University of Memphis Athletics
Memphis Postgame Quotes vs. UTEP
Feb 18, 2012 | Men's Basketball
Feb. 18, 2012
Recap | Box Score | Notes
Memphis (19-8, 9-3 C-USA) 58, UTEP (13-13, 6-6 C-USA) 60
February 18, 2012
FedExForum (Memphis, Tenn.)
Memphis Postgame Quotes
Memphis Head Coach Josh Pastner
Opening Remarks
You have to give UTEP all the credit. We were up 13 in the first half, and we were up 9-0 early. We should have been up 15-0. I just did not like our approach today. We talked about that yesterday at practice - that we have to be able to handle success. We are not out of the woods. I don't know if they thought we were out of the woods and we could just show up and get a W, but it was one of those things where we got up and then didn't bury them when we had chances. We were up seven at the under eight minute timeout, and then they closed the game on a 16-7 run. It was one of those games where it was just awful. I'm just disappointed that we didn't convert the opportunities we had. We were sluggish for no reason. Again, with our guys and the maturity process, we've gotta be able to get over the hump and handle success. And, when you have a team down, you have to be able to put them away.
What was your message to the team after this loss?
Well, we were 100 percent in the tournament, and now we might not be in the tournament after this loss. We really put ourselves in a corner. So, what we have to do is win these next four games one at a time. We can't have any letdowns like we had today if we want to have a chance at an at-large bid. Before the game, we were there, but now we are in a corner. We were not out of the woods before today and we took some big steps backwards today and away from the light. Until we get to that light, we can't get to the tournament.
Talk about the last possession and Will Barton's missed shot.
Well, we had a curl action. Chris Crawford was gonna go set a pindown screen for Will Barton, and he was going to curl to the paint, which he had the curl - but he pulled it out. He had the opportunity to turn the corner, and he obviously didn't. Still, he had a shot for the win and he didn't stick it. You know, he's our team captain, and he didn't play well tonight. Bottom line, he's gotta play better.
 
UTEP Postgame Quotes UTEP Assistant Coach Phil Johnson Opening Remarks
They took the shot there at the end and you just think "Oh man, here we go again." How many times have we been beat at the buzzer? It was a hard-played game on both ends. Our guys did a great job of defending, but we just couldn't control Black. He was a problem, and we were just constantly trying to figure out ways to keep the ball out of his hands.
I thought that our guys did a great job down the stretch, especially in controlling the ball. We had some good looks at it, and we got it done, finally.
When you were facing the deficit that you are, in the first half, what did the coaches tell the team to keep them composed?Well, we thought that if we just kept grinding it out and keep playing, that we would be fine. We have been down before and it was similar to our game versus Kansas State, over in Hawaii, and we kept fighting and got ourselves back into that game. We just felt that if we kept playing our game that we would be fine.
Do you feel as though the team has learned from previous experiences in other close games?
They have. When you go down, late in the game, and it is close, you wonder if we are going to have the fortitude to come out on top. But, you just have to fight through, keep making plays and continue to take care of the ball. They went to a 1-3-1 defense, which we thought that they would, and they were scrambling out there. But, we took care of the ball and that was really the key, we didn't have a lot of turnovers. On Julian Washburn's defensive performance Today was an excellent effort on his part, but really it was everybody. We wanted to help, and provide a lot of help to each other. We played together on both ends.
Talk about Washburn's defense on Will Barton in the last sequence.
Well, we figured that it was going to be some type of isolation play and we just told him "you are on your own." Washburn was great, he jumped, probably out of the play, but he got a good look at it. Up until the shot the defense was great, and right there at the point when you want your guy to stay down, he raised up. Fortunately for us, he didn't foul Barton.
Other than Tarik Black having a big game, did you do accomplish everything that you wanted to, today?
We did. I mean, Black is averaging nine and he gets 26, but he is a physical guy. But right now, with Cedrick (Lang) limited and with (John) Bohannon being thin, he (Black) was a man and kicked our [butts], really. Other than the victory, what do you take away from this game? I think that we learned that our guys are getting a lot better. This is our first win on the road and to do it here in Memphis, versus a good team, gives our guys a lot of confidence down the stretch. Hopefully, this will jumpstart this game into a real positive.
