Postgame Quotes
11/15/2016 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
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Redshirt Junior Jaren Sina
On what changed in the 2nd half
The biggest thing was just focusing on the game and on the team. I really wasn't worried about that, I was worried about making a difference and doing something positive to help us win. They were applying the pressure and the biggest thing for me was just to attack and make plays for the team.
On how they closed out the game
They made some tough shots at the end. But like I said, we're a young team, but we're growing up fast and we have to grow up fast. I think we faced some adversity and we passed the test. I'm proud of our guys. I think the biggest thing is that we climbed another step, and that's big for us. Every game we're trying to get better and I thought today we got better.
On the physicality of the game
That's part of college basketball. It's competitive -- guys are going to talk and get physical out there. The biggest thing is just to stay focused. Our main goal is to win, so that's obviously the main key.
On defensive play in the second half
I think we were better. I thought we played a pretty good defensive game. The biggest thing was just staying locked in on our scout and just following what we were working on in practice. So I thought we did a pretty good job overall. We can always get better, and we're going to keep getting better, we're going to watch the film, and, like I said, just going to take another step forward to get ready for Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Thursday.
Interim Head Coach Maurice Joseph
On what to think during a tight game
Well first and foremost, just trust our defense, trust the scout, trust the things we worked hard on over the past couple days. Going into the Siena game, being in the gaps, and doing the things we talk about on a daily basis -- I think if we continue to do that, we'll be fine. Obviously on offensive, they're throwing some junk defenses at us. They're doing different things and doing a great job at keeping us on our toes. We got a little stagnant there, but Jaren, as an experienced player, came out and recognized some things and understood where he could attack, he went on a little run of his own there, and did a great job of keeping us in the game. Ultimately, it paid off with the win. I'm proud of our guys, I'm proud of Jaren, and the way we rebounded after a shaky first half. Again, it's another opportunity for us to get better. We're going to watch the film, we're going to learn from it, we're going to move on to Pine Bluff, and hoping to see what happens.
On Tyler and Yuta's minutes
Well them playing a lot of minutes is obviously due to their experience and their talent level and how important they are to us. I go into every game thinking they're going to play a lot. Obviously it's a case-by-case, game-by-game situation. If somebody picks up two fouls like Smith did in the first half, he played limited minutes. I'm not going to play him after two fouls in the first half. He played 12 minutes, still played very effective with 11 points, six rebounds in 12 minutes -- that's actually really good. For those two guys, they're obviously going to play a lot for us, we're going to rely on them heavily for the ball, for leadership, for poise, and toughness and all that stuff. So I expect them to play pretty significant minutes throughout the year, but again it is a game-by-game case.
On Marfo, Toro, and Colin Goss
Toro, Marfo, and Colin Goss all played really well. Colin Goss came in and gave us an unbelievable spark of energy -- 2-2, four points, a rebound, and had a tip in, all that kind of stuff, a dunk, I think that's his first college dunk. He came in and gave us energy. Marfo came in and had a great post move and a bucket. Toro's offensive rebounding and the fact that he went 4-4 from the field line is a toughness, that's something that we gauge as being tough, and that's trough for a freshman to go to the line in such a close game to go 4-4 from the line is huge. All three of those guys, did a great job coming in and giving us a spark.
On the impact of two games with tight finishes
I'm always going to find positivity in situations and I think this is great because you don't always gain that much from comfortable wins. I think for good or bad, your character is going to be revealed in tough situations, and that was a tough situation versus a very good team. We came in, we hit free throws, we got stops where we needed to get stops, but overall we showed up when they went on a 12-point run and we fought back from that. We went down in the second half and we fought back to go up. I think it's a character-building win against a good team and I'm proud of our guys.
