Every year is different in and of itself. At a highly competitive level, a Division I level or in pro sports, the difference between winning and losing is so minute. We won a bunch of close games last year. Things aligned.

There really isn't a good player out there that every coach doesn't know about. For us it makes sense because we are so close. Such a huge bulk of the Canadian population is in Southern Ontario and Toronto - you could drive three hours in almost any other direction and not find that kind of population base.

There's a lot of teams out there, they don't know if they can do it. They all think they can, but they don't know. This team has done it. It's not just a matter of thinking we can do it. We know we can.

It's the cliche of tournament time, but it's survive and advance. We were a little flat and when that happens somebody else has to step up and make shots. Amanda certainly did that today.

We have Canadians on our hockey team, obviously, but we also have a good number of Canadians in our general student population. It feels good for them, I think, to have that. And we're close to home for them so their families can see them play.

Unfortunately, when we needed a stop, they went and hit really big shots.

That's the thing about Amanda. She just takes good shots. It's not like she's just throwing them up there. I've told her, she doesn't look like a freshman. She hasn't really all year.

The ride that we've had with this group has been unbelievable. I've had two of my favorite years of coaching because of them. The time, score or situation doesn't matter to them. They just keep playing and playing and playing. That's why they've changed the face of Canisius women's basketball.

We've certainly known that they can play, it's just a matter of being able to get different people playing time. It takes a while to feel comfortable in games, and I think they're in the flow right now.