Feb. 13, 2008
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SAN DIEGO -
New Mexico-San Diego State Postgame Quotes in PDF Format
San Diego State Head Coach Steve Fisher
Postgame Radio Interview
On  New Mexico's shooting:
"They made every three they took early, whether they were guarded or unguarded and we guarded a bunch of them. They were hotter than a firecracker, especially after big victories back-to-back. They played with great confidence and I think they sapped a little bit of our confidence. You can't let that happen. They played better than we did tonight and now we have a harder game on Saturday (at Utah) because it's on the road. Yet I have great faith and trust with everyone associated with this team that we'll come back with the wind in our face and find a way to get a victory."
On having to keep coming back:
"I still felt good about how we were going into the half. We fought like crazy and had a four-point deficit at halftime. I talked about that at halftime, I said, `You've got to feel good about how you fought and came back from 12 points with (New Mexico) hitting every shot they took. Now you need to go out and protect the ball, and win the first four-minute TV segment. Unfortunately we had a bunch of turnovers before the first media timeout came and the four-point lead turned into a 10-point just like that. We weren't able to come back."
On preparing for this game after a loss to TCU:
"We were very demanding in practice and responded the way you have to respond. We struggled early and we didn't play with the toughness that we need to from the neck up. We allowed frustration to set in and all that does it takes away from effectiveness. We just didn't get it done tonight, but we're going to have to find a way to get it done on Saturday."
Postgame Press Conference
On New Mexico:
"New Mexico started out against us they way they pummeled Colordo State and Wyoming the last two games. They had great confidence and they made shots. I thought we did a great job of fighting, competing and coming back when we cut it to four points at halftime but I didnt think we realized how hard we worked to cut it (to four points at the half). I felt like we believed that we had fought and found a way to win the game. Today I had to tell them that, I said, `You can win the game.' It was almost like I had to convince them that they could. I know they felt like they could but it wasn't the same energy that you have to have if you're going to win a good team, and New Mexico is a good team."
On J.R. Giddens:
"Giddens is possibly the premier player in the league. When you've got a guy that is that good and you block four shots at the rim that looked like they were going to be lay-ups. He took a lay-up away and turned it into a turnover with a blocked shot."
Junior forward Lorrenzo Wade
On the play of J.R. Giddens:
"(J.R. Giddens) played well. He finished with 22 points and 11 rebounds. He rebounded the ball well for his team and had an all-around good game."
On New Mexico's defense:
"They played good defense. I know I had six turnovers and a couple of them were foolish. If I take better care of the ball, we have a better chance of winning the game. So, I think that they played good defense and everyone handled it as well as they could have, but for me personally, I need to take better care of the ball to help us win the game."
On the upcoming two-game road trip:
"We are on a two-game losing streak right now. We have to practice hard and practice to win. We'll see what we are made of coming out of this two game road trip. Utah is playing really well right now, especially Johnnie Bryant. So, we really have to focus in on trying not to let him get open looks. We will work as hard as we can tomorrow and Friday to do our best to prepare ourselves."
Junior forward Ryan Amoroso
On SDSU's offensive struggles:
"I don't really know if it was so much of our execution on the offensive end as it was on the defensive end. Coming into tonight we had a game plan that we thought would help us come out victorious. We didn't really stick to our game plan defensively, and I think that was where the holes were tonight."
New Mexico Head Coach Steve Alford
On the win tonight:
"I just thought everybody had a great game. We got key rebounds, free throws, and big-time stops. We slowed them down in the second half and did a great job. It was a great team effort. This is a big win. To come to (Cox Arena) and get a win after they beat us at home, it was big.  Now we have to get home and take care of business with TCU."
On the first match up with SDSU:
"Hopefully we're maturing and getting better. I think they played really well in the second half against us. Sometimes that happens. I told them in the locker room that the home loss (to SDSU) doesn't crawl at me like the loss on the road to TCU does. Somebody gets hot on you and they make a lot of plays, sometimes you have to take your hat off to them. That's really what happened in game one (against SDSU). Today we developed better leads."
On the Aztecs without Kyle Spain:
"They got a lot of rebounds but a lot of those rebounds were just tap outs and we talked about that. Obviously Spain had some athleticism, but so does (Richie) Williams. Williams is an athletic kid and can play a little bit more. I don't know if they're that much more athletic than we are. I think our zone slowed them a little bit. That disrupted what they wanted to do. I just thought we got the loose balls tonight which we didn't do when we played them at home."