ATLANTIC COAST CONFERENCE WOMEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP

March 5, 2021

Brooke Wyckoff

Florida State Seminoles

Postgame Press Conference

Syracuse 68, Florida State 67

Q. Coach, it's always tough coming on after a loss, especially a tight one like this where you guys had it all the way just until the end. Talk about how it slipped away.

BROOKE WYCKOFF: Yeah, we had a really, really strong start, so that helped us, but we lost every other quarter. The matchup issues are really hard with them, especially when they had No. 4 out, and they just play that huge lineup with kids that can post-up and some of them that can shoot threes. It had to be done on the defensive end, and we just couldn't get it done defensively in terms of stopping them around the rim, and then they hit a couple key three-pointers when they needed to.

Q. From your assessment, what happened, at least defensively, kind of in the final seconds there?

BROOKE WYCKOFF: We didn't rebound. We didn't get the rebound. Yep, so we couldn't grab the ball. It just happens.

You know, talking to the team, it shouldn't come down to that. There's a thousand things that all of us could have done differently and would have changed the course of the game, and it sucks that it came down to that. It's unfortunate. You know, you can't just look at that as, Oh, we played the perfect game and we just didn't do that, no, we didn't.

Q. How can you use this loss as a teaching tool as you move forward into the next postseason?

BROOKE WYCKOFF: Yeah, I mean, it's a great opportunity for us to rally together as a team and to stay together. It's really, really disappointing. These players battled and left their hearts on the floor. But again, it was a growth opportunity, another opportunity to play on the big stage and understand what tournament basketball is all about. So we know that no lead is ever safe. You've got to defend. You've got to finish plays with rebounds if you're going to win in March.