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ATLANTIC COAST CONFERENCE WOMEN'S BASKETBALL TOURNAMENTMarch 2, 2017Katie MeierEmese HofKeyona HayesConway, South Carolina Miami - 87, Georgia Tech - 71 KATIE MEIER: We're just shocked up here. We just saw our shooting percentage. For real, the fourth quarter, I think it was these two. But heck of a battle. Something we were very prepared for. We played them at home, obviously, and it's tough. It's tough to beat a team like that twice in a row. We had a couple of really tough days where I went at my team really hard because we didn't play with the toughness that we needed to play with the first time we played them, and they bring it out in you. They bring that out and we'll need it and we'll need it for the postseason. So the response, to keep your composure and to hit shots when you're battling so hard and playing so hard and then to just come and have that calm mind and then hit a big time shot, that was huge for us. I think we looked pretty good. Obviously that third quarter, there's a little bit of management going on there, but it was also Georgia Tech changed their philosophy and started going downhill and really got to the free-throw line and made the game a lot longer and a lot scarier than it needed to be. Q. As a follow-up to what you just said, going back to Sunday, similar quick start. Actually they had the lead at the end of the third quarter. What were you able to do specifically today that stemmed the tide and not allow them to get back into the game? KATIE MEIER: Well, you have a choice as a coach, and I just chose to trust my team. Sometimes a quick time-out sort of reminds your team that you don't trust them, and we're going to need to be able to play through some runs when we play great teams. And this is probably as veteran as a team as I've had, and they're smart, they're very smart. I don't know that I could have told them a lot different. But we got really, really quiet, and that was our problem. We stopped communicating and stopped talking and when they talk -- Neydja at halftime stayed in the locker room with me and went through another play and a match-up because she's so smart and she said, well, this happened after that and that and that. She's three plays ahead of me. So they're really good at adjusting. So we just need to talk because we talk, because if we talk it kind of relieves our stress and gets us through our adjustments. Q. Do you know if you've ever shot 64 percent in a game? KATIE MEIER: I know I personally never did. Oh, you mean my teams? Okay. I'm not sure. If we did, it was probably a situation where we were like winning by a lot and pressing a team and getting lay-ups. I don't think we've shot 64 percent with a shot chart that was presented tonight. We're tough to solve. If we're going to do the inside out combination and we got Motley riding Motley in the first half and you go second half and you ride these two. We just had to go a little bit deeper, but it's fun. I mean, and I'll tell you, I've said this 100 times, so Key heard it before, but when Key Hayes plays like that, I have a blast as a coach because she's such a great match-up. She's so easy to call for. She can do so many different things, and so it gives you a lot of freedom, plus she's so trustworthy with the ball. I'm talking like you're not sitting right here. Key, when you play like that, we're going to win a lot of games. I also wanted to open up, and I just got a little excited, congrats to the ACC and the town of Conway and Myrtle Beach. This has been phenomenal. I'm just really, really impressed and I'm happy for the conference and happy for this community, thanks for wanting us. We love it here. And I'm really impressed, so I just wanted to make sure I said that. Thanks. Q. Did you know you had eight players that scored seven or more points? Has that ever happened do you think? KATIE MEIER: No, I'm pretty sure that hasn't happened, and somebody like Sarah Mortensen is probably looking at me like, well, coach you saw me in the first half, right? But you know, she did a great job in the first -- she was our second leading scorer going into halftime. I liked the versatility of our team, but when we're dialed in, and that's what I said, we were dialed in and then we dialed it back a little bit on the FM radio station there and we had to get them back where we were on the same reservation. We got off the reservation a little bit and we came back and we really, really focused. Q. So a third straight matchup this season with Florida State, had three with them last year. What do you have to do to beat them here in the ACC Tournament? KATIE MEIER: Well, I'll tell you what, they're phenomenal and we know it. It's a very, very healthy rivalry. There's a ton of respect. We really love their talent. I know they really love our talent. Coaching staffs are really close. We sit next to each other all summer long because we recruit the same kids. We know what we've got. We don't have to go blow the dust off some scouting report because we didn't play them. We know them and they know us. I like the way we're playing right now, and I'm sure Sue loves the way her team is playing, but I'm sure this will be one of the better matchups tomorrow for sure. Q. Key, you guys forced nine turnovers, I think, in the first 14 minutes. Were you pressing more to slow them down and they were just turning it over, or were you trying to turn them over with the press? And when you get those turnovers do you feel more in a rhythm offensively because you shot 8 for 11 today? KEYONA HAYES: Us pressing is to turn people over and to slow them down, so it just depends. It's always a plus for them to turn it over, but we press to slow them down. Q. How long does Coach Meier allow you to enjoy this before it's back to work? EMESE HOF: I think we all know it's back to work pretty soon. We had to win this game. You have to keep winning in March. So it's a quick turnaround, and it's good that we already know who we're playing and what they've got in store for us. We'll be ready. KEYONA HAYES: To piggy back off what she said, yeah, we're going to enjoy it for tonight, and we also have to focus on Florida State tonight, as well. Like Coach said, we do know their scout, they know us, so it's going to be a ballgame tomorrow. Whoever plays better. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports   |
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