NCAA WOMEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP: SECOND ROUND - BAYLOR VS UCONN

March 20, 2023

Nicki Collen

Jaden Owens

Caitlin Bickle

Gampel Pavilion

Baylor Bears

Media Conference

UConn 77, Baylor 58

NICKI COLLEN: If we could have ended the game at 25 minutes in, I think it was really, really good battle; contrasting styles and similar at the same time. Obviously they won the battle of the paint. I thought when Aaliyah Edwards picked up her fourth foul that would be a momentum changer for us.

Ironically, it was the opposite. Aubrey Griffin came in and to me was the difference maker for them, and it just goes to show you it's not always about who scores all the points, but the extra possessions she created, the energy she created in transition, the way she was flying around, like she just changed the energy for this whole team.

And obviously Azzi Fudd looked like the Azzi we were watching in November before she got hurt. She was making her pull-up, getting all the way to the basket. She was obviously all-American player today.

But I thought it was Griffin's energy that just really changed the game.

Q. Jaden, talk about that first quarter and just what got you guys going, obviously making some three pointers?

JADEN OWENS: I think it's just we went out, knew our game plan, and I think we executed it in the first quarter. We were playing together and we were doing what we do best in getting in the paint touches, just pushing the ball up the floor and just playing together.

Q. For either of you, what did you feel was the difference in the game? Do you agree with coach that it was like Aubrey Griffin, Azzi Fudd getting shots off?

CAITLIN BICKLE: I think honestly, a lot of it was turnovers, a lot of it there was some times where they went on runs where they got fast breaks and that was one of the things that we didn't want.

Like she said, offensive rebounding they got some chances where it was wide open threes for them. Yeah, there was just some missed assignments from us that we went over and weren't as locked in as we needed to be and they were hitting shots.

They're a great team, and when they got their open shots they were making them.

Q. Jaden, can you talk about your three-point shooting as a team. 14 against Alabama; 12 today. Was that kind of the game plan going in? You knew they had the advantage inside.

JADEN OWENS: I mean, we have great shooters on the team. I feel like everybody can shoot the three, so I wouldn't say that's our game plan. Our game plan was to just to get our paint touch es and just execute wherever play that Coach Nicki wants to us run.

If it's an open three, we're going to take it. I don't think -- we don't want to live and die by the three, but Ja'mee, Sarah, they were really on, and that's what we wanted to keep going with.

Q. Caitlin, they had the size advantage inside. How difficult was it inside with all that size and how physical they were?

CAITLIN BICKLE: I don't think we've ever really been the bigger team this year, at least at guard play ever, so we're pretty used to that. I think Big XII has some pretty big posts, so usually a lot of teams will have a traditional post and then have kind of like more of a forward where you had Griffin out there that could go in and out. Or you had Ducharme, like people that can play both.

So I think for us it was making sure they didn't get early looks. I think they got a couple, but a lot of the time their posts are really good running in transition, stealing. I don't think we gave them a ton of post-to-post looks, which is something we kind of went over.

But I think they just had so many more paint touches than us, whether it was guards, posts, and they were so effective doing that against us. That's usually what we're really good at, and unfortunately they just did that better than us.

Q. Just what do you kind of take from the season and this experience, second year with coach, and what do you think will stick with you the most out of this year?

CAITLIN BICKLE: You want to go first?

JADEN OWENS: You got it.

CAITLIN BICKLE: I'm going to get emotional if I answer this question. You should go first.

JADEN OWENS: Having faith. I think, one, playing for a God-fearing coach is one of the best things I can say for this organization.

That's one.

And two, just embracing the moment we're in. I think we have been doubted the whole season, the past two years since she's been here, and I think it's just all we have is ourselves.

I think that's something that we've realized and really wanted to just stick with. Coach likes to say don't point our guns at each other but at the other team. Simply because all we have is each other. If we're together that's all we need.

So just sticking together as a family through the ups and downs and just having faith in our coaching staff and our teammates and just embracing the moment that we're in.

CAITLIN BICKLE: For sure. Obviously I was here in the coach Kim Mulkey era, so it was just very different. I'm glad I stayed. Glad that I got the opportunity to be coached by her.

Sorry. Emotional person.

But, yeah, it was fun. I think last year we still had a very similar team. This year we got the chance to get a lot of new players. We went through a ton of obstacles with we didn't think we were going to have to face.

I can tell you like no Top 5 power conference team that's pretty successful is playing two freshmen. Props to them. They're going to be incredible players.

And so many people had to step up this year. You know, we had an all-American last year that was probably averaging 25 to 30 minutes a game. Was getting a double-double every single game.

You know, we ran pretty much a lot offense around her, a lot plays were for her, and this year so many different players, Ja'mee, Sarah, Jaden, me, all of us had to step up and make a team effort.

Like she said, it was always us against the world mindset for us this year.

Q. Nicki, obviously great effort by you guys tonight. Was it just too much Fudd in the third quarter.

NICKI COLLEN: Yeah, I think she played like an All-American for sure. She had a little more bounceback I thought. You know, maybe that game was coming for her. She's worked her way back from her injury.

But I just -- you know, when you look at the numbers, it's not like the points off turnovers were any different. I thought we had some chances to get good shots where we turned it over that maybe didn't lead to a basket, but took away an opportunity from us.

And 13 turnovers against UConn is pretty darn good. I think I said in my press conference the other day, because their offense is so pretty and their ball movement and player movement is so pretty everyone talks about UConn offensively, but they're also one of the best defensive teams in the country.

I think over the course of the game their size wore us down. Didn't wear us down at the rim on the defensive end, it wore us down at the offensive end, because they were switching a lot and, you know, they did a good job of switching back when they could so we couldn't stay with some of the matchups.

Didn't do a good enough job attacking Dorka in the ball screens with quicker players. I thought she backed up and contained pretty well, and I thought we settled for too many jump shots. Obviously we knew we were going to have to take more threes than maybe our -- normally we want to shoot 30% of our shot from three. We want to take what the defense gives us, but we don't want to live and die, 50% of our shots from three.

But when they have that size and they're backing up, there is a time and place that sometimes that's the best shot you'll get against them is an open three. And so I really thought the tide changed because of Aubrey Griffin. Her energy at both ends, like we would get a miss and she looked like Superman flying in from the perimeter, getting them extra opportunities.

You know, when you look at their best lineup, ironically, wasn't with Aaliyah Edwards in it, when you look at the plus minus, and that's not going to be that way normally for them. When Ducharme was at the four, now we are stretched because she's a great three-point shooter.

So now we can only help off Aubrey. Now we are helping off Aubrey and she is getting on the offensive glass because she's quicker to the ball than we were.

So that lineup was really good for them because they could guard us with that lineup, but they could stretch us out more.

I thought our defense was pretty effective when we could help in on their double big lineup. We stayed home a little better, we rebounded better when they were kind of with their double big lineup, which is what they're going to have to play against a lot of teams to be effective.

But tonight their small ball was really good.

Q. Kind of similar question that I asked your players.

NICKI COLLEN: Oh, no. Go ahead. Sorry.

Q. If you kind of reflect back on the season and just how year two was and the ups and downs and how you handled adversity, what sticks out to you?

NICKI COLLEN: Yeah, obviously what the public sees, what people see, is the 40 minutes that we're on the court night in and night out. They're not in the locker room. They're not in the practice gym. They're not dealing with someone not wanting someone to get eligible that we were counting on, or -- obviously UConn has dealt with Paige being out all year, but it's tough when you sign two players that are all-SEC players and one plays less than 100 minutes and the other never gets to suit up.

And so we dealt with a lot of -- we've got Boots, Sarah Andrews hasn't practiced for two weeks because of plantar fasciitis. When she doesn't practice she's not as sharp. She played great on Friday night, but I think the quick turnaround, I was proud of how she battled, but I don't think she has her bounce.

When your feet hurt -- you know, Jaden has had shin issues all year and wears a boot 24/7 when she is not playing. So we have to limit reps in practice.

As a coach you're trying to help a young team grow. There were days we had seven people in practice on a 13-people roster. Some days we had eight. There were days Sarah could go ever third possession. Jaden could go every third possession. Of a practice.

And so it was a challenge. So I'm really proud of how resilient we were. You know, considering some of the obstacles, and everybody has injuries and has moments like that.

But you're talking about two All-SEC players, and it's not the same as -- I don't know that UConn has a player on their bench that wasn't a McDonald's All-American.

Because of that, even when they have injuries they're still playing five All-Americans or four All-Americans, and one that was the player of the year at Fairfield who's a had pretty dang good player.

So we battled. Caitlin, she's so special. Like she is our safety, our quarterback, she runs our team. She can run every position on our floor. She's the best communicator on our team. Stubborn as heck. Nobody I've ever coached plays more for the name on the front of her jersey than Caitlin Bickle. Nobody. Nobody.

Like she cares about winning, and for three years she didn't play and cheered on her teammates. For run one year she was a role player that helped us win games. For one year she was an all-conference player, and I'm glad she was able to get to the point where she was more than a Kehlani's backup, Nalyssa's backup, and kind of showed the world how good she actually is.

So our seniors, Ja'mee was the first kid to say yes to me as a head coach in the collegiate level. I say Jordan Lewis did, but she kind of had already found an apartment.

But Ja'mee was the one that obviously she came to win a championship, but she had to believe that I could lead her to a championship, the team. So these guys, I'm a big believer, and it's is a easy for coaches to like want to give a pep talk in the locker room after a game to the young kids about what that meant and coming back, but I just don't believe in that.

I believe the last game is about the kids that will never be in that locker room again. So I'm just super lucky to have coached Ja'mee and Caitlin Bickle.

Q. If you could just take a forward look, where do you expect your program to be after two years and where do you feel it's going from here?

NICKI COLLEN: You know, I think when you -- everybody knows, like the coach that takes over for Geno has a tough task. When that day comes, if it comes.

But it was about culture. It was about saying this is who we are and this is how we're going to do things, and this is who I am how I'm going to do things. It was about being unapologetic about caring about kids, caring about them on the court, caring about them off the court, hugging them, loving them, getting them to understand that it's bigger than basketball.

And at the same time, anyone who knows me well knows there is not a more competitive person on the planet. I'm not saying people aren't equally as competitive as me. I don't like to lose.

I believe I can coach against anybody in the country. Like I don't have confidence issues. You know, I thought we went toe to toe with maybe the best coach that's ever been in women's college basketball.

I know that's debatable and this and that and I'm not trying to start anything here, but Geno is an unbelievable coach in and what he's done here in 30 plus years is insane. And so this year was about continuing to grow.

Like we didn't have an Nalyssa Smith, we didn't have Queen Egbo. We've missed them. Jordan Lewis. She was a sixth year stud that just knew how to play and lead and had played in big games and was a winner.

So it was about turning the page. You know, we thought we were going to be really darn good. I mean, come to a practice, you know, Dre Edwards play. If you had been in our practices watching Aijha compete with those freshmen and show them the way, I think we have a chance to be really special.

Obviously the portal is hopping and you never know who is coming and going, and you know we won't look exactly the same a year from a now, but I think we'll be able to compete with anyone and that's the plan.

You know, like I just know Aijha and Dre and the guard returning, that we have returning, and those freshmen that were a unanimous all-freshmen team and unanimous all-freshmen of the year, we're off to a good start.

Q. Nicki, like you said, Sarah struggled tonight. How big that was for Jaden to do what she did when she hadn't really shot like that toward the end of the year, and I think maybe even earlier you were like, don't turn that down?

NICKI COLLEN: Yeah, I think once again, like sometimes you want to work for a great shot, but sometimes the first shot is the best one against UConn. When the shot clock runs down their numbers are really good. A lot of that has to do with their length, because they're bigger than us at every position. Like it wasn't even close. Ja'mee said, I don't think they're that big and I looked at her like, okay. The person you're guarding is about seven inches taller than you, but okay.

You know, I think Jaden is good when Jaden takes the wide open, that kick-out three. When she first got to the end she had to throw one up. I know everyone is like, oh, that's kind of garbage. But I think that's the -- that was the equalizer to the half that -- the shot that went in before the half. Nika threw one, Jaden threw one in, it's a wash, right?

Jaden doesn't make a lot of step-back threes, but Jaden is a capable catch-and-shoot three-point shooter when her feet are set and people aren't closing down on her.

I thought most of the threes she took were good until the end. It's just when you get down 15 and you're like trying to make a play, it gets a little ugly.

You know, like their hearts are in the right place, but you don't score 24 in the first quarter with step-back threes. You throw them with paint touches, kick it, one more.

You know, like Geno said, you guys are running stuff that's really, really hard to guard when we were going through the line. And I do think we run good stuff. You know, like and we don't have the ability to just say, hey, we're going to pound it into the low post.

Could have done that with Aijha and Dre. So we had to move people. We had great movement sideline to sideline we were really good.

When we got tired and didn't have good movement sideline to sideline, that's one thing about UConn, their cuts are sharp. They cut with a purpose. They're always ready to throw it if you get beat on a cut.

I think some of the cuts -- Azzi got a cut. We fouled. They didn't get a ton of them, like we I thought we took away that more the most part, but they do such a good job of cutting off the ball.