Feb. 9, 2013
Recap | Final Stats | Notes | Photo Gallery
ASU HEAD COACH Herb Sendek:
OPENING STATEMENT:
"Eventually, in order to get back in the game, we went small ball and made a flurry. We really had some opportunities with some open looks, looking back. They may have put us in an even better position to win. I thought that that matchup along the front line was difficult for us. The truth be told, I thought we had some trouble turning our preparation into execution. A couple of things we wanted to do defensively in the first half, as well as early in the second half, from a scouting standpoint, we let get away from us. It resulted in some three-point shots, and ultimately every mistake we made, Stanford almost made us pay, shooting 10-18 from three. Then, in a close game, which seems like every game we play is close, we just didn't give ourselves any breathing room with our free throw shooting once again, going 8-16, missing front ends of one-and-one's on top of that. That's hard to overcome."
ON TURNOVERS:
"Well, I mean for the most part, we didn't turn the ball over. We only had eight turnovers. It was a high possession game for us. We forced 14 turnovers."
ON HOW HARD IT IS TO DEFEND A TEAM WITH BIGS WHO CAN SHOOT:
"It's very difficult. They're the number one three-point shooting team in our league. They're a very physical, aggressive team. I think they're outstanding. I really do. I think they're a really good team, and present some real matchup problems, not only for us but for many of their opponents. When you watch them on tape, they have coaches trying crass matches that otherwise you don't typically see."
ON GOING WITH A SMALL LINEUP IN THE SECOND HALF:
"We weren't getting any benefit on offense from (going big), and defensively we were having a hard time with our bigs out on the perimeter guarding. We tried to match up with them a little better by going small ball with about 14 minutes left in the game. I think it helped us close the gap."
STANFORD HEAD COACH JOHNNY DAWKINS:
ON HOW WELL THEY SHOT THE BALL IN THE FIRST HALF:
"It was great to see the ball go in, as we've talked about before. Our guys have really gained a lot of confidence shooting the basketball, and it was probably our best shooting performance for a half. I think everyone was hitting shots, everyone was hitting three's and tough two's, and I think that helped us gain a lot of momentum. Give them credit, they fought back, and they're a really good team. They made some adjustments--they went small, and really played well in the second half and made a good run."
ON WHAT TO DO AGAINST A SMALLER LINEUP:
"We went inside more. They went smaller and we went inside, and that's when Dwight (Powell) was really able to get some more touches near the basket and run our offense from there. But, they're a good team, a really good team. Like I said, it was a great win against a team I thought is playing great basketball."
ON BOUNCING BACK FROM A TOUGH LOSS WITH A GOOD PERFORMANCE:
"I was really proud of our guys. I was worried, because the loss was tough. I thought we played a great game (in Arizona) for 36 minutes, and as you know it's a 40 minute game. They were able to win the game, and you wonder how you guys are going to respond after investing so much. Our kids fought back, they showed some resilience. They bounced back, and they played a great game the next night."
ON WHY THEIR SHOOTING HAS GOTTEN SO MUCH BETTER AS THE YEAR PROGRESSES:
"I think, one, once the guys start seeing the ball go in, it's good. We talked about it earlier in the season--we have good shooters. I anticipated going into the season with two of my shooters almost shooting 44 percent from beyond the arc, and John Gage is a really good shooter, as you know, and Dwight (Powell) is a capable shooter as well as Josh (Huestis). I assumed that we would be a terrific three-point shooting team, but it just didn't happen to start the season. We started the year and the bulls eye was on our back based off of expectations coming off of the NIT Championship. I think teams really ramped up and we got off to a slow start shooting the ball. I think or guys kind of let it get in their heads. We kept telling them, `Keep shooting your shots, they're going to fall. You guys are good shooters.' It would be one thing if they were taking bad shots, but they really weren't. We are taking the same shots we were taking, running the same sets we were running, it's just a matter of them seeing it go in and thinking we'll be O.K., and I think that's what we're seeing."