Baylor Postgame Quotes

Oklahoma State head coach Brad Underwood opening statement:
"Credit to Baylor. There's a reason they've won 21 games, and Johnathan Motley was single handedly a one man wrecking crew. We talked at length in two days about rebounding the basketball. And how that was such a key for us. Biggest play of the game, (Terry) Matson for them gets an offensive rebound and they hit a three. I was really proud of our guys for the comeback and fight. We had a chance to take the lead and turned it over. That's unacceptable. That's my fault. I've gotta draw something up better."

On Jeffrey Carroll:
"Jeffrey had been out all week with the flu. For him to bounce back and play 36 minutes, I was proud of him. Jeff's a really good player. Jeff can score the ball in a lot of ways. He had two threes tonight. And he scores the ball in so many areas on the floor. It's what good players do."

On the comeback:
"It shows the fight and character of our team. I like that. Every game in this league is just like that. It's just so close. You got over half your games are less than one or two possessions. They become so critical that every call, every missed layup, every missed rebound, everything becomes so magnified over a 40-minute game because of the closeness of these games and how good everybody is."

On the noise level in GIA during OSU's run:
"That was the loudest I've heard it. Our fans are great. I can't say thank you enough to them. They impact the game so much. It's what makes this place so special. They were running over because they couldn't hear. It's truly awesome."

OSU guard Jawun Evans

On Oklahoma State's late comeback:
"We got our energy back at the end getting stops and picking up full court. Sadly, we just came up short."

On Johnathan Motley's night:
"He's very difficult to match up with when you have his size and his length and it's difficult to defend. You just have to find ways to get stops on him and get help from other players."

OSU guard Phil Forte, III

On Oklahoma State's fight:
"Every game in this league is going to come down to the end. We tried to scratch, claw and find our way back into it."

On the fans and noise at Gallagher-Iba Arena:
"I thought the fans that were here tonight did a very good job of trying to get us back in the game. They didn't quit on us. That stretch was probably the loudest that this building has been this year. I really appreciate the fans that came out tonight, we fed off of their energy."

On OSU's next game with Texas:
"They beat us the first time so we know that we have to be ready to play. We have to be focused, mentally into the game plan that we come out with. We have two days to prepare and they just beat a very good Iowa State team. They are a young and talented team and we definitely will have our hands full. We have to be ready to come out and play."

Baylor head coach Scott Drew opening statement:
"First off, hats off to Oklahoma State and how hot they have been and how well they have played. I don't think people realize for a coach, midstream, to change his defensive philosophy and something that he [Underwood] is so good with and so successful with to help his team have a better chance of being better off, that's really, really impressive. I've known Coach Underwood going back to Western Illinois, so I have the utmost respect for him. Anytime you get a win in the Big 12, it's usually one-possession, and it's usually earned, so we were blessed tonight that we were able to walk away with the win. We didn't execute well at all down the stretch to say the least, and Oklahoma State really did a great job causing us to turn it over at the end, but for most of the game, we played a very intelligent 19-assist game. Take out the turnovers at the end, and that's about as well as you can get on the road."

On his players' offensive efficiency:
"The key is making them. Sometimes you get good looks, and we had several of them too, but we made enough of them. Again, I think rebounding-wise, we were much better this time. First time we faced them [OSU], we were out-rebounded 19-7 on the offensive glass, and that was big for us. I think King {McClure] really gave us a great contribution, and Jake's [Lindsey] toughness and Ishmail's [Wainwright] toughness down the stretch to keep it together and keep poise was great. Manu [Lecomte] could have missed those free throws, but he stuck together and made those. Especially after what had just occurred, we could have gotten rattled and lost this thing very easily."

On his key players after getting into foul trouble:
"We did lean on them. They did a great job rebounding for us, and I though Jo [Lual-aculi Jr.] really came back in in that last stretch. He really did give us a great lift defensively. [Mitchell] Solomon and Jo are kind of the same; both of them really do all the dirty things and little things that make your teams so successful. Jo went out with four [fouls] and the staff said to get him out, but I let him go a couple of more minutes, but that didn't work. So, I wish we would've gotten him out when he picked up his third."

On the emphasis of 3-pointers:
"It's always an emphasis. I think last time we faced them [OSU], Forte was 5-7 from the three-point line. That guy shoots from half court, and most people don't start their defense at half court, so I have a lot of respect for him and for what all he's been able to accomplish here. Obviously [Jeffrey] Carroll has been shooting the ball so well, so we knew coming in that we had our work cut out for us."

Baylor guard Manu Lecomte

On holding on for the win:
"Yeah, we did a great job staying in the game defensively and offensively. At the end, it was me who turned the ball over twice in a row, and we can't afford that, but hopefully we learn from that."

On how much of an emphasis it was having Forte not make it from anywhere:
"It was the game plan. We did a great job taking out the 3's. That was our main focus. Forte and Carroll mainly. We just had to stay out and really play one-on-one."

On the lift King McClure gave him:
"King had a great game. Not only offensively, but also on defense. He did a great job and just stayed ready. He had his chance to start, and I thought he did great."

On the loudness of Gallagher Iba:
"Oh it was crazy. Crazy loud. Especially at the end, and you couldn't hear anything. Especially when they were on that last run."

Baylor forward Jonathan Motley

On his offense tonight:
"We were trying to pound it down low as much as we could because we knew they [OSU] like to play one-on-one defense. Most teams don't really do that, but we just tried to take advantage of what they were giving us. They like the over-and-up with a lot of kick-up 3's and a lot of open 3's, so I think we did a good job of executing the game plan."

On their key defensive plan:
"Pushing up on their shooters. They're a really good shooting team with Phil Forte and Jeffrey Carroll, and even with Jawun getting hot sometimes, so we just had to make sure they go finish inside with those 2's."

On the importance of rebounding:
"It was a huge emphasis. Coach stressed it a lot, and we did a lot of rebounding drills in practice just to make sure we were ready. I think we're the No. 1 rebounding team in the Big 12, so we just made sure we do what we do. Hit it, and then go get it at the top."

On how good it felt to come off a losing streak:
"It feels really good. Oklahoma State was on a 5-game winning streak, and they were playing really good basketball. It feels good to get a win like this, especially after coming off a losing streak. This was a really good win for us."

Oklahoma State University Athletics

Players Mentioned

Jeffrey Carroll

Jawun Evans

Phil Forte, III

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