Kansas State Postgame Quotes

Head coach Brad Underwood opening statement:
"I thought the last six minutes of the first half, and other than the first two minutes of the first half, we were really dialed in defensively. Holding them to 30 percent in the second half was huge and it gave us an opportunity to get out in transition a little bit. We talked about at halftime being down on the glass, which has not happened to us a lot. Leyton Hammonds was terrific throughout the night on the glass."

On coming back to Manhattan:
"I probably had more problems with it the first game because it was playing K-State and I had not done that. I had been for K-State my whole life. That part was just a different feeling. Coming back in here was different. Walking through the tunnel for shoot around this morning and hanging a left instead of a right in terms of going to the visiting locker room. It was great seeing friends. There are a lot of people here that I have so much respect for and they are friends for life. That means a lot to me. That part was very special. The game was about us, and it was about Oklahoma State trying to get better. I did not make a big deal about it with our players. I did not talk about it. It was a game we lost the first time around to a team. For us to continue to get where we want to get it was just a conference game to them. That is what we talked about was just being better. There was some emotion, but it was also a lot of smiles and handshakes and pats on the back to see some friends. I am appreciative of relationships and people and that is what makes Kansas State and Oklahoma State very special."

On the 61-35 run to end the game:
"It was not an adjustment. I would like to take credit for it, but Phil Forte III did what a senior does and he dove on the floor for a loose ball. I got upset in the timeout and jumped them because our energy was bad. Phil made that hustle play and it really got us going. It kind of picked up our energy level. We had some different lineups in there playing Davon Dillard a lot with Jeff [Carroll] in foul trouble. You got a couple lob dunks. It was Phil's hustle play that made the biggest difference."

Sophomore guard Jawun Evans

On their slow start:
"They played good defense at the beginning of the game and it was hard to find ways to get the ball in the bucket. We ended up finding ways at the end of the half and it got us rolling."

On getting a tough road win….
"It is a great accomplishment. My teammates and I fought hard. We started off slow but ended up picking it up at the end of the first half. It is a great feeling."

Senior forward Leyton Hammonds:

On Coach Underwood's message when down 14 points:
"He was asking 'When are we going to get out of the bed and start playing' because we were really flat. I give K-State all the credit in the first half. They were just playing really good defense and running the floor, which is something we should have been doing. He said that we had to pick it up because this is a good team we are playing against. He got us going and we produced."

On winning a game they historically have not played well in:
"Everybody has bought in, which is the main thing. We are trying to play the game the right way, as in defensive rebounding. We are not really worrying about offense because when you have one of the best point guards in the country you kind of do not have to. We are just trying to be the best defensive team in the Big 12, as well as trying to be one of the best rebounding teams."

Head coach Bruce Weber

On overall performance:
"It was a big game. We got a win against Texas and you have your head above water. I thought we were ready to play, especially there in the beginning. I really thought during the stretch, when we were up 14 with about six minutes left, we then gave up some easy points in the paint. They are one of the best 3-point shooting teams in the country. We do a pretty good job against the three. We held them to 4-of-16 from three. But, 42 points in the paint, just broke down. I think we guarded cutter's action really well. They just decided to not run that. We are just going to put you in ball screens and see if you can guard it. I think overall, Jawun Evans goes 4-of-16, so you have to give Barry Brown some credit. He does get to the line, had nine assists and made some big plays and shots when they needed it. Phil Forte III only took two shots, which were the only points he made, and they were off the technical. We did some things well, but when it came to that gut check part of the game, they made all the right plays. We had nine assists on 11 field goals at the half and we ended up with 11 assists. I did not think we passed the ball and shared the ball."

On bench scoring:
"Oklahoma State's bench goes for 28 points and ours goes for 13. If you look at the last game, our bench went for 22 and their bench went for 11. That difference in the game is probably the two differences in the scores, especially if you compare the game at their place and the game at our place."

On offensive performance:
"I thought our offense was pretty good in the first half. I thought that by the end of the half we tried to make some tough plays and we were not efficient. We did not get the ball inside. We had some transition plays that we did not get. Barry Brown had one right off, a layup. I thought we had a couple other chances, but we did not finish. It was disappointing. I thought our guys were ready to play. I thought they would play well and they did. But, when it got to that gut check time, we did not make the right plays."

On finishing season strong:
"All you can worry about is Oklahoma. We have to stay together. We need Wesley Iwundu and D.J. Johnson to be great leaders. I talked to them after the game. We need them. We need to be solid, smart and focused. There is a lot to play for and a lot of good things can happen. We have a game Saturday and that is all we can worry about. They are very talented. They just pushed these guys at Stillwater until the very end. They seem to play with everybody. We just have to be a little more sound and be a little better defensively protecting the paint. We will see if we can get a win and that is all we can do."

Senior guard Wesley Iwundu

On losing streak:
"I do not know. I cannot tell you the recipe for that. We have one more home game, so we just have to come off that next home game with a win. I cannot tell you much besides that. We got off to a great start, but by the time I was reviewing the calls I do not know what happened. They responded to them and we did not."

On defense losing momentum:
"Our defense was slowing a little bit in the second half. We got the stops, but we just were not getting the rebounds. I guess they just need to hustle us a little bit more, and we need to correct those things for these last few games."

On Oklahoma State covering the floor:
"I got a good play against Jawun Evans, and Brandon [Averette] who is a pretty good ball handler too. They are both pretty good with the ball. It is a tough offense to guard, but you have to come up with those stops."

Senior forward D.J. Johnson

On not finding success recently at home:
"It is not confusing. It has been the same thing every time we lose. The momentum shifted. We did not share the ball and we did not get the stops that we need. It is not a lost recipe, we know what we need to do."

Oklahoma State University Athletics

Players Mentioned

Davon Dillard

Jawun Evans

Leyton Hammonds

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