ATLANTIC COAST CONFERENCE WOMEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP

March 4, 2021

Joanna Bernabei-McNamee

Boston College Eagles

Postgame Press Conference

Syracuse 67, Boston College 61

JOANNA BERNABEI-MCNAMEE: You know, we're disappointed. I think that we had more than our share of opportunities to do well and sort of take over the game, but then we really didn't hit shots in this game. I think when we started to make a run, there would be like an and-one foul call or something that just kind of set us back to being able to get the momentum on our side.

For us I thought we handled their defense okay. We didn't have turnovers. We just didn't make shots. Credit to them, they did make some big shots and they made some big plays and they took advantage of our height disadvantage inside.

But I'll tell you, our team is going to be fired up. We've got everybody back next year, including some incoming kids, and you're going to see Boston College be out there with a vengeance.

Q. As you've kind of come down the stretch here, I know that there's, just to get your legs back under you, I know I've asked in the past, but when you have to play back-to-back nights, how did your team respond to coming out on a consecutive day to have to play 24 hours later?

JOANNA BERNABEI-MCNAMEE: Yeah, I don't think we looked fatigued out there. I don't think we looked tired or fatigued. I just think that at times they out-muscled us on the inside. I thought we needed to do a little better job on the boards. But I also thought, like I said, the momentum, we just couldn't get the swing going our way, and I thought there was times they were able to stay in the lane forever and it wasn't really called and we're already at a height disadvantage so you can't let people camp in the lane.

Then we had some undisciplined fouls, but then we also had fouls that I thought we looked straight up. So I just think that was a culmination of maybe us still -- we think we're such a mature team, but I still think we're young and we have some growing to do and that's where I think this team is really going to pick up and learn a lot from our last two games here in the ACC Tournament and come back next year much more seasoned.

Q. Just going off of that, since all your team is coming back next year, how can you apply the lessons that you learned this season as you move forward next year and in years to come?

JOANNA BERNABEI-MCNAMEE: Right. That's one of the things. We got our summer taken away from us this past year due to COVID, and hopefully that doesn't happen again. That's a big thing for us. We do a lot of development, both in the weight room and conditioning, and then also personal growth on the basketball court. We didn't get that time. And every coach knows the off-season is where players become great. It's not -- during the season you become a great team, but in the off-season you become a great player.

I think this team is really fired up as individuals to start working hard. That's one thing about a college athlete. They really have to sacrifice what they want in the immediate for what they want in the future. So this team right now, even though the season is further away, our next season is further away, they have to start now in the weight room, with nutrition, and then taking care of their academics and all of that has to play a role in them feeling prepared and like they're going to be one of the top teams in the country in the future.

I think they're bought in and they're going to start doing that, and I think we have a great team overall as far as their chemistry goes, so they're going to hold each other accountable and get to work.