We appreciate you guys coming out. appreciate our fans that were able to make it out tonight. proud of our team, obviously a tough loss, but it continued to be really proud of them. And I know that scoreboard we came up on the short end of the stick out now but I've ever girls really competed obviously that first quarter, just settle in and really hurt us. You look at what we were able to do offensively after we adjusted to, you know, a very good defensive team. But I thought we we really battled and proud of him.
Coach it's obviously tough being so close and not coming out on top but just having two consecutive games on how are you able to keep heads up when you guys are coming so close, but just aren't able to get over the hump in the end.
One just ton of credit to these girls. It's very player led in that locker room. I think we've got great leadership in high character young ladies that are really passionate about the game and the only thing they know is to resiliency and to keep working. There's no time to hang our heads. I mean, SEC is tough and I think we just continue to, to battle in a tough, tough league. And you know, I think it's important to all of us. We got girls that are really committed to this but we also understand the process and stay in where our feet are at and continuing to show up for a child and lean in. Grayson
Ashton Can you kind of just like describe the roller coaster of emotions tonight, you know, going from kind of moralizing start and then coming back and forth and then falling short and then yeah,
I mean, I think collectively we like to pride ourselves on experiencing those highs and lows and country always says not to get too high. Not too low. So I think just most of us were able to stay level headed throughout all of that. And so I think that's what enabled us to make that run and kind of come out of that deficit from the first quarter. But
yeah, I'd have to agree with Ashton. I mean, we definitely dug ourselves a hole in the first quarter. But how we do pride ourselves on keeping our energy high and being really locked in I think is what helped us find our way back and then maintain that throughout the game and make it a game. Coach when
you look at that first quarter what was going wrong in the offensive end and what were you able to adjust moving into that second quarter and later in the game?
Yeah, I just I mean, I think we just had to relax a little bit. We need to take a deep breath. Texas a&m is one of the best defensive teams in the country. And you know, just the physicality the just the length and you know, you see that night in and night out and the SEC for sure, but I think they're a top 15 Team top 20 team in the country. And so I just think it took some time to adjust to it. We had some really good luck's that just were rushed or, you know, we didn't play with great pace, but their ability to make that adjustment, take a deep breath, recalibrate and just keep fighting. Like Judd said, I just think that's so huge. I think you know, you see him in the huddles and in the timeouts and just the support they have for each other and their ability to recalibrate is is pretty special. But I'm not surprised because I get to see him everyday and and be around him and see the way they show up.
Coach I asked you on Thursday about how you could maybe mitigate any impact on the glass. And the word you mentioned when describing the mentality you guys needed to have was urgency. After a full game tonight, how would you assess your team's urgency on the glass? Oh, that
was really good. Man. I know we get out rebounded and they had 13 offensive boards but you know, we I think sometimes when you're in a zone defense it's a little bit harder to you know, be matched up and you know, just different than a man but I thought our girls really battled I think, you know, is there a possession here or there we missed a box out Absolutely. Obviously wears, you know has a height advantage on us inside that five spot but I would say we did a really good job in probably the the piece that I'm most proud of is what we were able to do with our transition defense. And scuze me a team that really really prides himself of playing in transition and I thought you know, that was a point of emphasis and something that we didn't do at the level we needed to against Kentucky. And you know, the girls were really able to lock in on that and I thought that was a huge part of the game plan and they executed it really well.
Is there a common thread that you can see kind of between all have these close games where you fall short? Or is it just kind of a game to game thing?
You know, it's we're young, we're experienced, we're learning. We're growing. We're in a tough league. And, you know, I'd say Kentucky as our transition defense and in tonight I thought we made that adjustment and it was more that you know, we're we're so dang close. That's like the second game in a row that we've won three out of the four quarters, Kentucky we ran three out of four. Tonight. We went three out of four. So we're right there, right there, but the just ability to put 40 minutes together. But again, you know, it's in we will make excuses. We've got to make the adjustments but just really being able to be locked in for 40 minutes and not locked in. I mean, I think their focus is where it needs to be but the importance of one possession at a time
Grace Robin talked a lot about the youth you kind of leading that movement with 38 minutes just what do you learn from seeing so many minutes night in night out in such a competitively? Yeah,
for sure. I mean, definitely just the quick turnaround really sticks out to me and how physical believe this is but I think Coach kind of touched on it. There's no time to really hang our heads where there is time to learn and grow and just keep adding because I think the student is really special. And I think each game we're adjusting and getting a little bit better. Grace,
you have those two threes later in the game. They really got the crowd going, especially on that first three point where you kind of looked around for a little bit and decided to shoot it. How much of that shot attempt was confidence versus coach giving you the green light or was it a combination of both?
I think it was probably a combination of both just kind of recognizing that I had a shot and knowing that Coach P knowing that my teammates all have the confidence in me to shoot it and then the mixture just work also playing a role and having that confidence to shoot the shot.
I just did I know Coach earlier talked about the importance of urgency on the boards you were very urgent for most of the game with seven rebounds. It's kind of an emphasis of yours all game how are all season matter of fact, how have you been able to be so aggressive on the glass? Yeah,
I think just packing it in the pain and you know, talking about the urgency from game to game I feel like for most of the SEC, just the tendency for people to rebound and just the offensive rebounds and just trying to find a body so and at the end of the day, like the momentum changes for us and that's what we pride ourselves in. So just try to do anything I can for the team. Coach those high low PayPass is what made those so hard for them.
Well, I think, you know, just within our three, two and we're dependent some some different actions and I felt like you know, initially they had some really good books and we just didn't make the rotations that we needed to but I thought as you know, we got a little bit deeper after some time outs we talked about really using our length and contesting without getting beat on that drive and just the importance of those first couple of steps and so, you know, obviously played a really quick team athletic team, but I thought we made that adjustment. I mean, you know, the big shot that hurt us was was number three, shoot 18% from the 3.9 and she had to step back contestant three that was, you know, not on the scouting report. And so that one definitely hurt but I do feel like overall for the majority of the game, other than a couple of ticky tack fouls at the rim. In that second half. We did a really good job keeping them off the printerland in the first in the second half. I felt like we found at the end of a couple of the drives that hurt us. But other than that, I thought defensively we were on point without a scout and we executed pretty well.
We'll take one or two more. Action A coach has talked a lot this season about how it doesn't feel like you've been at Mizzou for just two years. It feels a lot longer than that. Especially in these kinds of games where teammates are looking towards leaders. They're looking for voices of stability. Have you found a voice yet? Do you feel like you're in a position of power to be able to be that voice? Especially in games like these where teammates are looking to leaders?
Yeah, of course. I think that's something that are a role that I kind of stepped into this summer and we've just been building off of it as the seasons progressed and just being that emotional leader and just that obviously like physical leader out on the court was such a young team just trying to help Frankie out in that aspect of things and just being somebody that they can love to
coach we didn't talk about Frankie a lot today but another 26 points she passes Julie home now fourth all time and Mizzou scoring just how important is it to have Frankie especially with someone who has given so much to the program night in and night out?
Yeah, you know that's that's probably what hurts the most is just think about our seniors and how hard they're they continue to compete and just show up for us like we just want it so bad for them. And I think I can speak on behalf of our team and just how much we value them and appreciate them Frankie I think to me, you know the biggest growth that I've seen in her is just her leadership. I think she's found her voice I think she's very confident in her voice but she plays with great pace and great poise. I think she's just a calming effect on the court. And you know, she's she's a match she's been in the league she's been in these moments. And I think everybody really looks to her, you know, for her leadership and you know, just obviously having a heck of a year in the SEC statistically from that standpoint. Alright. Thanks, guys. Thank you
