Nov. 23, 2005

Final Stats |  Quotes

Head Coach Stan Joplin

(Thoughts on the game)

"I thought we were pretty good defensively. DaShaun Wood is one of those players that accounts for 80 percent of their offense. Tonight we just wanted to contain him and keep him out of the lane and contest his shots. Our rebounding has a lot to be desired because of our lack of concentrations. Our shots were there tonight but we weren't hitting them."

(on going the first nine minutes of the second half without a field goal but still maintaining the lead)

"It was important because we didn't score but our defense was solid. We tell the players that all the time and we try to give playing time to those guys who give the best defensive effort. That gives our players confidence that they can win with defense."

Junior guard Keonta Howell

(Thoughts on the game)

"I think it was a good win for us tonight. I think we have a lot of room for improvement, but I think we can build off this game. I think we played pretty well for being only the second game of the year."

(on ways to improve the offense)

"I think we just need to execute better. Wright State kind of packed it in defensively and forced us to shoot more jump shots than we wanted to. They doubled the post and took us out of our sets. We just have to execute and play through that."

(on developing chemistry with different lineups)

"Coach Joplin emphasizes that we have a lot of talent on this team and anybody can play whether you're a starter or not. We're playing 11 people right now and that's what's working for us."

(on keying the run at the end of the game to secure the win)

"I think it was important for me to step up because I picked up two quick fouls in the first half and another early in the second half. I wanted to help the team increase our lead and put them away. When you let a team hang around they start to think they can win the game. That stretch was a collective effort with good defense and getting out on the fast break."