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UNC's Alyssa Ustby, Courtney Banghart and Reniya Kelly after the Tar Heels' win over BC #BC
Jan 12, 2025
UNC's Alyssa Ustby, Courtney Banghart and Reniya Kelly after the Tar Heels' win over BC #BC
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0:02
ready okay Coach are you ready yeah I
0:05
mean ACC games are a battle we know that
0:07
and uh they gave us a real battle I
0:09
thought we really came out flat in the
0:11
first half um and that made our job a
0:14
little bit harder um they answered the
0:16
call though because at halftime I really
0:17
challenged them to to remember what
0:19
they're about um and how they want to
0:21
perform um in the second half you know
0:24
shooting we forced him to 30% versus 60%
0:27
makes a big difference um so uh rai's a
0:31
dog Alissa is a dog that certainly helps
0:33
um and they played the way that we
0:34
needed them to play in the second half
0:36
you addressed your message at halftime
0:38
but second straight game you guys came
0:40
out with amazing energy the first few
0:43
minutes of the third quarter it was it
0:45
was a similar vibe in both games or was
0:47
it different
0:48
today um you know gosh the games were
0:51
really different than it was uh they
0:53
took a lot of uh emotional and physical
0:56
energy on Thursday to be sure um we
0:58
obviously battled a lot of foul trouble
1:00
so that's another thing um and I I just
1:03
thought they came out flat and they'll
1:04
have to answer to that um but we I
1:06
thought at half time they quickly made
1:08
the adjustment of of understanding the
1:10
urgency that they need and you know
1:12
we'll we'll continue to to work with
1:15
their urgency moving forward was it was
1:17
it defensively fueled it I thought
1:19
defensively we were not I didn't
1:21
recognize what we were doing we just
1:22
weren't urgent that's kind of what it
1:24
comes down to we just oh yeah
1:26
defensively we were much more urgent I
1:27
mean they shot 30% we forced 30% to go
1:30
percentage versus 60 in the first half
1:31
so yeah defensively we were much better
1:33
which allows you to score against a nons
1:35
set defense it also just you play better
1:38
offense when you're more connected and
1:39
you play with urgency defensively right
1:41
because you're not like you
1:44
know you're just better that's quite
1:46
frankly how I'll say
1:48
it that third quarter was so big for you
1:50
guys um in the first half you didn't
1:52
have any fast break points and then it
1:54
was almost six points in succession uh
1:56
with Alyssa and India uh so how big was
1:58
just getting out transition just forcing
2:00
that pace against the
2:02
Eagles yeah I mean we're only going to
2:04
have Alyssa for a bit longer right and
2:05
so to have a rim Runner like that you
2:08
know to not take advantage of it is is
2:10
not too it's not great right and and it
2:12
requires us to get steals it also
2:13
requires us to get the ball out of our
2:14
hands it also requires us to play with
2:16
urgency um and I thought in the second
2:18
half we did a much better job at that oh
2:20
was after after last game 11 turnovers
2:23
you go without a turnover today
2:26
uh and and then in the second half you
2:30
went from like 10 turnovers in the first
2:31
half to only five in the second half
2:34
what's what's been the difference in for
2:36
for you and then for the team in the
2:38
second half and eliminating those yeah I
2:40
think um just kind of I think it starts
2:44
for us like on the defense at end so
2:46
when we get stops together we feel a
2:48
little more connected on offense and the
2:51
offensive flow is better because a lot
2:52
of turnovers like typically come from
2:55
like miscommunications or like not
2:57
seeing not seeing the out so we're
2:59
trying to Force the ball into Maria and
3:01
we don't see that corner skip so that's
3:02
usually where turnovers can come from
3:04
especially from me so um just being able
3:06
to slow down and just continue to do
3:09
things that we can control which is on
3:10
the defensive end and then that
3:11
translates into the O end you had three
3:14
layups to 33 seconds at one point I mean
3:18
that that's just that's just Rolling In
3:20
transition right yeah that's just like
3:22
that's just team defense like getting a
3:24
defensive board and looking up the court
3:26
and start and passing ahead I think
3:28
we're really hard to guard a transition
3:29
especially obviously cuz Mar and I and
3:31
the rest of our post can run the floor
3:33
but we also have a lot of great passers
3:35
and girls that can space the floor by um
3:38
just like fading out to the three-point
3:39
line so it's a they kind of have to pick
3:41
their
3:43
poison Rai your floor gang OB you had no
3:46
turnovers today and and pretty efficient
3:49
just yeah just talk about the efficiency
3:52
today um yeah I think today was really a
3:55
challenge just because you know we
3:56
needed leadership and I think that's the
3:58
biggest thing I tried to focus on each
3:59
game game and I think I did that um this
4:02
game so proud of myself for that um I
4:05
think also just taking command of each
4:06
position was really big this game too
4:08
just making sure I put my teammates in
4:09
the best position to score and you know
4:11
to make the extra pass or
4:13
whatever coach you said that R is a dog
4:16
what do you see from her today
4:17
specifically you know what I love is
4:19
that you know I I say it to the TV
4:21
whenever we you know when we do our
4:23
pregame I'm like you know she's just
4:24
you're what you're going to get you're
4:26
going to like watching this this point
4:27
guard R our team right um and now the
4:30
Ovation for her is getting bigger and I
4:32
remember that with Alyssa right when she
4:33
first got here and then now of course
4:35
when you announce her name it's like the
4:36
whole place erupts and Ria's really
4:38
starting to to to get that which is
4:40
showing how much the fans appreciate
4:42
what she does um you know I think her
4:45
like she said spot on I mean she's got
4:46
to command our possessions and and Lead
4:48
our team and she's only a sophomore and
4:50
she's doing it really really well um
4:52
really well I think um she celebrates
4:55
others she challenges others she leads
4:57
by example um her effort is never in
5:00
question like believe me we try to we
5:03
find stuff on every possession that we
5:04
can do better but it's never an effort
5:07
thing for these two never you know um
5:09
and I think when you when you have that
5:11
type of leadership it it really helps so
5:13
yeah she's a she's a dog how much word
5:15
Court was that when uh Lei and India go
5:18
to the bench with three fouls in the
5:20
first half and are sitting for so long
5:22
and you have to depend on your bench
5:24
yeah we we celebrated them in the locker
5:26
room you know the bench really was what
5:28
we needed um you know Liss and Maria had
5:30
two in the first five minutes of the
5:32
last game you know the fouls are um you
5:35
know and that's we didn't foul as much
5:36
and we were more aggressive right so
5:38
they've got to own that with with how we
5:40
we play um so yeah you know it's why you
5:43
call it a team and I know there's games
5:45
where you know Blanca was really great
5:46
and games where Sierra's really great
5:48
and games where Lan's really great I
5:49
mean we see them every day they're
5:50
they're stacking days can I ask you
5:52
about the T the previous three halves up
5:54
until the first half or four halves uh
5:58
piled up the turnovers then you only had
6:01
like five in the second half and I think
6:02
two of those were offensive fouls um
6:05
what weren't you doing on the previous
6:07
Hales and what did you do in the second
6:09
half Alyssa took better care of it I
6:11
mean quite honestly you know the you
6:13
know when she's she has the ball in her
6:15
hands as a facilitator a ton um and you
6:18
know and so when she takes better care
6:19
of it that number stays down for kind of
6:20
the group as well um Ria's got pretty
6:23
sure hands there um and I think you know
6:26
then you start to say well the way that
6:27
you have to kind of read how their
6:28
defense is playing playing you right and
6:30
so they sometimes they are a little
6:31
slower to adjust to that than others but
6:33
um you know it's ball control matters um
6:36
and we've been really good at it over
6:38
the course of our season so far um and
6:40
when we're not um it hurts us but we've
6:43
been pretty good at it all Year Ria um
6:46
as you run like the point um you played
6:48
the entire third quarter when there was
6:50
that big surge how important is it for
6:52
you to push that pace I mean as a porn
6:55
guard you always want to push Bas you
6:56
know what I mean I think we have some
6:58
great Runners India Alysa Lexi you can
7:01
go on I think we all want to push the
7:04
ball and I think it's just the best
7:06
opportunity to push it when we get off a
7:07
rebound or defensive rebound we can go
7:09
so I think that was the biggest thing
7:10
for the third
7:12
quarter and you played the entire uh
7:14
third and or second and third quarter
7:16
just what is it like to know that your
7:17
team and your coach trust you like that
7:20
I mean it's a blessing honestly like I
7:22
everyone wants to play but I'm just
7:23
really under that I can play and my body
7:25
is healthy enough to play Flor knows
7:30
when I ask you about Maria's touches I
7:32
mean she got what six shots see seems
7:36
like it's hard to get her touches inside
7:38
is it is it just the way the offense is
7:41
is no or what's going on no I mean I
7:44
told the guys at the at one of the
7:45
timeouts the Secret's out right everyone
7:47
knows Maria's the best post player in
7:48
the league so they're prioritizing that
7:50
right and it's really physical and and
7:52
um you know there's she's got a lot of
7:55
she has to absorb a lot of contact right
7:57
and so um it's a little bit easier when
7:59
you're not the feature guy to get
8:00
touches right Alysa Liv that life right
8:02
it's harder when you're featured um and
8:04
you know she's she's having an an
8:07
unbelievable year and is really valuable
8:08
and people know that so they're making
8:10
it they meet her early they again she
8:12
has to absorve a lot of physicality so
8:15
um our priority is to get is to get the
8:17
best shot and that's often finding her
8:19
but if they're going to spend that much
8:20
energy on her then it's going to be for
8:21
somebody else you know and we've just
8:23
got to keep working through those
8:24
possessions she's visibly frustrated by
8:26
the officiating in the Duke game and
8:29
it's stuff that she's got to work
8:30
through I guess yeah I mean the
8:31
physicality of the game is is is how is
8:33
what it is right um I think she's like
8:36
all of them she's frustrated when she's
8:38
not performing at a level that helps us
8:39
win the win that possession right I
8:41
don't know if she's as frustrated about
8:42
the other team as she is like gosh um
8:45
you know because I we talk about this as
8:46
a group like it's not about what
8:47
everybody else is doing it's about what
8:48
we're doing right um so I think she's I
8:51
don't find her any more frustrated I
8:52
think she just wants to make sure that
8:53
she's helping our team win at all times
8:56
Alissa what is it like just playing with
8:57
Rah especially today in the third
8:59
quarter when you guys were really just
9:00
so instrumental in that surge yeah I
9:02
think um coach pointed out but Rai is
9:05
still only a sophomore and sometimes I
9:07
don't like saying that because time
9:08
flies so fast and you're like oh wait
9:09
now she's already whatever but it's just
9:12
like it's very admirable and she's
9:13
earned my respect in that regard because
9:15
she's been able to like to develop like
9:18
so fast throughout practices to be able
9:20
to command a team on the court because
9:22
having a point guard that can like first
9:25
of all can score and can get her own can
9:27
facilitate for other people and kind of
9:29
keep the temperature of the team on the
9:31
court steady that's like that's just
9:33
very very hard to find and I think also
9:35
just as a fifth year senior that's
9:36
something that I'm like oh wow I got
9:38
really lucky and blessed with Ria's
9:41
ability to step into that role um okay
9:43
stop
9:45
don't but we do love Ria yeah so no it's
9:49
like it it's so helpful and I feel like
9:51
her and I are both like um pretty even
9:53
keeled when games are going so we can
9:55
have like a quick conversation like hey
9:56
what do we need to do like um uh because
9:59
sometimes I'll like say hey I think we
10:01
should run that play again like they
10:02
really messed up this screen with India
10:05
and Maria we're gonna either get it
10:06
again or Maria's gonna be open this time
10:07
so uh being able to have that dialogue
10:09
is really helpful too cuz I can kind of
10:11
tell her from the post perspective like
10:12
what I'm seeing as well night what was
10:15
that reaction you didn't want to hear
10:17
the praise or or I just love this team
10:20
like I'm just blessed to be here and
10:22
like for her to say that they really
10:23
like me a lot because you know it takes
10:25
a lot to be a point guard have to run a
10:26
team with so many different
10:27
personalities and like that's big for me
10:30
so yeah that was good she's the best
10:34
lower body injury for Trey is that what
10:36
we're yes and what what her status for
10:40
next the next game you think we hope we
10:42
hope she's available we always hope just
10:45
thankful you got the guard Deb this year
10:47
yeah thank God on that note boom you got
10:51
it thanks guys
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