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BIG EAST CONFERENCE WOMEN'S TOURNAMENTMarch 5, 2012Akilah BethelAsya BussieMike CareyAyana DunningHARTFORD, CONNECTICUT Notre Dame -73 THE MODERATOR: Joining us is Coach Mike Carey. Coach, an opening statement, please? COACH CAREY: Unlike a lot of coaches, they just kick our butt. I'm not going to make executions for our team. They just beat us. They did exactly what they need to do. They have more energy. They played harder and they just beat us. I told the girls there for the game we're not going to use an excuse we're tired, something happened, whatever. We didn't come out ready to play, and they did, and that's what happens when you play good teams. We go to the NCAA, and we're going to play all good teams. We're going to make a decision that we're going to come out and play, or we're going to stand around and watch the other team play. If we do, that's going to be a short tournament for us. Q. Ayana, did you get the sense that they had more motivation because of the time you guys beat them in South Bend? They wanted to come out and show they were ready to play tonight? AYANA DUNNING: I think we knew they were going to come out with a chip on their shoulder. The coach told us the first eight minutes they were going to try to just get the lead on us, and unfortunately we didn't come out ready to play. That's what they did. We got ourselves down so much at the beginning of the game, it was hard. We were just trying to fight back the entire time. Q. Asya, you guys have been so good defensively, how frustrating was it early in the game when it seemed they were able to score every single time they wanted to? It's got to be frustrating for a team like you that prides themselves on defense? ASYA BUSSIE: It was frustrating. We do pride ourselves on defense and we didn't defend. They got whatever they wanted offensively. Like Ayana said, we were trying to dig ourselves out of a hole the entire game. We just didn't defend. Q. Ayana, did you have a good feeling coming into the game? I know it's your third game in three days. Did you feel like everybody was energized and ready to go? Were you sensing that something was just not there tonight? AYANA DUNNING: It's tournament time. I don't think anybody can come out with any excuse that they're tired or we played three game that's row. This is Notre Dame's second game. So excuses go out the door at tournament time. It's against the No. 1 seed. I think everybody should have been prepared for and should have been excited to play. We came out flat. We should have come out like we were excited to play. Q. Akilah, I noticed in the second half especially in maybe the last 15 minutes you seemed to be really hitting the boards and trying desperately to get some rebounds and put backs. Can you talk about what energy you were trying to bring to maybe turn things around? AKILAH BETHEL: (No microphone) I was just trying to pump everybody up because I didn't want to lose, and I know my teammates didn't want to lose. We just needed a spark to spark things off. Unfortunately we had such a big hole to dig ourselves out of it was kind of hard. But I didn't want to let go, and I didn't want to give up. We still had time. So until the buzzer was done, I wasn't going to stop. Q. Coach, it sounded like from what Ayana said you called the game perfectly the first eight minutes with energy. They turned it up. They were up eight and a half minutes in. Is there anything you could have done differently to prepare for that run? COACH CAREY:  Well, exactly. We knew they were going to. There was a lot of talk and all that stuff. So we knew they were going to come out that first eight minutes and try to bury it. I told them for two halves of the game last night exactly that. They're going to come out and try to bury us. Told them today again. We defended them the same way we defended them at Notre Dame. They ran their same offense, we ran our same defense. They were like two steps quicker and we stood around and why, I don't know. I don't know how we were not excited about playing this game. You know, if you look at it teams are going to try to take away even Yaya, and if you look at their shooting percentage, we've got to do a better job on the perimeter. We turned it over trying to feed the post and they're sagging in on the post we've got to move the ball and make their defense move, and we just stood around on both ends, and it really showed. Q. Coach, Devereaux Peters three jumpers from that 12 to 10 range. She usually doesn't do that. Can you talk about those shots and how that opens up her game for her? COACH CAREY: You're exactly right. She usually keeps her back to the rim and they run all those cuts and that's why we were sagging off. She hit three. Again with six points, she's not going to beat us from that position right there. Her strength is getting on the boards and defensively. We just didn't do a good job. We weren't up the lanes making them go back door. There is no use sagging our post player like we were doing and staying off Peters and letting them catch the ball on the perimeter. It was just defeating the whole purpose. I thought we had a good plan. We just didn't execute it for whatever reason, and give Notre Dame credit. They came out to play. I'm not like some of these others that make excuses and don't give credit to the other team that beat you. They beat us. They deserve to win. They were the better team today, and give them all the credit. Q. I know coming down here you talked about the importance of winning some games here to help your seed, if nothing else, do you think you've done that with two wins? COACH CAREY: I don't see‑‑ I don't know. I don't really want to call that. We felt coming in here we felt we could improve our seed, but how much. I'm really not crazy about an 8, 9, because you turn around and play the No. 1 to win the first round. But we have nobody to blame but ourselves. I told the players after the game don't think I'm not proud of these players, because I am. I really am. I'm disappointed. Today I never thought we'd come out and play flat like we did. But for the whole season, I'm very proud of the players, and they deserve a lot of credit, especially Yaya and Asya and Jess Hartley, what great leadership they provide. We've just got to get smarter and that type of stuff. But with all that being said, we got beat today. Notre Dame was the better team, still proud of what our girls have been able to accomplish today. I'm not disappointed in them and our seed. And wherever we fall, there is no doubt we'll be able to play and compete. Q. You talked a little about it yesterday, but now this is the last game in the Big East. Talk about what it means to play in this conference as long as you did. COACH CAREY: I mentioned that to the players after the game. I said for you upperclassmen, this is not the way you want to go out. For younger classmen, you really don't realize it. You had an opportunity to play on the big stage in the semifinals against the number three team in the country, and we need to come out ready to play. Me personally, I've said this yesterday, I love coaching in the Big East. I love coaching against the great coaches and the friendships I've made in the Big East. The teams are great. It's a great league. But we're moving to the Big 12. That's a big challenge also. It's a great league and another challenge for us. Everybody will move forward. Also, I said yesterday, fans of Connecticut have been tremendous. The people of Hartford have been tremendous. I've really enjoyed playing Connecticut here or at their gym, but I've enjoyed being here in front of the fans of Connecticut, because I believe they're very educated in basketball, and they support more their own team. They appreciate good play. I have mixed feelings. I have mixed feelings. But I'm going to miss the Big East and miss a lot of the friends and everybody. But I'm sure I'll make new friends, hopefully. I don't make friends easy, that's the problem. So hopefully I'll make a couple friends in the Big 12. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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