Oklahoma State University Athletics
Quotes: OSU vs Georgetown
December 04, 2019 | Cowboy Basketball
Oklahoma State head coach Mike Boynton
On the game:
"Georgetown is a good team. We lost to a very good basketball team that is well-coached. They've got a lot of pride, they always play that way. They got the better of us, particularly on the glass. Matt McClung got going and he was really comfortable tonight. The defensive effort was not near where it needed to be for us to have success in these types of games. A lot of people will say that Isaac Likekele wasn't here. We still had chances and opportunities in the game. We had a five-point lead at some point, we could have stretched that to 10. We didn't rebound the ball with the focus and the commitment we needed to. We got ourselves in a jam offensively late because we were down a playmaker."
On playing zone defense more:
"We just tried to manage ourselves through the game with Likekele, asking a lot of guys to do things that they haven't been asked to do yet. For Chris [Harris Jr.], Avery [Anderson III] and Keylan [Boone], this is a learning experience. We leaned on Thomas [Dziagwa] and Lindy [Waters III] a little bit more, those guys were all well over 30 minutes. So we had to play zone to give them a rest on that end, so we could have a little more fire on the offensive end. Credit to Georgetown, they just outplayed us."
On what the team did well:
"I think for a stretch, we did lock in defensively. We were able to get some baskets in transition. We scored 74 points at home, it should have been good enough if we had locked in defensively. They got good players. Give them credit, they outplayed us. This is an opportunity for us to go through some adversity, grow and try to be better."
Oklahoma State forward Cameron McGriff
On how were the Cowboys able to battle back:
"Just like defensive intensity is definitely a part of it. We tuned back to our skills and the crowd got into it. It was amazing to see the energy, that we could play with them. Coming from them, down the stretch they just made huge shots. I'll tip our hats to them because they were definitely able to guard and they were able to bounce back. They're a good team.
On what his confidence is at after tonight:
"I don't think I've lost confidence. I'm going to still shoot it even if I miss it. At least until coach tells me to stop. That's pretty much what it comes down to."Â
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On the mood in the locker room after the game:
"After tonight we have to put this one behind us. We have a loaded schedule. We have another opportunity against a good team. We can't get down on ourselves because of one game. They outplayed us tonight. We have to make sure in these next few practices that doesn't happen again."
OSU senior guard Lindy Waters III
On how Isaac Likekele not playing changed the game:
"He's obviously a great player, a great piece of our team. He controls the floor a lot. He's a big guard so he can help us out with rebounding. He's great at pushing in transition. We can't sit here and make excuses if Isaac was here. We have to find a way to win because at any point someone might get hurt, someone might get sick. We just have to find a way to win."
What can they take away from this loss:
"This is the first time this young team has seen adversity. It's just a learning experience. Tomorrow we just have to get back to work and move on to the next one. It's a long season so we have to take it one game at a time."
Georgetown head coach Patrick Ewing
On Mac McClung:
"He had one hell of a game. He stepped up. When you lose two guys like Josh LeBlanc and James Akinjo, it's hard to replace them. Last year they were part of the heart and soul of our team. I thought my guys showed that they have a lot of character and talent. Mac stepped up and played, to me, one of his best games as a Hoya. Not only him, but also Terrell Allen. We were going against a very well-coached team and were able to come away with a huge win on the road. Especially after they went up five points in the second half, we showed a lot of character to come back from that."
On Mike Boynton and the Cowboys:
"Mike has done an outstanding job. I think he's a great coach. I'm happy we won tonight, but I'm also happy for him and the success he's had. He's done an outstanding job with his team. I mean, they work. They make us work. We had to fight for everything. They were right there in it to be a nationally-ranked team a couple of games before us. So, I tip my hat to him. I'm happy for his success."
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On the game:
"Georgetown is a good team. We lost to a very good basketball team that is well-coached. They've got a lot of pride, they always play that way. They got the better of us, particularly on the glass. Matt McClung got going and he was really comfortable tonight. The defensive effort was not near where it needed to be for us to have success in these types of games. A lot of people will say that Isaac Likekele wasn't here. We still had chances and opportunities in the game. We had a five-point lead at some point, we could have stretched that to 10. We didn't rebound the ball with the focus and the commitment we needed to. We got ourselves in a jam offensively late because we were down a playmaker."
On playing zone defense more:
"We just tried to manage ourselves through the game with Likekele, asking a lot of guys to do things that they haven't been asked to do yet. For Chris [Harris Jr.], Avery [Anderson III] and Keylan [Boone], this is a learning experience. We leaned on Thomas [Dziagwa] and Lindy [Waters III] a little bit more, those guys were all well over 30 minutes. So we had to play zone to give them a rest on that end, so we could have a little more fire on the offensive end. Credit to Georgetown, they just outplayed us."
On what the team did well:
"I think for a stretch, we did lock in defensively. We were able to get some baskets in transition. We scored 74 points at home, it should have been good enough if we had locked in defensively. They got good players. Give them credit, they outplayed us. This is an opportunity for us to go through some adversity, grow and try to be better."
Oklahoma State forward Cameron McGriff
On how were the Cowboys able to battle back:
"Just like defensive intensity is definitely a part of it. We tuned back to our skills and the crowd got into it. It was amazing to see the energy, that we could play with them. Coming from them, down the stretch they just made huge shots. I'll tip our hats to them because they were definitely able to guard and they were able to bounce back. They're a good team.
On what his confidence is at after tonight:
"I don't think I've lost confidence. I'm going to still shoot it even if I miss it. At least until coach tells me to stop. That's pretty much what it comes down to."Â
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On the mood in the locker room after the game:
"After tonight we have to put this one behind us. We have a loaded schedule. We have another opportunity against a good team. We can't get down on ourselves because of one game. They outplayed us tonight. We have to make sure in these next few practices that doesn't happen again."
OSU senior guard Lindy Waters III
On how Isaac Likekele not playing changed the game:
"He's obviously a great player, a great piece of our team. He controls the floor a lot. He's a big guard so he can help us out with rebounding. He's great at pushing in transition. We can't sit here and make excuses if Isaac was here. We have to find a way to win because at any point someone might get hurt, someone might get sick. We just have to find a way to win."
What can they take away from this loss:
"This is the first time this young team has seen adversity. It's just a learning experience. Tomorrow we just have to get back to work and move on to the next one. It's a long season so we have to take it one game at a time."
Georgetown head coach Patrick Ewing
On Mac McClung:
"He had one hell of a game. He stepped up. When you lose two guys like Josh LeBlanc and James Akinjo, it's hard to replace them. Last year they were part of the heart and soul of our team. I thought my guys showed that they have a lot of character and talent. Mac stepped up and played, to me, one of his best games as a Hoya. Not only him, but also Terrell Allen. We were going against a very well-coached team and were able to come away with a huge win on the road. Especially after they went up five points in the second half, we showed a lot of character to come back from that."
On Mike Boynton and the Cowboys:
"Mike has done an outstanding job. I think he's a great coach. I'm happy we won tonight, but I'm also happy for him and the success he's had. He's done an outstanding job with his team. I mean, they work. They make us work. We had to fight for everything. They were right there in it to be a nationally-ranked team a couple of games before us. So, I tip my hat to him. I'm happy for his success."
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Players Mentioned
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