NCAA WOMEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP: SECOND ROUND - UTAH VS TEXAS

March 20, 2022

Lynne Roberts

Kennady McQueen

Dru Gylten

Utah Utes

Postgame Media Conference

Texas 78, Utah 56

LYNNE ROBERTS: Appreciate you being here. Incredibly proud of my team for the season that we had. I told them after the game that sometimes you just have to give the other team credit. I thought Texas played just incredibly well. I've watched so much film on them, and that's the best I've seen them shoot, at least in the games I saw.

You kind of have to pick your poison with them, and we kind of wanted them to take long, contested twos to try to eliminate easy baskets around the rim and kick-out threes, but man, they made shots.

Whether that was our defense or whatever, you just have to tip your hat. They did a phenomenal job today. They were really, really good, and they shoot like that, the way they defend, they're going to be really hard for anyone to beat.

Congratulations to them on their game today, obviously, and wish them nothing but the best in the rest of the tournament.

As far as our team went, today was not our best day. We certainly missed the size of Peyton McFarland today inside, our other center. We were a little outmatched there.

But I am incredibly proud of our team. We're so young. Our culture is fantastic. Our kids are bought in. They play super hard. They're coachable.

I told them afterwards, too, they should be upset. They should be disappointed. But time will give perspective on what we achieved this year, and I'm excited to see what we can do in the future.

I don't want to move on too quickly. I think these guys deserve to enjoy the season we had. Only one team ends up not bummed in this tournament at the end.

Painful today, but so, so, so proud of my players.

Q. Kennady, you had a lot of good looks in the first quarter and then they kind of shut that off. What changed?

KENNADY McQUEEN: I think they're a great defensive team. We talked about that. That's what they take pride in and we knew that coming in. I think we started the game well, so yeah, coming back out after halftime they definitely took away looks, and second quarter we had a little bit of a rough second quarter and I think they just hound down on their defense. I think that's where we struggled a little bit, but yeah, I think that's where it changed.

LYNNE ROBERTS: I think, too, I'll add in the second quarter we were right there and then we had three turnovers in a row, and then suddenly it was like bang, bang, bang, and then we're down 10 or whatever. It just kind of happened fast and then we were in a bit of a deficit.

Q. Dru, it seemed like Texas in the second half was able to kind of speed you guys up a little bit at times maybe with their pressure and force you guys to play a little rushed and hurried. Is that how you saw it?

DRU GYLTEN: Yeah, I think we started off the game very well as far as pressure-wise. I think those first couple of minutes, I think we really got reversals and were getting wide-open shots. Maybe we didn't make them all the time but we were in control.

Then I think that second half, yeah, maybe they just got into our heads a little bit and we were trying to do a little too much as far as somebody -- we just wanted somebody to make a play and kind of relying on other people to do stuff and kind of got away from what we do best.

I think as far as a team and playing a team like Texas, we for the most part about really well, and like Coach Rob said, we're a very young team, so I was so proud of how our team handled it and just kept fighting and never gave up until the end of the buzzer.

Q. Dru, what are you taking away from this experience? Obviously you've had the most experience on the team, from not only this tournament but just your experience overall at Utah and what you might have learned from Coach here that you plan to take on with you?

DRU GYLTEN: Yeah, it's just been awesome. I think coming into college you never know what to expect, and as a young freshman you're like, oh, I'm going to be able to play, I'm going to have the best, like you just came out of high school, you think you're just the best person ever, and then when you get to college it's just learning and growing as a person and as a player. I think Coach Rob is so good at that, kind of bringing you under her wing. She's going to yell at you, she's going to get after you, but at the end of the day it makes you a better person, and I think just as my career here at Utah, I think the way the team has played this year and we've all come together and put those puzzle pieces to where they're supposed to fit, I think it was an amazing month I'd say.

Our Pac-12 tournament was so fun. That's kind of what you dream of, upsetting people and making a run and having everybody come together and cheer for you, and then obviously this tournament, just not necessarily -- just showing up and being grateful to be here but beating Arkansas pretty convincingly and today just playing Texas until the end, it's just been so amazing.

It's all come together, and my teammates, I just give them so much credit. We have so much fun on and off the court, and I give credit to them.

Q. Kennady, your perspective on this season kind of as a whole and what Utah fans can look forward to moving ahead?

KENNADY McQUEEN: Yeah, I hate to talk about last season, but just seeing the season that we had and just seeing what I personally and I think everyone took away what they need to get better at, and we knew at the end of the season last year that we were not going to have a season like that again. Everyone was very determined to make that happen.

I think starting in summer workouts you could just tell it was going to be a special year. Everyone was so determined, brought in great freshmen, and their impact that they had, and I think everyone learned from each other and got better every day.

Yeah, I think we definitely turned it around, and the season was a blast.

Definitely a highlight for me, too, was the Pac-12 tournament, that was super fun, and being able to experience this and be a part of March Madness. But we'll be back.

Q. Dru, I know every time I've been at one of the press conferences you always thank the media for being here, which I really appreciate because when I was playing our coaches never did that. It's just not something I've heard about. Dru, how have you or your experience playing these four years, how have you seen the trajectory of the women's game grow? How have you seen more recognition of Utah women's basketball and other women's basketball programs around the country?

DRU GYLTEN: Yeah, totally. Definitely coming in as a freshman, I know Coach Rob and I talk about this all the time, we wanted to do something that Utah hasn't done in the past, and we want to pack the Huntsman and get a lot of people to support women's basketball, and I think our administration and our coaches, they're always on that to get people to show up to our games.

This year -- I think having a year like COVID kind of hurt that a little bit, but I think having all the people of Salt Lake watching us play this year and just the style that we play is so -- it's just so fun, and you get so many fans involved, and it's been so cool just to watch it grow and grow and grow.

I don't see that changing anymore -- I see the change is definitely going to happen more in the future because we just play such a cool style of basketball, and it's fun. Even with just this representation of having March Madness for women's basketball, I think there's only room for growth, and I think it's going to come in the future, so it's really awesome.

Q. I'm curious if y'all expect Texas to make a deep run the rest of the tournament, and how would you compare them to Stanford, which I know you've had some trouble with, and they beat Stanford earlier.

DRU GYLTEN: Yeah, I think we have to give props to Texas. They played such a great game today and they're very athletic. They know how to play well as a team. But I do think playing in the Pac-12, we're always going to support the Pac-12. We love our conference, and we're the conference of champions.

Stanford is so, so good. They have a very good coach, and they play also well as a team. If Texas does make it any farther, it will be a good matchup against Stanford if they win two, but I'm always a big supporter of the Pac-12, and we've got to back the Pac.

KENNADY McQUEEN: Yeah, I echo that. I'm not sure what else to add to that. That was great.

Q. Do you see a weak link in Texas?

LYNNE ROBERTS: Don't answer that. (Laughter).

Q. Lynne, I know you mentioned the three turnovers which was a key, but there was also a sequence when they missed free throws, got the rebound. Can you just discuss kind of how that was almost symbolic of the game?

LYNNE ROBERTS: Well, it was at a pivotal point and there was one of those bang-bang calls where Aaliyah Moore caught it at the right elbow and attacked, and I thought Jenna got in front of her, Jenna Johnson got in front of her, had legal guarding position, Moore lowered her shoulder and made it. Those are hard plays to officiate. Those are tough calls that went against us. Then it went to a media time-out, then they came out and got two offensive rebounds on free throws. That was kind of a momentum killer on some level with the time-out.

So yeah, I do think there was -- for whatever reason -- that's how games work. Just some things can trigger runs for reasons that you can't really explain. If you look at our shooting percentage, we shot 51 percent. That's pretty good. But the problem is it comes down to chances, and we always talk about that, the opportunities. We need to have more opportunities than -- because we can score it, we can shoot it, but we only had two offensive rebounds and we turned it over 19 times.

Those are missed opportunities for us to get a good shot up, and their pressure is very good, but I felt like when we got a clean look, we were able to shoot for percentage.

Then on the other side, they shot 85 percent in the second quarter. I mean, that's just incredible. Then they shot 64 percent from the game, and yes, I don't think our defense was as tough as it needed to be, as physical as it needed to be, but I also think good offense beats good defense, and they were feeling it today.

Q. 64 percent, by the way, is a season high for Texas this season, field goal percentage --

LYNNE ROBERTS: Feels like it, yeah.

Q. There was one point where they hit 16 shots in a row from the end of the second quarter until the end of the third quarter. What are you thinking as a coach during that streak, and did you see them doing different things, or was it just kind of hammering their mid-range spots over and over?

LYNNE ROBERTS: Yeah, some of it was missed assignments. We had a game plan, and it's a tough place to play. There's a lot of people, and sometimes things can snowball a little bit. I've been on the other side of those runs, and the rim just gets bigger and bigger and bigger. Everybody in the crowd gets into it and everybody is just feeling it.

We tried to go zone, and they just kind of picked it apart and made shots. It was tough. It was kind of like we needed to find something, and I thought our defense was much better in the fourth quarter. We were just more physical and aggressive.

But the damage had been done.

Q. One day between games, can you simulate practice against that type of defense?

LYNNE ROBERTS: No, but I mean, they're very big and athletic, but we've got some great teams in the Pac-12 that defend, and Arizona is one of them. Very similar defensively.

For me, I think we -- the turnovers hurt us. They were able to get out and go, especially in that second quarter. But we ran some back-door stuff that worked.

To answer your question, is there any way to simulate that in practice the day before, no, but just like they can't simulate our offense. It's a lot of film, mental reps, physical walk-through stuff.

Q. Do you want to answer the weak link question?

LYNNE ROBERTS: I don't -- today there wasn't any weak links. That's all I can answer. That's all I know. Being in a different conference, being the first time we've played them, they didn't seem to have any today. That's the honest truth.

Q. Y'all went 0-3 against Stanford this year, I think --

LYNNE ROBERTS: Thank you, yes.

Q. Before a great finish and a wonderful season for which you're to be commended.

LYNNE ROBERTS: Thank you.

Q. They have that look now of a complete team, they beat Baylor to win the Big 12 tournament, obviously they're kind of hitting their stride. I wonder if you see any similarities between them and Stanford, who would be in their way?

LYNNE ROBERTS: Stanford is legit, and they are the defending national champion, and until someone beats them they still are the national champion. They are so well-coached, and they are a machine. That's the best way -- I think what makes them great, I think they're actually better than they were last year.

Last year they had Kiana Williams, which was just a superstar WNBA draft pick point guard that when things went sideways for them she was able to save the day, and you saw -- I think actually Texas game in Palo Alto is a perfect example of that. Texas was still trying to figure out who was going to fill that void, and Tara is the GOAT, and she figured it out.

Now they're firing on all cylinders, and because they don't have that superstar point guard in Kiana Williams, they're more of a balanced attack, which makes them even harder to defend.

I don't know how many games they've won in a row, 20 something? Our league is good, and for them to go undefeated in it says something. If it ends up being Texas-Stanford, that's going to be a great game.

My hypothetical money is on Stanford, just because they're Pac-12.