Up next in 10
UNC's Maria Gakdeng, Indya Nivar and Reniya Kelly in dressing room after loss to Duke #UNC
Mar 28, 2025
UNC's Maria Gakdeng, Indya Nivar and Reniya Kelly in dressing room after loss to Duke #UNC
View Video Transcript
0:00
in the first half. Oh, it wasn't my
0:01
knee. It was more like an ankle. I had
0:03
sprained it before against Louisville
0:05
and I kind of sprained it again. So, I
0:08
just it was it was really painful. So, I
0:10
just take a break, you know, regroup,
0:12
come back out. Your left ankle, huh?
0:15
Left ankle. My right right ankle. Yeah.
0:17
You just uh just stepped on somebody or
0:20
something. I don't even know what
0:21
happened, honestly.
0:22
And and then you tried to stay loose on
0:25
the stationary bike in the first half
0:26
and it just wouldn't wouldn't work. I
0:29
mean, I think I I did an okay job of
0:32
staying on the bike. I mean, I didn't
0:33
really It was just I was just trying to
0:36
get my get it to feel better. That's
0:39
what I usually do. So, how did it feel
0:41
when you came back in the second half?
0:44
It felt felt okay. Felt okay. Yeah.
0:48
How frustrating is it to to have your
0:50
final game turn out like this where Mhm.
0:53
where where you you have to sit out much
0:55
of it because of the ankle? I mean, I've
0:58
had a great college career, so I'm not
1:00
really thinking about the fact that like
1:02
it it ended like this. I mean, I'm not
1:04
going to let this like dictate how I
1:05
felt about, you know, how great of a
1:07
year I had. So, yeah. And uh and they
1:12
they were physical as normal, but it
1:14
just it was just hard to get offensive
1:17
rebound rebounds on their offensive end
1:20
toward the end to make a run. Is that
1:22
that what Yeah, they're a very tough
1:24
team. I mean, they get on the on the
1:26
board. Um, I think they just I think
1:28
they got a little bit lucky sometimes on
1:30
the on the glass, but they did fight for
1:32
for boards and they were very physical,
1:34
so as they usually are. So, yeah. Thank
1:37
you. Mhm. I guess ourselves and that's
1:39
when our offensive
1:41
um offensive side of the ball was slow
1:44
down. Yeah. I guess for you guys, you
1:46
had, you know, several opportunities at
1:47
the rim as well, you know, some of those
1:49
things didn't kind of convert, I guess.
1:50
Do you think that was a more of a thing
1:52
with Duke's defense or maybe just like
1:53
you know not being able to I guess kind
1:55
of be in a rhythm as you guys were going
1:56
through those? I can only speak
1:58
personally. Uh I did feel like I was
2:00
getting fouled but you know I that's
2:02
that's been the big thing that I have to
2:03
work on this offseason like finishing
2:05
through contact finishing off two feet
2:07
and I definitely can get better at that.
2:10
and the scoring droughts. You had
2:13
lengthy ones in both halves and how
2:16
frustrating is that? And what what leads
2:18
into that? Just Duke's tough defense.
2:21
Um it's hard to say when you're working
2:24
so hard on the defensive end to like
2:25
make get those stops and then nothing's
2:27
converting on the offensive offensive
2:29
end. I feel like we were getting good
2:30
shots. It just wasn't falling today. So
2:32
there wasn't that wasn't uh and I guess
2:35
for you know you guys as the you know
2:36
game kind of progressed you know Duke
2:38
was able to kind of you know get on the
2:39
boards and everything like that and get
2:40
extra possessions. I guess I guess what
2:42
were some of the things that kind of
2:43
broke down on the rebounding side of the
2:45
game? Um I think we went small and that
2:48
that just you have to work a little bit
2:49
harder and we just didn't do that every
2:51
possession. Um so yeah that's what
2:54
happens. We were small and then they got
2:56
over o overboards for extra possessions.
3:01
Appreciate it. Thanks. 110 lead and
3:03
everything like that and Duke kind of
3:05
was able to come back from from that
3:06
point. I guess what when that lead built
3:09
up I guess changed after that. Um yeah,
3:12
we just we just didn't do enough. We
3:15
didn't have enough. Um
3:17
that's really that's really it.
3:20
I guess when it came to uh you know
3:22
offensively as well, you know, guys did
3:24
have some you know looks at the rim and
3:25
everything and you know obviously it was
3:27
a you know physical game and things like
3:28
that. I guess kind of what made it
3:29
challenging to find a flow and find a
3:32
rhythm on offense.
3:34
I think Duke did a really good job of
3:36
scouting us. So, they was crowding the
3:39
paint. They was playing straight up. We
3:40
just couldn't finish through contact.
3:43
And it seemed seemed like you guys could
3:45
have maybe rallied if you could have
3:47
gotten some defensive boards there at
3:49
the end. How how frustrating was that
3:52
that you couldn't take advantage of
3:54
their missed shots there at the end? Um,
3:56
yeah, I think it cost us um, you know,
3:58
most of the game they kept getting
4:00
offensive board, so we just couldn't get
4:01
them. I mean, it was frustrating, but
4:04
just how the game is going the whole
4:05
game. So, how how did the game shift
4:07
when Maria had to sit out the last eight
4:09
minutes of the first half? Um, yeah,
4:11
tremendously. Obviously, she's a key
4:13
player for us offensively and
4:14
defensively. So, when she went out, hit
4:16
us hard. So, we just trying to, you
4:19
know, come back from that. Um, I feel
4:21
like the whole game. So, yeah. All
4:24
right. for you guys as a team this year.
4:26
What do you think kind of worked well?
4:27
This I know it's your second year in the
4:29
program. It's the most wins you guys
4:30
have had in a while and you know high
4:32
seat you guys have had in. What do you
4:33
think kind of clicked and worked well
4:34
for you guys throughout the year? Um I
4:37
think our togetherness I think we you
4:39
know stayed together the whole season. I
4:42
think this game we kind of played
4:44
oneonone a lot which was understandable.
4:47
They threw a hard hit at us and it kind
4:49
of, you know, shook us up a bit. But I
4:51
think together we stay together through
4:52
the hard times and when we're alone when
4:54
we're down 10, you know, we stay
4:55
together, but we just have another game.
4:58
I guess what do you feel you can kind of
5:00
carry you know from you know this year
5:02
even this game itself and then you know
5:04
bring into next year like I guess what
5:06
you know shooting was the main the main
5:08
issue but the struggle
5:12
I think I think yeah I think I mean I
5:15
think everything you know got reflect on
5:17
the game and see what I could have done
5:18
better
5:19
um um I missed a lot of shots today
5:22
which is which is fine that happens but
5:24
I think everything I'm going to get
5:26
better next year for sure you know
5:27
finish
5:28
contact my differently being a on a
5:32
three-point line a little bit more. So I
5:33
think I can take everything.
5:37
Appreciate it. Thank Thank you.