ATLANTIC COAST CONFERENCE WOMEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP

March 4, 2026

Brooke Wyckoff

Sydney Bowles

Gas South Arena

Florida State Seminoles

Postgame Press Conference

Georgia Tech 72, Florida State 60

BROOKE WYCKOFF: It was an honor, as it always is, to be a part of the ACC Tournament. Really love what the ACC and the league has done here in Duluth to make it exciting and fresh. We were glad to be a part of it. The experience was great while we were here.

I'm also really proud of Sydney Bowles, just the leadership she's shown this year and in the couple years that she's been with us. She had a phenomenal game tonight. Just thankful for this year and this team, and we came up short.

Georgia Tech, they're a great team. Played very physically and shot a lot of free throws tonight. That was really the game.

I was proud of how we rebounded, though, because that was a challenge to our team was we needed to rebound today, and we did that a little bit better.

Proud of this team and looking forward to what's next.

Q. You mentioned free throws. What are some of the things that Tech was doing that maybe was giving you guys problems defensively?

BROOKE WYCKOFF: Yeah, they're very physical and they attack the rim with speed, with force. They do it in transition offense. They're sprinting out and they are looking to get the ball in the basket, around the basket, post-up, off the dribble. And then in the half court, a lot of their offense is predicated on attacking the basket. And they're just physical. They're great basketball players.

It's just tough. The first time around we played them, it was kind of the same story. We put them on the free-throw line a lot.

Q. Coach, I saw that you guys had forced 16 turnovers, which was quite a bit for Georgia Tech, and I think it was 21 points off those turnovers. But you weren't quite able to capitalize on them. Can you speak to why that was from your lens?

BROOKE WYCKOFF: Yeah, we did have 21 points off of turnovers, so that was a bright spot there, forcing 16. And that was the game plan, again, to make everything tough in the paint and dig on the ball. So we did a great job of that.

Again, it just came down to some other areas, but we did score 21 points off of turnovers. I'm proud of our team for that.

Q. Sydney, what was it like to come back home and play here in front of the crowd and finish it off?

SYDNEY BOWLES: Oh, it was super fun. I had to just -- I haven't got to see them yet, but just a lot of my family and the support just from the city of Atlanta. Just the city of Duluth and just Georgia women's basketball sports as a whole, a lot of people are excited with the tournament moving to Georgia. I think it's exciting, and I'm excited for what's to come. But it's always fun to be able to play back home.

I got lucky to be able to play this year and for it to be moved in my senior year. So I'm just happy that I was able to play.

Q. Sydney, what will you remember most about this year?

SYDNEY BOWLES: Man, just the bond that I have with my teammates. This was probably one of my favorite teams that I played with since I started playing basketball. We just started creating a bond before we even touched the court, and I'm sure that's just going to last a lifetime, from player 1 to player 10. I think we're all just going to be connected for the rest of our lives.

That's what you really want out of this whole experience. I'm just blessed to be able to connect with people, especially this year's team, and to be able to call them my sisters for life.

Q. You mentioned the fact that it is out here in Duluth, in Atlanta, outside of the Carolinas for the first time. Can you speak a little bit more about that experience of being out here, how different it was being here versus being back in the Carolinas?

BROOKE WYCKOFF: Yeah, it is different because it's been just historically in the Carolinas for so long. But I think as the league has evolved, as the conference has evolved and we've added teams from across the country and both coasts, it is a more centralized place to be and helpful to get fans here, the pep band, the cheerleaders, all those types of things. Having the more central location as our league has changed and grown has been nice.

Also, the city of Duluth and the Gwinnett Sports Council has done an amazing job hosting and making it a fresh new look and really exciting. It looks great in person, looks great on TV, and like I said, we're just really happy to be a part of it.

Q. Sydney, you guys have both been a part of the ACC. Talk about the evolution of the ACC and how it has improved over your two years in it. And, Coach, your many years in the ACC?

SYDNEY BOWLES: That's a good question. I was not expecting that. Right, my long two years. I think the ACC is just quick, fast, high-scoring basketball. I think it's really just people enjoy watching the style of play.

Every team doesn't play the exact same way, but I would say ACC just has fast pace, and it's really fun. You see a combination of really good guards, really good posts, people who run at you, people who have sets. I think it's very diverse in each team that you get. It's just fun. I really have enjoyed playing in the ACC. That's just the reason that I wanted to transfer into this conference.

I've had a lot of fun just playing against all the different teams and just -- it's been a blast.

BROOKE WYCKOFF: Yeah, I mean, ACC women's basketball has been an institution for a long time. Just really, really high level. But with the addition of the new teams and the big names in women's basketball, it's been really fun to expand with Stanford and Cal. When I played back in the day, it was a small conference. But adding Notre Dame, Louisville, those types of schools, Syracuse and Miami, it's a great women's basketball conference.

I love the cities that we get to travel to. I think it's a great experience for the student-athletes, the places that we get to go, the universities that we get to visit, and just the environments that we get to play in.

Even as it's ever expanding, I think it's only getting better. Again, proud to be a part of it for so long.