Jan. 12, 2009
Recap | Box Score | Notes | Photo Gallery
Coach Herb Sendek:
On shooting 61 percent from the field in the first half and 55 percent on the game, while also having 18 of their 24 field goals assisted on:
"The key to shooting, more than anything else, is to have good shooters. But then to execute your offense, so guys know where their shots are coming from, making passes on time, on target, taking shots in rhythm. If you have guys who have that ability and they do it, it's probably not any more complicated than that."
On having to play Oregon so quickly after playing Oregon State:
"It's very, very challenging. It's hard to play any game at 8:37 at night [on Thursday] because it's a long day for everybody. Then to turn around and play at noon on Saturday obviously gives you a very short recovery swing."
On the Sun Devils scoring run at the end of the first half, which gave ASU a 16-point lead (they held the Ducks to one field goal in the last 8:49 of the half):
"Basketball is a game of runs by nature. Most games you watch, there are going to be different runs. Rarely does one team have one, single run from beginning to end. The key is to have more and deeper runs than the opponent. I thought the run we had at the end of the first half was pivotal."
On the Devils upcoming road trip (at USC, at UCLA, at Arizona):
"There's nothing easy. That's really going to be a challenging weekend for us. Those are two of the most athletic teams in the country and we're going to have to play well to figure out a way to be competitive.""
On Harden limping off the floor in the first half with a toe injury (he was stretched out and soon re-entered the game):
"He's a lot like a running back right now who's getting a lot of carries. He's getting beat up a little bit."
On reserve center Eric Boateng, who finished with seven points, six rebounds, and two blocks in 22 minutes:
"I think he feels confident and is playing better. He's played some really important minutes for us. It was huge especially on a day like today where Eric had to plug in for Jeff's foul trouble."
Guard Derek Glasser:
On the importance of their defensive effort at the end of the first half:
"We had to extend the lead going into halftime to get a little cushion."
On getting everyone on the team involved in scoring (five players finished with double-digit points):
"Everybody knows James (Harden) and Jeff (Pendergraph) can score, but when we have three, four, five guys that put the ball in the hole, it's tough to guard us because they can't double James. He gets some one-on-one opportunities; Jeff gets one-on-one opportunities. When those guys are able to go one-on-one, it's hard to beat us."
On how the team is playing right now (back-to-back big wins over Pac-10 foes):
"We still got a few kinks to work out, but I like where we're at right now. I think we're moving in the right direction. We have a tough road ahead of us these next three games, and we have to turn the page to USC right now."