Vanderbilt-Missouri postgame quotes
Dec. 2, 2009 Vanderbilt vs Missouri
Vanderbilt Player Quotes Vanderbilt center A.J. Ogilvy On the approach of the second half: “We talked about turning the ball inside a little bit more when we played the zone and we talked about when you play the ball inside, you score some easy points. Coach had us play four out and we scored some good touches inside.” On Missouri’s press: “I still think they pressed a fair bit … they just got back to the zone and I think we handled their pressure well, so they obviously didn’t press us as much.” Vanderbilt forward Jeffery Taylor On dealing with Missouri’s pressure: “We just kept four guys around the ball, getting the outlets and traps. We just had to move around towards the ball when people were getting in traps, so that we could help our team. That was basically the key, just moving around, getting people open, getting the ball and then scoring inside.” On Missouri’s defense: “They are really good at getting their hands on balls, deflecting balls, turning defense into offense. They made a really good run on us towards the end and I think we answered really well.” Vanderbilt forward Andre Walker On the rebounding issue: “Whenever a shot went up, we always made sure we hit a man, and in our last couple of games, we didn’t rebound like we could have and I think tonight we stepped it up.” On if rebounding is always in a player’s control: “I think as long as you make a conscientious effort all the time to hit somebody, you can get rebounds.” Missouri Head Coach Mike Anderson General thoughts on game: “I’m proud of the effort of our guys tonight. We played in a tough environment against a good team on the road. We needed to get some defensive stops in the end but lacked poise. Vandy was able to make its free throws and that was the difference.” On first half struggles: “Playing tough non-conference games are all about this situation. On the road, you want to place yourself in a position to win the game in the end. We were down but was able to create havoc on the floor. We were able to find our rhythm in the 2nd half on offense and defense. If we were able to make some free throws, things may have been different. We just ran out of time. The game isn‘t over until the end.” On second half run: “I thought that Zaire Taylor and Michael Dixon were catalyst for us. We were able to get our defense going, become more aggressive and disrupt Vandy at points.” On Vandy’s rebounding advantage: “They were able to take the fight to us. We created some turnovers to compensate for this, but rebounding was a big advantage for them, especially on the offensive end.” On playing smaller lineup: “We’re a young team that still a work in progress and not playing all of our guys at this time.” On play of Vandy’s A.J. Ogilvy: “He really set the tone for them tonight. Dealing with his size was tough. We allowed him to get to his sweet spots too often, made all of his free throws and played more than 30 minutes.” Missouri Player Quotes Missouri Player: J.T. Tiller On if Vanderbilt’s rebounding affected the game: “I don’t think so, and even though there was a rebounding deficit, we were still in the game. We are trying to find our identity as a team and right now we have to make those big plays down the stretch.” On why it took a long time for Missouri to rally: “Whatever it was, I just need to be more of a leader at the beginning of the game. We can’t wait to bring it out at the end of the game down the stretch. It’s just one of the things we have to learn. ” Missouri Player: Zaire Taylor On comparison between last year and this year’s team: “We’ve only had four games so far and we can’t really judge anything we’ve done off of last year because this is a completely different team. At the end of the day, it wasn’t how we closed the game, it was how we started the game. If we came in with the intensity that we ended with, it would have been a completely different game. ” On Vanderbilt’s size advantage as far as being out-rebounded is concerned: “We’re a real quick team and a real athletic team but I don’t think rebounds come down to size. You see guys like Charles Barkley and Dennis Rodman and what it comes down to is that you have to put your body on someone. ” |
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