Dec. 28, 2008
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Coach Herb Sendek
Thoughts on the game:
"I thought we really played excellent team basketball on both ends of the floor. It was a fun game from our standpoint to watch. It was good basketball. Obviously we shot the ball well. That helps in a lot of areas. A lot of things look good and feel good and go your way when you shoot the way we did today."
On the whole team being a part of this win (five players scored in double-digits and freshman reserve Taylor Rhode pulled down a career-high four rebounds):
"Everybody played today, it was a real team win. I was really pleased with the way they made each other better and helped each other. It was an excellent contribution from all the guys. More guys are playing well, and more guys are doing good things. You hope at some point synergy takes over and the whole does become greater than the sum of its parts. Guys do make each other better, feed off each other and help each other. That's the way the game's meant to be played."
On being prepared to play Idaho State:
"We were very much on edge. We talked about Idaho State before we left the locker room at Glendale Stadium (where the Sun Devils defeated BYU 76-75 in the Stadium Shootout on Saturday). We were well aware of the fact they had the ball with 2.7 seconds to go at Madison (University of Wisconsin) with a chance to win the game. We know they beat Utah and they've lost three games in overtime to good teams. So we weren't at all confused that we had to come out today and be very sharp."
On their rout of the Bengal's (they led wire-to-wire and won by 35 points):
"We talked about wanting to play well the entire game. To our guys' credit, they didn't need a lot of urging or me telling them to do that. They wanted to do that. They just went out and did it."
On the great shooting performance they put on (they made a school-record 17 three-pointers):
"You know, being ready to shoot when the ball's there, having your feet under you, just the whole nine yards. Guys passed the ball, we were aggressive and guys were ready to shoot the ball today."
On going 5-of-6 from behind the three-point line (he finished with 15 points):
"James (Harden) penetrates and finds me, and I knock the shots down. That's what I do."