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Jan. 29, 2017

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Head Coach Joanne Boyle
On not being able to get over the hump to take the lead:
“Notre Dame has been in situations like that time and time again. They know how to capitalize. Down the stretch we took some ill-advised, quick shots that allowed them to get in transition so we didn’t make them work us. There was a period of two to three minutes where we had turnovers and quick shots that allowed them to get some transition shots. For us, it is just being somewhat young. We have to understand time and score. How to really get the best shot and what it means to get one or two stops in a row. We are hurting ourselves with taking quick shots and turnovers at the top of the key. I am really proud of the team. We came out and gave great effort. We got off to a slow start with our energy and effort and gave up way to many buckets, but they competed the rest of the game. Down the stretch, we keep finding ourselves in that situation where we are playing the game but not finishing out games.”

On most points team has scored against UVA:
“They have so many weapons. It wasn’t anything in particular. They shot the ball really well tonight, especially in the first half. I thought we did a pretty good job on Brianna Turner. I didn’t think we covered their shooters well early so we had to dig ourselves out of a big hole. That was a big factor. They have so many weapons and that is what makes them so dangerous.”

On focusing on inside game of Notre Dame:
“I think we were just slow to the shooters. I didn’t think we came in with the effort that we have had in the past. We picked it up, but it took us halfway through the first quarter.”

On being close a number of times:
“Winning is a habit. We are in every game and all of a sudden we are consistently making the same mistakes, whether it is quick shots or turning the ball over a inopportune times. I think also, when you are really tired, you have to be able to fight through fatigue and give us two more possessions until we can get you out of the game. We were relax and are tired. We lacked a sense of urgency when we really needed it the most with some of our youth.”

On what Kathryn Westbeld brought to game:
“She is a great passer. She’s a great connector kid, so she can get people in the spots where they can be really successful. She can shoot the ball, so you can’t play off her. She is just a seasoned player. She is a veteran in the game for them, someone that is really smart and has a high basketball IQ, so in crucial situations Muffet [McGraw] is going to go with people that have been successful for her.”

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