Everything From Virginia Tech's Megan Duffy, Carleigh Wenzel, Samyha Suffren After Georgia Tech Win

Virginia Tech women's basketball head coach Megan Duffy, plus guards Carleigh Wenzel and Samyha Suffren, spoke to the media after the Hokies' 62-51 victory over Georgia Tech Sunday afternoon. Here's the entirety of what Duffy, Wenzel and Suffren had to say:

Opening statement from Coach Duffy:

MD: "Just thrilled for our two seniors today, Kilah Freelon and Mel Daley. Just a special day for them. Their parents and families were in the building, and in just a short amount of time, they meant a lot to our program. They've just fit right in with our culture and just the energy. Love being around them, and really special for them to get the win today."

On third- and fourth-quarter defense:

CW: "Just being able to kind of tone in. I think we started a little bit slow in the first half, both offensively and defensively. So letting the defense fuel us and get us going on offense. I think we talked about keeping them under 50 points, and so, we were right there at it. So being able to really lock in in that second half and get to the goal we're looking for."

On Suffren going 8-for-8 at the free-throw line and the team's 20-for-26 clip:

SS: "Just remember that we have time on the line and we don't need to rush it. Just remember our preparation. Even the littlest things as the free-throw line. So, all of our routines, on free throw, just make sure we take a deep breath and just knock those free throws down."

On the team's 22-2 run spanning the late third quarter into the fourth quarter:

SS: "Remembering that we just have to come out. Play as hard as we can, even though we didn't play our best in the first half. Just remembering that the preparation, what Coach Duffy says, that we have to lock in, do the little things and just fill the offense."

On if this team is better in certain areas than last year's:

MD: "Oh my gosh, last year? Wow. I'll just speak on this team. I'm just incredibly proud of the focus and grit to get better every day. Coming off two nice wins in California, you can have a letdown. And even though we didn't end up beating North Carolina the other day, there was still confidence about us that you can see we're getting better defensively. We're moving and sharing the ball. And we just had a couple of mishaps in that game; I was just so proud of them, taking every challenge we brought to them on Friday. We had to watch some of that film against UNC and watch the really disappointing moments. But then also from a [view of] positivity, we spun it and [were] just like, 'Look at the good basketball we're playing.' So, it's never too late to get better. I've always been a big believer in that, whether it's the last game of the season or it's summertime or November. This team continues to stay motivated to work on small things, and we needed that today. We were not at our best, and we knew coming in with Georgia Tech, the way they're physical, they got nothing to lose. [Karen Blair's] doing a great job in her first year. It's not easy, as I went through it last year. And so just for our team to, despite having some ugly possessions on both sides, just stay locked in like Samyha making all her free throws, Carleigh hitting a big three. She had a phenomenal pick-and-roll game to [Aniya Trent]. It's like all those little plays add up, and you can pull away. I'm very proud of the grit they showed — this week especially."

On Wenzel hitting 1,000 career points:

CW: "I think I've had a lot of amazing teammates in my past years, obviously, Liz Kitley and Georgia Amoore. So, being able to come in and understand what it takes and things like that. I think people just know how to give me the ball where I'm successful. I think that means a lot. Speaks on my teammates and everything, but yeah, it means a lot. It's a lot of hard work."

On forcing Georgia Tech into 24 turnovers and four different Yellow Jackets players committing four or more TOs:

MD: "I thought we had some great possessions where we rotated over. We forced them to travel a couple of times. That run that we made, that we were alluding to before, we had some phenomenal rotations and led to some deflections, which was great. We were finally in the right position. I don't think at any point in the first quarter, we were ever in the right position. So, we got better as the game went on with that. But just overall, we tightened things up and forced their kids to take some shots that were a little bit more difficult for them. I thought they got a few easy shots in the first half. But anytime you can force 20-some turnovers, it's less opportunities for them to score, and it gives you, obviously, an advantage."

On if there was any specific defensive adjustments made in the second half:

MD: "I just thought we were a step slow. They can get into multiple actions and end up getting into a one-on-one and iso situation. I thought yesterday at practice, we guarded it really well, and we're in sync. I think that's where I was a little bit disappointed, because I was like, 'Well, we're not doing it like yesterday.' So, we just had to keep talking about it and keep showing them what it looked like. And even if they thought they were there, you've got to keep making those adjustments. So, I thought once we tightened up a little bit and played up to our effort level, then some of the mistakes we could make, you could get away with because of your effort and getting to the right spot. I thought our bench did a really nice job for us, helping on that side of the ball, as well. Just overall, like I said, we got stronger as the game went on."

On the team's defensive strength and the importance of that heading into UVA and the ACC Tournament:

MD: "It's driven us all year. Because I think, just when you're driven on those things, you can control your defense and your rebounding and the way you communicate with each other. It can take such a load off your offense. Because, as we know, you watch games all across the country. You're going to have a game where it looks really pretty, and then the next day, you can't make a shot. So they've really bought into that, with this group, of staying steady in the fight and then being patient when those shots do come. But if we didn't have our defense this year and our mindset, it'd be a whole different ball game for us. And I'm just so proud of how they've individually gotten better, led by [Wenzel and Suffren], and then just even [Carys Baker's] growth and [Kilah Freelon's] anchor inside, that becomes contagious. Leila Wells has been a big piece of that as well, and Mackie [Nelson], with their scrappiness. So, we have different defensive groups we can use to keep that energy up, and it's critical at the end of February and March."

On Aniya Trent and Kayl Petersen entering when Freelon dealt with foul trouble:

MD: "Kilah got a couple, a couple cheap ones, but I thought, starting with AT, just her physical presence. She got a couple fouls too, but she held her ground. I thought Kayl made a couple big plays for us, drew a foul on them by just banging bodies with somebody, and grabbed a couple herself. Those things matter. It gets [Suffren and Wenzel] easier buckets. And there's a little bit of a reverse thing, because their guards are pretty good rebounders. So usually we say, 'Guards, you got to help the post rebound.' And this was kind of a game where it was like, 'Hey, bigs, can you help these guys?' With the way Georgia Tech's guard play was. So, it needed to be a collective effort. I thought AT was very efficient with it, just huge minutes. And I thought she got a little frustrated in the beginning, but then even her poise. Kilah Freelon was in her ear, along with her assistant coaches, to keep her positive and keep her locked into what she needed to do. So, overall, was happy with our bench."

On waht Freelon and Daley have meant to the team:

CW: "Yeah, I think it's really hard to just come into a team and build chemistry right away in one year. I think they fit what we do perfectly. I think they work really hard on the court, but they're great people off the court, what they do, what they want to do with life. it's just not normal stuff. So, being able to have people that you just get along with, that are just good people, that want to work hard and want to pour into a program and give all they have for a year is rare. So, it's nice to have them here. Credits to [Duffy] for getting people like that here."

SS: "No, for real. Mel and Kilah, they just did such a good job of being able to adapt, coming from two different schools who played two different ways. So, just having the trust in us, as well as Coach Duffy, it makes the team better off and on the court."