NCAA WOMEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP: SECOND ROUND - GEORGIA VS IOWA ST.

March 20, 2022

Joni Taylor

Jenna Staiti

Mikayla Coombs

Georgia Bulldogs

Media Conference

MODERATOR: Start with an opening question from Coach, and then questions for the student athletes and then we'll take questions for Coach. So we're now joined by the University of Georgia. We have senior Jenna Staiti, senior Mikayla Coombs, and head coach Joni Taylor. Coach Taylor.

COACH TAYLOR: Iowa State is a really, really good team. We knew that coming in. Played in a great environment tonight, and you just got to give them credit. They did what they do well, and we didn't have an answer for it.

We knew that taking away the three was going to be really important. Winning the rebounding battle was going to be really important. And we didn't do either one of those things. They got off to a really quick start. And once they get a lead, it's really, really hard to get back in it because they don't turn it over, they don't foul you, and they make it really tough defensively.

I thought our ladies fought to the very end. Really proud of their effort. Just came up short tonight.

MODERATOR: Questions for the student athletes.

Q. Jenna, can you take me into your emotions and what it meant to you to wear that uniform?

JENNA STAITI: I'm just so grateful for her. And to be able to -- for Coach Joni to take me back home and take me back another year. She didn't have to take me back. And she -- I didn't pick Georgia first, I picked Maryland. And she welcomed me right back home.

She fixed me -- she -- I was broken when I came back to Georgia, and she fixed me. And she and this program have made me a better person and I will forever be grateful for her and all my teammates.

MIKAYLA COOMBS: Love you.

JENNA STAITI: Love you, too.

Q. And then Mikayla, I mean in terms of the game itself, I mean when Iowa State comes out with the zone and jumps out to that 11-0 lead, at that point, just how tough did it get for you guys when you guys -- it's hard, but just kind of taking you guys out of what you like to do offensively?

MIKAYLA COOMBS: I think when they jump out that quickly and we had a couple of defensive breakdowns and that led to turnovers. And then they were coming down hitting threes, and it is just hard to trade threes for twos at that point. And we just couldn't get the ball in the hole the first couple of minutes.

Like Coach Joni said, it was hard to get back because we dug ourselves into a hole and they are a really good team. So it was really hard to even capitalize on those moments.

Q. Mikayla as well, I know that obviously that you might have a decision to make here. But in terms of Jenna and you and those guys who have finished it up here, I mean can you speak on what it meant to play with Jenna and Que and also the significance of Coach Joni as your coach?

MIKAYLA COOMBS: I mean Coach Joni is everything to us. She's our mother figure. So just being able to play for her is always just a blessing. And I mean we go out and play our hearts out for her every day. So to come up short it really sucks because we do everything for her, so it's really hard trying to take this all in. And as far as Jenna and Que, they will be some of my best friends for life, so seeing them have to go out like this is really hard. But to speak to what they have done for this program, there are no words. They've done everything they could possibly to. Their legacy that they left here is just amazing. And we can't thank them enough for that.

Q. And last one for both of you guys. I mean obviously you guys had some tournament appearances and you got to this point. But can you speak on the culture of this program and why there is a positive outlook for this program to get itself to the Sweet 16 eventually?

JENNA STAITI: I think just -- I think we just love leadership, and you know, every day I was there in practice. I really just -- you know, I would talk to the post, talk to Jill and tell her like this is what you need to do and kind of just give her the confidence. I think that they know how much I love this program. I wouldn't have come back here another year if I didn't love this program.

And I think they just know that stay the course. And if, you know, if things aren't going your way, just put your head down and work. And I think every one of them is going to play so hard and I think that's just something that we left, me and Que and Mikayla and Mal because of the seniors that we've had before us, you know. We wanted to leave behind, don't have any regrets. Play your hardest.

MIKAYLA COOMBS: I think speaking on the culture of the program, we just have like a really big family environment, so just pushing each other every day and just coming out just playing as hard as we can as far as like we're going it get it together.

It's just been a couple of like hard second-round games I guess you'd say. But I think just going back and building on this and just finding a way to get through these tough times is where we're focusing on.

Q. Question for Mikayla. When you got here in 2019 to now, where would you say the program and team as a whole has kind of improved whether on or off the court from then to now?

MIKAYLA COOMBS: I think on the court we've just gradually got better year by year. I don't think anybody, especially last year and this year, expected to us to be where we were. So continuously just working in the offseason and shocking people throughout these seasons is what we're trying to focus on. And culture wise, I think it’s continuously building on just a family environment. I mean these are my sisters, and just continuing to play for each other and just having that love throughout everybody is what we focus on.

Q. The loss to end this season and in years past. How do you all kind of cope with loss but -- loss like this, what does the next week or so look like?

JENNA STAITI: Can you ask it again? I'm sorry. I was confused.

Q. Yeah, you know, from last year and then there has been the offseason, how do you all kind of cope and compartmentalize a season-ending loss like tonight?

JENNA STAITI: I mean put your head down and work and come to practice the next day and, you know, fix everything. Figure out what it is and, you know, just keep putting your head down and working.

I think some parts of the season we lose a game and then we come to practice, and I don't think not anyone on the court wasn't wanting to fix what it was that we were doing.

MIKAYLA COOMBS: Just repeat what Jenna said basically. I mean I think it's just a matter of just using it as fuel for the next year. And just putting our head down and working, like she said. That's all we can do at this point.

MODERATOR: That's all the time we have for the student-athletes. Thank you so much for joining us. We will now take questions for Head Coach Joni Taylor.

Q. Hey, Coach.

COACH TAYLOR: Hey, Brandon.

Q. To see the message right there, and I can't imagine what that's like as a head coach for somebody who has been in this program for five of your seven years as coach who has helped establish the culture. Can you speak on what it meant to coach Jenna Staiti? And how do you say goodbye I guess to her playing on the court?

COACH TAYLOR: You know, we have some really amazing young women in our program. And that's intentional. We're very picky and selective about who we bring in, and this is why.

In regards to Jenna, I told our team in the locker room, Jenna, and Que for that matter, that they made a decision to come to Georgia when we weren't hot, when we were building something.

Que was our first commitment in our recruiting class, 2017 recruiting class. And then Jenna came right along with her after she transferred. They stayed the course. They dug in. It wasn't always pretty. It was great times, not so great times. But they believe in what we want to build at the University of Georgia, and they sacrificed their bodies, they've sacrificed their time.

They could have left last year. Both have been drafted, and they made the decision to come back. And so, of course, you're going to miss their impact on the floor, that's stating the obvious. But just who they are as people. How they lead, how they love, and how they represent the University of Georgia, their families, the institution, it's something that I certainly know that our younger players have watched and want to emulate. And we'll continue to carry on the legacy that they tried to establish at Georgia.

Q. And the next thing, kind of like I know that you guys as a program haven't gotten over that hurdle to get to the Sweet 16. Like you said, with you guys coming in and the culture you guys have built, how optimistic are you guys that you can get over that hurdle, get over that hump eventually as soon as you can?

COACH TAYLOR: Absolutely. It's devastating that we haven't done it already. I mean it's what we want. You come to Georgia to not be in the NCAA tournament but to make deep runs in the tournament. And we haven't done that, and that's something that we have got to continue chipping away at. As you look at what we have done and who we recruited and who we continue to bring in, our talent has gotten better every single year. That continues next year now. You've got to replace some leadership. That's not going to be easy. So it's just staying the course and figuring out piece by piece and then learning from some of the things that have deterred us from getting past the second round.

Q. In terms of the game itself, I mean similar rebounding numbers, similar shooting percentage. Can you pinpoint what it was that kind of got away from you guys this evening?

COACH TAYLOR: Turnovers to start the game. We turned it over and they converted 13 points off our turnovers in the first half. We had some miscommunication. They had wide open threes. And listen, they're very, very good. Everybody shoots the three. They've got an all-American on their roster. Lexi is really good. Emily is a great floor general and can score it. So they stretch you.

Every time we tried to chip into it, they'd make a big play. You know, Emily would make a three. Lexi would do something. Ashley would go get a rebound or score. So we got to give them credit. They were on their home floor, they had a great crowd behind them.

And we turned it over and we didn't make enough plays. And every time we tried to claw into the lead, they stepped up and made a really, really big play.

Q. Last thing I have. As a head coach, we talked about your culture time and time again. But how do you kind of take this as your next chapter as a head coach and how you've established your own career here at Georgia? And are you happy with where you're at, where your program is at?

COACH TAYLOR: I mean obviously I wish I was still playing, right. But in terms of who we are and what we've built and the people we have around us, I couldn't be happier. We have great people in our program. Anybody that touches our program leads with integrity, a pure heart. And I want to represent the University of Georgia in the right way.

So I'm extremely proud of the people we have, the players, our staff, our support staff. Our administration is amazing. So yes, I'm very happy with Georgia and where we are. And that's on us to figure out how to get past the second round.

Q. Joni, Bill said that Iowa's team played some defenses they hadn't even practiced. How much was the zone -- how effective was that do you think? And how much do you attribute that to the start that you all had?

COACH TAYLOR: We knew they were going to come out zone. They're really stingy defensively. We knew that coming in. We knew they were going to pack the paint, shoot the ball and make it really tough for us inside to get paint touches whether it was by penetration or getting it to our bigs. And we just -- at times I think we rushed shots. At times I think we turned it over and didn't stay the course in terms of making the move enough to get it inside and have a really good inside-out game.

At one point they went to a triangle and two. That's something that we've seen as well. And again, we had some looks and didn't make it. But credit them, they rebounded. They boxed us out. They didn't let us go get second chance opportunities. But we expected them to come out and play a zone. Listen, they're really, really good. They've played teams similar to us in their conference.

And so when you watch those games, you kind of had a good idea of what we were going to expect tonight, and they answered the call.

Q. How do you as a head coach kind of console this team both like tonight and the flight home, but also like the next week or so as you kind of completed this season?

COACH TAYLOR: It's really tough in the locker room, right. You've got young ladies who really, really care and they feel like they've let us down. And that's not the case. Like they've gone out there and competed all year and played really, really tough.

So it's about making sure that they understand their worth and moving and turning the next page and getting ready for next year. We'll obviously take some time off and let them refocus and focus academically and rest their bodies and then we'll have individual meetings and talk about how we want to get better and turn the page for next year.

Q. Yeah, Joni, I know you're not on the NCAA rules committee and you're not going to change how the women's tournament is run. But how difficult is to play a team on their home floor in tournament play?

COACH TAYLOR: Well, it's called a home-court advantage for a reason, right? It was a great environment to play in. You want to have fans in the stands, it's a great environment. What our challenge is, to be one of those top four seeds so that we can play at home. And that is what our conversation is. How do we put ourselves in a position so that we are playing at home and create the same environment that Iowa State has that you see for these first-round and second-round games when they're playing on their home court? I think last year when we were all in the bubble, you know, there was some parity to that, if you want to say some fairness to that.

But we are where we are. I think there's advantages to both. Sometimes when you looked in the past and there were neutral sites, it wasn't as packed. When you have a round of 16 and you're playing at home, you know, those teams are for the most part kind of going to fill the arena.

So I think it will be interesting moving forward to see what happens. But the rules are what they are right now. Our focus can't be going into a tough environment. Our focus has to be being one of those top four seeds so that we're at home bringing people in a tough environment.

Q. Mikayla talked about getting back in the gym and preparing for next year. Has she or Malury hinted about a return for next season?

COACH TAYLOR: We haven't discussed it yet.

MODERATOR: Coach, thank you so much for your time.

COACH TAYLOR: Thank you.