March 4, 2002
Recap|
Final Stats
Toledo-Eastern Michigan
Post-Game Quotes
MAC Tournament, March 4, 2002
Toledo junior guard Nick Moore
(on Keith Triplett): "He was a great boost for us. He did it all. He rebounded, he scored, he defended. He did everything that was asked of him. I t"
"It gives us a lot of confidence going into Cleveland knowing we can take of a team by that many points. Now we know we can play the kind of defense we're capable of."
"Central Michigan is a scary team. They've got Chris Kamann down low. They've got David Webber, last year's MAC Player of the Year. They're a very tough team. They've just had a rough season. They might be finding their stride."
"We're trying to stay focused on the next game and Central Michigan. We're just trying to get past the quarterfinals because we haven't been able to do that the last couple of years."
Toledo sophomore Keith Triplett
"Coach Joplin told me to just start shooting the ball. My teammates told me to start shooting the ball more. I came out and hit a couple, so I kept shooting.'
"I felt going into the tournament I'm going to have a big game. I haven't been looking for my shots like I should have been."
Toledo sophomore Terry Reynolds:
(on Central Michigan)"We need to prepare for Central Michigan. We split this year and we just have to come out and play hard like we did tonight. It will be a different environment and a different game. We just have to feed off that and come out and play hard."
(on Triplett)"With Keith scoring more, it would have to make our opponents guard another part of the floor. If he has the open shot, he has to take it because you might not get another look like that again. He was a scorer in high school so he's capable of making shots. Even if he misses one he has to have the confidence that he can make the next one."
On having seven assists and no turnovers:
"I took my time making decisions. I have to make better passes and people have to knock down shots. It's a two-way street and both were happening today."
"I just want to win in Cleveland. Last year, it came down to a last second shot and it didn't go our way. Hopefully, it won't end like that this year and we'll be better prepared for it. If it does I have the confidence to go and make that shot again."
Toledo Head Coach Stan Joplin
"I told the team that somehow, someway we want to get to Cleveland. Now that we've made it to Cleveland, we might want to change our goals a little bit."
"We're happy with the win. The tone was set early in the game. Defensively we did a very nice job. We pressured them and took them out of their offense. Last Saturday, they shot over 50 percent and over 65 percent in the first half. We just wanted to come out with more energy on defense tonight than we did on Saturday."
(on Triplett) "It just gives us more offense when he's scoring. When we've got Terry Reynolds and Nick Moore going and you add Triplett, that makes a big difference. Keith just has to be more aggressive. If he misses a shot, he misses a shot. We need him to keep shooting. It was great to see and hopefully it will continue throughout the tournament. It could be a real shot in the arm."
"Central Michigan and Marshall are two teams that could get really hot. It's going to be a tough game for us. Kaman and Pleiness are big matchups for us and with David Webber they have three guys who can score. Central is very talented and they might be peaking at the right time. They feel very confident and we're going to have our hands full."
Eastern Michigan Coach Jim Boone
"There's not a lot I can say right now. We're disappointed that things had to end for us tonight. We've fought a lot of battles and grew up a lot in the past month. Unfortuantely, we didn't show it tonight."
(double technicals) "In retrospect, it made a major difference in the game. There are two ways you can go from that. It can turn the momentum in your favor or it can go the other way. In no way shape or form was I trying to get the technicals to try to help us build momentum for our team. I did not want to get a technical."
