Feb. 12, 2011
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LAS VEGAS -
No. 6 San Diego State-UNLV Postgame Quotes in PDF Format
San Diego State Head Coach Steve Fisher
(From postgame AM 600 KOGO interview)
On the fast start:
"We shot the ball so well early that we were just oozing with confidence. You knew that it would not last and that Vegas would have a run. When they did, we wobbled. I know 18,000 Vegas fans thought they had us, but we found a way with different people."
On the state of the team during the UNLV comeback:
"I think we lost our poise. I think Billy (White) got going too fast a couple of times. Beauty is the eye of the beholder and I thought we had a couple of charging calls that, because of the way the game was played, could have been left uncalled and that would have reduced (the turnovers and fouls). We tried to go to fast and got ourselves a little out of sync and finally we were able to get back going again."
On the free-throw shooting:
"I was so thrilled today and I was impressed. I told them the stat of the day was 20 out of 22 from the free-throw line. That is absolutely sensational and they are making them when it was a (close) game."
On the injury to D.J. Gay:
"I had a player to sub for him and he said he was ok. Then at halftime he said, `I can't sit down. If I sit down, it will stiffen up,' so he walked back and forth the whole half to make sure it did not stiffen up. He looks like the guy who serves Mass on Sunday, but he is ruthless on that floor. He knows how to win. He makes plays and he will do whatever he has to do to win."
On getting contributions from so many players:
"We have a team that has gotten contributions, and significant ones, all across the board from everybody on this team. We did it again tonight. They are going to talk about certain guys, but this was a great team victory."
On Kawhi Leonard having an off statistical night:
"Rather than looking at his stats, you look at the important plays he makes. He went up and got a couple of rebounds in traffic when we had to have it and he made a big basket when they were making a run on us. He does things that win. He makes plays that win."
On returning home to face New Mexico:
"It will great to be home in front of our crowd. It is fantastic to leave here with a victory and be 25-1. We have a special team. I told everbody, let's enjoy it, let's savor it and let's keep it going."
(From postgame press gathering)
General comments on the game:
"We gutted it out. When you have a leader like D.J., you expect good things to happen. He is a relentless competitor and I cannot say enough about him. Everyone contributed. It was not just D.J., but he was sensational. We have a good team that finds ways to win. It is not always pretty and it may not always be conventional, but it is the way we play the game in today's world. "
"Vegas is good and I love Lon (Kruger). He does a magnificent job. We got disjointed when we got the foul problems. I thought we tried to go too fast and that created some turnovers. We found a way to steady the ship."
On Billy White:
"Billy is emotional and he plays best when he plays with controlled emotion. He so desperately wanted to be out there and help his team get a victory. He was so focused this week preparing to come in here. I felt that he had a couple of fouls, that with the physicality of the game, probably could have let play on."
On the feel of today's game:
"You have two teams that are NCAA Tournament teams. Don't let anyone tell you that Vegas is not an NCAA Tournament team. They are really good and a team that beat Wisconsin, Kansas State and Virginia Tech. It had a flavor of NCAA Tournament atmosphere tonight."
On getting contributions from a number of players:
"We have found different ways, with different people, when guys have been hurt, sick or in foul trouble, to make plays. We have a couple of people that get a little more attention, but we have a lot of guys that are capable of stepping up and playing. I was very proud of the way we did that today."
On D.J. Gay:
"He is a senior that has been around that knows how to play. He doesn't get rattled under any circumstance. If you watch him, you never see him go bananas if something good or something bad happens. He has that wherewithal l to maintain focus that all good players are able to do. In addition, he makes plays that win. He made big time plays for us time after time after time. He is an MVP type player. He is someone who says little and does a lot. There is no team in America that would not want D.J. Gay on their team. I am glad we have him on ours."
On how San Diego State was able to win:
"We made free throws and made stops when we had to after they had dribbled by us like we were not out there for a period of time. We stepped up and made enough important plays to win."
San Diego State Sophomore Forward Kawhi Leonard
On Las Vegas native Billy White's foul trouble:
"Billy's back in his hometown and he wants do well in the game. If you get a couple fouls early in the game, you tend to really emotional and a little out of the game. We took him inside at halftime and told him we had his back and if he didn't do well tonight, we always have your back and we're right behind you."
On Billy White's message to the team after he fouled out:
"He said, `You have to get this win for me. You have to fight, fight. We only have four minutes left. You just need to fight for me.'"
On D.J. Gay:
"D.J. is a four-year starter, senior point guard. He's seen every packed gym in the MWC. He just stays comfortable and poised when he has the ball. Without him in the game, we tend to get off track with the plays and when he comes in, he just runs it smoothly."
San Diego State Senior Guard D.J. Gay
On what the win means for SDSU despite its second-half struggles:
"It says that we're a team that can squeak one out. If the game goes down to the wire we still have the ability to maintain our composure."
On the team's free throws:
"Day after day at practice, we spent countless time at the free-throw line. I think tonight I just got into a comfort level, and so did my teammates. Every time we stepped to the free-throw line, everybody was confident."
San Diego State Sophomore Guard James Rahon
On the significance of the win for Las Vegas native Billy White:
"Any time you come home, you want to impress your fans and get a win in your home town. I am sure he is feeling great that we came out of here with a victory."
On what Billy White said to the team after he fouled out:
"He basically said do this for me because he fouled out."