AMERICAN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE WOMEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP

March 9, 2025

Ashley Langford

Dickies Arena

Tulane Green Wave

Postgame Press Conference

Tulane - 69, Wichita State - 63

THE MODERATOR: We'll go ahead and get started with an opening statement from Coach.

ASHLEY LANGFORD: Obviously happy with our win. Just trying to break the seal basically and get the win. The first time you're playing in the conference tournament it's a bunch of jitters and all that, and everybody wants it so bad. So really happy with us. We found a way.

Kudos to Wichita State. I thought they played hard. Nooner's done a great job of just keeping them motivated, and they gave us a run for our money today. But obviously happy that we came out on top.

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. You played WSU three times here. All three games pretty close, and you've been able to win all three of those games. Why do you feel like you were able to come out on top?

ASHLEY LANGFORD: I think we win the glass. That's something we talk about doing and when we win the glass, we win games, and we've been able to do that against them. Also, too, I think our zone was effective, slowed 'em down in the second half as well. So to me, those are the two things that we've done. We always open it up somehow in the second half, and then they always cut it within 10. But to, me that's what it is. It's the glass and it's our zone.

Q. You mentioned that they put up a lot of hustle. Why is it challenging to play against that team with how hard they play on that end of the ball?

ASHLEY LANGFORD: I think this whole league it's matchups, right? Wichita's athletic guards and forwards can pressure and that's what they were trying to do and speed us up. And they did that at times. We had 20 turnovers. So that was their game plan the last two games, is to really pressure us and make us take low-percentage shots or turnovers. So I'm glad we were able to withstand that.

Q. Having coached Victoria Keenan before and coming to Tulane now, how does it feel to watch her take over a game like this and hit shot after shot at shot during this game?

ASHLEY LANGFORD: I'm really happy for her because she works so hard, and she's really critical of herself, and she's the one that's in the gym multiple times a day getting up shots, is a fifth-year senior who is just appreciative. She's had some injuries in the past and this is her last go-around, but she's only really played two full seasons of college basketball. So I'm just elated for her because she deserves it.

And it's been a tough conference for her because everybody's just locking her down. They don't even see the ball. They just see her face, right? That's what she's getting all the time. So for her to be able to get loose today and just play fearless and let it fly, I mean, the kid was making layups today and she doesn't even like making layups.

So again, it's just watching her grow and just come into her own on the court, but also just as a person. She's vocal now, and two years ago when I recruited her, she didn't talk at all, right? So to watch her go from being a mute to now leading us vocally and being a leader on this team, that's what this is about and that's why you coach.

Q. There was a period in the fourth quarter where neither team could score for a long period of time and then she hit that shot with 47 seconds left. That was a big three-pointer that helped get the win. Talk about the confidence that you see in her to take that kind of shot and knock that down in that key of a moment?

ASHLEY LANGFORD: Well, if she was here right now she would say I would be mad at her if she didn't take that shot. So we've been on her all season, just about shooting it, right. I believe she's the best shooter in the country and we just instill that confidence in her as coaches and her teammates do too. So she's fearless right now and that's, you just got to let it fly, and that's what we talk about, just let it fly.

Q. If you could look ahead to the matchup with South Florida, a bit of an unusual circumstance here in the conference tournament where you didn't play them in the regular season. How do you prepare for a game like that?

ASHLEY LANGFORD: We want to make it interesting, right, some controversy, whatever, drama, however you want to look at it. But, no, it is unique, right, and I think for both teams obviously, and for me, right, and Jose, right. I've never played against South Florida in my life, literally in my whole career. So that will be fun. I was joking with the staff and said, Hey, well we didn't really run any plays today, so they didn't get any play calls. So to me it comes down to, it's March, it's all about what team's going to come out with energy and edge. The beginning of the game might be a little both sides feeling each other out, but we got to do what we do and that's what we've been doing all season, and that's what we're going to tell the team, so we just got to go out there and be fearless.