Agnus Berenato Quotations

We're behind by seven. Duffy shoots 90 percent at the line. We're not going to score nine points in the last 15 seconds.

She shoots 90 percent from the free-throw line so why would I want her to get two more points? We're not going to get nine points in 15 seconds.

One loss does not diminish what this team has done. My view on making the NCAA Tournament has not changed. We are still above .500 in the conference, and we have 19 wins. I have all the confidence in the selection committee that they know what this team is capable of.

I have such a belief that we can be prominent on the national scene. But we're in a league with programs that have made it. So you have to make a leap. So who are you going to leap over?

I feel like this team is focused. We know what our goals are. The first was to have a winning season, which we have. The second was to qualify for the Big East Tournament, which we did as the sixth seed after being picked to finish 11th. And the next goal is the NCAA Tournament.

This was a great college atmosphere tonight for women's basketball.

I thought that first half of basketball, Pitt played really, really well.

I think we really battled them. We did not lose this game because of a lack of effort and I think that's really important for us.

We need more support like the men get, but you have to show them that you deserve it. But we have faithful people and they're bringing people with them.

That was the only thing that was disappointing about the first half.

That was a huge victory for us, but we couldn't sustain it.

We're clueless when it comes to that. We're 18-9 and we feel like we should go to the NCAA Tournament.

We really thought we would be making history (last night). We wanted to be here saying we got Pittsburgh into the NCAA Tournament for the first time. This has been a magical season, and we aren't going to let not being selected to the NCAA Tournament take away from what we have accomplished this season, even though we really believed we would be invited.

We really struggled offensively. We didn't have a flow. Notre Dame did a good job.

We got the win up at their place, but we won on a last-second shot. At one point, we were up 17 on them, that?s huge when we maybe let them get back in the game. I think they?re an excellent team.

We are confident. I like our team's chances at an NCAA Tournament bid. We had a tough schedule at the end of the season, having to play at West Virginia, against Rutgers and at Notre Dame. We have a good RPI (64th) and are in one of the top conferences in the country.

When they did that, their supporting cast was shell-shocked. I told my players to go out and think that the score was 0-0 when it was really 26-9. They closed the gap to 29-20 right before the half. That was a big victory for this young team. We just weren't able to sustain it.

We were a little sluggish at first, but there are no excuses. The home crowd was an awesome environment. I kept telling my team to focus on the task at hand.

We didn't have anyone to combat Schrader's size. And we know all about Allen. She's from near Pittsburgh and we tried to recruit her.

The fact that we got 70 shots is amazing. That's being a little bit tight. That's what happens when you play a great team. Connecticut weathered the storm. They're a great team.

We're not on Connecticut's level, but I think we're starting to get to the point that maybe we can be competitive with them.

Why not Pitt? We're in one of the top conferences in the country. The philosophy (for tournament selection) is if you go .500 in your conference, you're in. That's the way it is in the ACC, SEC, all the top conferences.

We didn't have a flow. I thought we really struggled offensively.

This was a hard fought game, because both us and West Virginia are fighting for our lives. We are fighting to get enough wins to get into the NCAA Tournament, and West Virginia is fighting to get into the Big East Tournament.

We always tell our ladies, you work hard, you bust your butt, you go through walls and it will happen for you. And it didn't happen for us.

We've had to battle for every single win we've had this year.

We've had a magical season. I don't think we're ready for it to end.

This was huge win for us. I feel like any time a team can get to .500 in a conference as good as the Big East, then they should receive an NCAA Tournament bid. The worst we can finish is .500. In the preseason, people thought we wouldn't even make the conference tournament.

This team is so young that, sometimes, I am not sure they even realize how big this game was. I tried to keep them loose and we just came in pretty relaxed. That is what you have to do with young kids. Kids are resilient. Sometimes, it is the grown-ups who put more pressure on themselves than the players.

This was probably our worst game this season. But DePaul is a very good team and they're the No. 3 seed for a reason.

This was a cool kind of night. It brought back some memories for many of our fans who used to watch games in this building. I really feel like my team bought into playing in Fitzgerald Field House. They played like an unbelievable unit.

We were the sixth seed and lost to the third seed. DePaul is one of the best 15 teams in the nation, and we aren't, but we are one of the best 64. I believe that will all my heart. If we don't get in, that will set me back years.

We felt tonight like we would make history. We thought we deserved it and worked for it.

We feel like we should go to the NCAA tournament. We're excited.

We didn't lose this game from lack of effort. I give credit to Connecticut because they are a top-notch program. But I am proud of our team and our effort.

At this point in the season, there are no excuses. I told the team at halftime to focus on the task at hand. I had to tell them not to focus on the student section or the rest of the crowd.

You put two more points on there, and we're not going to get nine points in 15 seconds.

This is a year of firsts for this Pittsburgh team. Our motto has been all year, 'Why not Pitt?' We came here to win. I talked to my team before the game and used reverse psychology by telling them Pitt had been to the Big East tournament before and Cincinnati, which is new to the conference this year, hadn't been here before. So they thought 'We' had been here before and they were right. 'We' as in 'Pitt' were before.

This is a slap in the face to the Big East not to get more teams.

This is hard for me. We thought tonight we were going to make history.

There were probably a lot of people who thought we might not have made it this far, but we did. I feel like, even though we aren't in the championship game, that we exceeded expectations.

This is the second-best defensive team in the nation. You can't prepare for that. We can't practice that kind of heat.

It's either my way or the highway. If you don't agree, one of us will have to leave, and I'll tell you what, it isn't going to be me.

I want the University of Pittsburgh to experience those things that Connecticut has experienced with conference championships and NCAA titles. We will be a winning program.

They were better conditioned than us and are superior athletes. This game showed my players how hard you have to work to compete at this level. We are closing the gap, and I feel good about this team.

They made a commitment to the university to change the program. To really be difference-makers ... I think what it says is, if you do things the right way, you reap what you sow.

The fact we are happy to be here is an understatement. We are not just happy to be here. We came to win.

I'm a big believer that you reap what you sow. I tell the team that all the time. I don't think luck just happens. I think people create their own good fortune.

If you look at the shooting, the fact that we got 70 shots was amazing. I think that's a sign that they believed they could make the shot and a good majority of them went in and out.

These are my leaders right here. And I wouldn't trade them, they're wonderful. But, at the same time, you have to be able to be in a situation, and then you have to learn.

All those offensive rebounds are nice, but they don't mean much if you can't convert them into points.