MOUNTAIN WEST WOMEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP

March 6, 2022

Jamie Craighead

Ella Ogier

Cydni Lewis

Thomas & Mack Center

San Jose State Spartans

Postgame Press Conference

Colorado State - 82, San Jose State - 43

THE MODERATOR: All right. We'll start with an opening statement from coach and then take questions for the student-athletes.

JAMIE CRAIGHEAD: Congrats to Colorado State who I thought played very well tonight. Obviously tough for us. Really couldn't get a whole lot going offensively. But, man, Colorado State puts a lot of pressure on you. Tough way to end your season with the loss, but definitely proud of the group for fighting through and we'll move on from here.

THE MODERATOR: Questions for the student-athletes.

Q. This was the 11th time you've led the team in scoring. What's your main focus in going through out the game?

ELLA OGIER: I don't really kind of focus on it too much. I just, I let it come to me. I feel like I have great players around me. I'm fortunate enough to have some people on the team like Cyd sitting next to me who can take some of the pressure offensively away, so then it just makes it easier for me to get open because she's distracting most of the defense sometimes as well. I think we work well together on that same side of the floor, so it makes it easier for us to work continuity with each other one the offensive end.

Q. This is your last game as a Spartan. Just talk me through your experiences here over the last five years.

CYDNI LEWIS: Definitely credits all credits to JC, Coach JC. Just the belief in me, seeing me grow from freshman to finale, basically. And just, kind of, we talked about me coming back and I just wanted to stay healthy like throughout the COVID year and COVID process and just come back for my team and see what we could do this year. So I just appreciate everything San Jose State has done for me.

Q. I know you struggled a little bit tonight with the shooting, you still had 16 points. But what do you kind of say to yourself mentally to get yourself in a place where you can still be productive?

ELLA OGIER: I would just try and like direct my focus into my teammates, I'm trying to put as much confidence in them as they put in me. For me to keep taking shots they have to have confidence in me so I try and just put confidence back into them and just so that it's continuity again.

Q. You guys had 15 offensive rebounds. Was that a big part of the game plan going into it?

JAMIE CRAIGHEAD: Honestly, no, it wasn't, because they're so good in transition we really wanted to make sure that we stayed five on five and got back and unfortunately we really didn't convert any of those into points. So they came up empty. Kept us close in the rebound battle, but unfortunately they didn't really turn into anything solid for us. But really the game plan for us was to keep them in front and get back. And in years past we have been the team that's been the transition team and they have gotten back on us. But they're so good in transition and they have, in the last two meetings we've had against them that's kind of been the difference in the game. But obviously we got in there and battled and unfortunately we just couldn't convert those into some easy points.