Jan. 29, 2017
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Penn State Women's BasketballPenn State vs. IllinoisJan. 29, 2017
Coquese Washington | Head Coach Penn State
Q: About free throws, you guys got to the line about 31 times and Illinois is one of the best free throw shooting teams in the country and you only allowed them to shoot 13, was a big emphasis for you guys to get to the line and for them not to?
A: We certainly talked about defending better after coming off the Indiana game where they shot 30 free throws and we shot 10. I thought that we put a lot of emphasis on it and we did a better job with it today.
Q: Can you talk about Kaliyah Mitchell because it seemed that as soon as she entered the game she was immediately involved, making quick baskets and staying aggressive on the boards?
A: I thought that she was a difference maker in the game for us. She was impactful on both ends of the floor. She came in the game and gave us a little bit more speed and a little bit more ability to guard. Offensively she was just taking great shots, staying aggressive and looking for the ball in their zone, which definitely helped us in the first half.
Q: Illinois is a team that doesn't turn the ball over very often and you forced 12 in the first half, what was the game plan defensively?
A: We wanted to be aggressive with defense. We wanted to have active hands to try and speed the game up so that we could force some turnovers. I thought that it worked for us a little bit in the first half. In the second half we didn't do that as much, instead we played some more zone. I thought that our depth was a huge factor in our ability to mix up the defenses and stay aggressive on the boards.
Q: There was a little bit of a wall in output late in the second quarter, what do you attribute that to?
A: I thought that our offensive execution in the first half left a little to be desired. We just were not as in sync as we needed to be, some were playing fast and some were playing slower. I think we fixed that in the second half because we were playing a lot more in sync on the offensive end.
Q: What changed during halftime and what was the mindset going into the second half?
A: During halftime I really got on our post players and challenged them to have a presence out there. I thought that Ashanti Thomas came out to start the third quarter and she was a big presence for us on both ends of the floor. She got a couple of fouls posting up, she had a lot of rebounds and she got a couple of baskets. I thought that getting out and trying to transition helped us as well.
Q: You had a lot of players that had a huge impact for you on the court, can you talk about the impact that Sierra Moore made?
A: Sierra Moore is our 'Energizer Bunny.' She doesn't know how to go half speed or turn it off and that is a great thing for us. When she is going out and getting rebounds or making baskets and being aggressive, it opens up a lot of things for everyone else. I felt like both her and Kaliyah Mitchell were huge for us today. A lot of times other teams come out and plan their game around being aggressive on Teniya Page, but when other people are being aggressive like Kaliyah Mitchell, Sierra Moore, Amari Carter, Lindsey Spann coming off the bench and giving us 10 points, Ashanti Thomas being aggressive, it makes it easier for Teniya to make things happen. We have four people in double figures and someone else with eight, I just think that this all of this bolds well for us moving forward.
Q: Is this a good example of utilizing your depth to its full advantage?
A: I think that we are close. We still have a few more people that I think we can get a little bit more out of on game day, but I like where we are right now. It has certainly given us some options and versatility to play with.
Q: Do you notice the shifts in momentum during the game when they happen? And how do you plan/adjust to them?
A: The game is about shifts in momentum, it's always shifting. You kind of have to figure out why you are in the middle of it and how do you ride it. Sometimes it happens when you make substitutions, for example during the first quarter when we put in Kaliyah Mitchell we got a shift in momentum, second half we had another shift in momentum when Ashanti Thomas came in the game. One thing we talk to our kids about is 40 minutes is a long time and you have keep up the pressure and keep the focus then we will hopefully be in good shape when it is done. Kind of like surf and ride the wave while it is there.
Q: It was a pretty physical game, was that something you were expecting or did you have to adjust to that?
A: I always expect the games to be physical. We wanted to go inside and get our post some touches and I feel like whenever you do that there is always going to be some physicality. We definitely talk about it and prepare for it.
Q: Just like I asked the athletes, you have two big road games coming up, how do you carry this momentum forward not only to the practice gym but also into Ohio State and Northwestern.
A: I think the answer is execution. We will get into the practice gym tomorrow and we will talk about the game plan that we have for Ohio State, but it is all about going there and executing the game plan. You cannot focus on two road games or seven more regular season games, you have to focus on one game plan and executing one game plan at a time which is exactly what we are going to do.
Amari Carter | G | Fr.
Q: Kaliyah (Mitchell) had a big game off the bench. What is it like to have that depth off the bench this season?
A: It gives us a boost of confidence knowing that someone can come into the game and get rebounds, play defense and get into transition and help our offense keep going and our defense keep going.
Q: You guys really limited your fouls today and allowed them to keep fouling you guys. How does it help during a game playing with controlled aggression?
A: You just have to be locked in. Coach likes to talk about staying locked in the whole time and the fouls that we did get we account to not being locked in. When you stay locked in it is easier to defend and not foul.
Q: Amari at one point you went into the locker room, is everything feeling okay?
A: Yes. I am fine.
Sierra Moore | G | GS.
Q: Sierra, you tied a season-high for points. What was clicking for you today that was different?
A: I think we were really stressing on our transition offense and that is a big thing that we really excel in so just me getting wide and people like Amari (Carter), who did a really good job finding me in the transition offense that is what really worked for us today.
Q: You guys have two big road games coming up. How do you carry this momentum with you?
A: I think we just have to keep coming into practice everyday and keep getting better on the little things like rebounding and keep working on our transition offense and our transition defense and just going and playing our game.
Q: Sierra it seemed like you were every aggressive every time you got the ball, trying to draw the foul. Was that the game plan for you going in?
A: That is one of my roles. When we all do our roles on the team everything flows really well. One of my roles is getting to the basket so I try and do that to help my team out.