University of Richmond Athletics
Men's Basketball Post-Game Quotes
02/08/2006 | Men's Basketball
Feb. 8, 2006
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Richmond Coach Chris Mooney
On The Game
"Xavier is a good team, they've been struggling and needed to come out well today. They beat us and turned it up a notch in the second half. They were able to bring some guys in and wear us out a little. Our defense wasn't as good as it needed to be and they were able to score in the second half easier than most people have been able to."
On The Team Running Thin On Players
"Going on the road takes a little bit out of you, especially our loss to George Washington, but it wouldn't be right to make excuses - we're good enough to be competitive. There is a way that we are going to win some games, and a formula that has worked to win games. We just need to stick to that and follow that. When we don't or can't, then it makes it a little difficult for us."
On Xavier Defending Jermaine Bucknor
"I thought (Justin) Cage did a good job defensively on him. Part of our offense is that there are no set plays to get any certain person open. It's more about the flow and the better players are going to end up with the most shots. Cage did a really good job on him and made it difficult to score all night."
On Brian Thornton
"Thornton is a good player. He's a work horse and really works to get position and open looks. He had 10 foul shot opportunities in the first half and that's too many. Part of why our defense has been good is because we've been surrounding that big guy and making it difficult for him to score. What they were doing made it a little bit more difficult for us to be in so far and give help to other players, and I give them credit for that. They were able to get it into him too easily."
Richmond Senior Kevin Steenberge
On Brian Thornton
"He's obviously the focus of their offense because he is so solid and strong. A lot of the problem today is that we picked up quick fouls. It's hard to be aggressive when you are in foul trouble - you tend to hold back."
On Xavier's Depth
"I can see how depth could start playing a part, but I think tonight it was more the fouls and our own mistakes. Obviously, they are very deep, but we can certainly play 40 minutes. Between three to four guys playing the center spot, you can work around that. With fewer guys, you get more conditioning at practice. With more reps every day, you get in better shape."
On The Team Wearing Down
"I thought about it, but there is no excuse. We have plenty of guys to play a basketball game, you only need five guys on the court. We needed to come out with more energy and it starts at the top with Jermaine and I. We came out kind of flat and we can't let that happen. If we are flat, it seems that everyone else is going to be because of leadership."
Xavier Coach Sean Miller
On The Game
"This was a really important game for our team. At one point we were 12-2 and then we had a break of pride losing four of our last five games. Tonight was our moment of truth. We've practiced very hard these last few days and I liked our team's response. I really think we won the game because of our defensive effort."
On Justin Cage Guarding Jermaine Bucknor
"Cage is one of the better defensive players in the league. He was good marking Bucknor because of his size. He just got four stitches put in his eyeball on Monday [due to an injury suffered last week against George Washington] and we've practiced four times in the last two days and he participated in all of them. He is the ultimate warrior. Tonight, to see him give that effort and do what he did with his eye in that condition, it really says a lot about his character."
On Xavier's Depth
"We're a deep team and Richmond generally only plays eight players. We were hoping to drive more and get people in foul trouble to make the game in our favor. And early in the second half, I thought that really started to happen. They switch a lot and we really started to take advantage of the mismatches."