ATLANTIC COAST CONFERENCE WOMEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP

March 6, 2021

Elissa Cunane

NC State Wolfpack

Postgame Press Conference

NC State 66, Georgia Tech 61

Q. Could you assess what Kai Crutchfield gave to you guys in the fourth quarter and how big her performance was? Just kind of kick starting everything?

ELISSA CUNANE: Yeah, we've been calling her Kai Clutchfield all season. She's a senior who wants to win every single game she steps on the court to play and she's going to give her all for it. Kai is so smart, she knows the ins and outs of the defense and she knows how to step up in big games, and she's done that repeatedly over the season.

Q. You were down by 10 and she made that three-point play where she drove to the basket. How much did that change everything, the attitude, the vibe for you guys?

ELISSA CUNANE: It was huge. That was a turning point in the game for Kai to step up and make that knock-down free throw. That was what really changed our momentum and got us fired up to finish it out in the fourth quarter.

Q. What are you doing differently this ACC Tournament? You just seem like you're on a complete mission just to prove everything.

ELISSA CUNANE: Yeah, you know, it's tournament time, so I definitely stepped up my game. I know that there's not a lot of people out there that can guard me, if my teammates are getting me the ball, and we've been shooting it really well from the outside so that leaves up the middle to be open. I'm just trying to step up my game and play as hard as I can for my team.

Q. What's it like playing so close to home in this tournament?

ELISSA CUNANE: It's been great. It's not necessarily the advantage that it has been with all the fans here, but we still run out and there's a sea of red in the seats that are available. It feels like a home game when we step out here and knowing that this is kind of like my hometown, it means a little bit extra.

Q. How are you going to approach Louisville tomorrow? I know you guys had a big win at their place, so they're looking for some revenge no doubt. What are you going to do better or differently to try to overcome that?

ELISSA CUNANE: Yeah, Louisville is a great team. It'll definitely be a good game tomorrow. We've just got to go out there and play basketball how we know how to play. We're not going to adjust ourselves. We're going to do what we need to do. We're going to follow scout and execute everything that we can and just play NC State ball.

Q. What do you feel like you did so well in that first game against them that you think you can repeat?

ELISSA CUNANE: I think we executed really well. I think that we were just hyped to play them. We had a lot of energy going in there trying to beat the No. 1 team. I think we have to bring that same energy tomorrow and just be able to execute what Coach wants us to do.

Q. How do you guys in the fourth quarter, down 10, remain calm and not panic?

ELISSA CUNANE: We just had to be level headed. We've been on this court before. We know what it's like to be down and come back. We've had to do it a couple times throughout the season. We just really had to have confidence in ourselves. Nobody wavered, nobody held their head low. We just had to keep each other's backs and keep energy, find energy in the little things and execute. We knew we could play, we knew we could win, so we just had to go out there and give it our all.

Q. You mentioned energy. At what point could you feel the momentum and the energy shift in you guys' favor?

ELISSA CUNANE: You know, the momentum and energy really accelerated and shifted in our favor after Kai's three-point play. We came out in the second half knowing that we needed more energy and in the fourth quarter that we really needed more energy, so after Kai gave us that play we were able to go off, start hitting shots, start getting stops, and that's when everything shifted for us.

Q. It seemed like they were trying to play pretty physical with you, especially early in the first half. Is that something that kind of fires you up and gets you going throughout the rest of the game?

ELISSA CUNANE: Yeah, you know, it's not a shock, teams trying to be physical with me inside. I've just got to take it for what it is and battle back, try not to get silly fouls. I guess it's a testament to how good our team is if teams have to beat us being physical.