Jan. 26, 2008
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SAN DIEGO -
UNLV-SDSU Postgame Quotes in PDF Format
San Diego State Head Coach Steve Fisher
Postgame Radio Interview
On UNLV:
"I thought they really made some big shots, right to the end when (Curtis) Terry made that 3-pointer that could not have been guarded any better. It was deep and they made the plays when they had to, one more than we did. (The loss) was bitterly disappointing but this is what this league is all about. We have 10 games left and I told the team most of them could come down to the final three minutes where either team can win. We have to find a way to make one more play so we have the feeling that they do right now.
"They did whatever they had to do to win. This is a good basketball team we played tonight."
On UNLV's shooting:
"They shot the lights out and many of those were contested. If you make shots the way they did, you're going to win a lot of games. When you shoot 10-for-21 from 3-point range, that's a pretty good night."
On SDSU's play in the first half:
"I didn't think we played particularily well but with a two-point game at halftime, I didn't think it was that bad. I think when you don't make shots you have a couple of things happen. We had way too many balls look like they were going to be ours that they got. A couple of those they put back in for lay-ups and some they were able to maintain possession. We did not do a good enough job on the 50-50 game and I thought we missed a significant number of easy shots. To win a game like this, you have to make those easy ones. That's the different between winning and losing, and we just weren't up to it today."
On Billy White coming back from his hard fall:
"He took a real hard fall. I don't know what he'll feel like tomorrow. We feel fortunate that it wasn't something like a dislocation or broken bone. He'll be a sore young man tomorrow and we'll have to just work through it."
On SDSU's play against a hard-pressing and good defending UNLV team:
"We did a good job of not turning the ball over. One of the keys we talked about before the game was don't turn the ball over. Our goal was to have them turn it over more than we did and that happened."
On Colorado State:
"It will not get any easier. They had UNLV beat in the opening Mountain West Conference game at Colorado State. You can't look at what their record is, you can't look at the previous game. You just have to saddle up and be ready to play and we will be. It hurts now, but the nice thing is that we play again Tuesday. We have to be ready."
San Diego State Players
Junior forward Lorrenzo Wade
On the Aztecs' 4-for-20 three-point shooting:
"I didn't even know we shot 20 three-pointers. I know I shot a couple of them and they didn't go down. But, I thought the shots we took were good looks. It wasn't like we were taking a lot of contested threes; they just weren't falling. I don't know if it had anything to do with (UNLV's) pressure. I know I got a lot of attention out on the court and I didn't carry my load tonight. I came in averaging about 18 or 19 points a game in conference and I came out with eight today. If I get my points and do what I am supposed to, then we win the basketball game."
On what happened to allow UNLV's game-winning play:
"I'm not quite sure because I was guarding Wink Adams. At the last minute I knew what was going on. The problem was I wasn't out there guarding (Curtis) Terry. When Wink didn't attack the baseline as aggressively as he had been all game, I knew (the play) wasn't for him. Richie (Williams) was there and of course Terry is bigger than him, so he was able to knock that shot down over him."
On UNLV's defense:
"Coming into the game, (UNLV) catches you off guard. You think with the pressure that they apply that they are playing man to man (defense), but they just bump you off to the next man and they guard their area. They tried to play more physically than we did, and to their credit, they did at some points during the game. Some of our shots just didn't fall, we needed to get more rebounds and we could have gotten a few more stops."
Freshman forward Billy White
On today's loss:
"We came into this game playing good basketball. We dropped two close games and there's not much else to say."
On coming back from getting hurt during the game:
"(My back) is pretty sore. At first I couldn't play but then I saw my teammates needed me, so I tried to suck it up and get out there to get a win. But, things just didn't go our way."
Junior forward Ryan Amoroso
On how the Aztecs will respond after back-to-back losses:
"I think it is going to come down to our character. We started conference 4-0 and now we just dropped two straight to two of the better teams in the conference. It is at this point when you come together as a team and staff; and just as a complete unit. Unfortunately, we did lose two close ones and both could have gone either way. Now we just have to go and take care of business on Tuesday against Colorado State."
UNLV Head Coach Lon Kruger
On Cox Area atmosphere:
"It's a terific environment for the Aztecs. I'm proud of our team for hanging in there and getting the win."
On MWC play:
"The basketball is very good, the coaching is very good. The guys are very competitive and they love to play and get out there and go after each other.
On Forward Corey Bailey:
"He's such a good player. He's a good passer, and that's what makes him one of the best players in the league."
UNLV Players
Guard Curtis Terry
On his last shot:
"I told Wink the ball is yours and everyone knew it. He had a chance to take it to the hoop and he got cut off. We have a couple of counters for our plays and that happen to be one of them. I was able to step behind and get an open look, but Wink did a good job passing me the ball."
On sitting on the bench because of fouls:
"I told the guys, when I got my fourth foul, I can't play but I'm going to be the biggest cheerleader."
On knowing if his shot was going in:
"Oh, yeah. I'm not trying to sound cocky or anything, but it felt good. I'll just put it that way, it felt good. I'm just glad it wasn't long. The basketball gods were with me."
On beating the Aztecs:
"This is huge for us. We knew it was going to be hard; we're on the road against a good team. Everyone came in and battled."
Forward Joe Darger
On San Diego State and the job UNLV  did on the defensive side of the ball:
"Yeah, they're a good team. They're long and athletic. I think we did a good job for the most part."
"They're a great team and it's a good win for us."
"San Diego State is a great team, and especially to get a win on the road, it was tough. San Diego State comes out and they play hard."