Postgame Quotes
Western Carolina at Chattanooga
Chattanooga, Tenn. - The McKenzie Arena
Dec. 4, 2010
Men's Basketball Head Coach John Shulman
Opening Statement:
"It wasn't pretty, but sometimes conference games are not going to be pretty. We outrebounded them, held them under 40 percent shooting and made as many free throws as they attempted, so most of the time that is a good formula to win a game. "
On what it took to close out the game:
"We just made free throws; we made free throws and got rebounds in the game. We did a great job on the boards down through the final minutes. We did not get a whole lot of stops, and we were not as sharp on defense."
On how the team responded to Thursday's Game:
"I think that was a sign to everybody watching, because I think that a lot of people are wondering how good we are going to be this season. We can't celebrate but we were excited about how we played Thursday. Western Carolina is a good basketball team that can really defend, so I am ecstatic about the win."
On the defense:
"I thought we were pretty good in the first half. They came out with a little punch in the second half and we didn't respond like we should have, I think that we just became mentally fatigued. We will figure out those problems though, we have a week until our next game. We have three games in three weeks coming up, so we will get all the preparation that is needed for Murray State."
On improving turnovers in the second half:
"I was fearing them defensively; they just do a nice job defending the ball. We took better care of the ball the second half and we just had to get enough stops on defense."
On Keegan Bell:
"He wants to take the leadership of the team. I thought at times he pressed too much, but you would rather have him press too much than too little. He had six assists and one turnover so he did pretty good, I am proud of him."
Senior Guard Keegan Bell
On second half play vs. first half
"We stepped up offensively and knocked down some free throws, and took care of the ball when they pressed."
On being 2-0 in conference play:
"It feels good to be ahead of two teams that were picked ahead of us. We can't be satisfied, but we can enjoy it."
On the game:
"The game was crazy. We were not scoring. They weren't scoring. It was a knockout, drag-out fight. Tonight shots weren't going in, but we kept fighting. I felt we grew-up defensively for the first time this season."
On winning close games:
"I think that we are just older. We have a young team, but even our young guys are older. Last year, we learned a lot. We just keep building on that, and we believe in each other."
Junior Guard Ricky Taylor
On 2-0 in conference:
"It was a great feeling. Last year, we started off badly, but now we have time to relax our minds."
On difference between ASU game and WCU game:
"Our offensive game was not good tonight. We made turnovers and our shots were not falling. We just had to remember that our defense was our foundation, and it saved us tonight."
On 4-1 start in games decided by 5 points or less:
"We stepped up our communication process, and we finally believe in each other. We have a better bonding than previous seasons."
On Chris Early's play:
"Chris showed a lot of heart towards the end. Coach keeps challenging him every night, and it showed tonight."
Western Carolina Head Coach Larry Hunter
On the game
"I thought both teams really went at each other with a good level of intensity and a lot of effort. Both teams executed fairly well on both ends of the court."
On the difference down the stretch:
"All night long, I thought we got really good looks. We were just fortunate to be as close as we were. We've been playing really good defense and doing a decent job on the boards. The rebounding stats are not a true tale of how the game was rebounded because when you miss as many shots as we did in the first half, then you have inside position. Twenty-two of their 26 rebounds in the first half were defensive. Our guys are executing, but we didn't take advantage of opportunities, and Chattanooga did a good job of getting the lead back. When they got the lead, they kept it. I thought Keegan Bell did a good job when Chattanooga was down by penetrating and getting a couple of shots. He hit baskets and got fouled. He had a stretch where he played very well. Chris Early hit a big three late in the game and someone (Troy Cage) hit one in the corner. They had a couple of big three's on us late in the game."
On high ball screen during Chattanooga's run:
"Chattanooga was in the dribble-weave a little bit where they were really handing it off and they got away from it a little bit by trying to play a little one-on-one on a little dribble drive. We were able to control the ball screen some, but Chattanooga took advantage of it some too. Bell is such a good passer. I told our guys he is the best passer we've faced this year. He sees the floor really well, has good vision and is under control. Whether it's in transition, the advance pass or coming off screens, he really gets the ball to the right person at the right time. He really puts a lot of pressure on the defense."
