NCAA WOMEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP: SECOND ROUND - KANSAS STATE VS NC STATE

March 21, 2022

Jeff Mittie

Ayoka Lee

Serena Sundell

Kansas State Wildcats

Media Conference

NC State 89, Kansas State 57.

COACH MITTIE: Well, disappointed in the outcome. We got off to a good start, but part of that start, also the pace got away from us a little bit, we struggled balancing the poise required to play at the end of the shot clock and being able to play effectively the last ten seconds of the shot clock was a problem for us. And then what has, you know, the -- at the defensive end of the floor we needed them to miss a little bit, and they just didn't miss a whole lot. The second quarter they shoot 71%, we've got some foul trouble, trying to be able to play Lee with fouls and that puts us in a difficult position. But I'm proud of our group. This team's had a very good year, picked eighth in the league. One of our senior players lost our best shooter to an injury. And certainly, we've struggled shooting the ball from three, which that's gotten more crowded around Lee. But I'm proud of our group. This team came in immediately and worked hard from June on. And what I told them in the locker room is that, you know, it's hard to win in the NCAA Tournament. And to be able to do that the other night when they didn't play very well and didn't shoot very well and then come into here to a team to I think has a chance to win the National Championship. I think Wes has the depth, the offense to score with anybody in the country. So congratulations to NC State. And we're disappointed that we didn't play better but I'm proud of our group for the totality of the season. And I don't want them to leave here -- they can leave her disappointed by certainly they should leave here proud of what they have accomplished.

Q. How was NC State's approach on either end the same or different from the first time you played them?

AYOKA LEE: Honestly, it was our first time playing them was such a long time ago. I can't give you specific things. I think this game, I think, they made adjustments really quickly on defense. And we just struggled in the last end of the shot clock kind of answering to that.

SERENA SUNDELL: I would just say pretty similar in my opinion, at least with guard play kind of how they guarded the ball screen. I knew I was going to have some open looks at three. I think they did a better job of helping inside and we kind of struggled to play together as guards on the perimeter.

Q. Ayoka, Elissa Cunane gets in foul trouble early, goes to the bench. Camille Hobby comes in and tries to keep you off position, she stays out of getting cheap fouls and I think a couple times Kayla Jones was sagging down, hovering around. How did it feel that Camille Hobby guarded you and how many eyes seemed to be on you when the ball came near you in the post?

AYOKA LEE: Yeah, I think we knew there would be help. I think we as a team it was a matter of knowing where to turn the ball and being on the same page, which I think we struggled. I think we did have some good looks, but yeah. It just was hard to get connected.

Q. How do you take this end of the season and just build off of it and what are you going to work on going into next year to focus on?

SERENA SUNDELL: I would say every game this season I learned something new. Obviously, Coach pulls me to the side a lot and is teaching me things. Every single game. Especially this game there's a lot that I learned and just playing in that environment and my first time in a postseason of college basketball was really fun. So this game will be in the back of my mind and a lot of my teammate's minds as we go into spring and summer workouts and get ready for next year. We're going to set our goals high.

AYOKA LEE: I think what Serena said. I think going into spring and summer we'll be excited to get back in the gym, excited to just build off of it. I think we did a lot of good things this season and we have a lot of returners.

Q. Ayoka, I was wondering the brace that you wear on your leg, is that more of a mental comfort thing or has it been bothering a little bit lately?

AYOKA LEE: It's more so more longevity of playing through a whole season. Season is long. It's very physical as a center. So yeah, it's just what our support staff thinks will be the most helpful to just keep me up and going.

Q. Most of this group is back next year. I know this is the end of this season, but does it feel a little bit, you know, something to look forward to that this isn't the end for your group?

SERENA SUNDELL: Yeah. We have like Ayoka said, a lot of returners. We'll have obviously our freshman got a lot of experience this year. So we're going to be excited going into next year. But we will miss our seniors, Rachel and Sav they did a lot for us off the court, support-wise. And then Laura and Cymone obviously gave us really good minutes this year and they are really hard workers so we'll miss them.

Q. How helpful do you think this postseason run is going to be going into next year, just the experience of playing in the NCAA Tournament?

AYOKA LEE: I think our group grew a ton this season. I think the freshman came in wanting to work right away and I think that really helped set the tone for the rest of us to just kind of have the season that we did. I think this experience is huge. I think there's nothing like playing in the NCAA Tournament. So I think it's definitely something to carry with us and build off of.

SERENA SUNDELL: Just like I mentioned earlier, this environment was really neat to play in, even being on the opposing team. That will be in our heads going forward and something we ultimately would like to do next year if possible.

Q. Serena, you definitely led the scoring charges there early. Could you explain what your mind set was coming into the game and especially having played this team before and kind of in this big setting?

SERENA SUNDELL: Yeah, I knew last game that they decided to go under the screens so I knew I would have an opportunity to have a three, so that was kind of what I was looking for just going into this game and it was open. So I didn't shoot as well as I wanted to but coaches told me to just keep shooting, so that's what I was looking for.

THE MODERATOR: At this time we'll go out and ahead and open up the floor for Coach Mittie.

Q. Like I was asking Ayoka, you know, usually you think Cunane picks up fouls that could be an advantage for her inside. But Camille Hobby played her pretty physical, didn't pick up cheap fouls. Kayla Jones seemed to be hovering, sagging down a lot. How difficult was it to get into some type of consistent ability to get her the ball?

COACH MITTIE: That's where we lost our poise. That stretch. There's still windows to pass to Lee. Some of our freshman felt -- not just our freshman. I think it was our entire group should have got the ball inside better. There was space available up top, Hobby is 6'1". Yeah they had some help in there and were showing a lot of help, but I felt like we missed a lot of opportunities in that stretch. We have been such an inconsistent outside shooting team, you know, we have to get touches inside and we have to be disciplined in that approach and I felt like in that stretch of the game we lost our poise and lost some of our purpose.

Q. For the most part the core of this group is pretty young. I know this loss stings but does that give you guys focus going into this off-season? You have this group established.

COACH MITTIE: Well, I think it gives you some confidence going into the off season and it should give us a boost of just knowledge. You know, the one thing that you can simulate as much as you want, you can do all the things, but this group gained a lot of minutes on the floor. They gained a lot of minutes on the floor. And they are a hard-working group. Lee said it. This is not a young group that we've had to manage at all. This is not a young group that we've had to say you need to get in the gym. This is not a young group where we've said you need to be where you're supposed to be. We haven't at all. It's also why they have been successful this year against a really hard schedule. Now, there aren't any guarantees that 18-, 19-, 20-year-olds keep doing the same thing. I've had three of them and it's a fun ride sometimes. So if they can use that knowledge, our entire group, and get back -- get some rest here, get back here in the spring and carry that over, we've got a good culture built. We've got a good group that works hard but they have to keep that culture. That's something that I believe as a coach that you got to fight for every day because it's pretty easy to lose, especially in today's environment.

Q. Just going off of what you just said, you've also got a solid freshman core coming in. How much confidence does that give you in your ability to be able to add that talent and to build off of this?

COACH MITTIE: We feel like we have been able to stack them together with our group. That's the key. You look at the success of what Wes has done at NC State, they stack classes back to back to back. And so we have to do the same thing. I do think that our freshman class is a group that's won at a high level, they have competed at a high level. And we're excited to get them in. Now, you know, I'll say this: You're hopeful that they have the same work ethic. We've been fortunate in my time at Kansas State that for the most part when people came into our program they have had great examples of work ethic. And so we're hopeful that, you know, our group continues and our freshman class can continue that tradition of work.

Q. How would you compare the atmosphere here to other places you have been, and then secondly are you in favor of the top 16 continuing to host the first two rounds?

COACH MITTIE: Well, I'm in favor if we're one of them. Well, here's what I think: I think that this is a great atmosphere, it's a great arena, it's I think the perfect size, fans are fantastic. They know when their team needs them to yell, even in the first quarter when we're making some runs you can hear them cheering on. I think that's a knowledgeable fan base. I'll be honest, I'm mixed on the top seeds hosting. I think -- I really feel like that we should have eight at a site. But we've struggled with -- while our game continues to grow and viewership and things, most of the fans are fans of their teams not necessarily overall. We're getting more fans across the country that are becoming more fans of women's basketball. But they are more fans of NC State. Our fans are more fans of Kansas State. So we probably still have some growth areas to try to figure it out. For now, I think it is a good thing. I think that atmosphere is a good thing to see. We have to do a better job if we are back in an atmosphere like that of showing poise. We also in a locker room, I told them if you want that atmosphere, we have a great fan base in Manhattan. I have no doubts if we're one of the top 16 we'll have a similar atmosphere as that. And every game matters in that case. And we had -- we slumped a little bit in February. We came out in the first reveal, I think we were number 16 in the first reveal. If we could have held serve on that, then yeah, we would love to play at home. And I think probably until we continue to grow our game, I think this is probably -- it's more enjoyable. Even as much as we didn't enjoy today, you hear them, they were excited to play, they were excited to walk out there and it mattered. It's good to see. I think NC State -- I want to compliment their team. I want to say this about their basketball team: Raina Perez is a terrific player. She's a great leader on the floor. They've got as balanced of a team as we have seen. When you bring off Diamond Johnson and she has a stroke like that from three and she can heat it up as quick as anybody in the country, that is a terrific weapon. They don't lose. You mention the effort by Hobby. And I want to make sure I give Hobby credit. While I felt like we lost some poise there, Camille Hobby battled and she did her job as a reserve center to make it hard on Lee. She deserves a lot of credit for battling because Lee has had a fantastic year and Hobby really -- they extended the lead with her in the game. So congrats to them. They certainly are playing well. We wish them well going forward.