Dec. 10, 2016
Recap | Box Score | Notes | Photo Gallery
Penn State Women's Basketball
Penn State vs. Pitt
Dec. 10, 2016
Coquese Washington | Head Coach Penn State
Q: Coach, I know you harp on getting to the free throw line. You ladies got there 25 times this afternoon. Is that where you want to be or do you want to get there more?
A: I just want us to get there as much as possible. I thought our post in particular did a really good job on the boards. Especially the offensive boards. I think we had 12 offensive boards in the first half. That was key in establishing our size. We knew we had a size advantage once Brandi Harvey-Carr would leave the game so we wanted to be big. Some of those free throws came off of offensive rebounds and put back fouls and things of that nature. I think getting to the free throw line that much signifies the power and aggressiveness we played with and that is really important for us.
Q: Pitt only made it to the free throw line three times. What do you think the reason for that was?
A: We're trying to be smarter defensively. One of the things we talk about in practice is not gambling. A lot of times bad gambles end up with fouls and put us at disadvantages. We've been harping on the kids about playing smarter and not gambling as much on defense. We played a lot of zones and when you play a zone, you tend not to foul as much.
Q: What did you tell the team in between the first and second quarter?
A: We talked about how we were getting good shots so we needed to keep shooting the ball but the pace wasn't where we wanted it to be. I thought the first quarter was a little slow and we were a little sluggish. We made a couple of substitutions and got Sierra (Moore), Peyton (Whitted) and Jaylen (Williams) in the game. We got some offensive rebounds and then it seemed like the energy that we played with took off. That helped us and once we got going we were in good shape.
Q: Jaida (Travascio-Green) had three 3-pointers in the second half. What was it like to watch her hit those shots?
A: I wasn't surprised. She's a fantastic shooter and she's shown in her young career that she's capable of making big shots. She doesn't have any fear or hesitation about shooting the ball once she's open. It was nice to see her knock those down because she hadn't made a couple in the last few games. I was glad to see her shooting.
Q: Can you talk about how Jaida's (Travascio-Green) defense has gotten better as she's had more opportunities to play?
A: The more she's played, the more confident she has gotten on the defensive end. She's understanding what our system is, understanding reads and things of that nature. With her length and size, she's big in the back of the zone and quick enough to guard guards. She gives us a nice, versatile option at the guard spot defensively.
Q: At times it seemed like Brandi Harvey-Carr was scoring at will for a couple of minutes. What was key to stopping her?
A: I think when you got a player like that who is really good offensively, the key is not letting her get the ball. I think we made some adjustments defensively in how we were guarding her to prevent her from getting the ball and getting to her sweet spots and money spots. We wanted to make it a little bit more difficult for her to get good looks and good touches. I think when we did that and were more aggressive in preventing her from getting the ball, we were more successful defending her.
Q: What did you think of your team's defense today?
A: I thought it was pretty good in spurts. In the third quarter we had a lapse and I thought our zone wasn't as sharp as the first half but I liked the energy that we played with. Even in the first quarter when we weren't necessarily making shots, we were able to stay in the game defensively and not let them get too big of a lead on us. So I like where we are defensively and I like our depth. Our depth is giving us the opportunity to make some adjustments to stay fresh and play aggressively the whole game.
Q: You guys looked like you scored across the board today and did a lot of great things as a team. What did you think about that?
A: I like the fact that we have a lot of weapons and over the course of the season we have to grow in understanding how to use each other. One of the things we talked about before the game was making each other better out there. I thought we did a good job of that in terms of playing together, making the right reads, making the right passes, and helping each other on defense. We don't put too much pressure on any one person. Teniya (Page) had a rough shooting night by her standards. It was nothing because everyone else was able to step up and play their role and that is what great teamwork and depth does. If one person is not having their A game, the ship can keep on sailing.
Q: You guys put up 27 fast break points tonight. What did you guys do well to get into that transition?
A: I think we are running hard. When we are able to sub and use our depth and keep people fresh, we can get up and down the floor.
Q: Coach, you guys out-rebounded Pitt 47-29 including 19 offensive rebounds. Are you happy with that performance?
A: Yes, I'm very happy with that.
Q: Coach, you had 34 points off the bench from five different players. How scary can this team be if you keep getting performances from your ladies off the bench?
A: I think we can be pretty good. I think our bench is key. We've got a lot of fire power. I think Sierra (Moore) gives us a lot, Jaida (Travascio-Green) can come in the game and give us a lot and Peyton (Whitted) comes in the game and gives us a lot. I think there's a couple more players who over the next few games and going into conference play, if we can get them some minutes out there and get their confidence up, we can have even more depth.
Q: What is something your team needs to improve on before conference play?
A: I think our defense has to continue to improve. One thing about the Big Ten is you look at the top of our standings and those teams are scoring a lot of points. Michigan at one point was leading the nation, Maryland at one point was leading the nation, Ohio State always puts up a lot of points, Minnesota is a team that outs up a lot of team and Indiana is a team that put's up a lot of points. We've got to be able to defend without fouling, contain the ball and win games without having to score 90 points to do so. I think our defense and rebounding are things that have to continue to improve for us to be successful in conference play.
Lindsey Spann | Jr. | Guard
Q: After the first quarter you were tied 19-19, then you went on a 25-5 run, what were you guys talking about in between quarters to regroup and refocus?
A: We definitely wanted to get stops defensively and once we got stops defensively that helped with our transition game and helped us play faster and play the up-tempo style game that we wanted to play. We wanted to dominate them and not give them second chances.
Q: It seemed like you guys got contributions from everyone on the team, three girls in double figures and also you got big rebounds from Jaylen (Williams) and Peyton (Whitted) tonight. Talk about the overall team performance.
A: One of our goals tonight was to play as a team and play as a unit. I thought we really executed that goal. Everyone did their role. Everyone did what they were supposed to do whether it was rebounding, bringing energy or whatever it is, I think everybody did a great job with that and that really helped us get this win.
Amari Carter | Fr. | Guard
Q: You guys struggled from the field early, but you came back out later and started draining shots. How did that come about?
A: Yes, as you said the shots weren't falling. But, we got in transition and got some easy layups and we saw the ball go in, so that helped with confidence.
Q: With a 20-point lead you had, a lot of younger ladies got to play, what kind of pleasure did you get from watching these girls play?
A: It was fun to see them get in the game and put up shots, have the confidence to put up the shots, and make the shots. It was a lot of energy that they gave us and we gave it back to them.
Suzie McConnell-Serio | Head Coach Pittsburgh
Opening Statement:
Who thought igniting this rivalry was a good idea? It started out as a competitive game in the first quarter and Penn State didn't do anything that we weren't familiar with or didn't prepare for as far as full court pressure, man feeling back into the zone, a 2-2-1, 2-3 zone, trapping in the short corner, trapping your wings, hedging with your 5, switching one through four on ball screens; they didn't do anything we didn't prepare for. I can stand on that sideline and make every call, which I thought at times we executed very well, we just didn't hit enough shots. When you look at their defense and how to attack, your offense has to be your best defense. When you're fishing and you're scoring, it slows them down because they are very, very good in transition. It took our players 40 minutes to realize how good they were. We tried to make the adjustment, and its effort, but disappointed with how many points we gave up in transition. We knew their guards are their strength and we knew they attacked in transition, looking to score quickly and when you get players in foul trouble; putting them on the foul line 25 times and we're only there three, your players tend to not be as aggressive defensively, they change how they play, so it was disappointing; we gave up way too many points in transition but their guards are very, very talented, and when their guards weren't scoring, they were finding their post players running the floor and then the other thing was we gave up way too many offensive rebounds. It was disappointing that we gave up an offensive rebound, they'd put it back and it was a three-point play. We just needed to be tougher, to finish our defense with a box-out. I watched every one of their games, except for their first one and I saw everything that they did, and I knew how talented they were coming in. We had to play a great game and we didn't. We played two good quarters, but needed to play and compete for 40 minutes and that just didn't happen today.
Q: Coach, what did you see with Penn State's guard play with [Lindsey] Spann, [Amari] Carter, and [Teniya] Page and what type of problems did they create for your defense?
A: Well make or miss, they take it out-of-bounds and push in transition. Their guards are crafty, they can shoot the 3-pointer, they can elevate on their jumpers, they're very difficult matchups for any guards. We just needed to make sure we had multiple people back and we didn't. Jasmine Whitney, I love the kid to death, she's dealing with a back injury right now and played her heart out, but just didn't have the speed she needed to get back. And we're dealing with a lot of injured players; we're playing without our best player basically, Yacine Diop, our best defender and most athletic player and in games like this it's glaring that we really miss her. Players need to step up and take advantage of the opportunities they're given right now. Their guards are just so explosive and dangerous because they can shoot the three, they can take you off the dribble, they can get to the rim and they get to the free throw line. They're crafty, they use their bodies well and finish with contact.
Q: You mentioned rebounds earlier, what was Penn State able to do to hold the advantage on the board?
A: They just out muscled us. I mean, that's the bottom line. That was a disappointing thing, fighting for position, shot goes up, they just out hustled us today and that was a disappointing thing. We talked about winning the hustle plays and that just didn't happen.
Q: You mentioned Teniya Page, who went 4-for-14, not an impressive night by her standards, what was key for getting in her face and bothering her tonight?
A: Well, I would've liked to have had Kauai Bradley on the floor a little bit longer, those two were high school teammates so there's familiarity there. But Kauai got in a little foul trouble and also with a bigger lineup, we had to switch Kauai [Bradley] onto Jaida Travascio-Green or Sierra Moore; so we would switch matchups and take Kauai off of her, but we just paid attention to her. Having seen her last couple games and how effective she has been, we switched some things out-of-bounds because we know they like to bring her off of the down screen. I thought we defended their out-of-bounds plays well. She's just really talented, but you key on her and Lindsey Spann goes off her 20. So, it's pick your poison with Penn State. Their guards are very, very good.
Q: You think you guys keyed on Teniya Page a little too much tonight?
A: I'd like to say that we did but we didn't. I mean they just had their ways with us in transition. I think other players were hitting shots and making plays in transition that she just wasn't as big of a factor with the amount of shots that the other players were taking. Although she took 14, but maybe she was trying to prove something against Kauai Bradley, I don't know.
Q: Coach it seemed that you had a lot of unnecessary turnovers especially traveling, I think you guys got called for three or four travel calls. How deflating was that for your team because it seemed like every time you guys tried to build momentum, there was a crucial turnover?
A: We are a pretty young team playing in a big game; it's an in-state rivalry that is now being hyped as that back on the schedule. I just think that being excited, trying to play too fast, trying to make an impact too quickly, and we weren't as deep as we needed to be today with the struggles we were having; we couldn't go deeper into our bench. I started to go off the first half when we had five fumbled passes, dropped passes, we were turning the ball over, we were fouling, just didn't come ready to play. That was disappointing. We are a team that needs contributions from every player on this team. Every player that steps on the floor, we need contributions from. We're not made up of high school All-Americans and superstars. We are made up of players that buy into our system, that work well together, they believe in each other, there's great chemistry and a trust on the floor, and we have to outplay people for us to be successful; we're not made up of athletic guards like Penn State is. So for us to be successful, we have to allow our system to work. But it's also defensive effort, transition and rebounding; that's just effort that we need to get better at.
Q: Your team had momentum in the first quarter, what really changed from the first to the second quarter?
A: We got in foul trouble, Kauai Bradley is someone who is very key to do what we do. Whether we play our matchup at the point of it, her length, her athleticism, she's a scorer for us and a shooter, and when she's not on the floor we're a different team. When we had to go to our bench, we got slower; we do have scoring opportunities coming off our bench but I don't think defensively we're as good. When you get in foul trouble, it just messes with you mentally. Players are afraid to get around a post player, they're afraid to get up and pressure a guard, they're afraid to drive because they don't want to get called for a charge. It just changes the way you play the game and we have to learn to play through those situations and play with two or three fouls and not pick up that extra foul. We also still have to stay aggressive on both ends of the floor. For whatever reason, we came out of the second half with great looks, we just didn't score enough and had eight offensive rebounds to their 19.