University of Memphis Athletics
Post-Game Quotes
Feb 06, 2010 | Men's Basketball
Feb. 6, 2010
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Memphis Coach Josh Pastner
Memphis vs. Gonzaga
February 6, 2010
First impressions?
The guys played hard. There's not question about that. We had our chances to win the game. To win a game like this, you have to make free throws. That's the bottom line. If we make our free throws like we did on Wednesday or like we did against Marshall, then we win the game. We didn't, and that's why they got the win. We had our chances. All you can ask for is a chance to win the game, and we had our chances.
He really stepped up big, especially when we were struggling offensively. He really picked up the slack and made shots. He made big shots. He battled. He played hard. He was a hard match-up for them. He did a good job offensively.
On offensive problems in the first half?
We held them to 28 points, but we had trouble scoring at times. We went triangle, triangle-and-two, and a couple of other times we went to zone. It really just comes down, offensively, to just that we didn't shoot the ball well from three in the first half. We were 4-of-13. In the second half we were 2-of-8, but a lot of those were late when we were taking some forced shots.
The loss comes down to two things, two stats. We missed free throws, and we turned the ball over 15 times. That's not like us. We're usually better taking care of the ball. All that being said, I'm very proud of our guys. They played hard, and they left it on the floor.
On Gonzaga?
You have to give full credit to Gonzaga. They're well-coached, and they made big plays. How many times did they make big shots at the shot-clock buzzer. They played well.
On the turnovers and charges against Memphis?
We worked yesterday on driving. We knew their big men would step up and attack. We spent a lot of time on driving. Then when they step up to attack, we'd throw the lob to the big men. Unfortunately, we didn't have carry over from practice to the game today ... We just put our heads down and tried to go by them or over them. That was a lot of the turnovers.
On the crowd?
The crowd was absolutely fantastic. I've only been here a year-and-a-half, but that was as loud as I've heard it. Again, we appreciate Tiger Nation and the support they give us.
Gonzaga Head Coach Mark Few
Postgame Quotes
Talk about the turnaround after Thursday's game in Spokane.
"We have actually done that a couple of times this year, and it has been crazy whether it was in Maui or the tough game against Oklahoma in Spokane or the trip to the United Center versus Illinois. We knew it was going to be really hard. Memphis is a really good basketball team, and they have great athleticism. They have some toughness to them. Their shooters didn't make as many shots as they did the last game, and I think that was partly due to our defense."
"Our guys came in here, and I thought we had a tough mindedness to us and a tough mentality about us. It is hard to play well in this building because the crowd is such a huge part of the game. You can't hear your sets or hear your calls, but we were able to overcome that. I am really proud of the squad."
Talk about the run Memphis made in the second half.
"I am always concerned playing Memphis because they are so dangerous. They can hit threes in bunches and just create turnovers. I am very happy with our guys on the defensive end because we really stayed in our gaps and made them take difficult shots. Taking care of the ball against that athleticism and the way they climb up into us with the crowd going, I am very happy to see the way we kept our poise because it was very impressive."
Matt Bouldin had struggled against Memphis prior to today's game. Talk about the way he played today.
"He kind of exercised some demons today. Memphis has played him very, very well over the last couple of years. Part of that is Memphis and part of that is Matt not slowing down and playing on the ground. You don't want to get up in the air against guys that are more athletic than you. You guys don't get to see it, but that is the way Matt has played for us all year. Basically, rock solid and taking what they give you."
Do you like the rivalry that has developed with Memphis over the course of the contract with Memphis?
"It is hard to make this trip. I was talking to Coach Pastner before the game about that. It is a very tough turnaround even though I don't know how many miles it is. Our league doesn't help us out much since we played the last game of the day Thursday at 8 p.m. west coast time. It is kind of like the NCAA Tournament though since you line up and play against two different styles in less than 36 hours. We got through it luckily."
