University of California, Los Angeles, Athletics
Postgame Quotes: UCLA 81, ASU 74
January 10, 2016 | Men's Basketball
POSTGAME QUOTES
UCLA 81, Arizona State 74
January 9, 2016
UCLA Head Coach Steve Alford
“I thought our guard play was tremendous in both games this week. We did a really good job of sharing the ball and creating for one another. I thought Thomas [Welsh] was huge for us in the second half. We haven't been out-rebounded very much all year and I think we were down by nine at halftime and we ended up winning the boards by three. That was in large part due to Thomas Welsh who had 14 or 15 in the second half. That was a big difference because we controlled the backboard. I think [Arizona State] had one offensive rebound in the second half when they had seven at halftime. I'm really proud of the adjustment our guys made on the boards in the second half. I thought both halves we shot the ball well, we made good plays when we had to have them and in the last eight minutes we got the stops we needed to get. We won the last four minutes, 13-6. Obviously an emotional win on Thursday and to come back on Saturday afternoon and have this kind of emotion and effort, I'm very appreciative.”
On using this win as a barometer going forward…
“Obviously, when you get in league play it's about winning. We had a five minute game with all of the pressure on us and we win that game; that's impressive. We did a good job on the backboard and we only had two turnovers in the second half. When we don't turn the ball over we're hard to play against. We shot 49 percent and scored 81. Most of our offense is predicated on not turning the ball over. I thought our defense got better. We have a long way to go defensively, but I thought we did show some growth. We did a lot of good things defensively, but [Tra] Holder got away from us a little bit. We got in some foul trouble up front, but I thought we did a much better job in the last 10 minutes of the game.
On the importance of the three-point shot for UCLA…
“I don't know if we can depend on them. We have to get them, and that's the key. I think we've worked hard as a staff to do things to allow us to get more threes because I think we have guards who can really shoot them. I think Bryce [Alford] and Isaac [Hamilton] are as good as anybody making threes, we just have to get them more threes; we did that this weekend. Aaron [Holiday] made a huge three at the top of the key. For a freshman to step and do that, I thought that was a huge shot. Prince [Ali], Jonah [Bolden] and Alex [Olesinski] can shoot it. I think that's the one stat through non-league and through the first two league games, we probably didn't get enough threes up and we didn't make enough threes. In these last two games, I think we've done a really good job of getting those two numbers up. Credit to the guys because they're sharing it, they're spacing better and they're moving the ball better. We're getting really good looks and we're making them.”
UCLA junior guard Isaac Hamilton
On dramatic three-pointers…
"Two wins like this are great wins. We build from here and we have to keep the momentum.”
On the momentum from the previous game…
"Like I said, we have to build from the last game. We had some mix-ups, but we did well, especially in the last three minutes.”
On holding Arizona State to two-for-eight shooting after the 3:31 mark…
"When teams make a run, we have to stop them. We just wanted to limit them to one shot.”
UCLA sophomore center Thomas Welsh
On rebounding in the second half…
"I was going after the ball more in the second half. In the first half, I was passive. I wasn't getting it done. “
On the challenge from Coach Alford…
“I had to bring more intensity on the glass. I didn't bring it in the first half. I just knew I had to show more intensity in the second half.”
On his overall improvement…
“I've been working hard and getting better every day. The coaches have really been on me.”
UCLA freshman guard Aaron Holiday
On the pass he got from Thomas…
"At first I was trying to see if I was open, so since I was open, I shot it.”
On his defense…
“In the first half, I think I did pretty well, but in the second half, I have to get better at fighting over screens.”
Arizona State Head Coach Bobby Hurley
On the team's play down the stretch…
“Late in the game there were some defining rebounds we needed to get that we didn't come up with, and it was a lack of effort and positioning, they went after the ball hard and they made us pay for that. They have a very talented group. Hamilton was outstanding as well as Alford, and what a player he is. He's already shown in numerous games how clutch he is; he hit another big three.”
On the UCLA guard play…
“Yeah they get a lot of attention; we did our best job to make them shoot difficult shots. There may not be another player who's in the physical condition that Alford is in. The way he moves off the ball, he's relentless with his movement and he's hard to guard. They are big upfront and they are a very high quality team.”
On his team's defense…
“I thought we did the best job we could do, with the challenges they present. They're big, athletic and they have really good perimeter guard play and shooting. They have a lot of talent on that end of the floor, but I thought we gave a pretty solid defensive effort based on their team.”
