POSTGAME QUOTES
UCLA 69, Utah 59
January 29, 2015
UCLA Head Coach Steve Alford
Opening statement…
“The starters did a great job tonight. Utah has been really good all year; I think eight of their last nine opponents were down six, seven or eight points in the first six minutes of the game. We did a good job in the first half to start the game and then we were terrific in the second half. Getting a double-figure lead a couple minutes into the second half was big for us.”
On what Norman Powell provides for the team...
"He's a senior and he made a lot of big plays for us tonight. As a senior, when you get that kind of leadership, guys are going to follow. I thought it was even more than Norman; it was a tremendous team effort. Everyone trusted each other. I think everybody got a free-throw tonight except GG (Gyorgy Golomon). The guys that played got to the free throw line and most of the guys were making baskets, getting attempts and getting assists. It was a team effort of really trusting each other and that was the most exciting thing, but obviously it's led by your senior.”
How big of a mental difference was this game for the team compared to the last…
“It was huge. We've obviously been a lot better at home, but we haven't had as many tough breaks at home as we have on the road. We're healthy and we've been pretty healthy at home. I give Tony (Parker) a lot of credit. The medical staff pulled me aside and said 'you need to know how hard Tony has worked on his rehab.' Very few student-athletes have worked as hard on their rehab as Tony. You can see how much it helps Thomas (Welsh). We need Tony in there, he's a presence for us and I really appreciate how hard he worked to get back to help his team. Just the mindset when you get beat by 30 on the road and you get the chance at a rematch, you want to play well in the rematch. I thought we really played well tonight.”
Bryce Alford (Sophomore, Guard)
On defensive effort…
“Defense is really about effort and playing as hard as you can. When you play that way, the ball seems to bounce your way. We got embarrassed in Salt Lake (City), so we were ready for this. Like I said, it was all about effort and playing like a team. Coach wrote that on the board in order to emphasize playing like a team. “
On offensive efficiency…
“I thought we did a real good job of sharing the ball, we were not lazy with the ball. Everyone really took care of the basketball. I had one lazy turnover at the end, but overall I felt like we did a good job taking care of the ball.”
On Norman's energy…
“I spoke to Norman right before the game and I told him that in the first three minutes we had to bring energy. We are the most experienced, besides Tony who has been out, so I knew he would bring it.”
Isaac Hamilton (Freshman, Guard)
On the loss against Utah…
“We really believe in each other and Coach has been emphasizing that. We had three days to prep with a full team, so I think that really helped us. “
On his shooting slump…
“Coach has been telling me to keep focused and keep your head in the game. I really look forward to the next game because my shot is back. I've been doing a lot of shooting after practice. We have to be competitive and just play hard.”
Norman Powell (Senior, Guard)
On going 0-4 against Top-25 teams…
“Tonight was a big win for us. We've had some really tough losses. After the Oregon trip, we knew we had to pick up our intensity. “
On what the difference was between our tough losses and tonight…
“In our tough losses we just stopped talking to each other. We just knew we had to bring energy tonight.”
On the previous loss to Utah…
“As I walked into the locker room today and the coach put the score on the board (71-39), we knew we had to come out and compete. We were really focused in the last three days of practice.”
On the Oregon trip…
“We came together as a team and said to each other that we have to be better. The guys came out on Monday and hit the floor ready to practice. In those losses we weren't talking, we have a lot of young guys. We have to talk and encourage our guys in order to give them confidence. Once somebody makes a good play, we have to congratulate each other.”
Utah Head Coach Larry Krystkowiak
Opening statement…
“That was a tough game for us. There were a lot of things we talked about doing the last couple days that we just didn't accomplish tonight. UCLA outplayed us and out-scrapped us. We only really played hard enough for about five minutes all game.”
On the comfort level on the road…
“I think each team is comfortable at home but it's not an excuse to not play hard. They wanted it more. There were numerous things we did poorly. You can start with our scheme and not executing. Our personnel match ups and efforts just weren't there. Some nights you can get away with one of those things but not all three in the same game like tonight. We didn't deserve to win. They were the aggressor. Their zone screwed us up some and we didn't do enough to put ourselves in a position to win. It's time for everyone to look at themselves and find ways to improve. We have a couple of days to do that and go out and compete against USC. This is what's great about sports. “
Delon Wright (Senior, Guard)
On tonight's game overall…
“We didn't play with energy. We waited for things to happen but they never came. One of the problems was when things weren't going our way tonight, we couldn't find out how to fix it. We just have to try to bounce back and improve against USC.”