AMERICAN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE WOMEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP

March 11, 2025

Diane Richardson

Jaleesa Molina

Dickies Arena

Temple Owls

Postgame Press Conference

Rice - 67, Temple - 49

THE MODERATOR: We'll go ahead and get started with an opening statement from Coach and then take questions for the student-athletes.

DIANE RICHARDSON: Yeah, it was a disappointing loss. Obviously we wanted to win. Rice played a tough, tough game, lots of pressure, and we came out on the bottom side of it today. I just wish for my kids that we could have pulled this off.

THE MODERATOR: We'll take some questions, please.

Q. Last time out y'all put something like 83 points on them, what were they doing this time that made it so hard to score?

DIANE RICHARDSON: Well, I think they were pressuring us a little bit, fighting over screens, our ball screens, and they did a good job with that, being very physical with us.

Q. It seemed like they were doing a lot of stuff that y'all do well. Was that something that was kind of jarring for you and is that something that you guys had to talk about?

DIANE RICHARDSON: Yeah, I think the physicality and the pressure defense was something that we normally do, and they did that today, for sure.

Q. With game a like today when the drives aren't working like that, it seemed like it almost made with your offense one dimensional where you were trying to open up things up deeper. When the three-pointer is not falling, how can you make an adjustment like that? Like, how difficult is it to respond?

DIANE RICHARDSON: Well, we only shot three three-pointers, so it's not like we went out to the perimeter. We tried to get it inside. Again, it was a physical game today, and they stopped us. I mean, eight three-point attempts is not what we normally do. It's normally much more than that.

Q. Regardless of the outcome today, how proud are you of the girls on this season?

DIANE RICHARDSON: I am. I'm proud of them. Again, we had a 20-win season again, but I thought that we worked really hard this year and thought that we should have pulled this off. But I am sad that they didn't get it. I'm sad that our seniors didn't go out with us playing for a championship.

Q. You mentioned the seniors and obviously it's a roller coaster for Tiarra and Tarriyonna who fought to get back in the same position and ended up with the a same fate as last season. What is it like talking through your journey with these players?

DIANE RICHARDSON: Again, it's just tough because I know that they worked hard, and they have all elevated their games. Everybody's better than they were when they first got here. And so I'm very proud of that. But I wish we had gone out with a championship, which was our goal for the year. I'm very proud of them, and I know that some of them are going to go on to the next level and do well.

Q. Obviously it's difficult to look at what the future is right after a game, but how are you -- looking forward, what are you looking to do as you go into the off-season, whether it's developing players or using the transfer portal, especially with revenue sharing right now?

DIANE RICHARDSON: Well, I mean, we're losing five people and obviously we've got to replace them, but my goal is to build around the players that we have. So we're going to go out there and we're going to look for depth, just like we do every year. Jaleesa told me in the hallway, Next year, Coach. So I believe her.

Q. Jaleesa, you were the leading scorer today, you and Tristen, so two of the younger players on this team. Does this kind of give you a little bit of fire as you go into your upperclassmen years and take more of a leadership role on this team?

JALEESA MOLINA: Well, yeah, of course. I have to take a better role, a bigger role. I have to show my new teammates that we're not doing this again next year, and I don't want to do this again, so, yeah.

DIANE RICHARDSON: Young people always end a question with yeah (laughing). So, yeah (laughing).

Q. I wanted to ask you about Rice, how they've been able to change conferences, it's their second season in this conference and they have a chance to become two-time conference champions. Can you talk about impressive it's been for them just to move over and find so much success so quickly?

DIANE RICHARDSON: And they have. And Lindsay does a great job with them. They are hungry. Coming into this league, they made a splash last year, and so they believe in themselves, and are here to do it again. So my hat's off to them. Their players, obviously they're happy and doing the happy dance, so my hat's off to Lindsay and her team and we wish them well.

THE MODERATOR: Coach, I think that's it. Appreciate your time.

DIANE RICHARDSON: All right. Thank you very much.