NCAA WOMEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP: REGIONAL FINAL: BAYLOR VS UCONN

March 29, 2021

Dijonai Carrington

Alamodome - River Walk

Baylor Lady Bears

Elite 8 Postgame Media Conference

UConn - 69, Baylor - 67

Q. DiJonai, obviously in a game like this, when it comes down to the wire and maybe you don't feel like that you didn't necessarily -- you guys didn't lose the game on your own, it potentially came down to maybe a controversial call, how do you deal with that mentally as an athlete when something like that happens, when it very well could have been a foul called and you go to the free-throw line?

DIJONAI CARRINGTON: I mean, I personally don't see it as a controversial call. I've already seen the replay. One girl fouled me in my face and one girl fouled me on my arm. At that point you can't do anything else. We drew up a play. Liz got fouled posting up and I got fouled driving. So nothing we really could do about that situation in particular. But, you know, turn the page.

Q. DiJonai, when DiDi went out with the hamstring injury, they went on a big run to take the lead. How did you guys kind of flip the switch and get back in it?

DIJONAI CARRINGTON: Obviously you can never account for injuries happening. So that was tough for us. And Sarah got thrown into the fire, freshman in a big game. I don't know, we just tried to weather the storm. We've always had things thrown at us this whole season and just had to play through them and battle and that's what we did. We never gave up. We never thought that we were out of it.

Q. Obviously a great game from you today and a great season from you. Maybe it's too soon for you to know but can you talk about how special the one year you did get in Waco has been?

DIJONAI CARRINGTON: It was very special. And it's a shame that it's cut short. But I absolutely have enjoyed my time here thus far and I learned a lot about the game, learned a lot about myself. And I think I grew as a player and as a person and that's all you can really ask for. They welcomed me with open arms, and Coach Mulkey let me be free and let me just play how I know I can play.

Q. DiJonai, they kind of threw the first punch tonight, got up by 12 early. What was the key to you guys battling back from that?

DIJONAI CARRINGTON: I mean, they were scoring in transition. They weren't scoring on us too much in the half court. We knew that we had to guard the 3-point line a little bit better. They got hot in the beginning. And we had to get back in transition. But I think once I came in I was able to bring us a little bit of a spark on offense and we got going in transition a little bit too. So that helped.

Q. Talk about the crowd you guys had here tonight. Obviously you've had a season where you haven't had fans talk about how great it was and how they helped you with the game?

DIJONAI CARRINGTON: I mean, we love our Lady Bear fans, and we definitely had a great crowd here today. They helped us when we were up, they helped us when we were down. It sucks to have let them down in a sense, but I don't know. It's such a tough way to end a game. Really frustrating. Pictures don't lie, film don't lie. It's just a shame that they're not able to see us play anymore out here.

Q. Just talk about your guys' defensive effort. After that first quarter, you seemed to lock in and you especially had a great block or two and steals. Talk about the defensive effort you guys had tonight.

DIJONAI CARRINGTON: That's what we've been built on all season. That's what Coach Mulkey has built this program on is defense. And in the beginning, as we already discussed, we weren't locked in to the defensive schemes and things like that. So we just talked about it and we knew -- play harder, play like this could be the last game you ever play in your life. I think people just locked into that.

Q. DiJonai, I know you all rotated different players on her, but can you talk about Paige Bueckers and just, you were able to stay with her pretty well, but she just found ways to get open, I guess?

DIJONAI CARRINGTON: Yeah, I guess. She's a good player, really good player. I thought DiDi was doing a great job on her. And when DiDi went down with the injury, other people had to step up including myself. She got a few buckets on me. And obviously I wish she hadn't. But she's a great player and great players are going to score. So just keep playing hard.

Q. Were their front court players, interior players, did they have a combination of size and athletic ability that's maybe different than anybody you've played this year so far?

DIJONAI CARRINGTON: I don't think so. I mean, everybody knows UConn's a good team. I think our front court players are just as lengthy and just as athletic as theirs. So I mean we go against that every day in practice.

Q. I just wondered, you're going to get this year back. Have you thought about coming back and playing another year in Waco?

DIJONAI CARRINGTON: Yeah, I haven't made my mind up exactly of what I'm going to do. I've just been focused on this season, completely locked into this season and not worried about tomorrow. It says in the bible to worry about today because today has enough troubles of its own and tomorrow will worry about tomorrow. So that's really where my head has been the whole season is just worrying about the here and the now. But after this I'll talk with the coaches, talk with my family and talk with God and make a decision.