North Carolina State University Athletics
Post-game quotes: NC State vs. Baylor, NCAA Tournament
3/20/2007 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Opening Statement:
I am very excited. I feel this is a great win for our program. When I saw Baylor was a player in our region, I knew we had a really tough game on our hands. Baylor plays hard, as a matter of fact, our staff thinks we are a mirror image of each other. There are a lot of similarities in how we play and the personnel that we have. We thought that it would be a really great game and it would be a close game. I think defensively the first half we played great defense, but they shot 65%. It was like they couldn’t miss. At halftime we talked to our players about we have to maintain our defensive intensity, we have to rebound and we have to take care of the ball. Needles to say we did have the chance to pull it out. In the second half, we continued to play great defense. These three players and everyone else that played did a great job for us. We were sometimes passive on offense, but we wanted to be aggressive. They played aggressively and I think it was a great game of college basketball period. We had two teams that really played hard and well, and I am just glad that we came out on the winning side.
On her confidence in Shayla Fields to hit the 3-pointer:If I had to bet, I would have bet that she would have hit those free throws (at the end of the game). For whatever reason, they didn’t go down but we knew she could shoot the ball. She is one of the best pure shooters really. She hit two 3s like that against Virginia Tech and that’s how we won that game. She has a strong mindset. We knew that if she took that shot, it had a good chance of going down.
On the team’s willingness to come back from illness and injuries:I knew they were going to come back from this tonight. I know in my heart that they will not say, “Coach Yow, I just can’t go.” We really missed Khadijah and Ashley when they were out. We needed both of them in a tight game like that. I think they have learned how to come back.
On defense of Bernice Mosby:We knew we had to play defense for 40 minutes. Everyone stretched for a while. If we could keep up our defensive intensity and our great pressure, we hoped they wouldn’t shoot 65% in the second half. We had to stay closer to Mosby in the second half. We couldn’t let her shoot facing the basket. Khadijah knew that she couldn’t give Mosby room and had to smother her. We are a team when it comes to defense.
Khadijah Whittington, Junior / ForwardOn how she felt during the game:
I felt kind of sick in the first half, but this is it--so I had to suck it up. I went into the training room to get cooled off and I was able to return. I think it was a little bit of nerves. It went away and we won!
On her defensive effort:It was a team effort. I had my teammates help me out if my person would beat me. The second-line rotation stepped up. I tried to stay closer on defense and it went smoother in the second half.
Ashley Key, Senior / GuardOn her injury late in the game:
I went for the ball and we were trying to get all of the hustle points that we could. My teammates tell me that I turned on my jets to get the ball. I lost half of a calf muscle because it cramped up really bad on me. I went back to the locker room and was able to return.
On keeping the season alive:I think this is huge. I mean just for the look on her (Coach Yow’s) face after the game. She looked like a kid in a candy store. She had a huge smile on her face and she has a big heart. It is huge for us to go to California and keep the winning streak going.
Shayla Fields, Sophomore / GuardOn her three pointer:
The coaches called the play for me, and Khadijah set a great screen for me and I was wide open. She got me the pass and it was nothing but net!
