University of California, Los Angeles, Athletics
Postgame Quotes – UCLA at Colorado
POSTGAME QUOTES
Colorado 93, UCLA 68
Boulder, Colo. (CU Events Center)
March 7, 2019
UCLA interim head coach Murry Bartow
on what the Bruins had expected, playing at Colorado
“Well, they are good. They’re a good team that is well-coached. We knew it was going to be a hard game. They were 11-2 coming into this game at home. They’re hard to beat here, and they beat us in the first game, so we knew it was going to be a hard game. We just didn’t play good enough. When you are on the road, you have to play really well. I give Colorado a lot of credit. They defended better than we did, they rebounded better than we did, and offensively they scored the ball better than we did. So, really in all phases of the game, they just outplayed us.”
on what UCLA tried to do, adjusting as the game went along
“We tried different lineups, we tried different rotations, we tried to play different defenses. We were in about four different types of defense, so we tried a lot of things. It is such a game of inches. Jaylen Hands had a pretty good look with about six or seven minutes to go, in order to cut it to nine, at the top of the key. If he makes that, it is a nine-point game, but this has happened to us several times this year when we have a 10-point deficit. And then before you can blink, it goes to 20. It isn’t the first time that has happened to us, but that is what happened tonight.”
on what he told his team at halftime with UCLA down, 37-27
“I thought that the last 30 seconds of the first half was big because it could have been a five or six point game. Instead, it was a 10-point game. We didn’t handle the last 30 seconds very well, and that was big. We have been down a lot, and we have come back a lot. So, a 10-point deficit at half for us is really not that big of a deal. We were down 19 the other night and in the second half we came back and won. We were down 17 at Oregon and came back and won. So, we felt like we could have come back and won. There wasn’t a lot of panic, but we just knew that we needed to play better.”
on Colorado forward Tyler Bey
“He is good. He’s well-coached. He’s bouncy. He has a high motor and he is athletic. They play him with heels on the baseline behind you, so defensively, the way we play our zone it does put some pressure on you. It wasn’t just for our game, that is the way that they play him against the zone. Again, Tad [Boyle] is a good coach, and Bey is a really good player, and he just got behind us.”
Colorado head coach Tad Boyle
opening remarks
“I couldn’t be more proud of our guys. We beat a UCLA team that has been playing well. They’ve won four out of five, coming in here. Jaylen Hands has really improved. That's a better team than we saw in L.A., about a month ago. We guarded, held them to 35 percent, we rebounded, which was a big key of the game for us was going into it. I thought our defense was great, for the most part. It was a great win for Colorado.”
on his team’s defensive effort
“Our interior defense was really good. D’Shawn Schwartz did a pretty darn good job on Kris Wilkes all night, and McKinley did a terrific job on Jaylen Hands. I think we had some really good individual performances, but our team defense was really good.”
on having a dominant performance before next week’s Pac-12 Tournament
“I think it gives us some momentum. We've been playing well, as of late, and I don’t think we played poorly in Washington. We just didn't play well enough to win either of those games. The mindset of this team has been really good, ever since we lost to Oregon State at home. I think that's been the turning point of our season.”
on second half adjustments
“I think our guys made some good adjustments in the second half. We talked at halftime about the ball movement not being there in the first half. We were moving the ball around the perimeter of the zone, but we weren’t penetrating the zone. In the second half, we penetrated the zone, got to the free throw line, and got some plays at the rim. That's what you have to do against a zone. You have to play inside-out. You can’t settle for threes.”
on Shane Gatling getting more involved
“The one thing about him when we recruited him was that he’s got the ability to do more than be just a 3-point shooter. He’s a good shooter and people know that, so they’re going to run him off the line and make him put it on the floor.”
on Tyler Bey’s inside scoring
“The one thing that Tyler has done well is catching the ball in the short corner because when he catches it there he can get it to the rim so quick because he’s an explosive jumper. But when he catches the ball in the corner he can’t get it to the rim because the zone adjusts. The coachability factor that Tyler’s playing with, I really appreciate. He’s becoming comfortable with who he is and playing within himself and not trying to be someone he’s not.”
on his team’s progress
“Our team’s consistency has gotten so much better since this season’s moved on. To think back to where we were as a team in Hawaii, to think about where we are today, we’ve come a long way. There’s no fast forward button for experience, but I think anybody who has watched this team all season long has seen growth.”
on having something to play for in the final game of the regular season
“That's all you can ask for is for games to mean something this time of year. Tonight’s game meant something. Saturday's game will mean something. We just want to continue to get better, and Saturday at three o’clock we have to be ready to tear the nails off the floor, because it's going to be a hard-fought game.”
Colorado 93, UCLA 68
Boulder, Colo. (CU Events Center)
March 7, 2019
UCLA interim head coach Murry Bartow
on what the Bruins had expected, playing at Colorado
“Well, they are good. They’re a good team that is well-coached. We knew it was going to be a hard game. They were 11-2 coming into this game at home. They’re hard to beat here, and they beat us in the first game, so we knew it was going to be a hard game. We just didn’t play good enough. When you are on the road, you have to play really well. I give Colorado a lot of credit. They defended better than we did, they rebounded better than we did, and offensively they scored the ball better than we did. So, really in all phases of the game, they just outplayed us.”
on what UCLA tried to do, adjusting as the game went along
“We tried different lineups, we tried different rotations, we tried to play different defenses. We were in about four different types of defense, so we tried a lot of things. It is such a game of inches. Jaylen Hands had a pretty good look with about six or seven minutes to go, in order to cut it to nine, at the top of the key. If he makes that, it is a nine-point game, but this has happened to us several times this year when we have a 10-point deficit. And then before you can blink, it goes to 20. It isn’t the first time that has happened to us, but that is what happened tonight.”
on what he told his team at halftime with UCLA down, 37-27
“I thought that the last 30 seconds of the first half was big because it could have been a five or six point game. Instead, it was a 10-point game. We didn’t handle the last 30 seconds very well, and that was big. We have been down a lot, and we have come back a lot. So, a 10-point deficit at half for us is really not that big of a deal. We were down 19 the other night and in the second half we came back and won. We were down 17 at Oregon and came back and won. So, we felt like we could have come back and won. There wasn’t a lot of panic, but we just knew that we needed to play better.”
on Colorado forward Tyler Bey
“He is good. He’s well-coached. He’s bouncy. He has a high motor and he is athletic. They play him with heels on the baseline behind you, so defensively, the way we play our zone it does put some pressure on you. It wasn’t just for our game, that is the way that they play him against the zone. Again, Tad [Boyle] is a good coach, and Bey is a really good player, and he just got behind us.”
Colorado head coach Tad Boyle
opening remarks
“I couldn’t be more proud of our guys. We beat a UCLA team that has been playing well. They’ve won four out of five, coming in here. Jaylen Hands has really improved. That's a better team than we saw in L.A., about a month ago. We guarded, held them to 35 percent, we rebounded, which was a big key of the game for us was going into it. I thought our defense was great, for the most part. It was a great win for Colorado.”
on his team’s defensive effort
“Our interior defense was really good. D’Shawn Schwartz did a pretty darn good job on Kris Wilkes all night, and McKinley did a terrific job on Jaylen Hands. I think we had some really good individual performances, but our team defense was really good.”
on having a dominant performance before next week’s Pac-12 Tournament
“I think it gives us some momentum. We've been playing well, as of late, and I don’t think we played poorly in Washington. We just didn't play well enough to win either of those games. The mindset of this team has been really good, ever since we lost to Oregon State at home. I think that's been the turning point of our season.”
on second half adjustments
“I think our guys made some good adjustments in the second half. We talked at halftime about the ball movement not being there in the first half. We were moving the ball around the perimeter of the zone, but we weren’t penetrating the zone. In the second half, we penetrated the zone, got to the free throw line, and got some plays at the rim. That's what you have to do against a zone. You have to play inside-out. You can’t settle for threes.”
on Shane Gatling getting more involved
“The one thing about him when we recruited him was that he’s got the ability to do more than be just a 3-point shooter. He’s a good shooter and people know that, so they’re going to run him off the line and make him put it on the floor.”
on Tyler Bey’s inside scoring
“The one thing that Tyler has done well is catching the ball in the short corner because when he catches it there he can get it to the rim so quick because he’s an explosive jumper. But when he catches the ball in the corner he can’t get it to the rim because the zone adjusts. The coachability factor that Tyler’s playing with, I really appreciate. He’s becoming comfortable with who he is and playing within himself and not trying to be someone he’s not.”
on his team’s progress
“Our team’s consistency has gotten so much better since this season’s moved on. To think back to where we were as a team in Hawaii, to think about where we are today, we’ve come a long way. There’s no fast forward button for experience, but I think anybody who has watched this team all season long has seen growth.”
on having something to play for in the final game of the regular season
“That's all you can ask for is for games to mean something this time of year. Tonight’s game meant something. Saturday's game will mean something. We just want to continue to get better, and Saturday at three o’clock we have to be ready to tear the nails off the floor, because it's going to be a hard-fought game.”