Everything From Virginia Tech's Carleigh Wenzel and Mackenzie Nelson After The Hokies' Win Over Coastal Carolina

Virginia Tech guards Carleigh Wenzel and Mackenzie Nelson spoke to the media after the Hokies' 82-59 victory over Coastal Carolina. Here's the entirety of what Wenzel and Nelson had to say:

On the 2-for-18 (0-for-9 from three-point range) third quarter:

CW: "I'd say it wasn't really them. It was more us. I think we were taking kind of the same shots. Could we have gotten a little shot happy? I think yes. But it wasn't anything that they were doing. I think we were taking open shots, stuff that we can hit and knock down. So, I think that's what we did. It just happened to not fall. And again, that's something you go back, get in the gym, keep shooting."

On Wenzel's season-high 23-point performance:

CW: "I'd say it goes back to kind of stuff you go working on in the summer. I've kind of just been in the gym a lot, getting up a lot of shots. I shot a lot of threes. But again, that's something I've been working on, trying to stay consistent with that. So, again, you go back and get back in the gym, go back to the drawing board, see what I can do different, better. And then being able to just dish out to my teammates and them be able to knock down shots makes you feel like you're putting people in the right positions. So, continuing to do that."

Q: Mackie, speaking of three, going to this season, you probably weren't necessarily a three-point shooter. Can you talk about the work you put in and how does it feel not just to make them, but to decide to shoot them?

MN: "Yeah, I think that's half the battle, deciding to shoot them. I mean, you ask my teammates, my coaches, they want me to shoot them. So, it's just the confidence to go out there and take them. I play my role. I take the open shots. And hopefully, they will continue to go in."

On Nelson's new role as a starter:

MN: "Yeah, I kind of rely on my preparation. I mean, this all starts back in the spring. When there's no more games, there's no film, there's no preparing for an opponent, you're working on yourself. So, it started back then, getting shots up, working on my craft. And being rewarded with being a starter is awesome. Just trying to work to continue to keep that spot."

On Nelson (four assists) playing alongside Wenzel (10 assists) and on having two quasi-point guards out on the floor:

MN: "It's awesome, especially in a game where they press probably 80% of the game. Just having two people to handle the basketball and knowing that she can take it up, I can take it up. Just keeping the other team not knowing what we're going to do is awesome. So, it's it's a blessing."

On if that shows it's working pretty well:

CW: "Absolutely. I think I won the day. She won the last one. So that's something we kind of compete on, practice, games, things like that. So, obviously a little bit of competition going between each other, but for the betterment of the team, I think she's somebody who I trust the ball in her hands 90% of the time if I'm the other 10%. But yeah, it's been great. It's nice to have somebody to compete with, but also feed off of."

Q: You're competing in terms of assists?

MN: "Oh, yeah. Every day practice game, no matter what it is."

Uh, Carly, you guys start really fast and then had the low in the third quarter and then bounced back. What did you like about how you guys kind of responded after, you know, the ups and downs in this game?

On the fourth-quarter response after the ebbs and flows:

CW: "I think just staying confident. Everybody says it. Basketball's a game of runs. So, understanding that that's going to happen. We're going to have dips, but seeing however we can bounce back. I think we did a good job of that today. So again, going back figuring out why we were so low in that third quarter. But that's not obviously something you want to come out and try to do, but everybody was aware like we knew the shots we were taking and it wasn't anything different. It's stuff that we work on every day."

On Wenzel hitting 8-for-9 from the stripe:

CW: "So, our assistant [Sharnee Zoll] makes us swish. Specifically, me and Mack, we have to go from five to 10 to 20 switches a day in practice. Straight free throws. And if you don't, you have consequences for that. So, I'll give all credit to Coach Nee. But yeah, it's something, again, we work on it every day. Me and Mack specifically have to do like I said switches. So, it's something I expect every day and I wish it was 9-for-9 but it is what it is."

On the defense forcing backdoor cuts:

MN: "It was part of the game plan. We knew that they were hot from the three-point line in the beginning of the season and their back door cuts. So, we had to take that away. And just knowing, we call it teeing up. Just being aware. Obviously, we scouted some plays and sometimes they just do it randomly. But Coach says it all the time, ready to play. That's all it took. Ready to play, guard the three-point line and guard their backdoor cuts. And that's how we were successful today."

Q: Just to clarify, was this competition for you started last year or just doing it this year?

CW: "This year, started official practice. Yeah, we have practice points in practice. They count assists, turnovers. So, it started then and it'll continue all season."

On the quick two-day turnaround and whether it was tiring:

MN: "Not at all. I mean, we have a good support staff with us. We were all in the cold tubs, hot tub, Normatec. Recovery was the number one key. Practice was shorter than normal on yesterday, but just being able to pick up on the scout was the most important part of it. At the end of the day, basketball's basketball. We purposely did this game so that when we go down um to the Virgin Islands, we are ready for that."

Q: How important would you say that these non-conference games are to establishing the team's rhythm?

CW: "I'll say just building confidence. You see the ball go through the net. You see what you're good at, see what you need to go back and work on, and it's stuff that you do every day. So again, we watch film every day. You work on individual film, team film, individual workouts, team workouts, just stuff like that. Understanding your strengths, understanding each other's strengths, chemistry together, everything that you could possibly think of. But I think overall, just building confidence and understanding your strengths and what you can continue to go work on."