LOCKER ROOM REPORT: Wolfpack Players
NC State's D.J. Horne, Ben Middlebrooks, and Casey Morsell met with the media following the Wolfpack's 83-76 win over Wake Forest Tuesday evening.
Horne led the Pack with 21 points against the Demon Deacons to go along with three rebounds, two assists, two steals, and one block. Middlebrooks came off the bench and tacked on 14 points on 5-for-5 shooting from the field, 4-for-4 from the charity stripe, while adding six rebounds and one steal. Morsell scored eight points, blocked one shot, and secured one steal.
NOTE: Click on each player’s respective thumbnail to watch each interview in the player above.
D.J. Horne
“That was a big win for this team. It was a big step for our season, and it took a lot for us to win that game. Losing our head coach, losing one of our teammates late down the stretch, I think that was a great example of how together we are and how together we can be.”
“That’s our identity. We try to dictate the game knowing that, if we’re going to win, it’s going to start with defense. Tonight was a perfect example of that. I don’t think we hit any threes the entire game but we still managed to win that game and put up 80-plus points. It shows how whenever our shots aren’t falling we’ve really got to rely on our defense.”
“Our motto is H.E.A.R.T., and the T stands for togetherness. [Kevin Keatts] told us to stay together this last however much time was left. That was really his message.
“Ben Middlebrooks was a great spark for us tonight. D.J. Burns was a little under the weather today, it’s a next-man-up mentality and Ben showed that to a tee tonight.”
Ben Middlebrooks
“Mohamed [Diarra] is my guy; there is no one like him. He’s very unique. He’s a heck of a player. He’s unstoppable. I’ve never seen anyone who can move like him that’s as big as he is and has the skill set he does. Especially now that his confidence is getting up and he’s doing more and more, he’s gonna be a huge part of our team moving forward.”
“We’ve been through a lot of battles this year. We’ve had an overtime game against Boston College. We had Notre Dame where we were down the whole game and didn’t lead until the last second on the game winner. We’ve been through battles, so we go at it everyday in practice, 100 percent, and I feel like doing that has really prepared us for games like this when it gets heated. When it gets going, we’re prepared for it.”
Casey Morsell
“We’ve been here before. We’ve played in close games before. It’s just what we’re kind of used to at this point. We know not to get rattled. When it comes down to crunch time, we know it's all about defense and finishing possessions. That’s what we did tonight. We tried our best to hold them to one shot and we did for the most part.”
“Whether shots fall or not, we’re prepared. Without threes, there’s still a way to win. Our identity is defense. That’s who we are, and that’s what we value.”
“We can definitely build off of the momentum that we have just by increasing our defense and making shots. That’s really what it comes down to. We didn’t make a three all game and we still won. We have to make shots, but our defensive chemistry is there, it always goes to another level.”