Dec. 10, 2005
Recap | Final Stats | Notes | Photo Gallery
SAN DIEGO - San Diego State head coach Steve Fisher:
On the game:
"You can't win a basketball game if you can't score in 16 minutes. You have to find a way to get to the basket and we didn't tonight. We fought hard enough to win, but we didn't play well enough to win. We played well with a lot of energy, but sometimes you need to do what is required to win like we were doing in the first half. But we got sloppy in the second; they (Washington State) went through the first without an offensive rebound, but in the second we allowed eight offensive rebounds. I guess, doing your best isn't good enough, you have to do what is required at the right time and in the right moment.
"We had great looks, especially when Marcus (Slaughter) went inside as they (WSU) made it hard for Marcus to get those baskets, and then again he had baskets that couldn't get in. If we had one basket, it seemed like they had 15 clear shots. I guess it may be part to the stress of play or having players flying at you, but we just weren't able to get any shots off.
"We fought hard to the last 30-45 seconds, but then we started trying out new things, and still weren't able to complete plays and score. We gave them a couple of shots that we really shouldn't have and weren't receiving the looks that we should be getting. If you go six minutes without a field goal, you'll have a hard time getting back into the game."
San Diego State forward Marcus Slaughter
On the game's final six minutes:
"If they stop us, we could stop them too, but we have to find a way to at least get a foul. Six minutes is a long time to not score one basket or get to the line. That's mindblowing to me."
On the game:
"Going into halftime, our offense was clicking and we were playing good defense. Going into the second half, things went from high to low quick. For us to be the team we want to be, there is no way we can play like that.
"It was frustrating that we gave up too many easy baskets. Offensively, we weren't frustrated because we know we can score. They had a good offensive scheme and they were out running around just like Air Force. I give credit to Washington State. They have a good team and they have a good coach. I just felt that we gave this game away. We had this game in our hands and suddenly it went away."
Washington State head coach Dick Bennett:
On the game:
"We played an excellent second half. That's what we've been looking for. It was our best half of basketball this season. We've been looking for a way to compete on the glass. They really manhandled us in the first half. In the second half, we were able to do a much better job defensively in not allowing them to carve us up. Some guys were able to stay at home and block out a little bit better. I also thought our offense ran much harder in the second half, making much harder cuts and running it to score as opposed to just controlling the basketball. All in all, we played much better in this game than we did Thursday night against Gonzaga. And as I said, the second half was our best half of basketball this year."
On SDSU's Marcus Slaughter:
"He is a terrific player. We were unable to stop him. But you know, I thought we made him earn everything, especially in the last 10 minutes of the game."
On Washington State's defense:
"I thought the ball pressure was pretty good and our help in the second half was much improved. We seemed to be more alert. I chose to cut the rotation way down and try to go with our more alert players, whether or not they were freshmen. I just didn't worrty about who was getting the minutes and we ended up finding some guys who were more ready to play than others."