NCAA WOMEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP: SECOND ROUND - UCLA VS OKLAHOMA

March 20, 2023

Ana Llanusa

Taylor Robertson

Madi Williams

Jennie Baranczyk

Pauley Pavilion

Oklahoma Sooners

Media Conference

UCLA - 82, Oklahoma - 73

THE MODERATOR: We'll take questions for the student-athletes.

Q. Madi, it seemed like in the third quarter you guys came out with more energy and you were able to get to the basket more freely. What changed for you guys during that time?

MADI WILLIAMS: I think we were just able to talk about it in the locker room and just reiterate that we could get scores in the paint. So that was our main focus for the second half was whether it was driving to the basket or posting deep in the paint, that's how we were going to get the ball in the basket.

Q. Madi, did it seem like this year was different from last year in the second round where you just had a lot left in the tank?

MADI WILLIAMS: Yeah, I mean, this year we came out and we had more experience with getting to the tournament and getting into the second round. Mentally we were way more ready than we probably were last year. We knew what it takes to win a second-round game. We couldn't get it done today, but we knew what it took.

Q. Taylor, were you hurting toward the end? I had seen you limp toward the bench a little bit in the fourth quarter.

TAYLOR ROBERTSON: No, I was good.

Q. First half when they came out running, did that surprise you guys any, just the pace that they had? It looked like they were hitting a lot from the perimeter early too.

TAYLOR ROBERTSON: We kind of knew what they did. We kind of expected that and just trying to guard 'em and keep 'em in front and we knew that their guards were good and we had to try to limit them.

Q. Taylor, 0-2 from beyond the arc tonight. It seemed like in general they were taking away from everybody a lot of the 3-point shots. Was that just what they were doing on defense?

TAYLOR ROBERTSON: Yeah. And I think that we were getting a lot on the inside too in the paint and cutting to the basket, and I think that was more of our focus and just didn't get the looks outside that we all normally get and make.

Q. For all three of you, just how disappointing of an ending is this for you? I mean, you've all had great careers, three of you with 1,500 points or more, but just falling short today?

ANA LLANUSA: I wouldn't -- I'm not disappointed. I'm extremely proud of all the work that we've put in and just the things that we've done. We've grown a lot, we've learned a lot, and I'm really excited to see where OU women's basketball goes from here on out. There's nothing to be disappointed about. I mean, it hurts, but I think we all could say that we're really proud of ourselves and what we've done.

Q. The three of you did so much together. How will you remember each other?

MADI WILLIAMS: It's been great playing with the two of them. They're some amazing players. How do you guard three people who scored 2,500 points in a career? We built a legacy here, and we've left it in good hands. We taught the little ones everything that we can. So like she said, we're excited to see where it goes.

ANA LLANUSA: I think I'll just remember, obviously how great of players T-Rob and Madi are, but just the type of people they are. They're sisters to everybody, they're really good people on and off the court. It's been an amazing five years to get to be alongside with them.

TAYLOR ROBERTSON: Playing with these two up here, I'll never forget it, some of the best people that I know and some of the best basketball players I know. It's really hard to guard all three of us at the same time and it's just been an honor to be able to play with such great players around me.

Q. How can each of you quantify the last five years? You've all been through so much, obviously, two different coaches, a pandemic, continued to grow your game. How can you quantify -- I know the game is just over, but have you guys thought about how you can quantify the last five years as far as like your personal growth?

TAYLOR ROBERTSON: I think that the things that we've been through in five years, no one ever would have expected five years ago that we would be here because we weren't great our first few years here. We've grown so much over the years individually and collectively. No one thought we would do the things that we did this year and that just makes me so proud to be a part of it.

Q. Do each of you plan on playing your basketball career as a pro in some arena?

MADI WILLIAMS: As long as I can.

TAYLOR ROBERTSON: Same.

ANA LLANUSA: Yes.

Q. Obviously, it's a disappointing moment right now, but with a couple nights' sleep and some rest, how do you think you will look at this season, say, maybe in two weeks when you look back on it?

ANA LLANUSA: I would just -- for me personally, I would look at all the different things we've done. We've overcame a lot of different things, whether that be injuries or coaching -- well, we didn't have a coaching change this year, but overall, for us we have overcame a lot of things. I think to look back on this season specifically just the amount of growth that we've had and the amount of growth that we were able to help our younger teammates have, they're going to be so good in the next couple years, next year, and like I said, I'm excited to come back and watch and be a part of it still.

THE MODERATOR: All right. Thank you so much. We'll start from opening statement from coach.

JENNIE BARANCZYK: Well, a couple of things. One, you never want to end this way. Hat's off to UCLA. I thought they played phenomenal, especially in the first half they really took it to us, and they're going to continue on and be really, really good in the Sweet 16. I know that.

I'm glad that we made it a game. It was a great game for women's basketball, I think especially in that second half, and that's what we want to continue to do is grow this incredible sport.

And then it's really hard to follow those three seniors because they're absolutely incredible people who happen to be great basketball players. So I love coaching this team. I've loved coaching this team this last couple years. I know our future is bright, but man, what a class that I got to be part of.

THE MODERATOR: We'll take some questions.

Q. In the second half -- again, in the first half, you guys were unable to get to the basket, but then in the third quarter, you were able to get to the basket and make easy shots and then it came down to a free throw contest in the fourth. So what changed for you guys in the second half?

JENNIE BARANCZYK: Well, I feel like we were able to get to the rim and we just didn't respond when we didn't make 'em. We had a couple missed opportunities at the rim a few times. I thought they were hot from three as well, and so we needed to guard a little bit better. Especially when you're on someone else's home floor, you got to guard a little bit better right at the beginning because they can get hot, especially in a game like this.

I'm proud of our response in the second half. I thought we did a much better job. I thought our pace was better in that third quarter. That's the way that we want to be able to play. Then we needed to go back to that pace in the fourth quarter and we kind of just didn't respond again the way that we needed to. We got some good looks. Sometimes they go in and sometimes they don't and you got to keep fighting. I am really proud of us for continuing to fight. I thought we had multiple players step up and just keep playing really hard.

Q. Osborne's 36 points tonight. She was hot in the first half, and then it kind of seemed like you took her a little bit out of her game in the third quarter, but how big was that 3-point play at the end of the quarter that you guys were up four and that seemed to kind of quell that rally.

JENNIE BARANCZYK: Yeah, there were a couple times I feel like we did some really good things and then maybe we fouled and then put 'em on the free-throw line, and then when you get to see that ball go in, you start to get a little bit more confidence.

But I think she's amazing. I think she's a great player. Not that you can watch that much film in two days, but we watched quite a bit and were able to see that she's a phenomenal player, so we knew that. 12-12 from the free-throw line is pretty significant for a player to be able to step up in that kind of game. Talk about somebody that's got some confidence and that's extremely impressive. She's done kind of what these guys have done, be able to really build something.

And so, no, I mean, I think she was phenomenal. Those threes that she hit were pretty tough. They were pretty deep or end of shot clock and we needed to guard a little bit better. But I don't know if it was anything necessarily that we did. I thought we did a better job of making them play at our pace in that third quarter and be able to guard a little bit more. Sometimes that in itself can take some players out of things.

Q. Just your three seniors that were up here, for a coach coming in, could you have asked for anything more from them? Because with experienced players and a new coach coming in, you really don't know how they were going to respond.

JENNIE BARANCZYK: Right. And they stayed twice. I mean, they stayed the first time, and then they stayed after a year to come back, which really speaks volumes of the program itself, the people in that locker room. I'm really proud of that, and they're really special people.

When you look at them, they don't hang out, but they respect each other. They are what America really should be, you know? All different backgrounds, they're different people, their styles of play are different, and yet, you look at 'em and when you ask 'em a question, they light up talking about each other. It doesn't happen. Typically, one would be jealous of the other, and they just don't do that. They expect a lot from each other, they challenge each other, but, man, they're beautiful souls and they're people that are going to continue to impact this world in an incredibly positive way, and that's what I'm the most proud of.

Secondary is the way that they responded at the end of the season and understanding what hard work actually is. I'm really proud that today they feel like they worked really, really hard and fell on their face, because tomorrow they're going to get up and they're going to do great things in life and that is the lesson that we got to learn is you got to give everything you have, even if you don't get what you want.

Q. It's about your three amazing seniors. Can you put the impact of Ana, Madi, and Taylor into words, mostly the impact on the program moving forward?

JENNIE BARANCZYK: I can't. I don't know if I actually can put it into words what they have done. When there's a change, and we had -- no one wanted to take over after Sherri Coale, not one person and not me. I didn't either. And Joe made me. And we never made them choose. And I think Sherri laid this foundation of wanting this program to be better tomorrow than it is today, and that's the same vision that I have for this program, that's the same vision that they have -- you pulled this out of someone's purse. Thank you.

But I think has the same vision and that's what they just got done talking in that locker room where there's a lot of emotion, there's a lot of tears, there's a lot of, I'm sorry, I didn't play well, and I didn't do this, and I should have done this, and there's a lot of that. And thank you for making us better. All they said was, thank you for making us believe and thank you for making us better. That doesn't happen. The chemistry that they have, the foundation that has been laid in this program, heck, if I could still play, I would go back and want to do it all over again with the women in that locker room and I'm just lucky to be a huge part of it. And that's the legacy that they left, is people want to come every day, they want to come practice every day, they want to learn how to work every day, roll up their sleeves. They're not too big, they're not too small. We've had our moments that we've been good, we've had our moments that we've really not been good, and you got to see all of that in one game today.

But the legacy that they have left is to love what you do, love how do you it, and who you do it with because it's the strongest human emotion that we have and they love deep.

Q. Were you surprised with the pace that UCLA played with in the first half? Because it kind of looked like your pace and style of game there for awhile.

JENNIE BARANCZYK: Not necessarily. I feel like they played that way the other night, too. So it wasn't something that we weren't expecting. A lot of teams do that with us, especially in the beginning. Because we kind of go up and down. And they're a good team. They're a very good team. Especially their guards are fast and they can push that tempo. So I don't think we were necessarily surprised what they were doing. I think we were kind of surprised sometimes at the rim and then we didn't necessarily finish it. So I think defensively they're very good and they did some really great things. I think they're going to continue to be very, very good.

THE MODERATOR: All right, thank you.