BIG 12 CONFERENCE WOMEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP

March 10, 2022

Raegan Pebley

Okako Adika

Lauren Heard

TCU Horned Frogs

Postgame Press Conference

West Virginia - 68, TCU - 48

THE MODERATOR: We'll get started. We'll start with an opening statement from coach.

RAEGAN PEBLEY: Yeah. Obviously tonight our scoring, our offense was struggling, and it's been a struggle for us offensively a lot throughout the season, but whereas we're not, this is not the type of season that this group had worked for, had vision for, that any of them wanted, but I just am really truly thankful for how they soldiered on and the people that they are, these super seniors, and the choices that they made and just the battles that they fought.

I know they didn't win all the battles that they wanted this season, but they have won a lot of wars throughout their careers and they have a lot to be proud of and I'm proud of the people they are and the graduates that they will be from TCU.

THE MODERATOR: Questions for the student-athletes, please.

Q. Lauren, you did join the 2,000 point club. What does that kind of mean to you in a season like this and kind of going off that just kind of what in your mind didn't go right for you guys this year?

LAUREN HEARD: First of all, it's a huge honor to get 2,000 points. We actually just talked about that in the locker room. Girls play for five, six, seven years and that's not an award that you always get, you know, you're not guaranteed. So that was definitely a personal huge accomplishment for me.

But I think as far as the team and our season, I just think about -- I've been here for five years and I think about a lot of seasons I've had at TCU and what I've learned most is that you can't micromanage life. You can't micromanage your journey and success, and sometimes a season goes how you, how you would not like it to go, but it's helping the future and it's helping Okako, who has another year, and when Okako place she's going to help Paige Bradley who has another year.

So planting those seeds I think you have to have the maturity to understand that you're planting seeds for the future. And so right now even though it's not going how we want, it's not about us right now and we have to just look at the bigger picture and I think we all have a lot to be proud of for the work that we have done and the wars we have won thus far.

Q. Okako, for you, just when you look ahead to the off-season and whatnot, just kind of what's the mindset to get it turned around going into next year?

OKAKO ADIKA: I mean, just going off what she said, for us to turn this around we just got to come in stronger, come in with a different mindset and mentality to wanting to work harder and wanting to win. I think that's the only way where we can turn this around.

Q. Your opponents tonight, Madisen Smith and J.J. Quinerly, is that one of the more athletic back courts that you've seen over the season this year and what kind of problems did they cause you tonight?

RAEGAN PEBLEY: Yeah. I mean, I think when KK Deans went out for West Virginia this year Quinerly took huge advantage of the opportunities and you could tell that she was going to be great talent. She was just going to need more experience to build some confidence.

So she definitely has done that throughout the season. They have I think won five of their last seven and you could just see that they were finding a flow better without KK. This conference is one where it's hard to say about any one player, like, that's the best, you know. There's just so much talent in this league. But those two I think really have been playing well down the stretch.

Q. What about Lauren reaching 2,000 points, what does it kind of say about what she's been able to accomplish in her time here at TCU?

RAEGAN PEBLEY: Well, first of all, that your body can withhold all the games that that takes. I mean, that's tremendous right there. People's game plan begins and ends with Lo, so she gets a lot of people's physical attention, strategic attention.

She, the way she scores, she's not a scorer that there's a Taylor Robertson from Oklahoma who is a phenomenal scorer, but she gets most of her scoring at the three-point line.

Lo gets it penetration and getting fouled and converting at the free-throw line and pull-ups and she just has so much, so many layers to her scoring, but just the physical toll that it's taken. She works hard in taking care of her body and developing her game. The 2,000 is important to talk about. It is important to talk about. But she knows that she's way more than that. Way more.

Q. How much do you want the opportunity to get this, to have the ability to turn it around and get to where you guys were a couple years ago?

RAEGAN PEBLEY: Of course. I love TCU. Seriously. Texas Christian University is the best university in the country. It's been one of the best experiences and being a part of these women's lives and people I get to work with every day and, you know, I'm confident that we know how to get it back to where it needs to be. There's been some rough things that are obvious and there's been some hard things that are less obvious to people and what we know is our truth, we know how to get there, what needs to be corrected and we'll definitely persevere to do it.

This is a conference though that you've seen teams be able to vacillate top to bottom quickly and it requires definitely a lot of hard work and grit, not just by players but coaching staffs and every support staff member that pours into it. And there's been a lot poured into this program and we just want to continue to bring pride as much as we can to TCU.

THE MODERATOR: All right, thank you very much.