Post-Game Quotes

Feb 27, 2010 | Men's Basketball

Feb. 27, 2010

Recap |  Final Stats |  Notes

Memphis Coach Josh Pastner
Memphis vs. Southern Miss
February 27, 2010

First impressions?

I have to give the guys credit. We were down 15-4 again, but tonight we battled back. You have to give Southern Miss credit for coming out with all that energy. Our guys stayed with it. They stayed poised. Any time, after a loss, you're a little tight. We were a little tight tonight because we needed to win this game. We stayed poised and chipped away at the lead because of defense. We got stops. We got stops. We got stops. Roburt Sallie came in and gave us a big lift tonight.

In going into zone after Memphis fell behind?

I thought our zone was really good. They made some shots against the man, but they struggled a bit against our zone. Late in the second half they made some unbelievable threes, but we did a good job getting some big rebounds. They still had 15 offensive rebounds, which is way too many, but we had some key rebounds we had to come up with in key times. That was the big thing.

On team effort?

Again, the guys scrapped and they grinded and they played hard. Willie Kemp had five assists and one turnover. He had another great game. Elliot Williams was a monster. I thought Wesley Witherspoon was pretty good all night as well. Doneal Mack came through for us. I thought D.J. (Stephens) really gave us great energy. Will Coleman was solid. Angel only got a few minutes, but again, it was a night where the match ups were a little bit tough. That was the way it went.

On Will Coleman's improvement outlook for the rest of the season?

Will is continuing to get better. We're going to need production out of him, there's no question. For what we need to do and the games we need to win, he has to produce. He's a key guy for what we're trying to do. Right now he is our only true post player.

Southern Miss Head Coach Larry Eustachy
Postgame Quotes

What was the game plan going into the game and talk about how it worked out.

"We talked about stopping their penetration and I think we got beat at least 40 times off of their penetration. Once we got beat, we fouled and you aren't going to get foul calls on the road. The game started out right, but there were parts of it that cost us. There were some key moments that keyed Memphis' rally. Memphis was 10-for-22 from the arc and we got beat on the penetration. Our guys are struggling a little bit, but in a game like this, we really didn't point any fingers at anybody. We are at a point where we need to turn a corner and go up to East Carolina and win. After that, we get into the tournament and see what happens. I like the way we play and take care of the play. I know these guys will come back to practice and practice hard. We have some great losses. We must lead the country in great losses, I will tell you that."

A couple of your players struggled from the field tonight. Talk about that and the affect it had on the game.

"We had three players go a total of two- of-18 from the field. If a couple of those go in, it's a closer game. We played with Memphis down in Hattiesburg and had the controversial play at the end and we played with them here. I am proud of our guys, but we don't have the experience that Memphis has. Coach Pastner has done a terrific job. He has been shorthanded, but they play hard. I was impressed with Memphis as much as anybody in our league because of their swagger and toughness. They have it because they have been in those pressure situations."