Virginia Tech women’s basketball head coach Megan Duffy, plus guards Carleigh Wenzel and Mackenzie Nelson, spoke to the media after the Hokies’ 76-64 victory over Virginia. Here’s the entirety of what Duffy, Wenzel and Nelson had to say:
Coach Duffy’s opening statement:
MD: “First and foremost, this was a special weekend for us, celebrating the 50th anniversary of women’s basketball here at VT. This really feels like, I’ve heard it was maybe 55 years, but just to have our alums in the building and decades of people who have kind of paved the way for us was really special. We got to engage with them and tell some old stories. We had some former coaches in the building and with them and the rest of our crowd. It was just a great environment. To speak on our team, I’m just extremely proud and grateful for the grit and effort they showed tonight. Hard-nosed, physical game. I thought they were just relentless with staying in the moment, fighting for each other, fixing things as we went. Overall, just love the grit of this team today.”
On Wenzel setting the program record for free-throw attempts with 20:
CW: “I love that I was able to keep my poise and take the hits. But I’m not happy um with my percentage. But that’s all mental. It’s something you can’t really just lean on and focus on too much. I’ll make them next game. I’ll make them in practice on Tuesday. So, I’m grateful, but I wish it went a little bit different.”
On what the program has meant to Duffy in the short amount of time that she’s been at Virginia Tech:
MD: “I’m learning a lot in a short amount of time. Obviously, our fan base, we know is tremendous, but just to celebrate the history and really appreciate where you’ve come from. This rivalry is super cool, as well. The fact that we’re right down the street from each other and two programs that want to probably rip each other’s hearts out. I love that part about it. Obviously, we had the upper hand today and we’ll have to play them again at the end of this uh season. But they got a really good team. They got a lot of talent. So, just a really fun afternoon here in Cassell.”
On the team’s determination and aggression:
MD: “I think we’ve been learning that throughout the year. We’ve had a lot of different moments whether that was in non-conference or we’ve been in some games where we were down and came back and won like Clemson. We’ve had a couple, like the Miami game, where we were up and kind of lost the lead. The more experiences that these women can be put in, the more they’re going to get confidence. And we try to prepare as hard as we can for every situation. And I’m sure they’re probably annoyed by that sometimes, but at the end of the day, when they go to the showtime, you want them to be able to be confident in their abilities, whether that’s making free throws, whether it’s rallying around each other to get a defensive stop or execute a play. And I think people forget sometimes they’re still young in this journey of being a starter, a go-to player. And so, you got to go through some bumps with that to find the fruition a little bit later. I’m just proud of the way they stayed in attack mode like you mentioned. They took really good quality shots and then when I was yelling at them to chill out and slow down a little bit, they listened, which was good just to get that clock moving a little faster.”
On if the game felt more meaningful with it being a game between two teams on the bubble of ESPN’s Bracketology for the NCAA Tournament:
CW: “It’s in the back of everybody’s head, but at the end of the day, it’s just a rivalry. I think that’s when you come out and are swinging. I think both teams played at a very high pace and high competitiveness. So, that’s what rivalry games are. I don’t think it was really thought about as ACC standings or bubble terms. It was more of, ‘We’re going at each other because we’re competing for the state,’ than anything. But I mean, they’re a great team. We’re a great team. So, just competing at the end of the day.”
On the vibe of the team after sits seventh straight win and whether there is a certain confidence level due to the streak:
MN: “Yeah, I think we play with a chip on our shoulder. I think that like you said, seven straight, but it’s just one at a time. You don’t think about the next game, you don’t think about the last game. You just think consistency. You win, lose, get in the gym, get shots up, go to work and focus on the next opponent. And that’s really all it is.”
On what Duffy liked about how the team executed its defensive scout today down the stretch:
MD: “We were concerned about a lot of things going into the game. I think we just tried to say, You got to pick a couple things you can be great at.’ You can’t stop everything. They have a great inside presence. Obviously with [Kymora Johnson], she’s phenomenal, the way she can take over a game at times. So, I thought we did a good enough job protecting the interior. They’re very good at getting paint points in a couple different ways. I thought that was the grit I’m talking about, when we sustain some of those punches and some of those downhill attacks. Then, you also have to be on high alert with Johnson and the way she can get hot. That was a collective guard group, chasing her off screens and that was the grit of even when Kayl [Petersen] and Aniya [Trent] came in. They had some big moments for us when Carys [Baker] and Kilah [Freelon] were sitting on the bench with four fouls and a blocked shot here, chase down a rebound. Those little things add up either on your side or against you. And fortunately for us, down the stretch, especially in the fourth quarter, they were in our favor.”
Q: Mackie, Carys finally got going in the second half, and she hit that three off your pass with like a minute to go, put you guys up by double digits. What did you see from her? What do you tell her? Is it kind of just one of those things where it’s like they’re going to fall eventually, and then they do?…