University of California, Los Angeles, Athletics
Postgame Quotes - UCLA vs. USC
POSTGAME QUOTES
USC 74, UCLA 63
January 11, 2020
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Mick Cronin, The Michael Price Family UCLA Menโs Head Basketball Coach
opening statement
โObviously, our defense in the second half was about as bad as it can get. They hit a couple backbreaking threes at the end of the shot clock where we actually did play decent defense for seven seconds. Couple one-on-one threes where we actually did play decent defense. Those broke our back, I thought. Give them credit. I thought their toughness, their offensive toughness with the basketball against our pressure was the key to the game. They only had 11 assists, but I thought they passed the ball really well and they were strong with the ball. But to give up 57 percent for the game, defensively, itโs hard to win. We actually had no chance to win.โ
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on USCโs second half
โYeah, I just went over that. They made 16 of 23, 5 of 8 [from 3-point range]. Weโre not a good defensive team. I just gave them credit, but then Iโm now going to tell you, Iโm not making excuses for our guys, itโs trained or untrained. Theyโve been trained enough by now. The bottom line is if you canโt guard the guy with the ball, he continually either shoots it and makes it in your face or he goes by you. Then youโre in a rotation and they tip it in because youโre in a defensive rotation. When they had their second-chance points, couple in a row, because guys are getting beat off the dribble. Your big guys are rotating. We really struggle to stay in front of the basketball. We really struggle to stay in front. And then when we did, like I said, they made some really tough shots when we actually did stay in front of them.โ
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โWe did terrible on defense. Their offensive execution was excellent. They made some tough shots. We canโt guard the ball. That was what happened in the second half.โ
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on USCโs Nick Rakocevic
โVery good player. He can pass. Although we didnโt make him pass it. We were supposed to attack him on his dribble, and we didnโt do it. Heโs a talented offensive player. Heโs really talented. Heโs a senior, right? I saw him, scouted him all week, he was on the top 50 players in college basketball at the start of the year. I really donโt know his numbers from last year. Heโs a very offensively-skilled player. He did a lot of things.โ
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UCLA redshirt senior guard Prince Ali
on UCLAโs second-half defense
โI think we had some defensive screw-ups. They started getting the ball in the paint and getting a lot of second chance points. That helped them out and that helped them with their confidence. They just started making a bunch of shots and won the game.โ
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on if UCLAโs defensive struggles in the second half broke the teamโs spirit
โItโs tough, man. They went on a little run. We were working on keeping our heads up. I wouldnโt say it broke our spirit, because we kept fighting towards the end. So, I wouldnโt say it broke our spirit, but we gave them a cushion that I donโt think they should have gotten. I donโt think we played the way we should have played, so yeah itโs tough.โ
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UCLA junior guard Chris Smith
on if this loss stings more, given that it came at home versus USC
โEvery loss stings. You definitely donโt want to lose at home. You definitely donโt want to lose to your rivals. We did both tonight. Iโd say that this one stings maybe a little more, just because of the politics and what not, but every loss stings.โ
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on where he feels this team is, three games into Pac-12 play
โI feel like we started off on a great note and then just regressed back to what we were before the Washington game. Our defense has regressed, rebounding โ two things that we need to do well in order to win any game, so I think we just regressed.โ
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USC head coach Andy Enfield
opening remarks
โWe really played well in the second half. We shot 67 percent. Our players really moved the ball well and we took some great shots. We really took care of the ball. The press kind of bothered us, but it allowed us to score in transition. This is a big win for us. They are an exceptionally talented team. Theyโve got great size. This is a great win for us, especially on the road. They have a lot of talent over there.โ
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on freshman Onyeka Okongwuโs performance
โHe had two quick fouls and that kind of took him out of this rhythm. UCLA played great defense. They really prevented him from getting some touches.โ
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on senior Nick Rakocevicโs performance
โNick really played like he is capable of. He was disappointed on how he played on the road trip [at the Washington schools.] I was happy for him to bounce back, especially after his performance against Washington. He really played like a senior tonight.โ
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on where the Trojans go from here, with Cal and Stanford coming to L.A.
โEight of our last 10 games have been on the road, so we are going to go home and try to hold home-court advantage. In this league, anybody and can beat anybody on any given night. We are really fortunate to beat UCLA tonight.โ
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USC senior forward Nick Rakocevic
on how he bounced back from the last game at Washington
โThatโs just a part of college basketball. You take one game at a time. I probably played one of my worst games against Washington and tonight, I probably played one of my best. We have to move on and forget about the bad games.โ
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on how he was able to get inside shots
โHe [Okongwu] struggled because he was in foul trouble. That can take a toll on you mentally. We are going to definitely need Big O down the line during the season.โ
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about the UCLA-USC rivalry
โI really wanted this [win] bad. This game, being a rivalry game, and me not being from here, so I didnโt know how big it is. Iโm from Chicago, but it was really important to me to get this win.โ
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