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ATLANTIC COAST CONFERENCE WOMEN'S BASKETBALL TOURNAMENTMarch 3, 2017Jeff WalzAsia DurrMyisha Hines-AllenConway, South Carolina Louisville - 59, NC State - 58 JEFF WALZ: When we find out who's going where in the NCAA Tournament, I think NC State is going to be a very tough draw for whoever might get that draw. And I think there's no doubt in my mind that they should be a top four seed and have the opportunity to host. When you look at what they've done and their wins, I think they've done what they need to do to be able to host. And then for our kids, we struggled the first quarter defensively. We were actually bad. So I should take struggle away. But then we figured it out. We started to play a lot more as a team. We stopped the ball in transition, and then we rebounded the ball. We got killed there in the first half on second-chance points and just easy baskets. We figured out a way to get that stopped. I was really excited for Asia with the way she played out there. And then I thought Myisha came along in the second half and gave us a big spark, also. It's a team win, but we definitely are going to need to get more from our bench, and it might not just be scoring, but it's going to have to be some solid minutes at the defensive end of the floor, as well. Q. Just a couple of questions and a clarification: The call with 36 seconds left when Asia appeared to lose the ball out of bounds and they gave the ball back to you, what was the call? JEFF WALZ: They said it was a kicked ball. Yeah, I didn't know, either. Q. And the second question is what were you going for on your last possession? Did you get what you wanted as far as Myisha getting the foul? JEFF WALZ: Yeah, that's exactly what we were trying to get. We were trying to get a slip on the backside. We knew that they would go hard with Asia going out there. Mariya is our best passer by far. So by putting her, taking the ball out, it takes away a shooter, but Taylor did a good job of selling it as we were trying to get it in ball side wing, and Myisha did a really nice job of being patient, allowing her to come on, and then as her defender took a step out she slipped it and ended up with a great pass by Mariya. And she stepped up and made two big free throws. Q. Myisha, what's going through your mind? You had a chance to put the cards ahead late in this one. What are you thinking or not thinking? MYISHA HINES-ALLEN: I'm thinking I've got to put these in. Trying to end the game, seal it. They would have the ball back, so it was basically put these two in and then get a stop on defense so we could win the game. Q. You guys had a tough one at your place against this team in overtime when you lost on a last-second shot. Were there flashbacks and did that help you in this game knowing what they were going to do on the last possession? JEFF WALZ: Well, I thought we did a pretty good job defending. Taylor did a really nice job on the ball. Spencer a good shot. It's a shot she can make, and she made them throughout the game. What we didn't do a very good job was rebounding it there. You know, they came up with a big board, and I think it was Maize that got that rebound for them and had a great look. We were very fortunate it did not go in. So it's one of those things that you get caught up where Spencer shoots it and you watch to see if it goes in thinking that's going to be the last shot, and you can't do that. You've got to finish out the play. You've got to get that rebound, or if the clock expires, that's fine, but you have to figure out a way to get that board. Q. You all had one of your best free-throw shooting nights of the season. Talk about the progression of the kids out there under such pressure situations. JEFF WALZ: Again, I think you can look at that two ways. I think that's where you get into your alternative facts, okay. Yes, we did extremely well shooting free throws, but then we didn't have opportunities to get offensive rebounds off those free throws because we made them. So we could have padded possibly some more offensive rebounds if we had missed. So it depends how you want to turn that. Q. Would Myisha like to take her final two back then for maybe that chance? MYISHA HINES-ALLEN: No. Q. Jeff, looking at the first quarter, 28 points, 30 the rest of the way. As a follow-up to what you said, was there anything specifically you did differently over those last three quarters? JEFF WALZ: Well, you know, I hope Mathurin - I hope I'm pronouncing it right. My pronunciation of names is not very good at times - I hope she's okay because that was a big blow to them and I'm not foolish enough to sit here and think that it wasn't because she spreads the floor for them, she can post-up, she shoots the three. So I think when she went down, it allowed us to clog some things up more in the paint to help stop their penetration. So that was a big part of it. But then we did a better job of leveling the ball, also, and trying to contain Spencer because that first quarter she was getting to the rim whenever she wanted, and it might not be her scoring, but then she was getting somebody else a shot. So those two things I think really were a big part of us being able to defend. Q. With two games in the books already, you have another one tomorrow, you were saying the bench is important for you, not just to get points but maybe some minutes for your starters. How tough is it to have to play three and three or potentially four and four? JEFF WALZ: They're 18 to 22 years old. They used to play five and six in AAU ball. So I'm not -- I don't think they're concerned about that. Are you all? ASIA DURR: No, we just want to win. JEFF WALZ: You just want to keep playing. That's what it's all about. We've got to find a way to dig in. I'm going to have to do a better job tomorrow of trying to use that media time-out to get a sub in at maybe the 5:20 if there's a dead ball knowing there's going to be a media coming up in 20 seconds to see if we can't manufacture instead of a two and a half-minute break, which I think our media time-outs are, they feel like they're forever, you get another minute or two during that 20 seconds if there's a dead ball and now all of a sudden you're looking at a four-minute game. It's what they came here to do was break. Q. This is the third game in the last two years that's been decided by two points or less. What is it about NC State that makes them such a tough opponent to play? ASIA DURR: Well, they're a well-coached team. You know, coming into this game, we knew that it was going to be a big game, and we knew that our defense was going to have to be on point, and I think, you know, like what Coach said, in the first we started off rough. It was terrible. And then we bounced back. So that's what's most important, bouncing back, and you know, just fighting through it. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports   |
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