Oklahoma State University Athletics
Postgame Quotes
February 02, 2011 | Cowboy Basketball
Feb. 2, 2011
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Oklahoma State Cowboy Basketball
Postgame Quotes
vs Missouri • Feb. 2, 2011
OSU Head Coach Travis Ford
Opening Statement
"It was a good win for our team. I have a lot of respect for Mike Anderson and this Missouri team. For us it was good to get a win because they're a very good team. It was important because we haven't been real happy with our basketball play. We have been happy with how hard we've been working and how hard we've been competing. We just haven't been playing very good basketball. Tonight I thought we played better. Tonight Missouri pressed us and trapped us more than any other team they've played this year. We only turned the ball over 11 times and that was the key. When you only have 11 turnovers against Missouri that means a lot. It means you're getting more opportunities to score and it's taking them out of transition and those are two key areas."
On Darrell Williams' play
"Darrell Williams got off to a great start. He was scoring, rebounding, playing with a lot of energy and he seemed to be around the ball a lot. His start was really big for us. He set the tone for us because he hasn't been playing like that. He gets everyone else going. He did a good job of playing with great energy and I think some of the other guys fed off that."
On the game
"When the game is going as fast as this one was and they pressed us and trapped us all night, that makes it hard to come down and throw it inside. It takes that away. I thought Marshall (Moses) played extremely hard tonight and he did some good things. This was a game about spacing and handling the pressure and passing the ball. We only had nine or 10 assists but I thought we passed the ball better than we had in a long time."
OSU junior guard Keiton Page
On beating another ranked team at home
"It was a huge win for us tonight. I know we have lost the last two, but personally, I think we have made strides the last two games even though we came up with loses, and I know our coaching staff and team feel the same way. Tonight is what we have been striving for. It was a complete team effort. Everybody came in and had chances to make big plays and made them while they were in. That is what it takes in this league, to make big plays while you are in the game."
On Missouri's fast-pace game plan
"That is what they do every game and I think we did a good job of responding to their pressure, unlike last year. Last year we had a lot of trouble with their pressure. I think our guards and our post-guys, they came out and relieved some pressure."
On the key to winning this game
"We just put in a new press offense these last couple of days and we just have to be patient with it. Last year we got a little too aggressive with it and tried to break to quick, this year we are just trying to stay under control."
OSU sophomore guard/forward Jean-Paul Olukemi
On his defensive performance
"Coach had been talking about taking up the intensity on defense and carry it over to offense. When you stop somebody you start getting that 'yeah, let's get a bucket,' or 'we need to stop somebody again,' and it just carries over. Everyone wants to rebound and get a stop. Everybody gets excited and knows it is that time."
On OSU's post-play
"I thought it was outstanding, especially Darrell Williams. He has been struggling with foul trouble, but he finally got out of it today and got some big time rebounds. Matt Pilgrim was really focused today and didn't let the little things get to him. He had great composure and was able to get key rebounds. They played really well today."
On staying out of foul trouble
"Keeping your hands off the other people helps."
Missouri Head Coach Mike Anderson
Opening statement
"We got a good chance to see what life continues to be like on the road in the Big 12. Every night, you have to show up and you have to play. We didn't play, I think, the brand of basketball we've been playing throughout the year; and you can credit Oklahoma State. I think they did a good job of attacking us. Of course, when you shoot 43 free throws, your chances of winning are going to be pretty good."
On if the travel situation affected the game
"I don't want to make excuses, but at the same time, I thought it was a little different than the schedule that we normally have. We flew in today and it seemed like it took is a while to get in a rhythm. I didn't think we had the rhythm, especially early on. I thought in the second half, it was more like our team, but by that time, we'd dug a hole for ourselves. Again, give some credit to Oklahoma State. I thought we could've played a whole lot better than we did."
On Keiton Page
"I thought he played well; I think he's playing well. He's taking advantage of the things he can do. You've got some other guys on this team, like Jean-Paul Olukemi, who's a good basketball player; he made some big plays for them tonight. People can't just key on Keiton. I think he's improved from last year."
