Nov. 22, 2004
Recap | Final Stats | Notes
- SAN DIEGO STATE POSTGAME QUOTES
San Diego State 69, Monmouth 65
SDSU Record: 1-1 overall
Head Coach Steve Fisher:
On The Game:
"Friday night I said I would have felt guilty about winning that game. Tonight, I'm going to say that we fought hard and deserved to win. I know how Monmouth feels. You have a big early lead that seems insurmountable and lose at the end."
On The Freshman Guards
Our freshmen came up big. Matt Thomas and Tyler Smith were important to us. Don't let Tyler's line score fool you. He helped us with his head on both ends of the court. We've talked as a staff about how he plays, and that he can make other players better. I thought he was spectacular.
Matt Thomas as well. He found some creases and made some plays for us. He's big and he can move around. He's going to make some plays and some mistakes."
SDSU Player Quotes:
Marcus Slaughter
"We definitely feel fortunate with the win tonight. We fought back after they made runs in the beginnings of both halves; we came up, put points up and showed some heart."
"We have heart and were not going to let the game get us down, as long as we're on the court playing, we're going to play with heart. It shows in the end and, really showed how much heart we have."
Brandon Heath
On The Freshmen Guards
"Offensively, defensively and right before the half, they (Tyler Smith and Matt Thomas) really turned it up and made some good runs. Matt helped provide good inside pressure and Tyler denied the wing."
On Shooting
"It's bad, don't get me wrong, but you have to bounce back, can't hang your head, gotta go out and make those shots. It's not something I'm going to hang my head about, so I'm just going to keep on working hard. We have a whole season to go, so I promise that I won't shoot like that."
"I'm a guy who likes the ball and especially at the free throw line. I know I can step up and make those shots. And after the first (game), we just gotta put it behind us and move forward -- play for the moment."
Monmouth Head Coach Dave Callaway
On the confidence of the Gauchos after the victory:
"We didn't stay disciplined. We were up 17 or 18 and we didn't keep our mental toughness. We forced some shots. It was the same thing all over again in the second half. They took advantage of our missed plays and made their free throws at the end."