University of California, Los Angeles, Athletics
Postgame Quotes: UCLA 73, Cal State Fullerton 45
December 04, 2014 | Men's Basketball
POSTGAME QUOTES
UCLA 73, Cal State Fullerton 45
December 3, 2014
UCLA Head Coach Steve Alford
“I was really pleased with the team tonight. We talked about this being a big trap game because of the respect we have for Cal State Fullerton and what they've already done on the road; we knew this wasn't just their first road game. It's never easy when you come back from a trip. A lot of times guys think you come back from a trip and just get a win, but that doesn't happen, you have to go out and earn it every night. I thought tonight, especially defensively, this was our best 40 minutes. I thought we really defended well. We did a good job on the boards and held [Cal State Fullerton] to 24 percent from the floor. We did a lot of good things; this was a really good team effort for us.”
On the defensive effort…
“[Cal State Fullerton] is a team with very good guard play. I think [Alex] Harris was the only guy in double-figures. [Moses] Morgan, [Lanerryl] Johnson and Harris are terrific. They combined for 27 points, and they've been averaging well over 45 points combined. We dominated the glass and only gave [Cal State Fullerton] eight offensive rebounds. [Cal State Fullerton] shot poorly, and we didn't give them second shots. When you hold a team to 45 points and 24 percent shooting, you've done a lot of really good things. I thought our effort, more than anything was great. Even when we got beat, we kept fighting and we kept playing.”
On the lack of bench production…
“We're not going to be a perfect team. Last year's team had about 20 points off of the bench, but we didn't have five guys in double-figures either. Right now we're getting five guys in double-figures. Those are the guys that are experienced and are going to log a lot of minutes. I'm not so worried about the points off of the bench as much as the other production like defending and board play. The majority of our scoring is going to come from our five starters and whatever scoring we get off the bench will be helpful.”
On the tough stretch ahead…
“We're not thinking about Gonzaga or Kentucky, it's San Diego. We're young and inexperienced; it's one game at a time. It's not just about developing over the next few days of practice. We have a lot of work to do to put a game plan in for San Diego and then UC Riverside is next. The schedule just continues to get more and more difficult and we have to get better. I thought tonight we got better. We were better in these 40 minutes then we were against UAB and that's a positive. We just have to take it one game at a time and one day at a time.”
Norman Powell (Senior, Guard)
“We just came out and tried to build an identity on defense. We didn't like the way we played against Oklahoma and North Carolina, and Coach talked about this being an identity-builder game, getting mad when somebody scores on you. We took a giant step today defensively as a team, so I'm really excited about that. I think that was the lowest shooting percentage we've held an opponent to. That's great for the guys. We're building trust in our defense. It's going to be interesting how we build off this game.”
On ironing out mistakes in the games leading up to Gonzaga and Kentucky…
“We're just trying to get better every day and learn from our mistakes, learn from the losses and get better in practice and take it on our chests to be hungry and be one of those defensive lockdown teams. We have a couple of games before Gonzaga and Kentucky to get there. These guys are really hungry and really focused on getting better each and every day, and we're just going to take it one game at a time and one practice at a time.”
On not having many close games and if he misses the opportunities to play young guys in close situations…
“No, not at all. Coach talks about situationals all the time in practice. They do a great job of putting us in those types of situations in practice similar to what's happening in games. I don't miss having close games. We'll take a 20-point win, a 10-point win, whatever it is. It really builds character and shows us our weaknesses and flaws. We're just trying to build on that, so when we get into situations we know how to perform and come out on top.”
Kevon Looney (Freshman, Forward)
On what was different this week defensively than previous games…
“We were more ready, more focused. It was something we needed to work on. We came in real energized and wanted to make a statement.”
On what the defense got ironed out in this game…
“Just being more consistent. A lot of times we play defense in spurts and then let up and give up an offensive rebound. We did a better job of that. And we took better shots. Today we made sure we focused on that.”
On if losing games in the Bahamas put a chip on their shoulder…
“It was just a learning experience to see where we were at. We played two great teams, two top teams in the country, so it was our first time playing someone at that level. It was a great learning experience. We learned what we needed to do. One thing was defense, which we tried to do today.”
On the play of him and Tony Parker…
“Tony and I just wanted to make a statement early that we control the paint. We wanted to lay down the law. We played better inside-out. We wanted to get our guards going. Rebounding is a big thing for us. We wanted to control the boards, and we did that today.”
Cal State Fullerton Head Coach Dedrique Taylor
On UCLA's performance…
“I expected them to play well and establish themselves on the court, and they played an excellent game. They played like I expected them to.”
On being the last of a five-game road trip…
“Obviously we have to regroup and find our energy, it just wasn't there tonight. We have no choice, we have to get back at it and get back in the gym. We have to go home and get better for Saturday's game against Pepperdine.”
On UCLA's physical presence…
“We knew they had a size advantage, but what I was disappointed in is that we didn't match their physicality. We just have to work on being more physical.”
Alex Harris (Senior, Guard)
“We wanted to come out and play hard, but we didn't do that tonight. We have to go home, take a shower and get back to it. We just have to play hard.”
On this being the last of five road games…
“Yeah, it's been a long stretch, and we are happy to be going home. We will be ready for Saturday against Pepperdine.”
On what the team needs to improve on…
“We have to do a better job rebounding. We just have to have the mindset that we have to rebound better.”
On his overall performance…
“Today really wasn't my day, I didn't shoot the ball well. I just have to get back to work and get back in the gym.”
