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BIG EAST CONFERENCE WOMEN'S BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT

March 7, 2020

Harry Perretta

Chicago, Illinois

Marquette - 72, Villanova - 59

HARRY PERRETTA: I thought it was a good game. I mean, they're a little more athletic than we are. They played really good defense in the first half and took us completely out of our offense. The second half I thought we did a much better job of executing our offense. We got much easier shots. We were able to get it to one, but at that point we made a couple defensive errors, and I think we hit two threes and then we gave up two threes. At that point I thought the game came down to that one little stretch of defense where I thought we -- I don't want to say we let up. We just made defensive errors, and they kept coming at us, and they did a really good job on the glass, which we knew going into the game we were going to be in a deficit at that area.

But so I thought we did the best we could. We're not a really good -- we're not a great sustained offensive team. We kind of go up and down a little bit like a roller coaster, and we made a good run there, but then -- and our offense kind of gave out on us.

Q. Take us through the locker room conversation after the game.
HARRY PERRETTA: I just told them I thought they did a great job. I mean, all year. I thought they did a fantastic job. I'm being honest; beginning of the year, I didn't think we would win 10 games to be honest with you after the way we started, and they really got themselves together. You know, I think they got -- I think they got the most out of what they had, and a lot of teams don't do that. They needed everything they could get. I just told them they did a great job, and hopefully we'll play in two weeks from now in the WNIT, but I was happy with their effort. I thought they gave a great effort.

Q. This being your final Big East Tournament, I'm sure a wide range of emotions. Can you just describe how you're feeling right now?
HARRY PERRETTA: I feel pretty good. I mean, I thought this team came in -- I thought we were at a deficit in some areas, and I thought they did a great job, and I thought our staff, my assistants did a really, really good job, and I relied on them a lot for the scouting and the recruiting, but just fun to be here. At some point you have to give it up, and this is the time to give it up, and it's just great to be here in this venue, to be with all the Big East people because the Big East has basically been my family like Villanova has been my family. I think we joined the league the second or third year it started, and I've been -- I knew Dave Gavitt really well, Tranghese, Marinatto and now Val. All these people have been mentors to me and taught me, and it's been like a real family for me, so to be in the Big East in the tournament is kind of great.

Q. Talk about what it's like to see coach (indiscernible)?
HARRY PERRETTA: I thought it was great for her. I told her she did a great job, and she obviously learned a lot as a player and as a coach before, and she's got them playing really hard, and I think that's the big key. Any coach, the biggest key is to try to get your players to play hard and play together, and she's done that, and when you do that, you're going to win X amount of games given your talent level, and like I said, I thought she did a great job. She looks like she communicates really well with them, looks like the kids interact with her really well, so I watch all that stuff, and I just think she showed a lot of maturity. Told me she's getting married. She waited a little long. I waited until I was 42. At least she's doing it when she's 35.

Q. What made it hard to stop Marquette on the defensive side in the fourth quarter?
HARRY PERRETTA: Well, I think physically they're just stronger than we are, and I think we gave so much effort in the third quarter, I don't want to make excuses. I thought we were a little tired in the fourth quarter. I wanted to try to go zone, but we were afraid the 3-ball, they were shooting the 3-ball half decent, and also you can't rebound out of the zone very well, especially when you're outmatched physically. So I just felt like we were a little fatigued, and it led to some defensive errors that we made. But they kept running their offense. They didn't give up. They didn't quit running their offense. They didn't start taking it one-on-one. They didn't panic, and that shows a sign of maturity all the way from the coaching staff to their players.

Q. What did you see from Jordan King in that first quarter when she had that hot hand?
HARRY PERRETTA: Well, I mean, like I said, she played the way she's capable of playing. I don't want to say -- she forced us to make defensive mistakes. She moved really well, and she just was really aggressive offensively. I thought that was the difference in the two games. I mean, the first two games we played we were always in contact with them. This game they were able to get up double figures and made it a lot harder for us, and she was a big reason for that early in the game.

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