Jan. 3, 2018
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Penn State Women's Basketball
vs. Indiana
January 3, 2018
Coquese Washington | Penn State Head Coach
Q: What led to the big first half you guys had on offense? It seemed like the entire game you guys were in a flow, you were in a rhythm. Is that the way you want this offense to play throughout the entire season, every single game, just flawlessly and smooth in transition?
CW: I think we are starting to develop some better chemistry out there. I thought we played the pace that we wanted to play. We were able to get down and we made some shots. I thought Teniya Page, in the first half, did a really masterful job of running the team, and getting everyone involved. Our posts got involved, and I thought Alisia Smith came in the game in the first half, and I thought she gave us some momentum points on offensive put backs, got to the free throw line. I thought Amari Carter was aggressive, and that kind of opened things up, and we played with a lot of confidence. I think that carried over into the second half.
Q: When you are playing that fast-pace offense; there were a couple of miscues on offense where there were some turnovers. How do you limit those turnovers when you are running like that?
CW: Well, first of all we don't run and gun; we run with a purpose. There is a method to the madness. I think when it is all clicking it's because everybody is on the same page and everybody is understanding, and knows what we are trying to accomplish. As a team we only had 12 turnovers for the game, and that is a pretty good number. You are going to turn the ball over sometimes, and I guess there is a risk/reward. We feel like with the players we have, and their skill set; we know that if we can play the pace we want to play and keep it to 10-12 turnovers a game at the pace we want to play, we are good with that.
Q: Congratulations on the win Coach. I remember earlier in the season, you talking about Amari Carter and you said that she doesn't know how good she really is. Do you think that she is starting to realize her potential or do you think that this is just a result from you getting her to shoot more?
CW: I think it is a little bit of both. I think she is learning how to direct the game instead of react to the game, and there is a difference. I think last year as a freshman she came out, and she kind of reacted to what was going on, and she learned how to play on this level, how to be a point guard, how to run the team. This year the challenge for her is learning how to direct the game, and impact the game, and not react to what's going on but to be the conductor of the symphony, and take the game where she wants it to go. She is learning how to do that, and learning how to pick her spots. There is a saying in basketball `you have to let the game come to you.' Sometimes when you are a really talented player you have to really force the issue; you have got to make the game be what you want it to be, and she is learning how to do that. You can do that when you are very, very talented like she is; especially in particular on the offensive end of the floor.
Q: Coach, you have said before how Alisia Smith gave you guys a bit of momentum there. What do you have say about her performance and how she helped you on the offense tonight?
CW: I thought she was an impact player for us especially in the first quarter. She came in the game and she and Jaylen Williams were able to have a presence in the paint for us, in particular on the boards, and contesting shots, and altering some shots. Her presence on the floor, in particular in the first half, was really key.
Amari Carter | G | Sophomore
Q: In the first half, it seemed like you couldn't be stopped.
AC: We really got out in transition. I think once we got the rebound we pushed it. We got out in transition and Teniya [Page] followed me in transition. We drove, and shared the ball, and I think that was the difference.
Q: You guys were up by 15 with a few minutes left to go and they got a few shots from deep. Was it just a lack of communication with your teammates in terms of that or was it just them getting lucky hitting 3-pointers back-to-back like that?
AC: The game is a game of runs. We will go on a run, they will go on a run; that is just the time they went on a run and closed the gap but we finished it out.