Dec. 22, 2007
Recap | Final Stats | Photo Gallery
TUCSON, Ariz. - San Diego State Head Coach Steve Fisher
Opening Statement:
"I thought, for the most part, we competed hard. Lorrenzo (Wade) having three fouls and playing limited minutes in the first half and us 8-for-25, I felt really good about where we were in the first half. But we had a hard time making baskets. How much of that was on us and how much of that was on them, I'm not positive. I thought Lorrenzo had several point-blank shots that didn't go down and if you are going to beat good teams you have to make shots. They hurt us in the last five to six minutes with dribble drive. This is a very good team that beat us and we have to learn from it. "
Q: What do you take from this game?
"We need to make sure we take the good parts and extend them. We have to make shots. We can't let them shoot 60 percent in the second half. I'm disappointed that we didn't get a win but I saw enough good things to tell me we are going to have a good team when we move in to our league."
Q: What do you do when you are struggling to make shots?
"You have to try and find a way to get an easier one, which means get to the free throw line and do more smart attacking. I thought we did that. When it was still a game, Lorrenzo had three or four in a row in tight that just didn't go in. It wasn't just him. We missed some shots we have to make."
Q: On the game being competitive throughout
"They are a good team. We had chances but we have to be able to make a stop and we were not able to do it. A lot of that is attributed to them. There was an opportunity that we were not able to take advantage of but there are going to be a lot more opportunities starting with the one on the 28th (game against Sam Houston State) and we have to find a way to get that one."
Arizona Interim Coach O'Neill Quotes
On the game:
"I really liked how our team played aside from about four minutes in the first half. I left some guys out there a little too long, so you can put that one on me. But for the most part I thought we played well."
"We've been using a small lineup particularly in the second half of games and it has been successful for us. Nic Wise has been playing tremendous and has earned the minutes that he has been getting. We just now need to do a better job, when we play small, not to give up easy points down low."
"I can't say enough about the job Jawann McClellan has been doing for this ball club. He's our glue guy. He's does a lot of the dirty work that goes unnoticed and today was no different."
"Now we need to come back after the holiday break and be prepared to work. Memphis is a hell of a team and we need to make sure we are ready from the opening tip."
"I think we are now beginning to really play good team defense. The first couple games this year we didn't play very well, but we are still two possessions away from possibly being 11-0. That being said, we could also be 7-4."
"I think this team gets stronger as the game goes on. Our conditioning is at a high level and it is imperative that it does not falter over the holiday break. It has really been an advantage of ours thus far."