University of North Carolina Athletics
Postgame Press Conferences: UNC 86, Ohio State 84
March 24, 2015 | Women's Basketball
2015 NCAADivision I women's basketball championship
Second Round · North Carolina 86, Ohio State 84
Carmichael Arena • Chapel Hill, N.C.
Monday, March 23
POSTGAME QUOTES – UNC
Sylvia Hatchell, UNC Head Coach
Opening Statement
“We won. I'm just proud of these kids for working hard and fighting through everything. I thought we started off really, really good. We were getting the ball in. Stephanie [Mavunga] was just wow. She was incredible. Brittany [Rountree] was busting out threes. I thought overall our defense was really good in the first half. I told them at halftime, I said, 'Look. We have an 18 or 19 point lead at half time. This is nothing against this team. They're used to scoring 80 to 90 points a game. They're not going to go away. They're going to go after you.' They did pretty much exactly what I expected. They're just that great of a team. We were sloppy in the second half. We made some turnovers but I was proud of them for pulling it out and getting the job done.
On Jamie Cherry's gamewinning shot
“It was the second time this year she's made a shot like that to win the game. She can shoot now – the kid can light it up. There at the end, it was sort of a divine intervention that I thought, 'Put Jamie in.' I knew she could make it. The size wasn't going to matter, so I took N'Dea [Bryant] out and put Jamie in. Ivory [Latta, assistant coach] says that she told me to do that. I didn't hear Ivory, but she says she told me to do that. So I'll give Ivory credit for that. Anyway, we're just happy to be moving on to the Sweet 16.
On Ohio State
“Ohio State is a great team. He [head coach Kevin McGuff] has done a great job with them. They're so talented and such a really good team. This was a great win for us.”
On moving on to Greensboro to face South Carolina
“We're excited about playing in the Sweet 16 and playing South Carolina. They're a great team. We know we've got our hands full, beyond full, but we're up for the challenge. We've got a lot of kids on our team from South Carolina. Greensboro does a fabulous job – nobody does it better than Greensboro. We're just really thrilled and excited and feel very honored to be going over there to play on Friday.”
Jamie Cherry, Freshman Guard
On the the final shot
“Every time Coach Hatchell puts me in the game with that little bit of time on the clock, my whole mindset is just get down the court and get a great shot. I know I'm quick so just being able to beat my defenders and just getting a great shot up, that was my mindset when I dribbled the ball down the court. Just to get down there and don't settle for a long shot or three. Just try and get as far as I can before the buzzer goes off.
“Brittany [Rountree] actually told me to just go out wide and catch the ball. When I looked, I saw daylight. I saw nobody in front of me, so I said nobody is going to be able to stop me. So I beat the first defender, crossed over and tried to get to the free throw line and float it up there. We were all celebrating and I didn't realize there was .7 seconds on the clock. Luckily enough, she dribbled the time off the clock.”
Stephanie Mavunga, Sophomore Forward
On the difference of play in the first and second half
“I think they got a little bit smarter in the second half. [The coach] probably told them, 'You guys need to turn it up on defense.' Actually, I think it really came before halftime and the second half started. I started getting double-teamed.”
Brittany Rountree, Senior Guard
On guarding OSU freshman Kelsey Mitchell
“We did a lot of switching. One thing we wanted to do was keep her in front of us, which I thought we did a really good job of. We did a good job on help defense as well and rotating, so that was really good. We were talking out there so that helped.”
On her five three-pointers
“I was just feeling it. They were doubling Steph, too. There was a lot of attention on Steph. She kicked it out one time, that was one of her assists. So she's getting better at that, too. Reading each other. So I credit my teammates for that.”
OHIO STATE
Kevin McGuff, OSU Head Coach
Opening Statement
“Credit to North Carolina, they played an excellent basketball game. They're very good, they're very talented, and they play really hard and they're well coached. I couldn't be more proud of our players for our fight and our resolve in tonight's game. We had a rough start, and Carolina certainly had a lot to do with that, but the way we fought and we scratched and clawed was amazing to see of our club. Hopefully we can carry that over to the off season because I think if we continue to build on the momentum that we built this year, we can really do something special. At the end, they made a big play, a big shot, and I take responsibility. I should have gotten us more organized and put us in better position defensively, so that wasn't the players' fault, that was my fault. And credit to them for making the play.”
On the possibility of a comeback
“We had a stretch there where it kept hovering just above 10, and we couldn't get it under. And I kept telling them, 'If we can ever get it under 10, then I think we can really build some momentum here and give ourselves a chance to win the game.'”
On the play of Ameryst Alston
“She was great tonight. She was great the other night. She had a spectacular weekend, and she's a great player. She's a really special kid, and we're fortunate to have her, and with her and Kelsey [Mitchell], I've said many times I think we have the best backcourt in the country. I think we can go a long way with them in the future.”
Ameryst Alston, Junior Guard
On the first half struggles
“It was just being disciplined on defense, rebounding. They're a very athletic team, and then we didn't get bodies on them. We didn't work early.”
Kelsey Mitchell, Freshman Guard
“I never thought that we were out of the game, but I did think that when we buckled down and played defense like we were supposed to, that's when I knew that we could make something happen. We can get ourselves out of this hole and do something big and get ourselves up and motivated...when we do what we're supposed to do on defense.”
