“It’s disappointing that it took us a while to really, really be in the fight,” Gottlieb said after her team’s 76–64 loss to the Huskies at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. “And by that, I mean the possessions and plays that are outside the X’s and O’s, the rebounding, the 50/50 balls. I do think we responded and tried to show up a little better in the second half, but against a really good team, it’s a little too late.”
USC guard Kennedy Smith and her teammates are hoping to go on a run during the NCAA Tournament. Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
The upside to losing so early in the conference tournament was not only additional rest and recovery time for Davidson but more practice time to work on things that the team will need to get right the rest of the season.
“The concerns are we have to rebound from [the] jump,” Gottlieb said. “The ball has to move. We have to get to great open shots every time. We have to be the toughest team for 40 minutes. This conference challenges you in a way that is very unique with 12 NCAA Tournament teams, and those who are not are still really good teams.
“The concern is that we figure it out. We get them fired up. We practice, and we come out, wherever they send us and whoever we play against, and we’re the team that is as sharp as we can possibly be.”
