Everything From Virginia Tech's Mackenzie Nelson and Carys Baker After 68-64 Win Over Florida

Virginia Tech forward Carys Baker and guard Mackenzie Nelson spoke to the media after the Hokies' 68-64 win over Florida Thursday evening. Here's the entirety of what Baker and Nelson had to say:

On how the team played:

MN: "I think we played very well. I think that we had ups and downs. I think they went on their runs and Liv [McGill], number 23 on the other team is one absolute baller. And we were on her all game, whoever it was, whatever guard was on her. And it wasn't just that main guard we were gapping. We were there to prevent what she could do. At the end of the day, I think that helped us win this game."

On how critical that defensive pressure was (the Hokies forced McGill into 10 turnovers):

MN: "Yeah, absolutely. We talked about it all week. She's going to make tough shots. She's going to take tough shots. Just being able to make every single shot she takes hard. I think we did that and we got her to turn the ball over more than she normally does, which was awesome."

On Aniya Trent's effort (career-high seven points):

CB: "Yeah, I mean, Aniya's been working so hard. I've been talking to her throughout the past couple weeks. And she's just a worker. So, obviously, we knew that her process was going to come to light somehow, and it did today. And I was so proud of her. I think I was more proud of her than anything. So, I was super proud of her. Even Amani [Jenkins] coming in off the bench. I mean, they're two freshmen. That's a big game to step into and and have a big role. And they honestly helped us win that game."

On the team's play over the final six minutes:

MN: "We've been working on late game all year. And that's what we executed down the stretch. That was the point. We had our mistakes in JMU. We had our mistakes down the line um at BYU against BYU and we were able to fix them, work on them in practice, and then come back today and execute those."

On Baker tallying a double-double, and on her effectiveness both offensively and defensively:

CB: "Yeah, I mean we have really good rebounders. Kilah [Freelon] and Kayl [Petersen] are really good rebounders for us. So, I think that was just an emphasis for me all practice, working on my rebounding. Obviously, Florida's a really good rebounding team. So, that was definitely a focus in our post group just to get on the boards, get on the glass and just box them out. So, I think that was kind of an emphasis for me from the start of the game."

Q: What else against their defense?

CB: "I have really good point guards. [Editor's note: Nelson then said, "Shut up." to Baker and the two started laughing.] So, I would say that helps a lot just having Mack and Carleigh [Wenzel] bringing up the ball. IThey have a lot of pressure on their shoulders, so I was just trying to do anything I could to help them out. And so, yeah, it was just clicking for me."

On what specifically was better in the late-game situation:

MN: "Yeah, I think it's just a lot of reps. Like I said, we do it all in practice. Getting people in the right spots. I think a lot of the time, down in a couple other games we've had, we've run the correct play but the right people weren't in the right spots. So, we were able to do that today; the point guards specifically are working on talking to Coach Duffy more at the free-throw line during late game just to communicate what's going on. I mean, we had an awesome crowd today which is awesome. But it makes it really hard to hear sometimes. So, just being able to come to her communicate and execute um whatever she wants on the court."

On what goes into defending McGill:

MN: "It was one through five. Everyone on the court, whoever came in the game, whoever was on the court, whenever it was a one through five effort. She ended up with 30, but it wasn't an easy 30. It was hard. We worked uh all week, like I said, on being able to just make her shots difficult and take contested shots. Nothing easy. And obviously, it's a game of basketball. She had a couple, but Carleigh had great possessions down the stretch. We talked about it at the end of the game. Samyha [Suffren], Leila [Wells] coming off the bench, being able to give a different look. Mel [Daley] with length. It was just all-around effort. And even the post players gapping, switching, getting a couple blocks, frustrating her at the end of the day. That's what made us successful today."

On Wenzel (2-for-12 from field, six assists):

MN: "Carleigh's Carleigh. If her shots not falling, she's going to find other ways to score. And I looked at her at one point and I said, 'Keep being aggressive.' And she's like, 'Well, I haven't made a layup.' And I was like, 'I don't care. Like, keep going.' Like, that's who Carleigh is. And she might have went two for 12 today, but next game is another game. And just that mentality. We need her. We need her to take those shots. And whether they fall or they don't, that's helping us, whether she realizes it or not. And Carleigh's a willing passer. She's an awesome passer and we were able to knock down shots today. So, like I said, when one part of her game isn't working, the other parts are."

On whether Nelson was feeling any pressure at the free-throw line with eight seconds left to go:

MN: "Absolutely. But I'm sure you've heard us say before, Coach [Sharnee Zoll] is on us as point guards. And we'll definitely have some sort of punishment for missing that free throw. But when it came down to it, I ended up knocking down the second one, so that was good."

On how Baker feels about the team heading into their first ACC game vs. Duke on Sunday (2 p.m. ET, ESPN2):

CB: "Yeah, I mean, this is going to be a big game. Duke is a really good team, as well. They put a lot of pressure on the ball. So, I think this was a good game going into Duke because they're kind of similar in the sense of the pressure that they put offensively. So, we just have to turn around. I know this was a big win, but we got to turn around tomorrow. We have practice and just start another day with figuring out what we're going to do against Duke."

On if Carys' stellar shooting stretch has to do with any difference in mindset:

CB: "I had a stretch of time where I think mentally, I was just not having it. I think I was a little bit frustrated with what I was doing. And I sat down, talked to Coach Duffy. That's someone I talked to a lot when I have stretches of moments because it's basketball. It's a game of up and downs. So, it's going to happen. And so, I sat down with her and talked about it. I've just been talking with my teammates, and I think they've been encouraging me to keep shooting. Mackie is someone that's always in my ear about shooting the ball, whether or not it's going in. And I think just having them having that confidence in me, it's helped a lot."

On what impressed Baker the most about Trent:

CB: "Yeah, I mean Aniya, like I said, she's been frustrated. But, I mean, Aniya is going to be really, really good and she's only a freshman. She's not even reached the surface of her skill yet. And so to come into that game, that's a lot of pressure. When I was a freshman, I was terrified. And I don't even think Aniya looked scared out there. So, I mean, for her to come in and do that was huge for us. I was screaming at the top of my lungs during the game and after the game for her. And I'm going to scream at her when I get back into this locker room. But, yeah, I'm so, so proud of her and I just hope that this builds her confidence even more because we're going to need her down the stretch."

On embracing the physicality of the contest:

MN: "I mean, we talk about it uh 24/7 in the locker room, on the court, film, individual meetings, individual workouts. Physicality is a part of the game. We worked on in the summer getting stronger, so we can take those hits. We can be able to box out bigger, stronger players. And at the end of the day, toughness is a huge part of that. Huge part of physicality. So, just being able to have the heart and grit to be physical down there the whole game."

Q: You talked a little bit about Duke's on ball pressure. What have you noticed about them in terms of their tempo from scouting?

"We have not looked at Duke yet. You can go ask [Zoll]. She's been working on it for weeks. But we are focused on this game. Duke's a really good team. We're happy to have them come in our building. And hopefully, we can have the same outcome as we did tonight."