March 4, 2015
Recap | Final Stats | Notes
LAS VEGAS -
San Diego State-UNLV Postgame Quotes
San Diego State Head Coach Steve Fisher
On if the game was more X' and O's or heart and guts:
"I think it was more of the latter, saying we're going to will ourselves and fight like crazy to get a win and find a way to make a play, and we did just enough. ... Sometimes it was pretty, sometimes it was diving on the floor, running the floor, knocking the ball loose, it was a hard-fought game. You have to give them credit, with six guys playing most of the second half, they competed like crazy."
On the game:
"I thought we got them tired and we didn't take advantage, we were 0-for-8 from three in the first half and they were pretty good looks, including the very last one (from Matt Shrigley). In the second half we were 5-for-6. It was a conscious effort to try to up the tempo ourselves. We wanted to push the ball offensively and press them in their building to wear them down. It was a conscious effort."
On inserting Dwayne Polee II into the game in the late stages:
"He's a fifth-year senior that I've seen perform late in games before. I have a comfort level with him. I thought he did a nice job."
San Diego State Forward JJ O'Brien
On being more aggressive:
"I had my opportunities tonight. They weren't doubling me early. I had a lot of space to operate, so I did. In the Boise State game, they were sinking down on me so that's why I made those plays. Tonight, I saw space and I made the plays early. In the second half, they started to collapse on me and I started finding my teammates. As usual I just read the defense."
On where this win ranks among all other wins this season:
"I think it's the most important one because it's the one that just happened. It's to keep our conference championship hopes alive. If we had beaten Boise State, maybe I'm saying that one is, but tonight we won this game so right now this is the most important one."
San Diego State Guard Aqeel Quinn
On making plays down the stretch:
"We made plays when we needed to. (Winston Shepard) especially with the two free-throws."
On if it took a few days to shake off the loss to Boise State:
"We weren't down. We had to put the poker face on. Nothing changed. We've been doing the same thing, nothing changed."
On the late-game steal by Trey Kell:
"It was a big play. Trey (Kell) passed it to Winston (Shepard) and back to Trey. It looked like the passing drill we do in practice. It was very similar. It was a big play.
San Diego State Forward Winston Shepard
On if he wants to shoot free-throws with the game on the line:
"You don't even have to ask me. Absolutely. I live for that."
On if the game was more X' and O's or heart and guts:
"None of it was X's and O's, really. This was a win about toughness, about how much do you want it, how much do you want to win the conference. This is one of those wins when the game gets tough we could have laid down in the end and lost back to back. This is a testament to our team."
On the late-game sequence that led to a Trey Kell steal and lay-up:
"(Skylar Spencer) doubled, Trey got the steal, we had the break, I could have tried to score it, but I made the right play. Coach Fisher would have been happy. We talk about three things: share the ball, make the right play and play hard. It was the right play to make.
"(The play) was just natural for me. The man was in my lane, I could have tried to barrel him over. I missed a couple shots tonight, it was an easy shot for my team. This was a game about the win, not stats."
On if the win makes up for Saturday's loss vs. Boise State:
"We'll see. We have one more game to play and let's see if we can win this conference."