BIG EAST CONFERENCE WOMEN'S BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT

March 8, 2024

Austin Parkinson

Mohegan Sun Arena

Butler Bulldogs

Postgame Media Conference

Providence 75, Butler 60

AUSTIN PARKINSON: I think you have to give a lot of credit to Providence. They go 10 for 15 from three, which isn't a wild number to make for them especially. I think they would tell you they're an okay three-point shooting team. Every mistake we made, they punished us for. To have a kid like Archibald play and have 17 points, I thought she was a real difference for them on their end of the floor.

On our end of the floor, I thought we had a good week of practice. I thought we felt really good coming into the game, but it's different when you get out here in a conference tournament setting. And we're playing some young kids. I think maybe that was a little bit overwhelming at times. But I thought we fought back with the press. The press was a positive, and we just couldn't sustain it that second half.

When we're getting open shots and not able to convert and then they're going down and laying it up, it makes it for a tough way to make a comeback.

Q. Strande was 9 for 10 from the floor. Has had a great season. Were you looking for her to be a little more offensive-minded and get more shots, or is that a typical number of shots that she takes?

AUSTIN PARKINSON: I think she's had games where she's taken 17, 18 shots. They did a good job of switching and taking us out of stuff, but typically we're a team that does a good job of taking kind of what the other team gives you. We had some really uncharacteristic turnovers. I think if you look where we had 13 turnovers that led to 20 points off turnovers, you just can't win games in the tournament.

And we talked about before the game, we had to defend and take care of the ball. And we didn't do either of those things, and that's why we'll be heading home.

Q. What about your team this season impressed you the most, and what successes can you take for the next season?

AUSTIN PARKINSON: I thought we took another step forward. This year we went and won -- we won a game at Villanova and beat a St. John's team that was playing well and kind of played our best basketball at the end of the year. And we were doing that with a lot of young kids.

Caroline will be back next year. Riley is back. We have a good group. It's one of those things that you are excited about the future. As I told them in there, there's a lot to be proud of in the direction that we're going, but it's okay to be bummed today. Because I think we felt like we had a good chance to play tomorrow.

They're a competitive group of kids, but I think we're on the right track. I'm encouraged by what we're doing going forward.

Q. Can you speak on the choice of Butler to honor Julie Shelton for the Legends program? Have you had a chance to meet Julie?

AUSTIN PARKINSON: An incredible player at Indiana. Coached at Indiana. She is a basketball legend. For us to be able to honor her and her select is a really cool thing as far as Bulldogs go and really represents the Butler way.