Postgame Quotes: OSU 86, UCLA 82
March 06, 2016 | Men's Basketball
POSTGAME QUOTES
UCLA 82, OREGON STATE 86
MARCH 5, 2016
UCLA Head Coach Steve Alford
Opening statement
“Another tough one. Obviously, in the second half, we couldn't get stops. This kind of mirrored Stanford, where they shot such a high percentage. We just couldn't get the stops we needed. Since conference season started until the end, that has been our Achilles heel - getting stops. It wasn't our best shooting night, but our inability defensively to get stops has hurt us all year, and that's what hurt us tonight.”
On the end of the game
“We had a chance to win in the end. They missed some free throws, we got the rebounds, and we had a chance in the end; we just couldn't get a shot off. We couldn't call time. We had an open look but just couldn't get it. But those last two and a half minutes, we fought.”
On Bryce Alford's injury
“He got hit in the jaw. He's showering now and on his way to the get a CT scan just to make sure there's no fracture.”
On what he tells his team heading into the Pac-12 Tournament
“It was a bad season 2. We break it up into seasons. With our non-conference schedule, we did a very good job. We went 9-4 and did good things and got a good win away from home. We did really well coming out of the gate. Season 2 - league play - was awful. We did a poor job in the 18-game schedule in this league. And that's all stemming from our defense. We were just one of the worst defending teams, and that's something you just can't do. But regardless of what you do in season 1 and season 2, you're always guaranteed season 3. Oregon is league champs, we're 10th, but it doesn't matter; everyone's 0-0 at the start of season 3. Bryce has had a tough couple of weeks with blows to the head, and we have to hope he's ok. But regardless, we have to go into the tournament with a lot of confidence. We'll clear our heads on Sunday and come back Monday. And we're coming in 0-0. It doesn't make it easier, the situation we're in. We're not guaranteed season 4 because of what we did in season 2. But we have to do something special in season 3. Our message is to try to be positive. If we're going to win and do anything in Vegas, we have got to defend. If we defend, we have a chance, if we don't we're going home early.”
UCLA Senior Forward Tony Parker
On what he has learned during his tenure here
“I definitely have to keep working. I came in with a great class of guys. All those guys are in the NBA. It's just now, I have to wait my turn. Playing with these guys is fun. Season three (Pac-12 Tournament) is 0-0. We have to come out and play with effort.”
On how the team prepares for Season Three
“You just have to forget what has happened before, in this tournament, it's a new season. Like I said, you have to put forth maximum effort. It's conference play. It's 0-0. It's going to be a fight. This is a tough conference. Everyone's going to be playing hard and every game is going to be a dogfight.”
UCLA Sophomore Center Thomas Welsh
On the second-half come back
“Our backs were against the wall. We started grinding more on the defensive end. We did that at the end, but we can't wait until the end of the game. We have understood what mistakes we've made. We just have to correct them for Season Three."
Oregon State Head Coach Wayne Tinkle
Opening Statement
“I am super proud of our guys in a must-win situation, coming out with the focus like they did, and getting this win was huge. I give a lot of credit to UCLA for never throwing in the towel and battling back. I'm just proud of our guys for making the plays over the course of the game and especially at the last minute to pull it out.”
