ATLANTIC COAST CONFERENCE WOMEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP

March 4, 2026

Karen Blair

La'Nya Foster

Erica Moon

Gas South Arena

Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets

Postgame Press Conference

Georgia Tech 72, Florida State 60

KAREN BLAIR: You know, first and foremost, Florida State is a heck of a team. You just talk about they play so freaking hard, and there's a lot of tough matchups for us. But what I'm going to say is I'm just excited for this team. Thank you to our band, our cheer, the fans. It's nice to be here in Georgia, and it made a difference today.

You just talk about they just brought a lot of energy. Our team felt it. We thank you guys for everybody that showed out. We're obviously excited for this tournament to be here in Georgia.

But what can I say about this group, you guys? This team, all they know is how to fight, and they give us every single thing they have for 40 minutes every game. So I'm not surprised by this today. I'm not surprised that everybody that played scored. I'm not surprised that everybody that played rebounded because they have just continued to show up on the biggest stage.

It's just who they are. They're just resilient, and they fight, and they're a joy to be around every day.

As their coach, I'm just thankful to be along on this journey with them.

Q. I wanted to ask you about Erica's play down the stretch. Very clutch, several big baskets. Can you speak to what you saw from her or about her from your lens?

KAREN BLAIR: Yeah, I mean, when Erica gets going, it's fun to watch. We were talking about it a little bit, when she starts dancing with the basketball and that little in and out starts coming.

But Erica has been solid for us. Her and I have a lot of conversation. Obviously I played point guard, she's point guard, so we have a lot of combos. Probably what a lot of people don't know is within this last month and a half she's really taken ownership of this team with play calls, putting more responsibility on herself and on her back. And as a sophomore, I'm so impressed with how she's able to lead this team.

She got in foul trouble, but what a response in that fourth quarter when we really needed it. I thought she came in and she just took command of the game and started to be really aggressive, going to the hoop, and just demanding the best out of her team.

It's fun to watch.

Q. Coach, talk about La'Nya's start. She was aggressive, 14 points the first half. How big was that to get off to a good start. And, La'Nya, what went into that, what made you more aggressive early on today?

KAREN BLAIR: If you guys have seen La'Nya's growth this year, I am so proud of her. She has now taken on the challenge for us in this ACC play to take on the other team's best player in tough matchups. Her defense has been phenomenal. She's taken on these challenges for us, which is great. This is what we just talked about. When she comes out in these first quarters and she's being aggressive and being assertive, that confidence is contagious.

I love when she knocks down an early shot, but one of the things her and I talk about is I always know I can rely on her defense. The other thing she is is she's the heart of this team. If you look at any loose ball, I can guarantee you La'Nya is always the first to the floor. It has been true to form from day one since she's been here.

And that's what I appreciate the most about her is that heart, that hustle, and that grit that she plays with. I do love the baskets now, too. The defense has been there, but we'll take the baskets, too.

LA'NYA FOSTER: Yeah, I just know my teammates and their style. They always bring confidence into it, so coming into the game I always stay confident. I'm never overthinking, I just stay confident because that's what we need.

Q. With the ACC Tournament being you win, you play the next day, what's the mindset for the next 24 hours before you take on Virginia Tech?

KAREN BLAIR: Yeah, we're going to celebrate this win right now. We're going to take a -- this is a hard game. Winning is hard. I think sometimes people want to take it for granted.

We're going to enjoy this win and what we did, and then we're going to turn the page and we're going to prepare for Virginia Tech. We'll go back, we'll have -- they'll do some recovery, we'll get a nice meal and then we'll sit down and do some film. And that will be the time that we turn the page.

These guys, they're professionals. They do a good job. They know how to take care of their bodies. And I think our coaching staff, we do a good job. We know they've got to have their legs in order to play their best. I think we've all built that level of trust and respect, and it's also collaborative. We talk a lot of times about what is it you guys feel you need.

ERICA MOON: I feel like as far as recovery, I think we do -- KB and the staff do a great job of making sure our bodies are good for the next game and that we're well prepared going into the next game after playing back-to-back games. I think we're going to do what we need to do tonight as far as recovery, and then we're going to watch film and get on to the next game.

Q. We talked yesterday about how you guys are playing your best basketball at the right time here at the end of the year. What about this game can you pinpoint what you were doing in those last couple of games of the year that make you feel like you can keep it going the rest of this tournament?

LA'NYA FOSTER: I think the biggest thing for us is staying present and confident. Each game is different. It's not going to be the same. So the biggest thing for us is just staying present, staying together, fixing the little loopholes that we have to be good overall.

Q. It seemed like there was a few times early on or at the start of the second half, had a few turnovers and Florida State got it within six or seven, but each time your team had the answer. What's it like being able to bounce back from bad sequences like that?

KAREN BLAIR: This is who they've been. We had probably one of the toughest non-conference schedules and we've had a lot of close games. You guys know, every night in the ACC is a battle. You see the elite players in the country, and you've got to figure out how to game plan.

So it's just like, they're prepared for it. This is what I love about them is they don't get too high when things are going great, and they don't get too low when things aren't going our way. That is why we've been able to compete in every single game we've been in, and why you see even in our losses they're usually under 10. Because these guys somehow, some way, they're going to find a way to fight and keep themselves in the game.

Part of it is our defense and rebounding is really good, and some nights we turn it over a little bit too much and we can't afford to give those possessions away. But tonight we did a good job. We were aggressive, and we got ourselves to the free-throw line, which I think helped counter a couple of those turnovers there.

But they know. They know we've got to take care of the basketball. It's something we've been working on. How I always judge it is sometimes they're good reads and it just doesn't make it, and that's okay. It's a right idea. We'll move on, we'll learn from it, and we'll just keep it stepping.

Q. Coach, in the big picture when you're trying to build the program back, how important is it to come to a tournament and win a game?

KAREN BLAIR: Yeah, I mean, everything -- every win, every game matters. Honestly, for me, it's more important that we win for them. This group, like, I'm telling you, they give us every single thing they have.

I love that they're playing their best basketball right now because they deserve this. They deserve this win. They deserve these matchups. They deserve to be on this big stage.

I think everybody knows, it's like, we're a dangerous team. The way we defend, the way we rebound, when we start scoring the basketball, some great things happen for us.

That's why I'm excited for them. Like I said, Erica is only a sophomore, La'Nya is a junior. We've got a lot of young players on this team, and what a great experience for them. Of course you're happy for your seniors. You want them to get this postseason experience.

Q. I just wanted to know what your message was to the team in terms of you guys had several players out today. Was there any message that you said to the team before playing today?

KAREN BLAIR: You know, the other day we talked about it, but it's just like, again, I just give them all the credit. I just said, hey, again, you guys have been resilient since day one. We've had so many injuries and there's a million excuses they could make, but you know what, they don't. They don't make excuses. They just put their head down and take on the task at hand.

Kind of like what La'Nya said, it's just being present. What I just told them, wow, the super seven. This is where we're at right now. So the super seven are sticking together.

But this is what we do. This group has -- they play for each other. I tell them this, and they don't understand it right now, but it is so rare. It is so rare to be in a locker room that people are like -- everybody is excited for Erica today, Snoop gets 10 rebounds, everybody is excited. Everybody is cheering for each other.

Yeah, you can focus on it was just seven, but we're not. We're just going to put our heads down, we're going to show up and we're going to work.

Q. You mentioned a little bit on the top, but just the fact you were able to play here in Atlanta, how special has it been, and does it live up to the hype knowing that this is what it was going to look like?

KAREN BLAIR: I know for me it has. It was great today, like I told you. I loved having our fans, having the send-off today and having a home crowd.

What we're banking on is if you guys know anything about what we did at McCamish this season, we're calling this home, too. This is what we've kind of done here. It's like our defense and rebounding has been so elite at home. So we just moved it a little north here about 30 miles, and I think we did that today.

But it means everything. Here's two kids that are from the area. We've got a roster where half of them are from here. For some of these seniors, it's like -- Cat graduated in this building. You just talk about those full-circle moments and different stories that you can share. So we're really grateful for it to be here.

LA'NYA FOSTER: Being at home, I feel like it's so much to play for. When you're playing basketball you have all these reasons why you play, but being able to play at home in front of your family, your friends is very big.

ERICA MOON: Just like La'Nya said, I love being back home. Being 30 minutes away, my family still gets to come and watch us play and support us. I'm pretty sure La'Nya's family was able to come today. Still having fans here, just driving 30 minutes up the road to support us is amazing.