March 20, 2009
Recap | Final Stats | Notes | Photo Gallery
SAN DIEGO -
Kansas State-San Diego State Postgame Quotes in PDF Format
San Diego State Head Coach Steve Fisher:
On his summary of the game:
"We did what we committed to ourselves to do- play as hard as we possibly could. We told you going in, this team is by far the toughest offensive-rebounding team that we've faced, they proved it and we proved it. We did a much better job rebounding in the second half. We fought, and we fought hard. That will give us a chance to win. When they pressed us, we did a good job of making decisions and turning their press into some easy baskets, which was helpful. To go 1-for-11 with Kyle (Spain) and Lorrenzo (Wade) in the first half, and still be up by two, with them (Kansas State) having 15 or 16 rebounds, I felt okay. When we came back out, Richie (Williams) did a great job defensively and created some turnovers that led to easy baskets and Billy (White) got two or three athletic dunks that set the crowd on their feet. It was a good win for us. It gives us a lot to talk about. It gives us a school record of 25 wins and the first time we've won two post-season games ever, and gets us one step closer to winning the NIT. We're going to be one of eight teams going into Wednesday with that goal. I'm pleased and I think our players are pleased with the win and how we fought to get the win."
On holding a team like Kansas State to fewer points than they average:
"We made it hard for them to get the kinds of looks that they wanted. We had a helpful early part (of the game) where (Jacob) Pullen, their guard, got two quick fouls and only played in three minutes of the first half. He was out of sync. I think Richie, in particular but not just Richie, did a great job on (Denis) Clemente. He was 5-for-15 on the game. We never allowed any of them to get into a rhythm to get consecutive, good looks for baskets."
On what he said during halftime to cause the different play by the Aztecs in the second half:
"I think that when you talk about (Kansas) having 15 or 16 rebounds in the first half, then that hopefully appeals to their pride. We didn't tell them anything different. We told Billy before the game that this is by far the best offensive-rebounding team that we've played. They're big, they're men, they're strong, they're athletic and they pursue the ball. We were much better at doing that ourselves. We talk about act and making them react. I thought in the second half, rebounding-wise, we did that. I thought other parts of it, we did a good job all game. We did a good job of making them react to what we did. We were on the defensive when the shots went up; they manhandled us in the first half."
Senior Guard Richie Williams:
On making great defensive plays:
"We played pretty good defense in the first half, but we were giving them second-and-third-chance opportunities. When you're playing on defense for a minute or a minute-and-a-half, it wears you down. In the second half, we limited their second-chance opportunities. We were more energized and I think after a few on-the-ball steals they were a little timid, so they had to bring help up."
On being a San Diego kid and seeing a "sea of red" at the Jenny Craig Pavilion tonight:
"The fans did a great job of making this a home-away-from-home. We have a game next Wednesday against potentially two good teams in Davidson and Saint Mary's and we're going to need their (the fans) help. I just want to thank them for coming out today and making this a home."
Sophomore Forward Billy White:
On what they did different in the second half to control the game:
"At first, I didn't believe that Kansas State could jump like that and get offensive rebounds. We had to box out and jump up there to try to get some rebounds. That was my whole motto of the second half, to try to get the offensive rebounds. I know we played good defense; we just had to stop them on the boards."
On his thoughts about the win:
"I feel great. I'm going to dwell on this while I can and get back to what I need to do on Sunday."
Kansas State Head Coach Frank Martin
On the loss to San Diego State:
"It's unfortunate that the last 20 minutes of our season as not indicative of how we played the first 32 or 33 basketball games. I give San Diego State a lot of credit for that. They made it hard on us and they've got a heck of a team."
On preparing to play San Diego State:
"They're a senior-dominated team. They're strong, they're athletic, they score, they defend and they played for their conference championship; they're a good basketball team. They've got a lot of good components there and they play the game the right way. As coaches, when we start watching other teams on tape, sometimes you're really impressed by a team and the more you watch them you start seeing they have holes and the holes get bigger and bigger the more you watch them; with them it was the other way around. The more I watched them, the more I liked their team. Obviously after competing with them today, I don't know if I'm a prophet, but my opinion was pretty good."
Kansas State Senior Forward Darren Kent
On the loss to San Diego State:
"During the game I'm not thinking about the season is over or anything like that. When I'm in the game I'm in the game. We got careless with the ball in the second half. They were getting too many open layups and uncontested shots, which isn't us. We like to get up in your face and make you create tough shots. We didn't do that in the second half. We didn't create turnovers. We kind of let them play at their pace, which is not our style of play. They're a senior-led team and they riled their troops and stayed the course and did a great job."