LOCKER ROOM REPORT: Wolfpack Players
NC State's Terquavion Smith, Jarkel Joiner, and D.J. Burns met with the media following the Wolfpack's 73-67 win over Campbell Friday evening.
Smith led the Wolfpack with 19 points on 6-for-11 shooting from the floor, 4-for-8 from three point range, while also adding six assists, three steals, and two rebounds. Joiner finished with 17 points against the Camels on 6-for-13 shooting with six rebounds, three assists, and two steals. Burns tacked on four points in 18 minutes off the bench with two assists, two rebounds, one block, and one steal.
NOTE: Click on each player’s respective thumbnail to watch each interview.
Terquavion Smith
“It was big for us. We wanted to get a good win at home and protect PNC, so that was big energy-wise.”
“If you look around the league, there have been a lot of down-to-the-buzzer games for other teams in the conference. It was tighter than we expected because of the last game, but that was a great team, so it was a good game.”
“This does help us a lot as a team, instead of winning by 30, by helping us know how to make the right decisions with the time and score. It helps us in a lot of ways.”
Jarkel Joiner
“We were battle tested tonight.”
“Everybody has a chance to beat anybody around the world. You see it all the time. This year, it’s a little earlier. Like I said, we’ve been battle tested before, and it shows that tonight we were together.”
“We came through at the end. We settle down. We got some stops when we needed to. We rebounded the ball. Like I said, we played together. The end.”
“The coaches and players trusted me to be aggressive. They know my mid-range game, so they were comfortable with me taking those shots.”
“This game will help us in a lot of ways.”
“We’ll watch the film and see where we need to improve. We’ll need to work on backdoor stuff, because we’ll run into teams who run that kind of stuff, and off-the ball stuff.”
“[The message during Campbell’s timeout was] don’t foul, guard the ball, and stay at home. No threes.”
D.J. Burns
“It’s very important. We want to try and win every game, and I’m glad we went out and got the job done.”
“Just like everything else, [distributing from the front court] is something that I work on, and it’s something I’m happy to do to help my team win.”
“It’s been good so far. They cheer us on, and it’s loud in there when we need it to be. They’re right there beside us the whole game. We appreciate that.”
“This is the seventh or eighth time I’ve played them. It’s a really competitive game. They’re going to give it their best every time. They run a unique offense, and it’s something we really had to prepare for.”
“It’s nothing too unusual for us. It’s more so that the actions they’re running that are a little tough to guard if you’re not prepared at all times.”
“You’ve got to have that grit. It’s something we take pride in, and finishing possessions is something we work on, so I’m glad we got the job done.”