St. John's University Athletics
POSTGAME QUOTES: St. John's Women's Basketball vs. Butler
St. John’s Head Coach Joe Tartamella, guard Ber’Nyah Mayo and guard Lashae Dwyer spoke to the media after St. John’s 65-43 win against Butler at Madison Square Garden on Sunday
St. John’s Head Coach Joe Tartamella
Opening statement…
“Probably one of the more complete games that we've played in recent time. I think similar to how we played earlier in the year, I thought we did a great job at the start, and then we're able to kind of hold in the second, then third quarter, obviously, changed the game. I thought we shot the ball extremely well, but I thought we were very locked in on the plan. Proud of these guys, especially with the opportunity to play here and represent St. John's at Madison Square Garden. What a thrill for our players, our staff and even for me. Every time I walk in there, it's like the first time that I get to coach here. So, it's really a great opportunity. I thought we answered the bell today and it was an important game for us in many ways, too. So, really happy with the performance. You know, I thought (Lashae Dwyer) was terrific. I thought (Ber’Nyah Mayo) really controlled the floor in terms of picking her spots. And for us to have 18 assists and just 10 turnovers was great. I thought we did a good job grinding them down. I thought we did a really, really good job tonight and made it harder for them than they had been used to. So, good win for us.”
On what it means for his team to play at Madison Square Garden…
“As a kid coming here to watch games, you're in the stands or you're watching from afar, but to be on the floor now coaching, and then to see our players be able to have the moments that they had like tonight in this environment is something they'll never forget. So, it's a lifetime memory for them. I think that's the bigger part that sometimes gets lost in kind of the mix of things, you know?”
On how special Madison Square Garden is…
“I've been in games here where we've had it filled, and been in games where it's it's not as filled You still feel the energy of the place, and you get to come up that elevator and you get to feel what it's like to be, as (Lashae Dwyer) said, an NBA player or performing artist, and a lot of the best have been here, and to to be a part of that history, in New York history, I don't take that for granted any day.”
On MSG being the team’s home…
“The Garden is just different and it's the one thing that we have that we call home. I don't care if we play here once, we play one more time than a lot of people. And so to me, it's always a special place. And if we get an opportunity to play more than once, that's great, too. But it's pretty enjoyable. We got a practice here yesterday, shooting around, so we've even moved that meter a little bit, which is even better.”
On how the team dealt with the nerves of playing in The Garden…
“I think getting in here yesterday helped, for sure, and probably this morning, where it's not just you just walking out into the lights. I don't think they were nervous in this game at all. I told them all, enjoy it.”
On Phoenix Gedeon’s performance…
“She was just a board short of a double-double. I think she got a little aggressive with a few shots, but she gave us a spark. She can do that, it is a great lift for us. But, defensively, she took a big charge that maybe goes unnoticed.”
St. John’s guard Ber’Nyah Mayo
On the experience of playing at Madison Square Garden…
“Super exciting. Always a blessing. I came last year and I didn't play as much because of foul trouble, so this year, I really wanted to take full advantage of the opportunity.”
St. John’s guard Lashae Dwyer
On the experience of playing at Madison Square Garden…
“I'm very grateful for this, grateful to be here. I actually came to the game very nervous because of this arena, so I'm just happy to be here and happy to get this win with my team.”
On when the nerves went away…
“I felt the energy from my team within the first quarter. We got right to it right away. So, I feel like that's when they went away. I'm like, ‘Yeah, this is a regular game. Let’s go get a win.’”
On if her 20-point performance tonight was the highlight of her season…
“I would say that. I would say it is a highlight because being here is just a blessing in general. This is the NBA court, so I'm just happy for this moment and happy to get this win with my teammates.”
On the motivation moving forward for the rest of the season…
“I would say, just keep having faith. The season is not over. It's not over till it's over. Just keep grinding and keep pushing. That's how I keep the motivation. Just keep having faith, like we can do this.”
Opening statement…
“Probably one of the more complete games that we've played in recent time. I think similar to how we played earlier in the year, I thought we did a great job at the start, and then we're able to kind of hold in the second, then third quarter, obviously, changed the game. I thought we shot the ball extremely well, but I thought we were very locked in on the plan. Proud of these guys, especially with the opportunity to play here and represent St. John's at Madison Square Garden. What a thrill for our players, our staff and even for me. Every time I walk in there, it's like the first time that I get to coach here. So, it's really a great opportunity. I thought we answered the bell today and it was an important game for us in many ways, too. So, really happy with the performance. You know, I thought (Lashae Dwyer) was terrific. I thought (Ber’Nyah Mayo) really controlled the floor in terms of picking her spots. And for us to have 18 assists and just 10 turnovers was great. I thought we did a good job grinding them down. I thought we did a really, really good job tonight and made it harder for them than they had been used to. So, good win for us.”
On what it means for his team to play at Madison Square Garden…
“As a kid coming here to watch games, you're in the stands or you're watching from afar, but to be on the floor now coaching, and then to see our players be able to have the moments that they had like tonight in this environment is something they'll never forget. So, it's a lifetime memory for them. I think that's the bigger part that sometimes gets lost in kind of the mix of things, you know?”
On how special Madison Square Garden is…
“I've been in games here where we've had it filled, and been in games where it's it's not as filled You still feel the energy of the place, and you get to come up that elevator and you get to feel what it's like to be, as (Lashae Dwyer) said, an NBA player or performing artist, and a lot of the best have been here, and to to be a part of that history, in New York history, I don't take that for granted any day.”
On MSG being the team’s home…
“The Garden is just different and it's the one thing that we have that we call home. I don't care if we play here once, we play one more time than a lot of people. And so to me, it's always a special place. And if we get an opportunity to play more than once, that's great, too. But it's pretty enjoyable. We got a practice here yesterday, shooting around, so we've even moved that meter a little bit, which is even better.”
On how the team dealt with the nerves of playing in The Garden…
“I think getting in here yesterday helped, for sure, and probably this morning, where it's not just you just walking out into the lights. I don't think they were nervous in this game at all. I told them all, enjoy it.”
On Phoenix Gedeon’s performance…
“She was just a board short of a double-double. I think she got a little aggressive with a few shots, but she gave us a spark. She can do that, it is a great lift for us. But, defensively, she took a big charge that maybe goes unnoticed.”
St. John’s guard Ber’Nyah Mayo
On the experience of playing at Madison Square Garden…
“Super exciting. Always a blessing. I came last year and I didn't play as much because of foul trouble, so this year, I really wanted to take full advantage of the opportunity.”
St. John’s guard Lashae Dwyer
On the experience of playing at Madison Square Garden…
“I'm very grateful for this, grateful to be here. I actually came to the game very nervous because of this arena, so I'm just happy to be here and happy to get this win with my team.”
On when the nerves went away…
“I felt the energy from my team within the first quarter. We got right to it right away. So, I feel like that's when they went away. I'm like, ‘Yeah, this is a regular game. Let’s go get a win.’”
On if her 20-point performance tonight was the highlight of her season…
“I would say that. I would say it is a highlight because being here is just a blessing in general. This is the NBA court, so I'm just happy for this moment and happy to get this win with my teammates.”
On the motivation moving forward for the rest of the season…
“I would say, just keep having faith. The season is not over. It's not over till it's over. Just keep grinding and keep pushing. That's how I keep the motivation. Just keep having faith, like we can do this.”