LOCKER ROOM REPORT: Wolfpack Players
NC State's Terquavion Smith, Dereon Seabron, and Ebenezer Dowuona met with the media following the Wolfpack's 88-70 win over Bucknell Tuesday evening.
Smith scored 20 points in his collegiate debut on 9-for-17 shooting with four steals and three rebounds. Seabron recorded a double-double with 18 points and 11 rebounds while also recording three steals. Dowuona hauled 10 rebounds off the bench with two points and two blocks.
NOTE: Click on the video in the player above to watch the players’ interview.
Terquavion Smith
On first game success...
It felt good, I mean in practice every day we go hard at each other and with each other so I mean it kind of translated in the game so it made it much easier.
On the difference in the second half...
The key to that was really staying as a team. Not hanging our heads and getting down on each other but coming together and believing in one another and playing harder than them. We really wanted to play harder than them. We took a hit in the mouth early so we just had to bounce back.
On defensive scheme in the second half...
No, [Keatts] didn’t really switch up defense. Our defense - we pressure the ball and are all over the ball. So it was the same defense.
On looking comfortable on the court...
For me, I don’t get nervous. I feel like we all lace up the same way so I go at everybody because I know they are going to go at me.
Dereon Seabron
On Manny Bates’ early exit...
You know, Manny’s our brother, we’re praying for him. It was really about the next man up - you know what I’m saying. So we came up and we did our job as bigs and hopefully next game we’ll have Manny back.
On second half success & his matchup...
“Not at halftime but during the week when we are going through the scouting report on how they was defending us, they were like going into screens. So it was basically like a foot race. So coming off the screens and he’s already beat, I feel like I got to the basket faster than he could recover.”
On defensive scheme in the second half...
Yeah, to piggy back of [Smith], I think in the first half we wasn’t like pressuring them. They were just too comfortable out there running in their sets and everything so the second half we had to buckle down and just pressure them more.
Ebenezer Dowuona
On Manny Bates’ early exit...
I know we had to come together as a team and just pray for him because that’s our brother. It really was kind of a good thing to get our younger bigs to come in and show what they can do out there.
On his rebounding performance...
It feels great, I mean last year I only had eight rebounds. It’s a great feeling and I have to go in on it.