LOCKER ROOM REPORT: Wolfpack Players
NC State's D.J. Horne, Casey Morsell, Dennis Parker, Jr., and Jayden Taylor met with the media following the Wolfpack's 67-54 loss to No. 7 North Carolina Wednesday evening.
Horne led the Pack on the boards with 10 while adding six points, four assists, one block, and one steal. Morsell scored 12 points against the Tar Heels to go along with six rebounds and one block. Parker tacked on five rebounds, four points, and one block. Taylor scored six points and pulled down five boards.
NOTE: Click on each player’s respective thumbnail to watch each interview in the player above.
D.J. Horne
“They made shots; we didn’t. We had some breakdowns defensively; they didn’t. That’s what ultimately led to us losing.”
“Whenever you’re not making shots, it’s never fun.”
“It felt like we were kind of even making shots in the first half. Second half, they made more than us.”
“I thought the intensity was there. We just didn’t make enough defensive stops or enough shots to win the game.”
“They just started making more shots, and that just kind of opened the floodgates for them.”
“We’ve just got to scratch this one and get a win at Louisville.”
“Don’t let this one weigh on us too heavily. We’ve got to go get a win on Saturday.”
Casey Morsell
“We just didn’t make the simple play. Guys were open, and we just kept forcing the paint. We were right there. It’s just details, and we got disconnected in the second half.”
“That’s just kind of who we are. That’s who we try to be every game. It was that second half; they kind of ran away with the lead, and we got disconnected.”
“Exactly. It is home, and we try our best to protect home. It just wasn’t falling. It’s been like that for me in particular for the past few games. We’ve just got to get it going because that’s going to be essential for us.”
“Yeah, it’s that simple. One of the best things you know: teams are going to give them up. You’ve just got to be able to knock them down. One good thing about everybody in here is that everybody works on it. It’s not like we just show up when we’re playing. We’re working on it. We’ve just got to go out and win the game, and we will.”
“There’s one right around the corner at Louisville, a team that’s trying to get going. It’s the ACC. You’ve got to have a short memory, learn from your mistakes, and prepare quickly for the next one.”
“Pretty much. One of the biggest messages was about staying connected for a full 40 minutes. We just went on spurts where we just didn’t share the ball. We weren't connecting on the defensive end.”
Dennis Parker, Jr.
“It was a great environment. Wolfpack Nation did a good job of selling out the stadium. The energy was there. We just couldn’t compete to win.”
“Just what we can do better. We’ll be able to play them later on. We’ll learn. It’s our first loss in the conference. We’ve got another one Saturday. We’ll go over the stuff we didn’t do so well tonight and prepare for the next game.”
“Staying together as a team. We can’t get separated individually, and we have to continue to be the team we’ve been the past couple of games. This is one game. The season’s not over. It’s not how we planned it to be, but you have to learn from it and move on.”
“Pretty much: just play together. We didn’t really play together like we had against UVa and Notre Dame. Even when shots aren’t falling, we need to play together.”
Jayden Taylor
“If we carry this loss into the game, we’re going to win.”
“Huge. Like you said, they got a great win at Miami, and Miami’s a good team. It’s big. We’ve got to go in there confident. I think it’s going to make us hungrier.”
“Ultimately, [Kevin Keatts] said we can’t forget who we are. He broke it down in the big scheme of things. We’re 3-1 in the ACC. We’re going to Louisville on Saturday. That’s what it is ultimately. We’ve got to get another one. We’ve got to get back on the winning side of things.”
“PNC showed out. I appreciate the fans. They were loud. We tried to give them more of a show, but we ultimately couldn’t. We need that support. I love our fans. I love when they come. It's better to play when they’re here. We want to give the fans what they want, but tonight we couldn’t."