BIG EAST CONFERENCE WOMEN'S BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT

March 9, 2024

Anthony Bozzella

Mohegan Sun Arena

Seton Hall Pirates

Postgame Media Conference

Creighton 72, Seton Hall 65

THE MODERATOR: Joining us from Seton Hall, head coach Tony Bozzella.

ANTHONY BOZZELLA: A little shorter than DePaul was yesterday. Congratulation to Creighton again. It was another great game. Similar to the other two games we've played them this year, it came down to the end.

They made a couple of plays. They make all their foul shots at the end. They took 27 of them, and we took eight. They converted their foul shots when they needed to. It's hard to lose the game by 15 points -- 16 points from the foul line.

I thought we played really well. We tried really hard. Kept it pretty even on the rebounds, even on the turnovers. We had more two-point field goals, more three-point field goals. We were right there. They made a couple of plays at the end. We didn't.

Molly Mogensen has really made herself into one of the better point guards around. Not just in the league. Just around. She's just a tough, hard-nosed kid, plays her rear end off. Hits every big shot. They won the game by 7, and she was a plus 16. She's a very good player.

Lauren Jensen has played three games against us and has yet to come out. She's in great condition, and she plays really hard. Give her a lot of credit.

Our kids played their rear ends off two. We have three kids in double figures. Savannah played outstanding again, and I was really proud of her. We're really excited about the young back court that we have and obviously the opportunity to continue to play in postseason because we'll be in it.

It was a great learning experience for us. We just have to do a little bit more. We were just a little short. Maybe it's their experience or maybe it's their ability to draw fouls and take foul shots, but we've got to be a little better ourselves.

THE MODERATOR: Questions.

Q. You've seen this Creighton squad more than basically anyone outside that locker room in the past four years. What makes them so difficult to prepare for? You consistently hold them to low shooting percentages, and they still have been pulling out victories?

ANTHONY BOZZELLA: That's what makes them so great because they're able to adjust. People say oh, they're just a three-point shooting team or they're this. They played really hard and intelligently. They're super well-coached, and these girls are just really good basketball players. If you take away A, they go to B. If you take away B, they go to C. That's attributed to their hard work and discipline. They're in great shape.

Jensen has played three straight games of 40 minutes against us. That's really hard against our pressure and the way we play. We're not walking the ball up the floor.

Obviously like I previously said, I think the reason that they have a chance to be so successful obviously in the rest of this tournament and the NCAA Tournament is not just because they're just the three of Ronsiek and Jensen and Maly, but Mogensen is turning into a heck of a player.

And Brake gives them a lot. Offensively she's not a super threat, but she does a lot of other things. She's a really good rebounder and defender. If I'm not mistaken, she's a four-year senior. She's played really well.

I think what makes them so difficult is that they're just not one-dimensional. I think when we played them years ago they were, like, oh, they're going to shoot 35 threes. It's not that way anymore.

We did a good job defending them, and they still were able to get to the foul line and do those things. That's just a mark of a team that's 20th in the country. The last thing I'll say is they're 25-4. People are like, Ah, you know. I was saying this to Jim before the game, the lack of respect they get is really disturbing to me. I don't know why.

They have four losses. Two to UConn. They have two other losses. One to a team that was ranked 19th in the country in Marquette when they played them, and another one to Green Bay, which a lot of people have as an at-large team. They're really good.

We're pretty good, and they're really good. It's not a knock on us. It's just a compliment to them.

Q. With that fast turnaround playing last night and then coming back this afternoon, what did you tell your team before the game about keeping their focus, keeping that play-to-win mentality, and how does that speak to the heart of your roster?

ANTHONY BOZZELLA: I think honestly playing yesterday was a help to us, because we have so many new kids that play in the Big East. And just to play in that atmosphere and just the press and the crowd and then this and that, we were able to get a lot of our hiccups out.

I thought we played good yesterday. We did. But I thought we played very good today. I did. I mean, they just hit some hard shots and some tough shots.

They only shot 41%. I mean, I think like I said to Meghan Caffrey at halftime, the outstanding sideline reporter for the Big East, she asked me what I was disappointed in, and I said I was disappointed that we're fouling too much. Because ever our third team foul, our fourth team foul, it adds up and it let them have a few more foul shots than we should have let them have.

It's not the fifth foul that gives them foul shots. It's might be the first or second team foul.

I just thought that, and I think they're -- like I said, they're just very good. I think playing yesterday helped us today. I really do. It would have hurt us tomorrow, but it helped us today.

Q. Tony, you mentioned the experience that Creighton has, and they've had the same starting line-up every game. When you think about the future for the Pirates and I think about the big plays Jensen made down the stretch, Maly made down the stretch, do you think -- I mean, 16 lead changes. Obviously it was a tight game throughout. Do you think that was really one of the difference-makers because the stats do look so even?

ANTHONY BOZZELLA: I do. I do, Pam. I'm so thankful you're here because you know how great a job I think you do.

Micah is only a sophomore and Savannah is only a freshman. It's hard. Jensen is a four-year senior. Mogensen is a four-year senior. It's a lot. We just battled toe-to-toe.

I think when were sitting up here next year and the year after, we're going to be on the other end of it saying, you know what, X, Y, Z. They have good young guards, but our veteran guards really were the difference today.

I'm so proud of the whole team, but of those two specifically. They don't miss a practice. They don't miss really anything. I'm really proud of them.

Q. They made good decisions down the end. Just a follow-up question. You mentioned Brake defensively the job she did on Baines. I think she held her to four points in the first half; and obviously Baines is such a key player for you. Was that a key, do you think?

ANTHONY BOZZELLA: Absolutely. I think, again, four-year senior. You look at her. She's a strong kid who has herself in great shape. She might have only scored four, but usually Baines gets 20, so give her six more. That's pretty good.

Q. How did you shut Ronsiek down? She had only six points. It's one of her lowest totals on the season.

ANTHONY BOZZELLA: I would love to tell you because we did it the last game too. You know I think Emma is fantastic. I just think -- I think Emma got in foul trouble, and I think that got her out of her rhythm today. And I think she came in the game thinking, I'm going to do really well today because I didn't do really well at Seton Hall last time. Then all of a sudden she gets in foul trouble. Then she gets frustrated and she misses a shot maybe she would have made.

I think we did a good job on her, but I also think she got in foul trouble, and that helped a little bit too.

Q. You said it yourself, the season is not over yet. What's been your biggest take-away from the last two days that you'll take into postseason play?

ANTHONY BOZZELLA: We've asked a couple of kids to play a little more than they've played. Like Brazil played a lot of minutes today. I'yanna played a little more minutes. I wanted to play A'Jah more. We never got the right matchup for that. That's probably on me.

No, the kids don't quit. I think you've seen Micah and Savannah grow up a lot more even now in the past two days. I'm just so proud of Azana and Kae and Amari. They just kept playing and playing and playing. I'm just really proud of them. I just wish we could have won another game or two here.

Like I said, it's disappointing. It's not to play in the NCAA tournament. It's to play in postseason and half our teams in our league don't even qualify. One or two might not even get in. And then we're going to get in. We'll probably have an opportunity to do really well in it if we can just bounce back.

Really right now our team needs some rest. I'm going to give them a bunch of days off, and they deserve it. Clear their minds. Rest their bodies. Let's see where we're at after that.

Everyone in the Big East once again did an outstanding job. I mean that.