super proud of these guys um with their third game in four nights and a back to back um the focus attention and then ultimately their effort um tonight um was impressive and and you know super proud of them thought they put themselves in position I think with three minutes to go it's still a one possession game um you know hard hard when Odyssey went out she was probably on track to play all 40 minutes and um it was you know she was willing us and Skyler was willing them so um you know was a really really well played game I thought both teams adjusted to the physicality around the rim the officials let a lot of go tonight but because of that there was some flow in our game and so I just thought it was a really good basketball game and you know as again lot easier to walk into that locker room tonight and talk to them about all the positives that we did and and again another opportunity that we put ourselves in position to learn from and how to finish few turnovers in that fourth quarter but overall um you know just super excited um a with another monster rebounding night um the stats are out there I'll let our PR people make sure that that the the stats are are being shared with you but when azer over these two games is um you know in the same conversation of Lisa NECA Candice uh you know it's a really impressive uh two game stretch and then also in League wide um those I think it was in leag history 15 plus points 15 plus rebounds with four made threes in the history I think she joins like a Tina Charles and a Stewie Stewie oh yeah it's a Yukon reunion um you know just really impressive so you know um thought Odyssey really ran us tonight and it really stayed aggressive and played downhill so um that was a good basketball game and and proud to be a part of it I me questions for Odyssey um I didn't see exactly what happened there in the second half looked like something you know happened with your finger uh what went down there that kind of forced you to come out of the game and how are you feeling after um I just landed on my hand but I'm okay uh this is for you as just aggressive AER is you know really amazing what you've been able to do these last two games how do you keep that going to finish off the season yeah um I mean we've been going against like big post players so I know like d and Lee have had to step up and I don't know I just think I play better when I don't think and I'm just aggressive um I think it helps the team come out and be more aggressive and just gets us all attacking and that's I think what we need to do sometimes I feel like we overthink and I know I personally do that a lot so I just try to come out and be as aggressive as I can and not necessarily always shooting but like in the intangibles defense rebounding and it's been pretty good these last couple games just going to keep doing that see um you know coach has been talking about how these past two games with Connecticut and then these two games with Seattle that you're kind of treating this as like many playoff series Almost um just you know as somebody who's who's been to the postseason before you know played a lot in this league what have you seen from this young group you know in terms of what can translate towards you know a playoff series um I mean we going to every game of course having a mindset to play hard win have fun um we play we don't have anything to lose so um what we control is our effort whether you play a lot of minutes or not go out there and give it your all I think that's more important because it trickles down from one all the way to 12 um it's it's contagious so I just think that um we're staying together we have a young group but you you see glimpses of what how good we can be so I think that um we continue to stay on each other correct the little things and continue to just get better every game um you see it like I said you see little glimpses of it and as we continue to grow um you know maybe a new team next year and not sure what's going to happen but the group that we have now we're just stay connected and just trying to play hard um we love each other we our energy is really high in the locker room all the time whether we win or lose so we stay together this is a good group that really wants to learn and get better so um we have the the right young ones together for sure so as I asked you earlier about you know Gabby U being back in the league and now you got you basically had like a duel against each other for most of the games so how was that um it was cool um like at one point I looked up I'm like well we're both like making 3DS like what's going on um but I mean it was cool like it's fun to compete obviously everyone can see how good of friends we are but it's it's cool to get out there and black her shot so that was fun asra you talked last night about just kind of setting yourself up for a good future next season with this stretch how do you feel like you're doing that yeah I think um we are improving um I wish we could get some wins but we're improving I think like coach said like we felt good in the locker room today um and we haven't been feeling like that honestly so I just think like we're focusing on the stuff that we can control and um those are things that you have to do before you necessarily see the win so when we start winning we're going to be doing it the right way which is really important um so I think we're we're building that every game honestly this is for you um you know you came from a hardship contract you're on a hardship contract you've been on you've been in the league for a long time what this per what does this performance mean to you just reflecting on how far you've been you've came in the league um I've just been staying ready um been in and out The League the last couple years um just motivating myself um I do have a son so he motivates me to just never quit um I'm an example for him so so man has been working hard uh just have never quit I know I'm not done playing yet don't know when I will be done but um I still I have some left in the tank so just continuing to just um come in play hard and you never know what's G to happen so um I'm excited U to be with this group of course um I want to come back if you know if it's possible but um I'm just having fun um I came to LA with nothing on my shoulders just a fresh start everybody has literally had their arms wide open when I came um J and my teammates more um in the locker room like I said the energy is really really high um of course it would be better if we was winning but like as already said we're improving um and that's the biggest thing and when we do start winning it's GNA it's going to feel that much better because we'll remember this moment to set us up for the future thank thanks than hey coach DJ infinity TV uh one of the positive stats that jumps out immediately to me is how uh the three-point percentage for tonight we really held Seattle to a limited amount of Threes can you speak to from a coaching perspective how we accomplished that yeah I think obviously um you know a a led us that way and um the way that they were defense and congesting the paint um led to some opportunities for post players to have opportunities to shoot threes and and certainly Aire took advantage of that we've been really wanting to increase our attempts uh without taking bad threes of course um you know modernized basketball is as much as we believe in getting the ball in the paint and then spraying it around we wanted to increase our threes and so I still think we can take more um and execute to more but also you know we have a wing and Ria Jackson who is really talented back to the basket wing and so we're playing through the paint but the three is going to be important to us I appreciate uh they they stay confidence and looked for it we shot the ball well um you know I'd love to shoot a little bit better at The Rim but you know eie is a really good rim protector Gabby is you know an elite athlete NECA is NECA so it's not always the easiest team to score from the paint um but again you know we did a lot of good things just a little short for the win but a lot of good things offensively coach with six minutes left it was a tight game and then that's when Seattle kind of you know applied pressure they went on a 124 run and essentially sealed the victory for themselves um what did you see there that kind of made the offense stall and what adjustments can be made to prevent that on Sunday yeah I think I I think you know one of the things analytically is Seattle's a trapping ball screen team more than anyone else in the League this year um and you know in tight situations they had a couple effective traps turned us over or tied us up and uh you know th those hurt you know obviously limit your opportunity to get a shot on goal and they can take advantage so increase possessions for them while ours decrease in that fourth quarter and then I think it was hurt I I I have nothing but good things to say about Crystal it's not an easy situation to come in where you sack the entire game and then you get put into a game where anyone's game with Odyssey playing as well as she was having to go out with the injury um you know so you know all that contributed um and again you know everything's going to be um you know just turned up in tensity Wise physicality wise in tight games and we know how talented they were they were a just a tiny bit better than us tonight in the big moments um and they made some big plays with that said we missed a couple shots you know you it AZ shot the ball like crazy but she got a big one in the corner late right we'd love to have that again but um you know so we'll take a look we'll take a look at what we can do and treat game two as we will this Seattle game up there um and look to get back at it not an easy place to play so it would be a good a good opportunity for us hey coach shifting gears a little bit you talked about the roots and kind of cleaning up the mess here I think those of us who've covered the SP for a while we can see that we can feel that we definitely can see the love but there's been conversations throughout the league about statements made by the commissioner And the emotions behind that I'm sure some that's happening in the locker room as well here have you heard some of those emotions and how are you helping guide them through that yeah you know big thing is is to be supportive um we played three games in four days so you know some of the things I'm a little bit um you know um I'm not on my phone uh all the time so you know not everything but I will say this that there there's no place for racism there's no place for bigotry there's no place for the hatred um that we've seen uh from a lot of different fan bases um it is incredible where Women's Basketball is right now I've been involved in the game in my 34th year 35th year and it is at an all-time high and it is truly special and a humbling honor to be involved with but also seen some ugliness this year um that you know there's no place for because it is the game is in in insanely good place and only rising and so um we can't tear it down from within with people that you know love this game also and so there's just no place um our league is so special to be a part of because of the diversity um within our league and to walk watch our Sisterhood um in our league of those 144 players you know I use that metaphorically you know whatever the total number is um how much that they truly care in a Sisterhood to watch outside people try to tear at that fiber is frustrating because our game is in a really really good place and it's fun to have the the eyes and attention that we are having right now but the hatred has to stop and for someone like myself who's also a part of a marginalized group The hatred that I get you know like I'm not you know like according to the DM people that are you know nameless um I'm a bad coach because my sexuality not because I have a bad time out or a bad night or you know call the wrong coverage or play the wrong people um you know I it motivates me so I won't turn off my damn DM because of some you you know uh keyboard Warrior uh thinks that's cool and I got it already tonight um you know it's just there's just no place at it it motivates me because I'm the only one in my marginalized group doing what I'm going to do and it makes me more hungrier than ever to keep representing that there is a place for my group also at gay mail in professional sports can impact uh the next generation of someone that's scared to death right now at their home that they can be who truly they are and love sports and be good in sports so it just motivates me this hatred that's around but for our players I'm at a I'm a 50 whatever I am 55 now I don't really care anymore like I don't have anything else to prove but what I do want to do is use my platform to show that there is a place for gay men in professional sports and uh but I care how these women are being treated in this league and the ugliness from some uh angles um that are coming in our league there's just no place for it because the women in this league as much as I compete against those other teams and you know and get Fiery with them I I I love each and every one of these guys in this league and uh we have a special league and it's got to stop M drop but it's tough to go after that but uh just take it back to the court with Ria seeing her grow so much offensively of course defensively as well just what have you seen from her as a playmaker that as far as her growing as the season goes on yeah just you know again we talked about Ria's growth and just in a short amount of time even in the last two weeks the amount of attention that she's getting um by opponents and the amount of people and bodies being thrown at her and the physicality that she's now seeing it's like how do you guard Ria Jackson it just to see her growth as a willing passer now through it um is fun to watch I loved and I told her in the locker room after the game she was hunting and wanted the ball in crunch time you don't always see that in a rookie you know they could defer to dear and azire and you know Odyssey people that have been around a lot longer she wanted the ball she wanted every play for her down the stretch as a first option and again I love the fact that she can go score the basketball but she also is a willing passer and that's only going to get better as she you know as she commands the attention that she's getting from the opponents now coach a historic night for der Hy tonight she broke L Leslie rebound record um just how big has her presence been as a veteran for this young team so important you know mama hamy uh you know like she's just been so important for us and um you know carried so much in and shoulder so much early um you know it has to contribute to some of the fatigue now um and then you know not to represent our country and you know an unbelievable opportunity in Olympics so um I'm just super proud of her um I know the numbers have dipped a little bit but I still think she's the most improved player in this league and what she does from a leadership um by example um and her motor is just you know so important to what we're trying to build and um that that record um should be celebrated and and make sure that people understand how I storic that is that um with the history of this league and the history of this franchise to become the all-time leading rebounder in a single season's pretty special thank you than you hi I wasn't GNA say anything got me all fired up we love fired up