LOCKER ROOM REPORT: Wolfpack Players
NC State's Jarkel Joiner, Terquavion Smith, and Casey Morsell met with the media following the Wolfpack's 73-69 road win over Virginia Tech Saturday evening.
Joiner scored 21 points versus the Hokies while also recording eight rebounds and one steal. Smith led all scorers with 22 points to go along with five rebounds, three assists, and three steals. Morsell tacked on 15 points, three rebounds, two assists, one block, and one steal.
NOTE: Click on each player’s respective thumbnail to watch each interview in the player above.
Jarkel Joiner
“We knew Virginia Tech was desperate. They lost three in a row. We knew what type of team they are. They’re a really good team. It’s a Quad I win for us. We needed to get one back. We dropped one at home against Pitt, so we stole one on the road. They’re a really good team. We just closed it out at the end.”
“It’s stuff we practice at home. Coach [Kevin Keatts] gets us in shape for a lot. Where we defend, how we pick up, 94 feet… Yes, it was draining. We knew what type of team they were, but we got the victory.”
“It’s a really big one. Like I said, it was a Quad I win. Virginia Tech is a really good team, and we got a big one tonight.”
“It’s really huge. We didn’t want to sit on a loss for a week. It would’ve been a long bus ride back with an L. I’m glad we got the W.”
“Most definitely. We knew, when Greg Gantt stepped in and played big for us, that we had to rebound really well. We've got guards to rebound. Casey rebounded well. [Smith] rebounded well. We’ve all got to rebound and keep doing it.”
“Man, really hard. It’s really hard to win on the road in the ACC, man. The crowd was amazing tonight. We pulled it off.”
“I’ve played a lot of basketball in a lot of big gyms. It was fun. Coach [Kareem] Richardson was saying it’s fun. We never got down. We knew they’d make a run. We didn’t know it was going to be that late, but we knew what type of team they were. We stayed with it, made free throws at the end, and won the game.”
“Most definitely. They’re a really good team. They were ranked at one point. They got votes. [Sean] Pedulla’s really good. He’s a crafty point guard. They’re a running team. We got a big one tonight.”
Terquavion Smith
“It was great energy. I feel like, when that happens, that’s when we face adversity and use our matureness, the older guys, and the people who played last year that we have to come together instead of fall apart.”
“We just wanted to keep that same energy that we had in the last [game] against Duke. That’s why we preached about playing like that regardless of who we play, just always playing hard like that on both ends of the floor.”
“Just keeping that energy up and stringing two good halves together. I felt like, coming out of the half this game, we were kind of laid back or too cool. If we put together two good halves, we’ll be fine.”
“Togetherness and fight. We fight with each other, and we fight for each other. Regardless, I feel like we’re a together bunch, and we will always fight for each other on and off the court.”
“Just staying the course and playing with high energy. We didn’t want our energy to fall and them to make more runs. We just wanted to stop their runs and hit back instead of falling over.”
“It feels good to me. I wanted to have a bigger role than I did last year when it comes to late-game situations where I got the ball in my hands. Just making the right play, not settling, getting downhill more, stuff like that… In close games, that’s what I live for.”
“It’s definitely a whole new brand. I feel like people can tell by just our energy with each other or even on the court. The last game we played showed how we want to play and what we need to do to win.”
Casey Morsell
“I think that was a big step. The crowd kept trying to get involved, and we kept making plays toward the end to make things happen. I think everything that happens toward the end of the game, we were just trying to be conservative, trying to make the right play. We ended up having a few fumbles which made the game somewhat more competitive. For the most part, we were locked in from start to finish. We’ve got to finish closing games and put ourselves in a better position to be successful.”
“We knew they were going to try and make plays at the end, but one thing about this team, especially on the road, we’re doing a lot better at tuning out the noise. It can’t really stop us from getting out of our flow. At the end, we were trying to be conservative and make the right play. There were a few mistakes, but we’re in good shape.”
“It’s just noise. It’s a game of runs. We were expecting them to go on a run at some point, but we kept doing our thing and responded. It put us in a position to be successful.”
“It’s a huge win. We’re on a win streak. We always say we want to stack days and keep building. It’s a huge win, and we’ve got to keep the momentum going.”
“Every game is somewhat of a rivalry. It feels like a rivalry, especially when it comes to closing games. It gets tough, and it’s very physical. The atmosphere was great, and they came ready.”