Everything From Virginia Tech's Megan Duffy After NC State Loss

Virginia Tech women's basketball head coach Megan Duffy spoke to the media after the Hokies' 82-62 loss to NC State Sunday; here's the entirety of what Duffy had to say:

Opening statement:

"Overall, disappointed with our defense. This afternoon, we knew that we probably had to have our best defensive effort of the season. NC State has five elite-level players who can score at a pretty high clip. I thought we were a step slow on our scout and just had too many breakdowns. I thought we had some good moments throughout the game as it went on, but overall, not enough defensively to stop, really, their big three."

On what NC State's defense and offense did in the second quarter, which NC State claimed convincingly 25-8:

"Yeah, I mean the run was fast and quick. They went downhill, they went one-on-one. I think the thing is, they don't run a ton of complicated stuff, but they're very good at what they do. So, the quick ball screens, the one-on-one attacks. That run was huge, and I thought we were back on our heels too much, instead of being the aggressor in that moment and in different moments throughout the game."

Q: What did you notice about how they were defending Baker that made it a tough shooting day for her?

"I mean, she got off 16 shots. I thought a few of them were rushed. We try to move Carys around at different spots and a couple of good looks. Just wasn't her best efficient game today. That's my job, to help her continue to find those easier baskets. Maybe get to the free-throw line, give her a little bit more space to work. So, overall, we'll get back to the drawing board with helping her find those different ways to score."

On Kilah Freelon (14 points and 18 rebounds — nine both on offense and defense):

"I thought Kilah had a really nice game today. I thought she was pretty hungry after the Notre Dame game, of just what she wanted to do out there. Her rebounding was tremendous. I thought she had some great defensive plays. Overall, I thought she really improved from our last game to this game, which is a good sign. She always has a great voice and is hungry for us. Hopefully, her energy will continue to be contagious."

On Duffy's message to the team after their second straight loss:

"I think we lost in two different ways. I think the Notre Dame loss was disappointing down the stretch, and a little bit of our execution within our zone offense. This was a completely different game. What I just told them in the locker room is, we have to really flip the mirror, look at ourselves from coaches to players and reset ourselves with our effort. We can get better at the basketball part. Maybe it's good to get on the road, head out to the West Coast, and see what we're made of out there."

On what the week looks like logistically and the opportunity to get away from Blacksburg:

"The whole rest of the year, there's going to be great opportunity. You talk to people about your first West Coast swing. I think my biggest goal for our team is to really dive into ourselves. Dive into the effort, dive into our process. And one of the things we've talked about, it's one of our core values, is our relentless growth. And I think even when you're in February, you've got to be so hungry to continue to improve on small things. That's the margin of error, as you go play really good teams down the stretch. I think this team has proven to me that they can do that, and that's my job to reset them and really lock into the small things. I think the only difference is we leave on Tuesday. I had to ask my staff who we play first. I'm still in the moment with stuff. But I look forward to it. Stanford's a really good team. Cal always plays well at home. I think we're going to have some great Hokie fans out there, it sounds like. So, excited to reset ourselves. This one doesn't feel good, especially on our home floor, but to respond and get on the road, it'll be good to see what we're made of."

On NC State's array of weapons and what Tech was hoping to do defensively:

"I felt like we didn't do a lot of what we wanted to do. Well, I mean, we'll start with Zoe Brooks. Phenomenal player, one of the best in the country. She just plays with great pace. You can see her handle, the way she can shift and change directions. Once she gets in the paint, she's like a pro from a standpoint of she can create space, she can stop on a dime, she can go off one foot. And you can cave in a little bit with her physicality, but her physicality is also under control. She has a really good touch to score. And then man, [Khamil] Pierre, coming over from Vandy, just again plays at her own pace. I thought we didn't do what we wanted to do in the beginning of the game when she didn't feel enough pressure on her. Just was very comfortable with her ability to get to her spots and once she gets to her spot, she can shoot the 15-footer, she can get to her Sikma game, she has a lot in her bag. So, just her efficiency from the field wasn't good enough. And I thought because she got easy stuff early, then some of the difficult ones, she ended up making. She can live with those a little bit. I thought Kilah had a couple really good possessions on her, and she made them. But it's those simple ones where she just cut in front of us, and we didn't give her any resistance [that] were the ones that really hurt us. And then I think Zam Jones just made timely baskets. Thought we did overall, pretty good job on her. And then late shot clock, even when we made a run in the second half, it's five on the shot clock. She does a little step back, creates space and bangs a three. And so, those were just daggers for us."

On letting up 80 or more in consecutive games and if there's any similarities that warrant defensive improvement:

"Yeah, I think that's where we're going to start. I think that's the reset I'm talking about. The will it takes to defend all five people doing it when we make adjustments. How much better can we get? I think first and foremost, we've gots to start with that, our rebounding and our hustle, those things. And then we build from that into our offense."

On some of the positives from today's game:

"Positives, this was a special day with our Play4Kay game, just being able to honor those women who have gone through cancer, whether they're fighting and have gotten through it, or they've passed. I think about Mel Daley, our player, and her mother, who passed away a few years ago. So, just to bring awareness. I know it's a big deal for NC State, too, with their former coach leading the charge with it. So, that's a positive from today that there is something bigger than a basketball game. And then I would say the second thing is, I love coaching this team. I love challenging them. I'm excited to get back to work and really dig into the film, see how I can, along with our staff, really improve. I just think that relentless growth of trying to get better, heal up a little bit, then move on."