MOUNTAIN WEST WOMEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP

March 11, 2025

Lindy La Rocque

Kiara Jackson

Alyssa Brown

Thomas & Mack Center

UNLV Lady Rebels

Postgame Press Conference

San Diego State - 71, UNLV - 59

LINDY LA ROCQUE: Credit San Diego State. They played very loose. Inspired all the things very similar to Boise State yesterday, frankly. And we dug ourselves a little bit too big of a hole we couldn't climb out of. Although I was very proud of our fight and just kind of the togetherness that we showed there late.

I don't honestly have a ton of words because we haven't done this much, which is a good thing. In the locker room with the team, here with you, I haven't been here before.

When you're at the top, when you get knocked off, the fall is long and hard and it hurts.

Q. When San Diego State went on that 11-0 run in the second quarter you guys had, I believe, three straight possessions where you guys took a shot I think five seconds into the shot clock. Is it safe to say you guys kind of got out of body in that moment? If it's safe to say when did you guys feel like it got back under control for you guys?

KIARA JACKSON: We were taking quick shots. We were rushing. We got a little nervous, just out of character. But we'll learn from it.

Q. What has this time with the program meant to you?

ALYSSA BROWN: I just can't stop crying. Everything, honestly. The love I have for the program and Lindy, for the staff there's no words for it. I've had a great time at UNLV. I'm super proud of the squad. It's something that's really special to be a part of.

KIARA JACKSON: It means a lot. Even though we lost tonight, we definitely made our legacy in this league.

Q. You've been held to under 60 points three times this season. Two of them have come against San Diego State. What is it about their program that forces you to play that style of basketball?

LINDY LA ROCQUE: They're tough. First of all, they're extremely talented. And defensively they're very tough. They're physical. I'd like to think they're a little like us. We make it tough on our opponents. I feel like they make it really tough on us. I think they match up very well with us in the post. Yeah, I think they're tough.

Q. One word that hasn't been said during this particular run is fatigue. Now that this particular Mountain West run is over -- I know it's fresh after the game, you haven't had time to reflect -- but did it feel like fatigue ever set during this four-year run. And if it did, at what point did it kick in?

LINDY LA ROCQUE: No, I don't feel fatigued. I don't think they feel fatigued. I think it's a lot of pressure for these young people. These two seniors won three championships, and they would give anything to win another one. But just the target that that creates, the pressure, subconsciously even that that builds. Public pressure, just the expectation that this is what you do, so why aren't you doing it. That's a lot for young people.

And if anything, that's what I felt. I mean doing something -- we were going for a (expletive) four-peat, are you kidding me? Excuse my language, boss. Sorry. You know? And we didn't get it done. Okay.

Doesn't mean we didn't have a great season. Doesn't mean we're not going to play. We are playing. We are playing in postseason. I couldn't tell you what tournament. But we are playing. Whichever one we get in, we expect to win and we're going to play our butt off. So I don't think it's fatigue at all. I think it's just a lot.

Q. Just picking up on what you were just saying, what's your elevator speech for why you should get a bid to the NCAA Tournament?

LINDY LA ROCQUE: I knew you were going to ask me this. I think that we deserve it. Plain and simple. Statistically, metrics, whatever you want to say -- wins, losses -- I think it all matters. I think you have to look at a full body of work. I think you have to look at everything, sure, and actually, use everything, not just pick and choose what you want to justify whatever your end answer is going to be.

I think at this point we've been there three times. We also deserve the benefit of the doubt, frankly. We've established some credibility that we should be able to rely on in this situation.

But this will probably go on Twitter somewhere. But I think we deserve it. Plain and simple. We have a tremendous league. Our league is better than it's ever been -- metrics-wise, team-wise. And we feel that. And we lost in the quarterfinals of our championship to a very good team. So we're going to be playing.

Q. You're graduating some seniors, but you've got some young players who played big roles. Just what can you say where the program is positioned for the future?

LINDY LA ROCQUE: Yeah. Well, you know, this is like the hard part of the press conference because our season isn't over. So, like, to be honest, I don't totally even want to go there because they're crying, I'm crying, everyone's crying and we're not there yet.

But these two seniors, Kenadee Winfrey in the locker room, Macie James and, frankly, the collective whole group, they talk about a legacy. Honestly, what more can you do for a place when you found it? It's leave it better than you found it.

The year before they got here, my first year, we lost in the quarterfinals, and since then we've won championships.

I love them as young women, as people. They've been tremendous to our university, ambassadors of our program, and they deserve the credit. They've been out there scoring all the baskets.

Q. On that note, especially those two seniors, what are you going to miss most about those two and just the collective group?

LINDY LA ROCQUE: I don't know. I don't have to miss it yet, thankfully, because I get to see them tomorrow and the day after because this isn't the end-end. But they're just a special group, and every year there's a new class of seniors graduating, and they're all special, frankly.

This one is a little more special, maybe, if I'm allowed to say that. If you're allowed to pick a favorite kid, I guess, because they're my first. They chose me. This was the first group that chose me as a new head coach that had no idea what she was doing.

I told them a vision and they've helped bring it to life and sustain it and turn it into a culture and turn it into something for other people to also believe in and carry on. For that, they will always be a part of me and hopefully me them. The things you miss are all the little silly things.

Q. San Diego State's coach came in here and mentioned that it just came down to executing a game plan for them tonight and taking everything personally. How would you describe a game plan that you entered this game with and what the approach was, like, how did you guys approach this game?

LINDY LA ROCQUE: I mean, we split the regular season with them. So obviously we knew they were capable of beating us. And, frankly, we prepared as we would anyone. And we had a great game plan, a great scouting report.

Defensively, I thought our kids did a great job. We gave up a couple of 3s. Like, Jazlen Green, great player but I think she's made three 3s all year, one of them in our last game. Those were the things we were willing to give up.

I think where we hurt ourselves was offensively and we got a little impatient, and I think you saw that. Again, at halftime we held them to 33 points. You tell me we hold them to 33 at halftime, I'm all right, cool, we're in a game, not knowing we'd only score 20.

So from a game plan execution, I thought our team did a fine job. It was more kind of just offensively being a little rushed in shots, impatient, to just kind of let the offense work for us. It got pretty stagnant there.

I can try to yell at them and tell them in a timeout as much as possible. But that's them and their feel. So I think -- and again, give San Diego State credit. But I think we were a little self-inflicting at times, too. When they went on some runs, we were maybe trying to get like the 20-point shot when that doesn't exist.