Everything From Virginia Tech HC Megan Duffy After Win Over Towson

Virginia Tech women's basketball head coach Megan Duffy spoke to the media after the Hokies won their season opener over Towson, 100-57. Here's the entirety of what Duffy had to say:

Opening statement:

"Oh, it was great to be back in Cassell [Coliseum]. Awesome environment. I missed it for a few months and just proud of our team. You never know in the first game, as a coach, how we're all going to come out. But I thought we made some improvements as the game went on. It was great to have everybody get in the game. So, just overall super excited about the first win."

On Kayl Petersen's career night (career-high 17 points, 11 rebounds, first career double-double), and her growth entering her second year:

"I always think [that] there's a big jump from your freshman to your sophomore year and Kayl just fills into her role so nicely. Just does all the small things for us. When Carys [Baker] got a couple fouls and was out in that first half, [Petersen] just seamlessly went in and got a couple buckets, big rebounds, and then that three ball opened up in the second half. So, just very proud of her game. The 11 rebounds, I'm sure she'll be the most proud of because we've been talking a lot about our rebounding and our defense. So, just a great great night for Kayl across the board, 5-for-5 from the free throw line, too. So, couldn't ask for a better opener for her."

On if Tech's 76-shot night represents the pace that Tech will play at for the rest of the season:

I think watching Towson, we knew it was going to be potentially a high possession game, just watching them from last year a little bit. We just talk about pushing the tempo as much as we can. As long as we're taking good quality shots, we can live with those. Didn't have to run a ton of offense throughout the game, which is okay for the first game but I want them to play free. I want them to be confident and I want that ball moving. You look at assist per made basket a decent amount, too. I thought we did a pretty good job of sharing the ball. I thought Kilah [Freelon] started off really well for us with that, pushing tempo and getting some easy buckets from our point guards. And that set the tone we talk about, not necessarily when we're going to get the shot in the shot clock, but just making sure they're good quality shots."

On having Samyha Suffren back (Suffren missed the tail end of the 2024-25 campaign due to shoulder injury):

"Yeah, I'm just happy for her, I told her at one point, 'Can you have some fun out here?' Like, you're back and just being grateful for the opportunity to play again. And it was a long year for her to obviously have the surgery and then spend time getting back in the swing of things and get the rust off. And the more she plays, the better she's going to get. And I think she's pretty hard on herself at times. We're just trying to get her to stay emotionally involved in the the small things of the game of basketball because she's very talented. Again, the more minutes she can play and get that game experience again, the better this team will be."

On five players on the team scoring in double-digits and how Duffy feels on the team versatility wise:

"Yeah, I mean, first game, you don't know who's going to score. A little bit of the lineup, I wasn't sure exactly what it was going to be because a lot of players deserve to be out there. They're working hard. They're pushing each other. We talked from last year to this year of having a little bit more depth in all positions and I thought we showed that a little bit. I felt like I was hockey subbing in that first and second quarter, just getting a lot of fresh bodies in. Kept it a little bit more stable in that third quarter, but we're going to keep evolving into our lineups. That's why our practices are so important, what we're charting their their mindset to help our team with winning plays and be successful. So, it'll keep evolving as we go, but overall, it was good to see a lot of people contribute and be in that scoring column."

On transition from coaching against Freelon to coaching her personally:

"Yeah, Kilah's a joy. She's a leader in so many ways. Even though she's new to our team, she played a lot of college basketball. So, her experience of just knowing the game and knowing where to be at the right spot, she does a lot of things for us. And so, I was happy for her, in her first game, to be a great contributor to us. I look forward to just helping her develop too. I think that's the big thing when she came here. She wanted to develop her offensive side. Always been a good defender and a good rebounder, but she's stepping into a little bit more confidence with her offense, which is great to see."

On whether the team focused on certain things to develop Petersen:

"Kayl's got a lot of talent. She has a great skill set and a little bit for her is just that belief in herself that she can do so many things for us to help us be successful. And I think she can score inside. You saw her stretch the floor with her three. I love her rebounding, though. She doesn't care who she guards, big kids, small kids. She figures out ways to help us be successful and if she can do that, whether she's coming off the bench [or] in the starting lineup, whatever this team needs, she's always been that selfless kid. And it's just great to see her have a nice night tonight."

Q: And then on on Kyla, what do you see to kind of explain how, she may be undersized just like she was at her old school [Texas Tech] but... she can get the job done?

"Hey, you guys know when you get measured when you're younger, sometimes, your arms are longer than how tall you are? I don't know what that's called, but her arms are way longer than how tall she is. So, she might be listed at something, but the way she uses her wingspan and her knack to play makes her bigger than she is. And her IQ helps her, as well. So, I don't know how tall long her wingspan is, but it helps her. She's taller than she is."

On Mackie Nelson (seven assists) and Carleigh Wenzel (six assists) and their control of the flow of the contest:

"We talked a lot coming into this game about them dictating the pace and the tempo and doing it in different ways. I thought they did a great job finding different teammates. I thought the way they spread the ball around was really positive tonight. Both very good passers and both capable of scoring too. So, I think every game, they just have to find their balance of distributing and then taking their open shots. I thought overall point guard play was pretty solid today."

On how it helps to get the first game in so the newcomers and returners can mesh:

"It's the most important thing about tonight. Obviously, getting the win is great. But to to see those freshman out there and to see our transfers, our returners, I feel like [they] are always ready. They know the experience here at Cassell. They're excited, but they've been here, done that in some ways. So, to get those new players in the jersey, in front of our fans, with the band and just the environment. Biscuits tonight, which is good. [It] is a really good feeling. So, these early games, being able to give them some confidence and them understanding what to expect every night. We've been talking about it, even in our two little preseason games and scrimmages. We really tried to simulate as close of a game as we could with just our routine and what we're going to do at shoot around, what we're going to eat. {That's] just to stay consistent through the season. And when you have consistency, I think good things can happen."

On 76 shots (nine from three) and whether the team will lean towards a more downhill-style of play:

"Yeah, I wouldn't look too much into it. I think it's a little bit of different styles. We're going to play non-conference and obviously we got some easy baskets out in transition and we didn't need to shoot a lot of threes. So, I think it's a little bit of a mix. I think we'll be definitely a team that can do both, depending on what the defense gives us. So, I think it was a little bit more of a different style tonight. There's a lot of fouls called first night, too. I think that slowed some things down with just the free-flowing game. So both teams shot a decent amount of free throws, which happens sometimes with early matchups. But yeah, we'll see how that continues to to evolve."