Postgame Quotes
Chattanooga 48, UNC Greensboro 62
Greensboro, N.C. | Alumni Gym
Saturday, January 11, 2025
Head coach Deandra Schirmer
On getting out to a slow start
"Coming into this game, getting a different look than we're used to on the offensive end threw us off. Credit to them, they came out and played really well. I felt like we weren't ready, and we weren't executing our stuff. I'm most disappointed in the 21 points in the first quarter and 17 points given up in the [second] quarter. I think obviously that they were, they were clicking a little bit offensively, but we gave up too much. And I think that when you look back on this game, we started getting going in the second half, but it's like, That's too late, you know? And so from our standpoint, it's got to be, we got to be focused. You know, I think that our group does really well with a scout and a preparation, but we gotta be able to do it on one day prep, and I felt like we weren't as prepared as we should be, as far as being locked in and focused on what we went over and so we've gotta find a way to balance that out. Because, you know, as far as coming into this game, our focus defensively and what we could control wasn't there."
On UNCG getting offense and defensive efforts from multiple players
"I think one of the reasons why I think they're the best team in our conference is because of their depth. You know, they have a lot of players. You know, Makiah Asidanya hadn't played much, and she stepped in and played great. She hit five and six from three, and going into this, this game, she hadn't hit that many shots. So, you know, we have to adjust, and we have to be able to take away when they start getting hot. But also, I feel like going into this game, looking at a team that's very talented, a lot of different ways, you can't give them anything easy, and the fact that we were giving up some easy points early. And then also, you know, offensively, I told our group at halftime, we can't be dictated or predicated on what we're doing offensively. If we're not scoring the ball, we can't let our defense wane and our focus wane. And I think that we kind of got caught into that a little bit."
On foul trouble early in the game
"I do think obviously, the foul trouble really hurt us. You know, two of our we don't have the depth that they have. You know, we have a very limited bench, and when we have two of our starters out in the first with, you know, three fouls. And then, from a coaching standpoint, not really having the bench to put anybody else in, it's tough, you know. And so for us, we're going to have to find other ways. We're also going to have to develop our kids so that we can't have that confidence to put the bench players in as well. And so it's a lot of different moving pieces. I feel like, you know, looking at this film, I'm excited to look at the film and see areas that we can make improvements going into the game, and understanding that in a conference where you get to play everybody twice the second game, being at home, and be able to able to understand what their game plan is, looking forward to that rematch."
On continuing to push the offense despite falling behind early
"I think for this, we've got to take this one on the chin and understand we got our butts kicked, understand that we came out without the kind of intensity that it needs to win a game like this. And we've got to learn that lesson. You know, we're sitting here and we're trying to be positive reinforcements with a new system and learning a lot of different stuff, but we also have to hold them accountable. And I really feel like today, the way we came out, and our lack of focus, and, you know, giving up certain things that we talked about at length, can't happen. And I think that there's a lot of different excuses that you could throw out there, but from my standpoint, it's like, if you want to be a true championship team, we cannot have that that way, and we cannot have a second where we're not locked in, because they will take advantage of it. They're that good of a team. And so, you know, we talked about it in halftime, and we talked about, how can we get better? And there was a lot of things in the second half that I thought we did really well. Our ball screen defense was so much better in the second half. Offense, you know, we're getting the same looks we're getting shots. You know, that feels better, but in the same sense, I genuinely feel like we learned something today. We learned something about ourselves. And the thing that we learned is we can't come out here and limp it to a game. You're in a game with a heavyweight fighter, a fighter like UNCG, who's been top of the conference the last couple years, with premier players, with the deepest roster in conference, you got to come out here and you got to come out swinging. And the fact that we didn't do that is very frustrating, from my standpoint. The fact that we didn't do that is something that we've got to address as of right now, you know, going into this locker room and talking about it, but the execution down the stretch, the adjustments that we made in the second half, I'm proud that, you know, we were getting some things that started working. I'm proud that the girls kept fighting. But that's the expectation, you know, that's the standard that's not anything that we should ever doubt."
