POSTGAME QUOTES
UCLA 85, USC 74
March 4, 2015
UCLA Head Coach Steve Alford
Opening statement…
“I thought we did a lot of good things. I thought both teams shot the ball well. I think it was two teams that were really clicking offensively. I thought we got dribbled through a little bit; we didn't have a lot of gap help and that's a big part of our defense. We did out-rebound them and we wanted to press them a lot. We only had nine turnovers and we shared the ball. Senior night can always be pretty emotional, but I thought we did a good job of handling that. I'm really proud of how our guys were able to get a win.”
On if Tony Parker was the key…
“He takes nine free-throws, gets seven rebounds, had an assist and no turnovers. I thought it was all-around a really good game by Tony (Parker). I thought he had good energy and did a good job defensively. I thought we did some pretty good things in the paint, but we let (Katin) Reinhardt get going a little bit. We didn't contest shots like we normally contest shots, but we got Tony going early and I thought that was a key.”
On if the eight days off will change preparation…
“The staff will take advantage of some recruiting that can be done over the weekend. We'll probably plan our practices so that they are every other day. Practice now is just trying to stay sharp. We'll work on some things offensively and defensively from this tape. This is a heavy academic time too. We are a week before finals in the quarter. Before we get to Las Vegas on Thursday, the guys have a lot of stuff to do academically. There's a lot thrown at our guys, so by going every other day we'll give them some time off and let bodies heal.”
Junior center/forward Tony Parker
On faking the three-point shot…
"I was really close to taking it, but I knew it was senior night and I wanted to save it for them. I think the fans bit on it more than USC.”
On his excellent offensive rebounding...
"I just kept moving and I was pushing Kevon (Looney) around the lane, trying to steal offensive rebounds. “
On his leg ...
"My leg is all right. It's just precautionary. When you get old like me, you have to use ice when you get banged up.”
Senior guard Norman Powell
On senior night...
"It felt really great tonight. It's been a long, but great four years here. I'm so glad the fans came out tonight and supported us in this win. I'm so glad I came to UCLA for my basketball career. The guys were teasing each other about which guy was going to cry first. It was kind of emotional. That's why we got off to a slow start. I think Nick was the first to cry.”
On his shooting being off tonight…
“It was more about getting guys involved and getting passes to those guys hitting shots. “
On the starters playing long minutes...
"It's really important for us to get treatment and get rest in preparation for the Pac-12 Tournament. Especially for the young guys, we can set a good example for them.”
Sophomore guard Bryce Alford
On his shooting tonight…
“I got a couple easy shots tonight and I got to the free-throw line, so that helped. They also got a technical, so that helped me with my rhythm. It really was about getting easy shots. We screened much better, on and off the ball, so I credit my teammates for giving me easy opportunities.”
USC Head Coach Andy Enfield
Opening statement…
“We had a great effort. We played hard and well, but their second chance points really hurt us. (Kevon) Looney and (Tony) Parker scored the first 15 points for them. There was a 16-point difference in second chance points and we lost by 11. We played well enough to win but we didn't rebound well enough to win.”
On Bryce Alford…
“Bryce Alford is a terrific player. He made difficult shots with confidence. I give him a lot of credit, he played a great game. “
On the team's turnovers…
“We made poor decisions in transition and forced the issue too much, leading to about three turnovers. Our last game against Washington was much more solid in decision making. Turnovers really hurt us tonight in a couple of stretches.”
On UCLA's overall performance…
“They shot the ball well. Even when contested they shot over us and hit like five threes. I give them credit for that. UCLA played a terrific basketball game.“
USC Guard Katin Reinhardt
Opening statement…
“We have to do a better job rebounding. Whenever we cut into the lead, they got a big offensive rebound or hit a big three pointer. It is frustrating. We put ourselves in a situation where we gave a good enough effort to win but enough things didn't go our way.”
On the team's effort level…
“We competed the whole way but we just couldn't get over the hump. We played hard until the final buzzer. “