Nov. 8, 2013
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SAN DIEGO -
UC Riverside-San Diego State Postgame Quotes
San Diego State Head Coach Fisher
On the game:
"We did for 40 minutes what we have done for 40 practices: played hard. We did not always play extremely efficient basketball, but we really played hard. And if you do that when you are talented, when you are deep, when you are athletic, you are going to have a chance to be successful. And I believe we will do that every game. We have to shoot better, that is part of our challenge. I think we will achieve it.
"I put six bullet points up before every game. One of them today was (move on to the) next play. At times we got a little bit anxious because of the emphasis on the new rule and (the resulting) fouls called. We had a couple of fouls that our guys were looking around raising their hands like, "I did not foul." I think that affected the next couple of plays and we cannot do that because probably 10 of the fouls that were called today will also be called the rest of the season. So you have to make sure you adjust (and) you cannot let it affect what you do on the next trip down the floor."
On his team's performance:
"I like what Xavier (Thames) did for us. He got us out of the gate with some baskets. He had maybe our first seven points, and he will probably shoot a little bit more than he did last year. I thought Matt Shrigley did a really good job tonight running the wing. He got himself some easy open looks with his feet set, he got out down the floor, spaced the floor and he was two-for-three (from the) three-point range. So (there were) some good things. I know we will play hard on Thursday. I like our team, we played everybody today again. I think we had eleven guys again with double figures, that will not happen all the time. It probably will not happen in the next game. But we do have depth, and I think we can pressure people, even if we do not run at them and trap them, and hopefully wear them down over the course of a 40 minute game, and maybe playing a few people ourselves.
San Diego State Guard Xavier Thames
On getting the first win:
"It feels good to get the season started off right, 1-0. We played good defense tonight."
On getting the game going after its rocky start:
"We were a little nervous the first game and a little excited. We managed to pull it together."
Was it anything other than nerves:
"I don't think so. We have been practicing since the summer time and fall but like I said, it was just a little bit of nerves and excitement coming out for the first game. We just got over there, had a little bit of run and had to maintain that. I don't think it was (about) us playing together. We've been playing together all summer."
On 12 players playing tonight:
"It's great. We are going to get up and down and press. We can't play eight players. We have to play nine, 10, 11 guys to get up and down to press. I am fine with that. Everybody's going to be fresh."
San Diego State Forward Josh Davis
On his first game as an Aztec:
"I loved the atmosphere. I was just excited to play. I am looking forward to playing more games with my team."
Did you expect that you wouldn't score the first half?
"I got into a little foul trouble, but that's a part of the game and it happens so we just have to move on with the next play."
On his mindset during the second half:
"Just like the game was starting over. I just played my game."
On the defensive intensity level:
"It's big time. I think we took a big step forward from the last game we had. It's what we do every day in practice. We just focus on defense."
San Diego State Sophomore Winston Shepard
On his foul trouble late in the game and if he was trying to be careful:
"I'm not used to getting in foul trouble. I just tried to keep playing my game. I knew when I picked up the fourth foul, I was coming out. I told myself when I get back in, I was going to go all out and it paid off for me."
On the chemistry between him and Josh Davis:
"Josh is a great player and although sometimes I might not put the ball on the money, he's such a great player that wherever I put it at, he's going to get it. He needs the credit for that, I just delivered it."
UC Riverside Head Coach Dennis Cutts
On the game:
"What I took from it was that they (SDSU) are good. They're really good. They're well coached and just a really good program. We knew that coming in here. I didn't anticipate us kind of playing that way. As we talked the other day, we didn't have a reference point against athletes. I think we can point it at some things that went on out there. The offensive end just kind of broke us. When you don't score it's hard to maintain some defensive energy and toughness. That offensive end just broke us apart."
On SDSU's defense:
"They are a good defensive team. They're really long. Those teams have always given us trouble. This is a really talented athletic basketball team. We are learning a new system, but we haven't been able to simulate that kind of length and speed. Some of our decisions were uncharacteristic that we haven't seen a lot of. So we are learning a new system. Then I want to throw in nerves a little bit. Some guys acted uncharacteristic of what we've seen over three months."
On if SDSU will be the best team they play:
"I believe that (SDSU will be the best team that they play this season), I do. To get thrown in it on the road to the start is difficult for these kids. I told them that this is a reference point of where we're at and it can't be where we're at next week, a month from now or at the end of the season. We'll be able to pull some real things that we need to get better at and some things that they did that we can maybe steal. We obviously, obviously have a lot of work to do to get better."
UC Riverside Guard Austin Quick
On the game:
"Obviously we have been looking at them (SDSU) for a couple of weeks now. The first thing you see is their size and athleticism. We just didn't execute. Coach (Cutts) preached to us all week that (SDSU) was a beautiful team and it really was."
On what UC Riverside can learn from this game:
"We can take a lot (out of this game). First off, on the offensive end, stick to what we do in practice because it works there. Why do we have to detour away from it? We will fix that tomorrow at one o'clock. Defensively, I think it was good to face a team that can rebound so that we can stay disciplined and box out every possession. We'll look at the film and fix a lot more."
UC Riverside Forward Taylor Johns
On the game:
"We can find something to work on defensively and offensively. The thing we can take out (of this game) is getting better. Watching the film and going over things that we need to go over so that the next game we can be ready."
On possible nerves:
"It probably was a little bit nervousness, but I don't think it was a really big factor. I think some of just didn't show up. They (SDSU) are a good team. I'm knocking them off or anything. We are a better team than (what we showed)."