Post-Game Quotes
1/16/2007 12:00:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Jan. 16, 2007
Head Coach Stan Joplin
"Our defense in the second half was pretty good for the most part. We defended pretty well but fouled too much though. It was good to win too because Justin Ingram had an off night and we had other players make up for it. Anytime you can win a game on the road you have to be extremely happy."
(on Keonta Howell)
"He hit some big shots for us. He's been struggling a little bit with his shot and now he's back on track. He's been in the gym working hard and you expect that from your seniors."
(on the difference from the first half and the second half)
"I thought Eastern Michigan outhustled us in the first half. I thought they were quicker, more aggressive and created opportunities for themselves. I was disappointed with our effort and in the second half it switched a little bit. Our players have to understand that we're the only undefeated team in the league and everybody wants to knock us off. Our players haven't figured that it out yet and they can't come out just to play. Anybody in the conference can beat you in this conference if you don't play hard."
Senior forward Keonta Howell
(on being hot in the second half)
"I was feeling good and my shot was going down. My teammates were finding me. Kashif (Payne) was playing real fast and they couldn't really guard him. They had to help out on him and he was finding me for an open shot."
(on being picked to win the MAC's West Division and using that as motivation)
"It's a big motivation for us. As a senior that's my only goal this year. Nothing else matters except winning the MAC Championship. I've gotten so close to winning it and I know how it feels to be right there and not get it. I think we can achieve that goal if we come out and play great defense like we can."
(on being 3-0 on the road in conference play)
"That's a really good start in this league on the road. A lot of teams play great at home and to already have three wins is a great thing."
Junior guard Kashif Payne
(on the difference from the first half and the second half)
"In the first half we didn't play with the edge that we need to. They were outworking us and we knew that we were going to come out in the second half and bring energy and rebound better and do what we're supposed to do."
(on solving EMU's zone in the second half)
"We knew in order to get them out of the zone we had to hit some shots. I wanted to try to push the ball and keep them on their heels. You have to be aggressive against a zone so we tried to penetrate and find the open man."
(on winning a MAC road game)
"It's tough to win on the road. Every team is going to play their heart out and give us their best game. We just wanted to come out with a lot of energy. I tried to start it off on the defensive end and pushing the ball up the court."
(on if he expected to be 4-0 in the MAC after starting the season 4-8)
"I knew we were going to have a good season. We had a tough start and I wasn't playing very well. I knew it was going to change as long as I kept working hard. Now the hard work is paying off."
