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Women's Basketball
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Coach P Quotes: Duke 69, Virginia Tech 38
1/21/2010 9:00:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Opening statement:
"Just a really solid game for us, I was really proud of the team at halftime. I had no problem with the fact that we had defended and held a very good team to 15 points. Sometimes the ball doesn't go in, which is ok as long as you're defending. That was the most awesome defense, in terms of holding a team that's so powerful in transition, a team that has scored so many points against other opponents. I was pleased, I didn't have a lot to say to them [at halftime]; keep shooting, be aggressive, watch your balance because we missed some shots in the first half that we would normally make. I think the second half was reflective of that, in terms of fewer turnovers, many more assists, execution and playing together as a team. It was a good, strong game all around, it got better, played a few more people. Joy [Cheek] did some very nice things, she was very aggressive as well as Krystal [Thomas] just attack the basket and rebounding."
On the low scoring in the first half:
"You never expect that. As long as the other team is not scoring against you, that's the key. They weren't scoring and they were struggling and we were in control despite the low score and the margin. We could let it all out a bit in the second half and still do a good job to hold any team to 23 points. I'm very proud of the team's effort overall, we got better and we're back on the road, which is great."
On the rebounding balance:
"The productivity is so important. When you play you've got to be productive and you've got to get on yourself for your individual contribution, and I think that is reflected in the rebounding. There's one thing that you can always control, you can control rebounding, to some extent you can control assists, turnovers, you don't always control if the ball goes in that can be a little trickier sometimes. It was great to see so many people contribute across the board and make the most of their minutes; their per-minute production, and it makes us a better team when everybody does that."
On what they changed in the second half offensively:
"I think the team executed. They played some zone and some man and we ran some different sets because they were in a zone or playing man. The bottom line was that the players just executed and were patient. I thought we were patient, in the groove, focused, passing the basketball, attacking the zone. They tried to press us in the half court and I felt that we broke that easily and continued in our offense so there wasn't anything new, but I think that it was a whole lot better."
On why Krystal Thomas returned to the starting lineup:
"Just productivity, opportunity and her impact on the team. As you know we have six to seven starters on this team and it's really about the people that finish. I'm always going to make change, I'm going to look to mix things up a little bit and Krystal really responded. I'm really preaching consistency; we need a team that is consistent and that people every night is really focused on what they can contribute to the team. Krystal's worked very hard, she's always been a starter for us, she's just been in and out but that's just the nature of the team. The bottom line is the finishing element and who's in the game and who's in the game when it's won. Obviously Krystal and Joy were today in terms of the runs we made."
On the different combinations and why Krystal Thomas was in late in the game:
"Krystal was having a great and very effective game and I just wanted to give her consecutive minutes. Sometimes you're looking for consecutive minutes and she earned them."
On the expectations for the rest of the ACC season:
"It's not relevant where we are now [in the ACC standings] but it sure is when we finish the regular season. We've got a long way to go; I think we're getting better as a team. Every game is a battle; nothing is relevant until you get to some point where you can call it relevant, so we've got a long way to go. We haven't been successful at Maryland in a long time; Maryland is our next opportunity to grow as a team."
Players Mentioned
C
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