NCAA WOMEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP: FIRST ROUND - VILLANOVA VS BYU

March 19, 2022

Jeff Judkins

Paisley Harding

Sara Hamson

BYU Cougars

Media Conference

Villanova 61, BYU 57

JEFF JUDKINS: First of all, want to congratulate Villanova. They played a really good game. Give them a lot of credit and wish them the best.

I want to thank my team for an incredible season. They go 26-4, and to be able to compete at the highest level and be able to hang in there and do the things with up and down parts of life and the season, I'm very proud of them.

Especially my seniors, who sacrificed coming back, willing to do whatever it takes to reach the goal which we all wanted to do, and that is to win a national championship.

But I'm really proud of them and the way that they did everything the right way and set a great example to all the younger kids on the team of what's expected at BYU and what we want.

This team won a conference championship, which hasn't been done for a long time, and just a lot of great opportunities this year, great memories I'll have for my whole life.

I just appreciate them. Wish we could have done it. We came close. Kind of got in a little hole, but we fought back and had a chance. That's what this team has done really almost all year with everything.

Q. Just kind of take us through the emotions that you guys are feeling right now. You're both seniors and you really hoped, like Coach Judd said, to really take a deep run in this tournament. Part of the reason why you guys came back. How are you feeling right now?

SARA HAMSON: I think our team just did a really good job of making us feel loved. They really rallied around us after the game, and that's what makes our team so special this year. There is so much love on this team, and I'm just so full of gratitude for all the players and the experiences I've had this year and the memories we made and for the staff and everything they've done for us.

Q. Paisley, you got off to a really good start to start the game; then seemed like things bogged down for you a little bit. Turnovers became an issue. What flipped there for Villanova, the way they were able to turn the game around and take charge?

PAISLEY HARDING: I think we came out super aggressive, especially on defense. We took them out of the things they thought they would be able to get pretty easy, but then I think they turned on the heat.

They started pressing a little bit more, getting more in our passing lanes. We just made some careless turnovers, which I think that's pretty much us just beating ourselves right there in that little stretch in the first quarter.

But, yeah, maybe just their pressure, pushing us up the court a little bit.

Q. For both of you, what has this program and season meant as a whole for you guys?

PAISLEY HARDING: This season has meant the world to me. This has been such a fun season.

And then on top of that, this program is amazing. I mean, I couldn't have asked to go to any other college and have this experience. I've been able to be brought up as a young freshman into this aspiring and intelligent and great young woman and be able to really perform on the basketball court because of this program, because of the university I went to and because of my coaches helping me, pushing me, having confidence in me.

And so this whole experience, this whole season has meant everything to me. These girls are something special. I don't think you can find another team in this nation that is as close, tight-knit, and loving as mine is.

SARA HAMSON: Just the culture on this team is unique. I've grown up playing all sorts of sports and been on so many teams. This team is just so full of love and just we're willing to push each other in practice and compete, but at the end of the day we still enjoy being around each other.

The season ended up being shorter than they wanted it to be, but at the end of the day we made memories we'll keep forever and friends we're just going to just live with forever.

Q. Maddy Siegrist had six points in the first half. Seemed like you guys did you a good job defensively and then she broke out in the second half. What was the difference defensively just guarding her? How was she able to shake loose, I guess?

SARA HAMSON: I mean, we came in knowing she's their leading scorer, and we were really locked in the first half.

And then she adjusted. She turned it up a couple notches and really went off. Kudos to her. She played a really great game.

Q. What do the next week or two weeks after this game kind of look like for you, for the girls who are going to come back next year? What's the next steps in the immediate aftermath of this tournament?

JEFF JUDKINS: Well, I think first thing is bring them in and kind of go through what we want to accomplish next season and talk about where we were this year, how close we were to making the goals we wanted.

And then hopefully talk to them about things they need to improve to make this team better. That's one thing you notice with these two, Paisley and Sara got better every year. They worked on something of their weakness and got better.

And I hope the young kids that are here will see the same and will be able to focus on that. I think we set a good tone for what is expected and what we want to achieve.

I think that's going to help these guys drive through it all summer. I know we'll give them some rest. There are finals next month. We will give them some time off and then get back on it.

I'm going to have to look as a coach and see what can I do to help this team with the players I have coming back. What I can do, what's going to fit their personalities, talents and all that. That's the hard part of coaching.

You have a great team and you worked hard with them, and now they are graduating and now you're kind of starting over a little bit.

But I think they set a really good foundation of what we need to do with our basketball program.

Q. After such a strong start, where did you see the game turning in the first half?

JEFF JUDKINS: Really hurt us when Maria got her second foul. She was doing a good job keeping the tempo. When Maria comes out, what happens is the ball gets in Shaylee's hand, and Shaylee is a good ball handler, but she is not used to doing it all the time.

I think it kind of changes her offensive mood where she has to get more people involved.

Paisley said it. They came out and got real physical, started busting through screens harder, started knocking us around the post, and we just didn't -- seemed like we didn't fight back as well as we needed to.

We kind of got hit and then we kind of stopped. There was an a lot of conversations in the timeout, is we got to compete, get out there, got to be stronger. We can't be so careless with the ball.

They did a good job really helping us off screens, especially once that point hit, and that kind of got us out of rhythm.

We been there before. Played a lot of physical teams and we just had opportunities that we just didn't make couple plays right there when we needed to. The shot clock was running down and they get a rebound basket that was really important.

Villanova went to their star. In the second half they ran everything through her, and she's a great player and she made some plays tonight that as a coach you try to double her, but she's quick enough to get her shot off fast enough that you can't get there.

So just a lot of things. We had our chances. We had some good opportunities.

Q. Coach, throughout this season there hasn't been a lot of the times that you guys have shot under 40%; today was one of those days. Other rounds in the WCC tournament. Did this team just kind of hit a lull shooting-wise at the wrong time you think?

JEFF JUDKINS: I think teams get physical, more physical in tournaments, and I think that gets you off a little bit.

I think another thing, and it's a small thing, but it's affected us, I can tell. Your whole year you shoot with a certain ball, and then you go into the tournament and shoot a completely different ball.

I don't know if other teams practice with those balls all year. I guarantee we will next year. We will practice with those basketballs all year, because there is a different feel.

One thing I can do is shoot, and I guarantee I would have a hard time shooting with the ball -- not being used to it. You get a feel to it. Just seemed like we were a little bit off. You have to give the defense a lot of credit for that. They pushed us off the line, they rushed us.

We thought we got fouled a little bit today going to the basket, no call. That's part of it.

But you're right. We have to shoot the ball good. We did the whole year. These last three games were the worst we shot all year, and you can't do that when you get into tournaments.

Q. Coach, you guys switched to zone three minutes remaining. It seemed to work. Do you feel like you should have got to that quicker?

JEFF JUDKINS: No question. It's bad on my part. I watched them play and they tore zone apart. I just thought, 'Hey, I don't want to do it.' I should have zoned earlier and at least tried to get them out of rhythm.

The game was back and forth and wasn't like they caught -- we got ahead and they caught us and went back and forth and they made a little run.

The zone got them out of their motion. Probably should have done that more.

Q. Coach, you've talked about your senior class, and so many of them came back for the extra year to do what they did this year. Paisley in particular seemed to really drive you guys, not just scoring-wise, but just emotionally, that she was almost kind of a heart of the team.

JEFF JUDKINS: Yeah.

Q. What did having her come back this season mean for you guys now that you can look back?

JEFF JUDKINS: Well, you know, you notice when the game gets more physical, Paisley steps it up. Her strength and her endurance is amazing.

These are the games she's always played well in them because of that. You know, she's a kid that works really hard and she says what she feels.

I think it's been really positive for a lot of the young kids to really see that. You know, when you have one of your best players work the hardest, it really sets the tone for what this team is all about.

Paisley got better every year. You know, there is not a lot of players you can say that about, but you can say that with her. She improved in every part of her game. I just wish she would've been 6' instead of 5'8". Would've made a big difference.

But she is one the best. She's one the best that I've coached. She's proven that in both NCAA games and really big games. I thought tonight she played one of her best games for us.

Q. Coach, remarkable season; disappointing end. Can you sum up the season overall?

JEFF JUDKINS: Well, you know, I'm going to look back and say, you know, what a great season. 24-6, win the conference, be ranked as long as we did, have a chance for the conference tournament and lose to a good Gonzaga team. Played a really good team, Villanova. Played right down to the wire. This game will stay with me for a while.

As it gets going I'll look back and remember the good things we had this year. They were a fun team to coach. As a coach, you don't always get that. Sometimes your teams are hard to motivate, hard to get them to do the things you want them to.

This team was the opposite. They were easy to motivate, they worked hard, they did whatever it took for this team to be successful. It's going to be hard. I'm going to go back and say we need to practice and there won't be any practice.

So that's the hard part. The tournament, one team comes out smiling; everybody else loses, and it's tough. But that's what makes winning and what makes success I guess so important, is when you lose, it doesn't feel good and hurts, so you drive yourself to do your best.

But I'm really proud of these guys. I think we have a big future. The freshman are very talented. You'll see next year. They're different, but they will come in and do what we need them to do.