Feb. 14, 2008
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Coach Herb Sendek
On his team's response and comeback after Stanford's 26-2 run:
"Basketball is a sport of runs in many instances. Tonight that was really the case. We got off to a good start, they went on that run, it seemed like about 100-2 to me. You look up at the scoreboard, at 7:59 we're down 14, 3:18 we're down nine, 1:49 we're down seven, so it's just remarkable that this team somehow found a way to land on their feet tonight, especially when Jeff [Pendergraph] and Rihards [Kuksiks] fouled out. I thought, at that particular point, James [Harden] did a remarkable job of putting us on his back. But so many guys contributed in different ways. Derek [Glasser] was clutch at the free throw line. Eric [Boateng] gets a huge offensive rebound that allows us to maintain possession of the ball, and obviously makes a free throw to cap the win. A hard-fought win. Stanford is a really good team. They're outstanding on defense."
On James Harden:
"He's one of those guys. He's humble. But at the same time, he has a quiet confidence that allows him to step up in clutch situations like he did tonight."
On Ty Abbott's 3-pointer late in the second half:
"Amazing. A lot of guys wouldn't have the constitution to do that, because I don't know if he had made one prior to that. On a night when you're in the groove, maybe that shot is easier. He wasn't. That just shows you something about the edge he has and his mental constitution."
On Rihards Kuksiks' performance tonight:
"We've been looking for another guy to come along and help us. We need that very much. Tonight was Rik's best game at Arizona State. As he gains experience and continues to work hard, I expect that he'll continue to help us."
On Eric Boateng's play in overtime:
"It's challenging. You sit there for such a long time, and then all of a sudden you're thrown into the pressure cooker of overtime. To respond the way he did was just fantastic for us."
On the message a win like this sends:
"We're starting to figure out our identity and we're getting it done on defense. People are going to start noticing that. Stanford, they're a really good team. They're not No. 7 for no reason. So that speaks volumes for the heart that we have, especially being so small and going against these giants."
On James Harden's play in overtime:
"I think he loves it. He's clutch. He likes pressure. Whenever the heat is on, he's ready to go. He wants the ball in his hands. He's trying to make things happen."
On the team winning in overtime after he fouled out:
"Eric [Boateng] came in and did a great job. He got some big-time rebounds for us. Everybody did a great job today."
On his play in overtime:
"I just try to make big plays for my team. We lost Jeff [Pendergraph] and RK (Rihards Kuksiks) with foul trouble, so I just tried to step up and make big plays."
On what he was thinking down 14 points with eight minutes left:
"We're playing the Lopez brothers and Stanford, we're at home and we're losing by 14. We hadn't played well all second half, so we just tried to get some momentum, get a couple of baskets and a couple of stops. Our guys took that to heart, stepped up and made big plays."