Nov. 30, 2017
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Penn State Women's Basketball
Postgame Quotes vs. Wake Forest
Nov. 30, 2017
Coquese Washington | Penn State Head Coach
Q: You guys got to the free throw line with consistency tonight, tying a season-high of 33 attempts. What does that say about this team, how you guys can find ways to win even when the shots aren't falling from the field?
CW: That's not something we've been working on so I was pleased to see shooting almost 85 percent from the free throw line. We have to continue to work on our offensive execution, there are times when it looks really good, and there are times where it could stand a little bit of work. I think the thing we tried to do was be physical and attack even when our shots were falling out. I think attacking and being aggressive is something we didn't do as much away from the BJC when we were in Vegas, we didn't shoot nearly as many free throws because we weren't being as aggressive and assertive on the offensive end. I think we did a better job of that tonight.
Q: Defensively you guys seemed to be all over the place tonight, holding them to only six points in the second quarter. That's the least amount of points you've given up in a quarter all year. What went into that for you guys tonight defensively, especially in that second quarter?
CW: I thought our bench came in and gave us some good minutes, especially in the second quarter. Siyeh Frazier and Kamaria McDaniel I thought they came in the game and gave us some good energy, we did a good job of contesting shots. Credit Wake Forest, they made some adjustments in the second half [Elisa] Penna got loose and found some gaps in the zone. Thankfully we had a cushion and a little bit of confidence in the defensive end. I think we were just trying to be aggressive and assertive on the defensive end.
Q: Coach, your girls out-rebounded Wake Forest who out-rebounded five out of six opponents earlier in the season. What do you think that says about the toughness of your team?
CW: I think we can be tough. We're still really young and they just do some dumb things sometimes because they're young. They don't always know how to handle situations. Like I told them in the locker room, one of the things I was really pleased with was we were able to make adjustments. We could talk about something in the timeout and then they would go out and make the adjustments. Some of the mistakes they make just come from lack of experience, we haven't really been pressed all year so the first couple of possessions we were pressed we didn't make the wisest decision but we were able to make adjustments and talk about it and then they went out and executed it flawlessly so the press wasn't a problem anymore. They take coaching very well and they adjust pretty well so far all season long. Coming into the game we really talked about being aggressive on the boards knowing that Wake Forest had a lot of height. I thought when Jaylen [Williams] and Alisia [Smith] both got in foul trouble in the second half and we had to go with a small lineup we were still able to get Jaida [Travascio-Green] and De'Janae [Boykin] down there battling for rebounds. We can be tough when we want to, we just have to do it a lot more consistently.
De'Janae Boykin | F | Redshirt-Sophomore
Q: It was a physical game with a lot of fouls, but you still found a way to play physically on the boards. What kind of went into that for you?
DB: I think every game I play, I go into that game wanting to play physical. I know that's what I have to bring for this team; being physical and rebounding are my thing. I like rebounding. It's something I do well, so it just comes natural for me.
Teniya Page | G |Junior
Q: In your first home game back [from injury] you scored 21 points. What does it feel like to play in front of a home crowd for the first time this season?
TP: It was exciting. Though it wasn't my first game back, the difference from being in Las Vegas with just our families cheering for us, compared to coming back home and having a lot of people cheering for us. It was great. For me, it helped me calm down a little bit more, and I think helped our team, as well, because we feel [more comfortable] in this environment.