Completed Event: Women's Basketball at Eastern Kentucky on March 19, 2026 , Loss , 58, to, 72
Final Score
Women's Basketball
58
at Eastern Kentucky
72
The University of Utah Athletics
Lynne Roberts Weekly Press Conference: Jan. 2, 2019
1/2/2019 4:36 PM | Women's Basketball
Opening Statement…
"We are coming off a good week where we got our first Pac-12 win. This team continues to get better, which is fun and we look forward to our Pac-12 home openers this weekend. We know that Arizona State and Arizona are going to be tough, games always are in this league, but I think that we are up to the challenge. We are looking forward to see how we play at home."
On what she credits to them being undefeated still…
"I think we are playing pretty well. That is a dumb answer to a good question. We didn't go into the season thinking, 'let's go undefeated', it really hasn't been outcome driven. So to look up and see that we are 12-0 is great. We can attest it to a few things. Our seniors have been incredibly consistent and reliable without having to do too much. They have been productive, it isn't like they are not producing, but they have just been really consistent. And then we have some freshmen that are really contributing. They are putting up big numbers and I think the Pac-12 awards show that. I think the biggest thing that has been fun so far is the group's desire to just keep getting better. I haven't sensed an ego from this group at all. They want to be coached and they want to improve and learn. I think you add those three things up and that adds up to me why we have had a good start."
On where she wants to see improvement…
"I think we have done a lot of good things, but it is like climbing a mountain every week in this league. It just gets a little bit steeper and steeper and it doesn't matter who you are playing. You have to continue to get better. The coaching is so good, the game prep is so good, so opposing coaches know your team well so you have to be on point with your ability to execute week-in and week-out. It is a coaching cliché, but you have to just keep chopping wood. Just keep getting better at little details each week. If you don't, this league will eat you up and chew you alive."
On what stands out about #22 Arizona State…
"They are really good. They are coming off a tough loss at Arizona, but I think that Arizona is good too. They have kind of surprised some people in terms of how well they are doing. But it isn't really a surprise if you look at their roster and the way they have been building. So you might call it a 'upset' but it was at their place and Arizona is good. ASU is tough. Charli Turner Thorne has been there for a long time and has kind of established her program, culture and style. They are really physical, really aggressive and tough. They are disciplined and they do what they do well. I always kind of joke that we are going to have to put on our football helmets and be ready for a battle with them. They are coming off a loss so I know they are going to be motivated and focused. Going into that game against Arizona they were No. 17 in the country and they dropped to No. 22, but they are definitely one of the best teams in the country."
On playing a ranked team early in conference play…
"I think we are on the verge of being right there. I am not trying to really focus on outcome and I don't think our team needs that. We need to keep getting better and show some toughness on Friday and Sunday. Both teams are going to be very similar in terms of physicality and defense. I am not worried about winning or losing. We have 17 games left in the league, so we just have to take them one at a time and be as tough as we can be."
On beating Arizona State on the road last season and what the biggest difference will be this year…
"Well they returned all five starters from a year ago, so they are a seasoned group. Both times we played them last year it was a two-point game. We lost by two here and then we beat them by two on the road. I don't know if it is going to be much different. We know it is going to be a dog fight and we expect a battle from them for sure."
On the game promotions…
"The game against Arizona State is at 7 p.m. MT on Friday. There is a ton of promotional stuff for families. It is Toy Story night so there is going to be some great giveaways. The first 150 fans are going to get a cool long sleeve t-shirt. There will be some new KidsZone stuff that is Toy Story themed. It is going to be a great game and we have had some great crowds this year so we hope the fans come out and cheer us on in both games."
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"We are coming off a good week where we got our first Pac-12 win. This team continues to get better, which is fun and we look forward to our Pac-12 home openers this weekend. We know that Arizona State and Arizona are going to be tough, games always are in this league, but I think that we are up to the challenge. We are looking forward to see how we play at home."
On what she credits to them being undefeated still…
"I think we are playing pretty well. That is a dumb answer to a good question. We didn't go into the season thinking, 'let's go undefeated', it really hasn't been outcome driven. So to look up and see that we are 12-0 is great. We can attest it to a few things. Our seniors have been incredibly consistent and reliable without having to do too much. They have been productive, it isn't like they are not producing, but they have just been really consistent. And then we have some freshmen that are really contributing. They are putting up big numbers and I think the Pac-12 awards show that. I think the biggest thing that has been fun so far is the group's desire to just keep getting better. I haven't sensed an ego from this group at all. They want to be coached and they want to improve and learn. I think you add those three things up and that adds up to me why we have had a good start."
On where she wants to see improvement…
"I think we have done a lot of good things, but it is like climbing a mountain every week in this league. It just gets a little bit steeper and steeper and it doesn't matter who you are playing. You have to continue to get better. The coaching is so good, the game prep is so good, so opposing coaches know your team well so you have to be on point with your ability to execute week-in and week-out. It is a coaching cliché, but you have to just keep chopping wood. Just keep getting better at little details each week. If you don't, this league will eat you up and chew you alive."
On what stands out about #22 Arizona State…
"They are really good. They are coming off a tough loss at Arizona, but I think that Arizona is good too. They have kind of surprised some people in terms of how well they are doing. But it isn't really a surprise if you look at their roster and the way they have been building. So you might call it a 'upset' but it was at their place and Arizona is good. ASU is tough. Charli Turner Thorne has been there for a long time and has kind of established her program, culture and style. They are really physical, really aggressive and tough. They are disciplined and they do what they do well. I always kind of joke that we are going to have to put on our football helmets and be ready for a battle with them. They are coming off a loss so I know they are going to be motivated and focused. Going into that game against Arizona they were No. 17 in the country and they dropped to No. 22, but they are definitely one of the best teams in the country."
On playing a ranked team early in conference play…
"I think we are on the verge of being right there. I am not trying to really focus on outcome and I don't think our team needs that. We need to keep getting better and show some toughness on Friday and Sunday. Both teams are going to be very similar in terms of physicality and defense. I am not worried about winning or losing. We have 17 games left in the league, so we just have to take them one at a time and be as tough as we can be."
On beating Arizona State on the road last season and what the biggest difference will be this year…
"Well they returned all five starters from a year ago, so they are a seasoned group. Both times we played them last year it was a two-point game. We lost by two here and then we beat them by two on the road. I don't know if it is going to be much different. We know it is going to be a dog fight and we expect a battle from them for sure."
On the game promotions…
"The game against Arizona State is at 7 p.m. MT on Friday. There is a ton of promotional stuff for families. It is Toy Story night so there is going to be some great giveaways. The first 150 fans are going to get a cool long sleeve t-shirt. There will be some new KidsZone stuff that is Toy Story themed. It is going to be a great game and we have had some great crowds this year so we hope the fans come out and cheer us on in both games."
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