MOUNTAIN WEST WOMEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP

March 6, 2023

Mike Bradbury

Viane Cumber

Thomas & Mack Center

New Mexico Lobos

Postgame Press Conference

San Diego State 69, New Mexico 68

THE MODERATOR: For New Mexico up here joining Coach, Viane Cumber, and we'll have coach making an opening remark, and then we'll take questions for Viane.

Coach, please make your opening remark.

MIKE BRADBURY: Yeah, give San Diego State a lot of credit. You know, it was a good, hard-fought game. You know, they got one more basket than we did. I thought our kids played hard enough and good enough to win the game and came up a little short.

THE MODERATOR: Questions?

Q. V, I know this must be a heartbreaking loss for you and the team. Can you just talk about and say what you guys spoke about in the locker room after this one?

VIANE CUMBER: We really didn't have much to say. I mean, Coach just told us that, like he said, that we played hard. We just came up a little bit short. It's a lot to process right now, so we'll talk about it later, but yeah.

Q. Coach, did you at one time down the stretch -- did you feel like it was kind of getting away at the end? I mean, you guys led for 34 minutes, but it seemed like it was -- I know it was so tight, but did it ever feel like, whoa, hey, you know, this might get away?

MIKE BRADBURY: No. I don't know that they ever got ahead.

Q. No, they didn't.

MIKE BRADBURY: So it wasn't slipping away in my eyes. You know, I mean, it was always about a two-possession game the entire time.

So the only play really that -- and we guarded it correctly; we just gave her a little too much room -- was Staples' three. That was the only thing that wasn't, you know, done absolutely right.

And, again, we weren't even wrong there in a normal situation. You know, but, I mean, felt good. I thought we deserved to win the game.

Q. Could you just talk about that last play, what went wrong there, the last play you guys had?

MIKE BRADBURY: On the last shot?

Q. Yes.

MIKE BRADBURY: Everything was perfect. You know, I mean, we got a layup unguarded from a player that always makes them, that makes a higher percentage of those than anybody else we have on the team and that I trust in that situation on that shot more than anybody we got.

So, I mean, we could not have asked for a better, you know, spot to be in there.

Q. V, you had 15 points tied with Shai. The Aztecs' coach came up here and said they were trying to take away the three from you guys. Could you feel that? Obviously, you knocked out a couple, but were they doing anything defensively to take you out of it a bit?

VIANE CUMBER: They were denying everything, but we kind of knew they were going to. Coach had told us. That's why we started off really strong attacking the basket, and Coach continued to tell us keep attacking, keep attacking.

So when we did that, it kind of opened up things for me. So, yeah, we knew they were going to do that.

Q. Coach, what are the chances much you guys playing in the WNIT?

MIKE BRADBURY: Okay. I know the answer, but I don't want to get in trouble. Allison.

Q. Plead the Fifth. Okay. All right.

MIKE BRADBURY: Don't blame me. You heard it, right? I'm here (laughing).

Q. V, I know after something like this you don't really want to think about just yourself, but you had an incredible game for seeing a lot of minutes in your first Mountain West tournament. You're an Albuquerque kid. What does this mean to you to represent the Lobos on this stage?

VIANE CUMBER: It means a lot. My family was here. I just took it all in coming off injury. I've had a rough career with injuries, so just being out there tonight, it meant a lot. More than many other games.

It sucks the outcome, but I'm really grateful and blessed to be where I'm at and just excited to keep going, keep getting better, and get better results next year.

THE MODERATOR: Thank you for your time.