University of North Carolina Athletics
Postgame Quotes - North Carolina 83, NC State 70
January 29, 2017 | Women's Basketball
Postgame Quotes
North Carolina Head Coach Sylvia Hatchell
Opening Statement
“It was a great game, great crowd. N.C. State has a really, really good team. They are maybe the most experienced team in the league this year. They start four seniors and a junior. So they have something that we don't have, which is all that experience, and they've played really, really well this year, beating Notre Dame and Florida State at Florida State. So we knew that we'd have our hands full, but I'm really, really proud of these kids [Jamie Cherry and Paris Kea] right here, they're leadership, just how they kept their poise out there and I told them, I said, 'if you guys would just have a good attitude and keep working hard, great things are going to happen.' And they have done that because we've played really well at times. Even in games that we've lost, we've played really, really well. We played good at Miami the other day, but tonight we were just clicking and some of the defensive things that we were doing out there, I think it worked and helped take them out of some things they wanted to do. And Paris and Jamie are at the top up there, on the defense and did a great job, but I thought we shared the ball really well. Great team basketball. We made a lot of threes, but they were good threes, good shots. I think we only took maybe two bad shots from the three. I was proud of them.”
On putting a full game together
“You know, we've been scoring good. We scored the most points anybody has scored on Florida State. I mean we've been scoring, scored 88 at Miami. It's just that our size inside, we haven't been able to stop people. I thought tonight, our defensive scheme was really good as far as not letting them [get going]. They got going a couple of times, but defensively I thought we did a really, really nice job…We've played really, really well at times, but we just haven't been able to put a whole game together. If you take away the second quarter against Notre Dame, it's a five-point game, and it was tied up at Miami at halftime. We have some breakdowns, and some of that's lack of experience and all that, but we're getting better and better and better. But today's a great win for us, especially against a really, really good N.C. State team.”
On the significance of coaching in the Play4Kay game
“Every day's a blessing. Every day's a great day, and I'm so excited. I want to win so much for these kids because they are really super. I mean, they have worked so hard, and we've played so good at times. I just keep telling them, 'y'all just hang in there and great things are going to happen. Great things are going to happen.' We don't have a senior now. Jamie [Cherry]'s our only junior. We've got some really good kids coming in, and they're just getting better and better. So I'm excited about their future. I'm just glad to be back here. I think of where I was three years ago, I wasn't sure I was going to be here right now. But not just that I beat the worst kind of Leukemia you can have, but that I'm 100 percent back. I mean it's over. I've beat it. It's behind me. Chances of it coming back are about 2 percent, and I'm just trying every day to do whatever I can to help other people when they go through situations.”
NC State Head Coach Wes Moore
Opening Statement:
“You have to give Carolina a lot of credit. They shot the ball unbelievably well. I think someone said this is a program record with fourteen threes maybe, shot fifty-eight percent from three for the game and sixty-nine percent the second half. That's pretty tough. On the other hand, we did have a chance to guard them but we didn't quite get that done. I'm proud of our kids. We dug a hole again, battled back and cut it to five, forced twenty-four turnovers, got eighteen offensive rebounds. So we did a lot of good things, a lot of hustle plays. It just wasn't enough today.”
UNC PLAYERS
Jamie Cherry, Junior Forward
On shooting well against rival:
“It was great. I just wanted to be able to help my team win. I know I wasn't able to hit any shots in the first half, but just being able to hit those open threes when my teammates were passing me the ball was great. They did a great job finding me and getting me the ball because they knew I was hot. It was exciting just to see the crowd and my teammates excited for the win.”
On shots finally falling in:
“Earlier this season, I wasn't shooting the ball that well but I have been putting in extra time at the gym, just getting up shots and just working on my mid-range. I think that's a point of emphasis in my game, helping my team, because all four of our guards can shoot. So when all of us are on, nobody can stop us.”
On ranking the win:
“I rank it as one of the best wins since I've been here to be honest. It was exciting the way we went out was even more exciting. We play together, we have fun, and we got the win. I think it was one of the best wins I've had here. Ohio State, too.”
Paris Kea, Sophomore Forward
On kick-outs to the wings:
“It helps a lot definitely on ball screens if she sets a screen and she pops, bringing there post out. If they switch, we're unstoppable.”
On Taylor Koenen's development:
“Yeah, [Taylor] is growing mentally, physically in the weight room she's getting bigger. I know she's putting in a lot more work with Jason. We're just trying to help her.”
