Perfect timing here and Spokane. He always Natalie ats hired, Chris Daley has joined us courtside as we are headed to another Final four. Never ever ever gets old. What a performance by your team tonight?
No, it was awesome. We had to make it a little interesting. I preferred when we were up nineteen, but that's what this game is about. You know, you kind of have those ebbs and flows, and but we you know, we made the plays we needed to play down the stretch.
Caitlyn Chen was immense tonight. She came up in some big spots. I mean, I know Asy had a lot of struggles early in the ballgame. Caitlyn picked up the slack and then gave you six points in the fourth quarter when you need him.
Yeah, Kaitlyn has been great for us all year. It's I'm just really happy for I'm just happy for all the kids. You know, it's been it's a long it's a long process. It's a lot of work. It starts, you know, it really starts back last June when they come back to summer school and start the process all
over again. So it's been a long it's a long haul and not easy for you know, someone like Caitlyn who comes in just for one year to be able to find her niche and be able to figure out how we do things and and to help us win. And she's done that.
Sarah gave you a career. I our season, I best seventeen rebounds, it was plus eleven on the glass. But it seemed like a lot of times you hung around in there. I mean, you made it tough, but they made it tough. Funny. They're big, and that's a that's a challenge you're gonna have Friday night.
Well I was gonna say it, only they only get bigger. I know, you know, Lauren beths is six seven. So but we'll figure that out. As eligibility left. I we'd love to have Cara back. Yeah, you know, it's it's definitely a challenge. And we went with our small lineup quite a bit and we were able to Our defense was really good in the first half. I thought in the second half we fouled a little bit too much and started just doing things that were not smart. We
got away from the game plan a little bit. We were having, you know, trying to help off some people and and just we just make some good decisions at certain times, but when we had to come up with big rebounds we did. We handled their pressure, we made pre throws, you know, so those are the important things.
It was good to see Sarah to get off to a good start tonight. That really set the tone.
Well, the biggest thing when we played them back in December, we as a group did not get off to a good start. So it was kind of like we were. We didn't attack them the way we needed to in order to beat them. And I know we lost by two and we came back, but we were down by eighteen, and you know, it takes a lot to come back against a team like them. So I was glad we started out with that kind of intensity and just you know, what can you say. I'm just happy for the players.
And now we have an eight hour I guess it's an eight Well it's five, but then the three hour time different. So we'll leave tomorrow morning. I think get to Tampa around six.
Yeah, you start, you start the fourth up five. It was good to see Asy finally get one to fall through. I mean, she hit some couple of clutch threes in that fourth quarter, but at least it settled you down and you started plus ten in the fourth quarter, and then you started get a little disney because it was tough. Crazy.
Well, let me tell you. I thought of Diana when we played against Notre Dame in the semi final and she went over eleven. Yeah, and we lost. But I was like, oh, maybe if she gets still eleven, then she's gonna knock one in and this is going to be okay. But I didn't think it got to eleven.
It was over eight.
Yeah, but you know, she I don't know every time. I think every time she shoots that, I think it's going in. And finally it did, and I think that, you know, she smiled. Everybody felt a little bit of relief. Mm hmm.
I would be remiss not to mention Aubrey Griffin's name. She played eight in the fourth quarter in big She gave me some big minutes.
She did, Yes, she did, and that and you know that's what you always tell you preach it as a coach. You don't know when your number is going to be called, but you always have to be ready. And she was ready and gave us those eight minutes without this her rebounding. Really, you know, maybe it's a different game.
Yeah, there's gonna be a big temperature shift. It's supposed to be in the nineties here in Tampa. Yes it is, Yes, it is. So I hope you brought some cool weather or warm weather clothes with you.
I might have to get on line and order some stuff. I packed very poorly for this entire trips.
Yeah, so, did I see? DEBI and I are flying home tomorrow. I gotta grab a couple of chords too, because we're not on the floor for the Final four that I do know. So, but they are going to have like an interview area like right at the end of the course that we've played in. We've played him before every time the Final four has been in Tampa, we've been there. Oh wow, there, we're one for two there, so we gotta we gotta go two for three.
Now, No, isn't it one for three? One for three? Let's see, there are two other times.
Fifteen we won.
N there were two others in the nineteen we lost, and there was another one night we lost. I think because I remember the hotels are far away, like when Megan meg Garler was on the team, then I think we lost. I don't know. You have to check. Yeah, I'm not the stats I just remember.
But look, I know it's been almost a decade since the last Natty, but you've been the sixteen of the last seventeen final fours. This team always puts themselves in a position to succeed. Now, the game has grown, no question, and that's a big part of it. But just to be of the last four every year for the last almost twenty years is astounding.
You have to put yourself in that position in order to have a chance to win the national championship. There's a lot over three hundred and some odd schools at our home, so it's not easy. When you get there and you don't win, it's obviously you always feel like it's a missed opportunity. But if you don't get the opportunity, you never have the chance to win it. So we're happy that we're there and we're going to give it our best shot to win. Saturday, oh, no, Friday.
Friday, and we're the late game, and of course were the late game Friday.
Of course, so well, you know we'll be ready, we'll be ready.
Yep, we'll give them back, all right, Chris, thank you as always appreciate it.