ATLANTIC COAST CONFERENCE WOMEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP

March 5, 2025

Tony Verdi

Marley Washenitz

Pittsburgh Panthers

Postgame Press Conference

Virginia 64, Pitt 50

TONY VERDI: Yeah, obviously very disappointing game for us. We didn't play our best. One game doesn't define you. We've done a lot of great things down the stretch. We're proud of this team and for what we've accomplished here, especially in the last eight games.

We've gone 4-4. For us, that was a big deal.

Then obviously getting here, to the tournament, is a big deal. Yes, we would have liked to stay and continued to play. Today wasn't our day. I think that it doesn't help when there was injuries on the floor; we lost MJ and kind of changed our identity just a little bit. We had to play people at different positions, and you kind of lose your chemistry.

Again, didn't score the ball. We started the game off, I thought we were really aggressive and we were dictating, so that was good. Then from the four and a half-minute mark in the first period, we kind of just hit a wall and then things just slowly started to deteriorate a little bit.

But regardless of the result, proud of this team. Proud of the fact that we've moved the needle for the program. Certainly excited about the future of this program.

Q. Coach, you talked a little bit about part of this team and being proud of what they accomplished. Can you talk a little bit about Khadija being on the 15th seeded team and making First Team All-Conference that no one -- she's not surprising anybody, but what she's meant to this team?

TONY VERDI: Yeah, obviously with what she accomplished this year was pretty special. But I'll tell you this: She had a lot of help along the way. That's something that people need to understand.

Yes, we went through her offensively, but she needed to receive the ball from a lot of players on our team, and they were able to get her the ball and put her in a position to be successful.

Yes, she'll be individually recognized for an unbelievable accomplishment, but there were a lot of people on this team that helped her get to where she is and helped her to do the special things that she's done.

We're chalking this one up as a team award, as well.

Q. Marley, third quarter the game started getting away a little bit. Were they getting better shots do you think, or did they heat up, and were you surprised at the shots you were getting? Was it a matter of them just not falling?

MARLEY WASHENITZ: Yeah, I think personally the third quarter wasn't my quarter, but at the same time I can't be selfish. I have to think of the team first. Feeding it down to Khadija is always going to be an easy two points for us.

I think that is what I was trying to do, was get downhill, maybe even find Khadija. At the end of the day, we in my opinion, weren't really defending as good as we could have in the third quarter, and I think that's what led them to getting better shots.

And on top of that, the offensive rebounding in the third quarter definitely helped them surpass us and take the lead.

I think yes, it was both offense and defense, but obviously defense you can control a little bit more.