Wes Moore On Pitt Win: "We Were Focused"

No. 2 NC State head coach Wes Moore met with the media after the 89-54 road win at Pittsburgh.

NOTE: Click the video above to watch the press conference.

Opening statement...
Pleased with the way we came out and started the game, I thought we were focused. You never know, first ACC game of the year, you’re playing a team that’s really great on the boards, that draws fouls and gets to the foul line a lot. So those were our main concerns coming in, to defend without fouling and to do a great job on the boards, and I thought we did a pretty good job.

A lot of people stepped up. Good for Elissa [Cunane] going and getting 12 boards, I thought Camile Hobby did a great job, seven boards and 15 points, I thought Raina Perez helped us get off to a great start, that was a key thing. I think she maybe had about 12 points in the first quarter, so again, a lot of people did some good things and it’s good to get that first one under our belt.

On controlling the boards down low...
I think we had emphasized it and I thought they did a pretty good job getting position early. It’s what you have to do, they’re so long and athletic. They did hurt us there in the fourth quarter, I think they hit two 3s off offensive rebounds, so that bumped it up [to] where they had 19 second-chance points, which doesn’t look real good on the stat sheet.

But I thought most of the game we did a nice job. A lot of it’s just anticipating the shot and getting that position early, because they’re a great rebounding team. Proud of what they were able to do tonight.

On the team’s 21 assists on 31 made shots...
At halftime I was disappointed, we had eight turnovers in the first half. And then the second half, according to the stat sheet, we only had two. We’ve got to do a better job taking care of the ball. In the first half, to have eight, and we were shooting the heck out of it in the first half, shooting the three really well.

We’ve got to take care of the ball and make sure we get shots and we’re able to take advantage of our ability to shoot the ball. That’s something we’ve got to continue to work on, is cutting the turnovers out. But again, second half, to have only two, that’s a great job.

On if it’s no coincidence that the shooting percentage goes up with more assists...
No doubt. You’re right, we’ve got several people that can create their own shot, but sometimes maybe we rely on that too much and maybe force a few. I was pleased tonight with the way we shared the ball, way we swung the ball.

Even there in the fourth quarter with some of the young kids in, I thought the first couple of minutes they did a nice job of swinging the ball and moving, getting some movement and not just jacking up the first look. Again, it’s a lot more enjoyable to watch, I can tell you that, when we’re sharing the ball like that. 

On Cunane breaking NC State’s all-time free throw record...
I’ll be honest with you, I didn’t even know that. Thanks for sharing that with me. That’s awesome. She shoots them so well. She draws so much attention. It’s hard. It’s been tough on her because she sees a double team about every time she touches the ball.

It gets frustrating because she’s like anybody else. She wants to score the ball and carry the load. But when they’re doubling, you’ve got to make that extra pass. Again, she’s somebody I really trust. Late in the game, a lot of times we’ll do stuff to get the ball in her hands because we have that much confidence in her to knock those free throws down.

That’s a great honor. For this program and all of the unbelievable players that have come through it, that’s something to really be proud of.