Upcoming Event: Women's Basketball at Belmont on December 20, 2025 at 3 p.m.
/
3 p.m.
Women's Basketball
at Belmont
Quotes: Duke 62, Pittsburgh 48
2/12/2017 4:31:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Duke Head Coach Joanne P. McCallie
Opening Statement:
“This was obviously a blue collar game—very defensive, and poor shooting by both teams. I like the fact that we out-rebounded them, and that we were defensively consistent. I appreciate Lexie [Brown] leading the way offensively. That's always important to have somebody leading, especially in that kind of game. I think it's just a game that we can learn from, and get ready for the next.”
On developing offensive depth:
“I think it was a good day. Obviously we played a lot of minutes and spread them out and everybody got an opportunity. I think Faith Suggs gives us a good energy because she's always ready to go, and she did some nice things offensively. Crystal Primm as well. It was a little bit of everybody. We are still trying to get the most out of everbody, but I think we took a few steps today.”
On playing three games in a row:
“I think we will develop futher. It's good because we played a hard game on Friday, as you know. Then we practiced Saturday. It was not just a walkthrough. We practiced Saturday to sort of create that scenario, and then we played again today. That three days in a row thing is hard. You've got to be mentally focused to do it. I thought we practiced that a little bit, and of course some of the contributions were great as well. We go back to a normal schedule next week with the Thursday-Sunday play. I think that was very valuable for us to see what that's like. Obviously our shooting percentage was far off what it usually is, but that might be something to teach us a lesson. If you're in that third game, in terms of how you do things or how you attack. I think we can learn from this a great deal.”
Senior Forward/Center Kendall Cooper
On big blocks early on:
“I think defense starts the momentum of the game, so going hard on defense and doing what you need to do sets the tone for everything else. Defensive stops lead to better offense.”
On blocking personnel versus seeing the opportunity:
“I think it was a little bit of both. You have to know the personnel but you have to be where you are on defense and get out to their shooters.”
On the role of defense:
“Defense has always been a big factor for us. We talk about it at practice and we talk about it in film. I think I get out there with a defensive mindset—we all do. I think defense starts the game off right for us.”
Junior Guard Lexie Brown
On defensive against 3-point shots:
“We had a lot of talks about it when we were getting ready for scouts. We identified the shooters. We've done a lot better communicating because people like to move around their shooters to get them open. We've done a good job. Our back line has done a good job letting the front line know where the shooters are. We also have a lot of bigger guards, guards that are taller than most guards, and I think our length really bothers people as well.”
Pittsburgh Head Coach Suzie McConnell-Serio:
Opening Statement:
“You know Duke is a tough matchup for any team. Having watched them so many times on film, with you know their defense where they dare you to shoot the ball from the perimeter and dare you to beat them from three and had we made some of them we'd be looking at a different scenario where we gave ourselves a chance possibly in the fourth quarter. But we again continue to struggle coming out of the locker room, in the third quarter, and honestly struggled to put points on the board. We haven't been able to get out of the 40s very often in this conference, but our team just keeps fighting. I'm proud of their effort. They never quit. We did some good things defensively and did some good things offensively, but you know they're just so talented, you have to expend so much energy worrying about Lexie Brown on the perimeter, you've got Rebecca Greenwell, then you have penetrators, you have great size inside. They just have so many weapons that can hurt you and we felt that we didn't matchup with them. We felt that we had to play two-three zone because of their length, you know they capitalize on offensive rebounds and you know we're going to have put backs, but they're very good and you know this is a tough place to play. We need to get better. There is no doubt. Again we get exposed, being such a young team, playing with out Yacine Diop again, who is out for the entire year, but I'm proud of our team, how they just continue to fight, continue to believe in each other. We just have the mindset that we're going to play with everything to gain and nothing to lose and just try to compete for 40 minutes.”
On the toughness of Duke's defense:
“I mean realistically we have two players that we look to go inside to and that is Brandi Harvey-Carr, who I thought at times did a good job when we were able to go inside to her, but your guards have to open things up by hitting shots on the perimeter as well. Kalista Walters, we would have liked to get her going a little bit more, but their length obviously affects that and anytime you go inside, our guards kept trying to penetrate and I kept reminding them that you're driving in there to 6'3”, 6'4”, 6'4”, that when you penetrate, unless you have an uncontested layup or one-on-one, you need to be on a penetrating kick to find someone open when you draw that much attention. Some of our decision making was suspect in that regard, we played right in to their hands driving in against three people.”
“I think their length and their zone, where you try to attack a zone defense is in the high post area and I think with their length your guards sometimes are hesitant to throw the ball into the high post, but I felt that once we got the ball inside to the high post area, on the block and we were able to kick out, I thought really of the 22 shots that we took from the three, I'd say probably 18 of them were uncontested. We just have to be able to knock down shots and now you are looking at a freshman and a sophomore taking 13 of those shots, so to me they're gaining valuable experience and every back court we go against, every team that we are playing, they are upperclassmen heavy with juniors and seniors. That is experience that our players don't have and with every game we are looking to gain that experience and I'm not a patient person, but I have to learn to become a patient person because I'm excited about our future, of the players that are gaining that experience right now, and the future of the players coming in to help them.”
“You know, we haven't played a ton of two-three zone, but we've had to learn to play it. We've gone with a bigger lineup with inserting Kalista Walters into the lineup, Brandi Harvey-Carr, Kalista Walters, Brenna Wise, so going to a two-three zone and then match-up wise and being able to try and rebound because we're getting killed on the boards, offensive rebounds, put backs. We had some breakdowns, you know we talked about when you close out if you're the bottom person and you close out, not giving them the baseline drive. We had a couple breakdowns in that regard. We had, you know I say this all the time, when our defense is in front of us in the first half and I know exactly what a team is running, I watch a ton of film, I'm, as soon as they initiate a play I'm talking to our team, this is happening, this screen is coming, watch the cut or this. Now the other end the defense is not in front of me and they can't hear me and that's where some of our breakdowns are starting to happen in the second half, where they're not vocal enough. Now do I create the problem? Probably because I do it in the first half and can't do it as much in the second half, but they'll get better. When you're in a zone, communication is key with baseline runners, with cutters, with on ball screens, players have to be communicating that. I thought our players did a really good job of understanding personnel. You know that we had to get out. The two three-point shooters we were worried about were Lexie Brown and Rebecca Greenwell, and then who the drivers were, not playing the post players out at the three point line. I think we did a lot of good things defensively, but we still gave up more points than we were able to score so you know that's always a problem. But you know Duke is capable of putting up a lot of points with all the weapons that hey have. If we could score close to 60, we would have been in the game.”
Players Mentioned
G
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's Basketball
F/C
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's Basketball
G/F
/ Women's BasketballKara Lawson on Bella Flemings
Monday, November 17
Kara Lawson on Taylor Sofilkanich
Sunday, November 16
Kara Lawson on Sanai Green
Thursday, November 13
Kara Lawson on Autumn Fleary
Wednesday, November 12
