Honestly that sounds like a case where you could improve your interview technique (or perhaps the interviewers could have done better on drilling down into your

Honestly that sounds like a case where you could improve your interview technique (or perhaps the interviewers could have done better on drilling down into your thinking). The fact you considered multiple options, evaluated them mentally and decided to describe the approach that would have highest compatibility is great, and explaining your thinking to the interviewers could have helped.