Everything From Virginia Tech HC Megan Duffy After Win Over Niagara

Virginia Tech women's basketball head coach Megan Duffy spoke with the media after the Hokies' 83-46 win over Niagara. Here's the entirety of what Duffy had to say:

Opening statement:

"I was proud of our team. I thought we had good balance. I really enjoyed getting our entire roster in the game and I thought Amani Jenkins was a great bright spot for us. Got some rebounds, couple nice buckets. So, overall just a good team effort. I thought our team played unselfish and shared the ball, which is always a positive thing."

On what this opening five-game stretch has told Duffy about her team:

"I think it's been really good. We've played a lot of different styles. We've had to handle a lot of pressure. Probably the most pressure early in season that I can remember with just different teams running and jumping and pressing, trapping at times. So, it's been good for our guard play to see that and handle it. We've been able to take care of the ball pretty well in most of the games. And I think the good thing too, we've gotten people, a lot of people in different situations in the game. And now, the fun starts, right? We'll go and watch the film tonight and then I'm excited to get on the road to face JMU and and then we got the Tropical tournament afterwards. So, should be a fun test for our team."

On Carleigh Wenzel playing off-ball and Mackenzie Nelson developing into more of a pure point guard:

"It's funny. I call so many of them point guards. Carleigh Mackie, Samyha [Suffren] does it. I teased that Kayl [Petersen] and Carys [Baker] got to be ball handlers. Just the mindset [that] you got to make decisions, make reads. But the ability for multiple people on the court to do that is huge. And we've been talking about Mackie and Carleigh doing that. But it's a lot of people being able to make the decisions, handle the ball, get us in the right positions to be successful, whether that's in transition or in the halfcourt. So, I think we're in a good spot with that."

On a very balanced scoring output:

"Since I've been here, we haven't had somebody that takes 30 shots a game or averages 20. I think a lot of our players have the potential to have big games, but I think we've talked a lot about this year of our depth being important, that we can bring people off the bench. I thought Samyha and Leila [Wells] were two people that had great sparks for us tonight. Just with our ball pressure and being in the right spots and getting out in transition. So, the more people we can have contributing, I think the better we'll be. So, we got to keep that momentum going as we move forward."

On Jenkins and the growth that Duffy has seen once she arrived on campus:

"Freshman year can be so hard and I think everybody has high hopes of what they want their freshman year to look like. But sometimes, you got to go through the the fire with it, just how hard practices are. Learning the scouts, you got quick turnarounds. I think Amani has done a great job of figuring out the work ethic it takes and having a positive attitude and just being ready every day. I think that's what we keep telling her, [that] at any point your number can be called. She's putting in that extra work with Coach [Lee] Taylor and our coaching staff. And it's nice to see a game like today, where she was in the right spot. She blocked some shots. She had a big physical presence inside for us. And she deserved those minutes and she was able to contribute with them."

On 48 points in the paint and if there's an emphasis to work inside:

"I think we talk about paint production and every game's a little different with that. Whether it's an offensive rebound, whether it's getting out in transition, whether it's throwing it into our post players, our guards getting their feet in the paint. Every game's going to look a little different with that. And I think overall, we did a pretty nice job of that. There's some sloppy plays I thought we could have executed a little bit better in the second half, but we talk about [that] we want to shoot the three. We want to also have that balance of getting some easy shots and that can lead to fouls and different things from your opponent. So, just find that balance every game is what we're trying to do."

Q: When you said now the fun begins, as good as you've you've looked in these first five games, what are you still curious about? What are you looking to find out about your team from these games Sunday and and in the Virgin Islands?

"I think anytime you go on the road for the first time, we were able to go on the road for a scrimmage this year and just talk about our routine. You really have to bring your own energy on the road oftentimes and just talking about how we communicate to each other, how intense we are. But at the same time, you're focusing on the same process. You got to know the scout. You got to execute what we're trying to do in the game plan. And we're going to be led by our upperclassmen to lead us through that and see what we're made of on the road."

Q: Feel like there'll be some good good tests coming up here?

"Oh yeah, there'll be some great tests for sure."

On what she likes about the home-and-home series with JMU, what went into it and how it can be beneficial for both programs:

"Yeah, I think it's great for both programs and I've known Sean [O'Ragan] for a long time now when we were assistant coaches, just trying to make it and figure it out. And now we're in our own programs, he's a great coach, great basketball mind, consistently has done a terrific job there. We were talking and we had a couple openings on our schedule. We were trying to just figure out around football, like who could host and who could be on the road. It just worked out that we were going to start the series at at their place and just excited for it because they always have a good NET [rating]. They always have a really, really good team. So, if you can get a good quality win, it helps you on your resume, for sure."

On the message to the team following Niagara's 6-0 run to begin the third quarter:

"I wasn't real thrilled in the beginning of the third quarter. I thought we were a little bit sloppy. But you can't go home with your timeouts. I just thought we'd just reiterate what we were trying to accomplish in the third quarter. Get a little bit more focused on the pressure they were bringing us and be a little bit more fundamentally sound."

On 15 offensive rebounds compared to Niagara's 15 defensive, and how important keeping that number close is:

"We're trying to rebound at the best of our ability and sometimes, that's having great box outs on the defensive end. Sometimes, that's crashing the glass. Our team's going to be a mix with that. It's going to be the post some nights, if we can get our guards in there getting scrappy with the O-boards. Getting in the right position but it can impact plays so often whether you can get to the free throw line from them or just an energy play. So, just staying aware of the rebounding will be an emphasis for us all season long."