Cam Hayes: "We're Always Going To Have To Fight"

NC State guard Cam Hayes met with the media via Zoom following the Wolfpack’s 74-68 loss to Oklahoma State Wednesday evening.

Hayes finished the game with 16 points on 4-for-16 shooting from the floor, 2-for-7 from three-point range, and 6-for-6 from the free-throw line. He also added one assist, one block, one steal, and three rebounds.

NOTE: Click on the video in the player above to watch Hayes’ interview.

The result obviously wasn’t ideal, but you were able to fight back and keep the game close after being down by double digits in the second half. Do you feel like that ability to claw back can be a strength for this team?

Yeah, I guess I’d say that’s a strength. You never want to back down and quit. Whether we’re up 20 or down 20, we’re always going to have to fight. It was nice knowing early that the team was going to fight regardless of the score and that they’re not going to quit on us. It was a little test, and I guess we passed it. The result wasn’t what we wanted, but I’m glad that we fought the whole game.

What was the difference in this game tonight?

They out-rebounded us a lot. We didn’t get enough rebounds, and they were getting a lot of transition buckets. We weren’t getting back on our transition defense. Those two played a big role, and we couldn’t hit shots. It was a long game, but we know what we’ve got to do. We’ve got to learn from it, and I’m glad that we faced this test and learned this lesson early in the season rather than being late in the season.

The energy the team played with early in the game looked uncomfortable. What changed in the later stages?

We always want to bring the defensive intensity, but they got out a lot in transition, so it was hard for us to pick them up and turn them over. They were getting the rebounds and doing stuff. It was hard to continue that early on.