Jan. 9, 2010
Recap | Final Stats | Notes
LARAMIE, Wyo. -
San Diego State Head Coach Steve Fisher
"We played as well as we could and handled the ball well under stress in the first half, but about as bad as you can play during multiple stretches in the second half. I think we had fi fteen or sixteen second-half turnovers, and you can't win when you do that. And yet, we still had a chance to win leading by eight with 2:09 to go, leading by six with 1:12 or 1:20 to go.
"We just weren't quite tough enough to weather the storm, and when teams get on runs and they can make shots, they can bank in threes, and make shots that they don't normally make. They [Wyoming] did a great job with effort. Muojeke got to the line, made baskets, and then they made some big threes, obviously, down the stretch, with Luster and the other young guy [Bouedo].
[On Wyoming's pressure] "It wears you down when they [Wyoming] get some productivity out of it. A couple times we looked like we could have thrown ahead for layups and we were ducking our heads, trying to [break] through traffic, and it was costly for us.
[On effects of this loss] "We'll fi nd out. We have Vegas at Vegas next week on our next outing, which is as hard as any place in the country to play at. We can play great basketball and still not be successful. I think you'll see a team that will come out with resolve, we'll fi ght hard, and we'll do everything in our power to win that game. It is what it is. We're going home with a loss.
"All anyone cares about is the bottom line. The bottom line is that they had two more points than we did. We couldn't keep them from getting to the rim in the second half, did what they wanted us to against the press, which was turn it over enough to give them chances to get run-outs for layups and open threes, and that was the difference."
Wyoming Head Coach Heath Schroyer
"This was a huge win for our program. I'm as proud of these guys as I ever have been of a team, and I'm proud of my coaches. I can't say that I've ever been a part of a comeback like this.
"San Diego State is a very good team, and they are very well-coached.
"Our guys stepped up and made plays. I think our pressure defense wore them (San Diego State) down. We had good ball pressure, and we rotated back well in our press.
"Our crowd was great today. The fans gave our players a lot of energy.
"We played well, and we played hard. We had great effort from everyone today.
"We talked after the Colorado State game about adversity, and how some of the biggest accomplishments come after you face disappointment.
"Arthur (Bouedo) gave us a big boost. JayDee (Luster) played his second big game in a row. He's playing with a lot of confi dence right now. JayDee has always been able to shoot the ball, but when you have a shoulder injury like he did it's going to affect you.
"I'm really proud of Afam (Muojeke). I really challenged him after the CSU game to be a good teammate. Today, he was a good teammate. He played hard, and he played unselfi shly. When you're a good teammate good things happen to you.
"We didn't rebound the basketball well, but they (San Diego State) are one of the best rebounding teams in the country.
"We did take care of the ball today. For the game we only had nine turnovers, and we only had two in the second half. Our free-throw shooting was also outstanding. It kept us within striking distance.
"Our defense is what did it for us today. It caused them problems in the second half, and we just kept fi ghting."