Head Coach Mike Anderson
Opening Statement…
“First of all, let’s give some credit to Central Connecticut State. They came in with a game plan of spreading us and attacking us. They made some shots early on. That’s one of the things we wanted to negate, but give them credit. In the second half, I thought we did a good job of changing the rhythm of the game. That’s why we’re always going to be a team that plays with multiple defenses. When [the zone] works, it keeps people in place and makes them shoot jump shots. It was a team win. Guys gave us some good minutes off the bench.”
On making the switch to a zone defense…
“They got in the gaps and they made the shots. I didn’t think we were getting to the places that we needed to. It’s something we have to continue to work on.”
On the defense in the first half…
“We weren’t connected. It seemed like [Central Connecticut State] got every loose ball. They penetrated and they ran their offense. They got comfortable.”
On AJ Storr’s performance…
“His energy has been great in practice. I told him to keep stacking those [good] days. In the last game [versus Lafayette] you could see a glimpse. Tonight, he got the minutes, and he was productive with those minutes. I think it was about confidence, being more aggressive and assertive, not just on offense, but on defense as well.”
On facing Nebraska on Thursday in the Gavitt Games…
“It’s going to be a more physical game. Fred Hoiberg does a great job. No question about it, we have to step it up to another level. … The bottom line is we have to find a way to win. … Obviously, they’re coming to our place and we have to be prepared. They are going to bring a team that can shoot the basketball. They have size and guard play. It’s the Gavitt Games. It’s a fight between the BIG EAST and the Big Ten.”
Junior Guard Posh Alexander
On what the message from Coach Anderson was at halftime …
“Coach said to get stops on defense. We trust our coach and we went to zone and it worked out.”
On playing at a fast tempo …
“We are sharing the ball and making the right reads. We just connected on offense today.”
Junior Forward David Jones
On scoring 11 of his 15 points in the second half …
“My coaches and teammates always tell me the shots will fall. I tried to help my teammates in different ways and then my shots started to fall in the second half.”
On his mindset pushing through his first half shooting struggles …
“I just got to do what my teammates need me to do. When they need defense, I’ll play defense, when they want me to score, I’ll score too.”
