NCAA WOMEN'S FINAL FOUR

April 4, 2004

Seimone Augustus

Dana Chatman

Doneeka Hodges

Temeka Johnson

TEMEKA JOHNSON: I just lost the ball, I guess. I feel as though -- I don't know. I owe Doneeka an apology for not getting her what we were trying to get, but other than that, I just lost the ball. Turnover on my part.

TEMEKA JOHNSON: It was a designed play to get the ball in. If we get in trouble, then come back to the ball. But it didn't work. We didn't execute it.

TEMEKA JOHNSON: I got a knee early in the game in the high part of my thigh. But it didn't have anything to do with that play. It wasn't that bad. I stayed in the game the whole second half. So my injury had nothing to do with the turnover.

TEMEKA JOHNSON: It took away the pressure that I would put on my leg for my first step. My jumping ability. But other than that, it wasn't that major.

SEIMONE AUGUSTUS: Their defense was aggressive as usual. The shots weren't falling. I had good looks. Shots just wasn't falling. But they played Tennessee style defense from start to finish. That's what they do. They play aggressive defense, they get up in your jersey and do whatever they need to do to cause turnovers or alter your shots.

TEMEKA JOHNSON: Well for me it's to put this game away, but don't forget it. Don't forget what happened and just keep mostly everything with me. But as for where I'm going is from here on out it's to prepare for next season. I still have another year. I have decided to come back as you all know. So I still have another year of eligibility. So that's what I'm going to take with me and that's where I'm going from here.

SEIMONE AUGUSTUS: Mainly the same thing. We have to put this game in the past. It's over with and done. But we can motivate ourselves from this loss just get in the weight room, work out hard, just get better. Just get better. It's not much that you can say about this game. We just have to leave it in the past, but use it to make ourselves better at the same time.

DONEEKA HODGES: I guess I could just look at it as a learning experience. It's obvious that I won't be back next year to be able to maybe experience the same thing, that same success that we had next year and being able to help these two, but I guess I just look at it as a learning lesson.

TEMEKA JOHNSON: I lost the ball. That was the only thing that was going through my mind.

DANA CHATMAN: The counter is always the same. You play off of Seimone and basically she draws so much attention it will open someone else up. If she cuts hard, she will create help, someone else steps up and they can shoot a lay-up or easy shot, get us to the free throw line. So you can play off of Seimone. And Seimone alluded to it, she got good looks, they just didn't fall.

DANA CHATMAN: Yes. It doesn't for me. That will be talked about. Temeka is going to take that away from here and I hope in a positive light in terms of motivation. But she needs to forget about that. The ballgame was won in the paint in terms of second chance points. The statsheet clearly tells that story.

DANA CHATMAN: I don't. You look at that game and I guess it sounds funny, Tennessee's been there before, it sounds really good, but the bottom line is you had two teams compete at a high level, carried out scouting report defense, took away each other's strengths, to the result of a low-scoring game and unfortunately it ended in such a way that it doesn't bring the type of satisfaction I think we need to take away from this experience.

DANA CHATMAN: Talked basketball first. Because that's what it's about in terms of where the game could have gone differently. And I really drove that point home. I wanted them to understand all the positive things that they accomplished in terms of Ely was the head of the snake. She was 1 for 11. Tennessee forces turnovers. We only had nine. Tennessee dominate points in the paint. We had 30, they had 20. I drove all the positives home. And then I ended it on second chance points. It's been a staple of their program, and that's what's carried them through. And then we talked about they don't need to hang their heads. They need to enjoy this experience. I had fun. I don't think these kids were happy just to be here. They expected to win. I hope it stays with them long enough to get back again.

DANA CHATMAN: I'm a little biased, I see Seimone in that light now. But for different reasons. And so I'll make that reason known right now. It may be the rest of the country can think about it as well: I think the key to Seimone Augustus is she makes the other four players and the ones on the bench better. And no one can touch that.

DANA CHATMAN: Yeah. Obviously, yeah. I think it boiled down to Tennessee really, they started taking their time and they started attacking us a little bit differently instead of trying to come down and one pass to the wing and to the post. I think they were just more deliberate in their attack. I'm sure Pat had a few word and you could tell Ely came out with some intentions of being aggressive. And I think that's what they did and they were flying to the boards. And there was just some balls we got our hands on and we didn't quite grab and they did. They made the big plays.

DANA CHATMAN: That's what I'm going to take away from this. Despite the loss, the experience that these kids will take away, not just from the tournament ride, but the early season losses. Everything. It can't help but be a positive. And those kid you just eluded to in terms that have recruiting class, they were a part of that because they watched it. And I think it will motivate them to want to get us back here.

DANA CHATMAN: I just feel like Coach Chatman, I don't know if the answer changes if I'm as the Head Coach or not. I just feel like a Coach of a program that I played for and stayed with for 13 years. And disappointed in the outcome of a game. And I hadn't quite gotten to that point of taking a step back and looking at that. So I apologize for not having a better answer for you, but the title doesn't change the feeling. I'm looking forward to next year.

DANA CHATMAN: No, I haven't.

DANA CHATMAN: That seems to be the case a lot. There's a lot of motivating factors out there for these kids. When you're competing at the highest level, we recruited these kids for a reason. There's some intangibles and those aren't always Parade All-American or Street & Smith All-American, it's about picking the right parts, the right ingredients, that makes something taste just right. And these kids have that, it doesn't always make the media, but it makes an impression on this coaching staff. And that's why we believe. And that's it.