Boston College 85, Clemson 72
AMANDA BUTLER: Boston College did a tremendous job today, played their best basketball, I think, coming into this tournament. And just really deserve congratulations on their effort, the tone they set from the beginning.
We're terribly disappointed for a bunch of reasons. Obviously losing, top of the list. But this is a really special group of women that I'm sitting up here with and a special group that they represent.
It's just there's no comfort in going home like this. Amari and Day and Dani and Maddi really deserved better than what we brought today, and we weren't our best self, and Boston College took advantage of that.
Q. I think about a month ago, you beat Boston College by 10. Were they different today? Were you different today? What was kind of the difference?
AMANDA BUTLER: They definitely had found much more of an offensive groove than when we played them the first time. We did not play very well against them the first time, either. Didn't take care of the basketball and had some other circumstances that weren't necessarily prevalent today.
But again, offensively I think really are playing much, much better basketball. And we've struggled in the month of February as we've had some roster changes and things to try to find an offensive rhythm outside of these three women right here showing up and playing their guts out every night.
That just really caught up with us today.
Q. For any of the players, you had a really nice comeback there to get it down to four, and they had the rebound following the three-pointer, and that kind of settled them down. As you look back at that, if you had had one more play, one more opportunity, or do you look at the first of the game as where it went awry?
AMARI ROBINSON: I think it's just the beginning of the game, setting the tone coming out there with the energy that we needed to. We preached that this was a new season, so I think if we came in with that mentality and it was a collective effort, for sure it would be a different outcome.
Q. Coach, for two of your fifth-year players that you have up here with you, you've had Amari for five seasons, Day for a much shorter time, but she's been in the league, and they've given you a big boost this year. What have they meant to your program?
AMANDA BUTLER: It's really hard to qualify, quantify and put into words. Just two terrific women, and like you said, I've had the pleasure that Amari has allowed me and our staff to be part of her journey, which has just been record setting and memorable. She's left a tremendous legacy. I think in the midst of college athletic landscape where it's very rare for someone to have the courage, the guts, the strength and the belief in themselves and their coaches and their teammates to grind it out for five years, through the growing process, I think it's a tremendous statement about her legacy and who she is.
The best thing I can tell you about Day Harris is I wish I had had her for way more than one season, and I think she knows that.
Q. Day, season high for you, 26 points. What was working offensively for you? And, Ruby, also 26 points. What do you want to take from this game going into the off-season?
DAYSHANETTE HARRIS: What was working offensively was just getting downhill and attacking, and shooters being able to knock down shots to open up the lane. Just taking advantage of the things that we done well.
RUBY WHITEHORN: For me, I would say that something that I've really gained these past few games and this game, just an aggressive mindset or more of an aggressive mindset, and just like the confidence that my teammates have in me in taking my shots. That's something that I will take with me into the off-season and next season.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports