University of North Carolina Athletics
Postgame Quotes - Carolina 95, ETSU 62
January 2, 2015 | Women's Basketball
North Carolina 95, ETSU 62
January 2, 2015 • Postgame Quotes
UNC Head Coach Sylvia Hatchell
Opening Statement
“We are glad to finish non-conference play 13-1 and we are looking forward to the ACC. We had a great crowd today but this place needs to be full on Sunday. I'll be disappointed if it is not because of the team that we play, and how we play, and the fact that we are playing N.C. State, and that it is a conference game. Most people go back to work, I think, on Monday, so Sunday would be a good way to finish up the holiday season.
We started off very lethargic, I just did not like [our play] at all. That's why I pulled all five starters, let them sit there a few minutes, and put the other group in. We sputtered quite a bit in the first half but I don't want to take any thing away from East Tennessee State because they had some excellent players. 2 (Shamaria Bridges), 10 (Chandler Christopher), 14 (Tianna Tarter), they were all lighting it up from the three. They have some very good players and they were really battling us, especially in the first half, on the boards.
Second half was more of how we normally play and we want to play and do the things that have gotten us to our record of 13-1. But we know that all of the conference games are going to be really really tough, everyone of them will be, and N.C. State always plays great against us, and we know they will be coming over here really fired up on Sunday.
But these two (Stephanie Mavunga & Jamie Cherry) continue to play well. Stephanie [Mavunga] missed one shot, I don't know what was wrong with her. But she was 13 for 14 and had 9 rebounds, she had 9 [rebounds] last game I think. Again, a good team effort, everybody playing quite a few minutes. We had Latifah [Coleman] out on purpose, she has a sore foot, nothing really wrong with it, but she has a sore foot, so we only let her play three minutes total resting that foot for Sunday, but she will be ready to go. It was, again, a good team effort, and we are just looking forward to conference play.”
On where her shooting rhythm came from today
“My teammates just did a really good job of passing me the ball in the right situations. They kind of really set me up for a good shot. It was really me moving to the right spot at the right time. They just kind of believe in me, especially in the second half because I remember Danielle [Butts] looked at me and was like, 'Well I'm going to keep passing it to you. If you keep making it, I'm going to keep passing it to you.'
So everybody just kept passing it to me. They just really trusted me to make the shot. Allisha [Gray] was trying to give me a hard time because I put these shoes on right before the game and I've never worn them before, but I just randomly wore them, and she (Allisha Gray) was like, 'That's not a good idea.' I was like, 'if it's not then I'll change them out at half. She was like, 'man, it's the shoes.' But I really think it was just my teammates giving me the ball in the right spot. It was Coach believing in me and in the plays that she ran.”
On changing her shoes for the game
“I was getting tired of my old ones and they weren't something that I could keep wearing for much longer. We got these shoes about a month ago and I kept putting them off, and I was like, 'I really need to change my shoes.' But I just loved the other shoes so much, but then I got a hole in the inside of the right one, so I was like, 'I think I need to change my shoes.' But I haven't practiced in these, so I was really nervous… It was just kind of on the fly… I don't know how I feel about them yet.
Jamie Butts
On her shot at the end of the half
“Basically, it was get the ball as fast as I could down the court and just try and get a shot off before the time ran out. Basically, I just closed my eyes and threw it up there and was hoping it went in. Then I heard everybody jump up and down so I assumed I made it… That shot reminded me of when I was in high school when I missed the shot to go to the state championship game. So just being able to hit it here was pretty good.
On playing well as of late
“Basically just trying to come off of the bench and give us a hard push. Coach always tells us before the game, 'reinforcements be ready.' Basically I feel like that's my job to come off and give Latifah a breather and not have any slack, just be a pick up, and just be able to put points on the board and get my teammates the ball and set them up in the right position to score.”
ETSU Head Coach Brittney Ezell
Opening Statement
“First of all, I want to say how grateful we are to the University of North Carolina and to coach Sylvia Hatchell for this opportunity. What a great place to play, in a storied gymnasium. Congratulations to North Carolina, they played a tremendous game, but I am extremely proud of the fight that our kids showed. I thought we competed at a very high level, but I don't think we could withstand the storm much, much longer. Without being too metaphorical or making too many analogies, the dam just broke there early in the second half. We never recovered. But, again, we are grateful for the opportunity. Anytime you can come and compete with one of the nation's elite programs, it does nothing but help your program.”
On Jamie Cherry's half court three-pointer to end the first half
“You know, there is really not much that you do as far as schematics defensively to prepare for a half court three. So congratulations to her, I thought somebody was going to run out with a check for $20,000 and free tuition. I think that, for the kids, that was a little disheartening. They had fought so hard and it was an eight-point game, and then to see that go in it really just kind of takes the wind out of your sails. I think North Carolina did a nice job capitalizing on that momentum and that excitement to start the second half.”
On rebounding against a strong UNC frontcourt
“We are scrappy, we play hard, and I think that is what I like the most about them. Destiny Mitchell, you know, a 5'11” post-player and gets nine rebounds and is in there battling all night with the trees. I thought our kids gave a really good effort on the glass to get 17 offensive rebounds against North Carolina. If you would have told me that before the game I would have said you were a liar. I really thought that we were relentless. If we get 17 offensive rebounds, it means that we were not shooting well, so we have to work on one of two things. We either have to shoot it better, or we have to keep crashing the glass.”
On redshirt senior Destiny Mitchell's quick start to the game
“I think she made them mad. I don't think they like getting scored on by undersized post players. She is our go-to player, for three years she was all conference in the Atlantic Sun. She sat out last year as a redshirt with a knee injury, so you have no idea how much joy it gives me to see her back out there competing again. For her to be able to compete like that against some of the premier talent in the country, she has to feel good about that in her senior year.”
