Dec. 3, 2016
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Penn State Women's BasketballPenn State vs. MarshallDec. 3, 2016
Coquese Washington | Head Coach Penn State
Q: Teniya (Page) had 31 points with five 3-pointers, what did you see from her that made her so successful today?
A: Teniya is a really smart player. I think when you look at how she scored 31 points in 15 shots, she's a very efficient player. She does a great job of finding and picking her spots; not just being a volume shooter. I think that's why she was able to have a good night. Against the zone, we tried moving her around in different spots so she could get open. I think her teammates did a good job of finding her when she was open. I thought the second half, she did a better job of attacking the gaps and was able to get to her pull-ups a little better. She's just a smart player. She knows where she needs to be to get shots that she needs to be taking.
Q: Do you see Teniya (Page) getting in a groove at all?
A: I think she's been in a groove all season and I think that came from the work she put in in the offseason. When she came back to practice this summer, she was very confident and less hesitant then she was last year. We talked a lot about her mental approach to the game this year. She's always had some physical gifts at her disposal, so we've been talking a lot about her mental approach to the game. I think she's a lot more aggressive. I don't think this is necessarily something that has to go away because she's 'hot'. She's just being really smart and efficient. When you have the high basketball I.Q. that she has, only good things happen.
Q: 47 points for you guys in the second half. Did anything change?
A: I thought we attacked their zone better in the second half. I thought we got a few more stops and were able to get going in transition. I thought Sierra Moore was big for us. I thought the energy that she brought and the aggressiveness that she brought was huge for us. We were just more aggressive in the second half.
Q: You mentioned Sierra (Moore). Teniya (Page) is obviously playing well, but how important is it to have that balance around her?
A: I think we've got to continue to find balance on the offensive end. Sierra has recently shown that she can do that for us and so we've got to keep working with a few more players to be consistent on the offensive end.
Q: What was one area that you didn't see your team perform well in today?
A: I think giving up 80 points is too many. We've been doing a good job of holding teams below their average, but we didn't do that today. Marshall is averaging 69 points and today they were able to score 80. I think our defense could have been better; in particular, in our containment and our man defense. They got to the free throw line 25 times, so we were fouling too much. Our defensive effort and discipline has to be better going into Holy Cross on Wednesday.
Q: Is there any way to limit fouls going forward?
A: Yeah. Not reach. Number two, don't put your hands on dribblers. They have been calling that for two years now, some of the Lady Lions need to get that memo. Mental things, we have to be more in tune with. There are some fouls that are just going to happen, the ones we can control, we have to do a better job.
Teniya Page | So. | Guard
Q: Teniya, you had 31 points today, how were you able to be so successful out there?
A: I think being ready to shoot when people were attacking the gaps. Also attacking the gaps myself, which made me available to shoot the pull-up. That's pretty much it and knocking down free throws. Basically just being ready to shoot and attacking the gaps.
Q: You had five 3-pointers in the game. How can that help your game and keep the defense off-balance?
A: I think it stretches the floor, especially if I'm making the three's then they have to guard me which opens me up for the pull-up or the drive. Then when I drive I can kick it out to my teammates. I think it just gives me more options and spreads the floor.
Q: Coach has talked a lot about your pace for the season. The team had 47 points in the second half and 82 for the game. Do you think that you hit that tonight and what were you able to do to be off and running?
A: I think the biggest thing for us was to push the ball every possession after we rebounded. I know sometimes we don't do that but I think we did today. Especially people crashing the offensive glass which gave us other opportunities on offense.
Sierra Moore | Sr. | Guard
Q: You guys trailed most of the game and eclipsed Marshall during the second half. Was it nerve-wracking for you guys to get close and then eclipse and then go back to trailing?
A: I don't think it was nerve-wracking. Coach teaches us to keep our composure. We have to keep chipping away because everyone's going to have their runs. We had to play defense and keep scoring on the other end to try to get back. We kept our composure and that's how we ended up winning the game.