gave it all we had. We played really, really hard and our kids fought, and I thought we could make a run there, especially start the fourth quarter, but like I said we just a little bit ran out of gas. Some shots that we had made in the first half were falling short, and it was physical. It was tough there. You know, as we usually get a lot off penetration, it was pretty physical and we've taken it in there but that's the way it is when you get in the NCAA. But the rebounding was the biggest thing. But they are a good team. They are a really good team. They have all the ingredients that it takes, and you know, because they have got shooters and they have got size and they are athletic and can rebound like crazy. You know, should be a good game Monday if Baylor wins, which you know, I know everybody's expecting that to happen. But I'm proud of these guys over here. Paris is our only senior, and you know, she's done a great job for us this year with just everything. She's just a great kid and she's got a great future. I feel very blessed to have had an opportunity to coach a kid like her. Q. Janelle, if you would, that matchup in the post today, how difficult was that, especially when they started making some shots? JANELLE BAILEY: I mean, it was difficult. I knew that going into the game. Like I said previously, she's All-American, so I knew it was going to be just difficult to guard her, and she does her work early. It's difficult, them running the clock down to keep that focus and maintain contact with her. Yeah, it was pretty tough down the stretch and they kept hitting shots and things like that, and we were breaking down on defense, not communicating, which led to her getting offensive rebounds, and she had 22 rebounds. But I definitely don't think the stat sheet tells the story of the game. Like Coach said, I myself thought I did pretty well the first half and my teammates were encouraging me and I knew they had my back. So I thought we played well the first half, and like I said, we just ran out of gas the second half. Q. They battled back in the third quarter and have a four-point lead but bank in that three-pointer at the buzzer to end the third. Was that a gut punch for you guys at that point? PARIS KEA: Well, we were trying to trap and rotate and I guess it kind of just got out of whack. Q. What will you remember most about your time at UNC? PARIS KEA: My teammates. Coach always talks about family. I mean, these are my sisters. Even though I was -- the biggest thing was just walking off and giving everybody a hug. I think that's what got me emotional. I'm going to miss them. Q. In the fourth quarter you had ten to 12 straight of your team's points. Could you feel, not necessarily the season slipping away, but could you feel the urgency of the moment at that point? PARIS KEA: Yeah, there was definitely urgency. But I was just trying to be in the moment. Trying to enjoy it playing in a North Carolina jersey. That's really all I was thinking about and just having fun. Q. Obviously a great first half from you. You had a lead through halftime. When did you feel it started turning their way? COACH SYLVIA HATCHELL: Well, you know, they made a couple quick baskets starting the second half and tied it up and we went back and forth, back and forth there. But you're talking about that shot when they were three, four seconds on the clock and we were trying to pick them up so they couldn't get it down the floor and get a really good shot, but anyway that, shot went in, and that was tough. I think it was a four- or five-point game, seven maybe, something like that, I remember, but I thought, well, if we can hold them here, this is okay. We're still in a good position. And these kids, they fought hard and have been really tough down the stretch a lot this year. We don't have that much depth, and we've got some kids out, you know, and Stephanie is not -- she's out right now. So we don't have that much depth. But I thought that you know, some of the shots that we made in the first half, we just -- they didn't fall for us, and like I said, we weren't getting to the foul line, and you know, we were trying to take it in there. But anyway, it just -- the wheels came off, but I thought our kids really fought hard and I thought they were -- in transition, they were bringing it down the floor and going inside, and they were just bringing down and we were trying a couple different things off the ball screens and stuff. But they were just throwing it in there. You know, when they throw it up, they were getting it and they are just -- that's the athleticism. Size and athleticism. We were in there battling, but they were able to take -- I mean, when you can box out, you can do all kinds of things, but still, as the game gets down to the last few minutes, and you maybe can't jump quite as high as you did in the first half or whatever, but when you're in there, they have a size advantage. When you get tired, that really makes a difference, it really does, and so I thought some of that really came into play, especially in the fourth quarter. But you know, I mean, wow, when you got athletes like that that can run and all, you know, that's pretty doggone good, and that's what we don't have. But we got some coming in. We got a couple kids coming in that are very similar to these kids we played against tonight. Q. As you mentioned, only losing one senior, albeit a very important one. How much does this experience of making it this far help this team just kind of moving forward into next season? COACH SYLVIA HATCHELL: It's been a steppingstone for us, and our goal was to make the NCAA Tournament. I'll take the blame for probably giving them too hard of a schedule this year. But they really, you know, they learned a lot and we played a lot of really good teams really close and I think that helped us a lot to play the difficult -- and we could have played a lot easier schedule and probably have another six or eight wins and all, but these kids, they fought hard and they played really, really well against a lot of really, really good teams. But what was -- let's see, oh, good the kids. Paris, losing her is big. But we've got five, six new kids for next year, and they can all play. We got some size and we got a transfer that will be able to play that was all SEC. We've got some kids that will really help us step it up and give us a lot more depth. So it's been a steppingstone the last few years, because we were -- three years ago, we were starting walk-ons. So we've come a long way, and these kids have fought hard. But like Paris said, they have really worked hard. They are really good kids. You know, and we've battled through some tough opponents. But right now, of course they are not happy to lose but they have a lot to be proud of, and I'm very proud of them. But we have a really good group coming in and with the ones we got, hopefully get some injuries healed up and stuff like that. Q. Are there any similarities between this team and that '92 team, just reset the standard for you guys in a sense? COACH SYLVIA HATCHELL: You want me to remember back to '92? But no, you're right, because that -- I remember we made the NCAA and we thought, oh, this is a big step, and then the next year -- Sweet 16 I think, because I remember we lost to Tennessee at Iowa, I remember that. You rattled my memory. But I remember going to the Final Four and watching Texas Tech win with Sheryl Swoopes. My sister and I were watching, that could be us next year, and it was. But we got some help. We had a lot of kids returning and we also had Marion Jones -- she was at the game today but we had Marion Jones come in which made a huge difference. We have some kids coming next year that will put us on another level, so I'm excited about that. But I don't want to forget these kids that have hung with us these last few years and been tough there, persevered through a lot. I'm not -- I don't turn my back like that. Those kids have really done a great job but we do have some really fine players coming in that I think like I said will give us rebounding and some size and more skill. We've got a couple guards that can really, really take the ball to the hoop, and very similar to Paris. We enjoyed being at Baylor. You've done a good job, Rick May. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports   |
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