Jan. 12, 2008

Recap |  Final Stats

Penn State Coach Ed DeChellis

Q: What were you trying to do in the last possession? A: We were trying to run something to get the ball in the post and attack the basket and at least get fouled. We had a second option and we just turned the ball over. We just didn't make the play.

Q: It seemed like you had control with a 16-point lead. A: We turned it over four straight times. In 1:56 they cut from 16 [points] down to six [points] on four turnovers. You can't shoot 47 percent from the free throw line. You can't shoot 17-36, 8-21 in the second half 2-12 in the last 9 minutes.

Q: Your guys have been struggling from the line all year. How do you cure this problem? A: It's a hard problem to cure. Now it could be a confidence issue. We have to continue to work on mechanics, repetition. We haven't made free throws like we need to and it got us today. And we turned it over. We weren't aggressive and we turned the ball over, just doing silly things. We just didn't do a lot of things that we need to do to win the game. We have no one to blame but ourselves.

Q: How hard is it to keep the intensity up when you have such a large lead? A: Well, this is a great league and a very unforgiving league. If you relax, this is what happens to you. We are up 16 [points] with the ball and we relax and turn it over and a three-point play, turn it over another three-point play. Time out, we come back, we make a change and another turnover. It's a focus thing. You have to play every possession. You have to play every single possession. That is the way you have to play in this league.

Q: There are losses and there are losses. Is this loss different? A: We can't let this affect Tuesday. We can't let one loss affect another loss. There are a lot of games to play. This one is hard to take because we didn't do what we were supposed to do. If we had made free throws, taken care of the basketball then we would walk out of here happy.

Q: After a loss like this, how do you feel? You know how the players feel. A: We talked as a staff and we have to be positive and prepare for Wisconsin who is a very good basketball team- a top 20 team. We can't let one thing affect and affect us. We can't let one loss Saturday affect us Tuesday. That is easier said than done. We've got to make sure we are focused and doing the things that we need to do, playing attention. And try to get the bad taste out of our mouths by Tuesday.

PENN STATE PLAYER QUOTES

Q: What did you feel like when you were up by 16 points? A: Talor Battle: It felt great. We were playing well, we were hot and then number 24 (Blake Hoffarber) caught fire, hit a couple threes and trimmed the lead. They never quit. They kept fighting at us. We had the game and we lost it, but we have to move on.

Q: What is the issue with the free-throw shooting? A: Geary Claxton: I think it's a mental thing. I just have to go up there and shoot them. That's it.

Q: Geary, can you take us through that last possession? A: Geary Claxton: I wasn't trying to force it. I just saw a bunch of a swarm of guys coming at me and I saw Jamelle [Cornley] was open, but I guess one of the defenders was reading it and saw the pass. But I wasn't trying to force it.

Q: Do you feel like you should have taken the shot? A: Geary Claxton: No, not at all. I saw an open man, people make mistakes. It was a bad pass and I just have to move on.

Q: How much does this loss sting? A: Geary Claxton: It's a loss. Any loss doesn't feel good. Coming off two road wins, it doesn't feel good at all. But we can't let this get us down. We have a whole season ahead of us. We still have a lot more games to play. We can't let this one bring us down. Move on and get ready for Wisconsin.

Q: What did the coach [DeChellis] say in the locker room? A: Talor Battle: He said he was upset that we lost the game. He just said that it was our fault as a team. But, he told us that we have to move on. We play a tough Wisconsin team on Tuesday. So we have to let this go and move on and get back to practicing and getting ready for them.

Q: At the Illinois game, you guys really won the game on the free throw line. How is it so different from one game to the next? A: Geary Claxton: It's a different game. Nobody is trying to go up on the ft line and miss the free throw. We are all trying to make it. Everyone is being positive when they go to the line. We shoot free throws every day. They just weren't falling.

Q: How much did Minnesota's full-court pressure affect you? A: Talor Battle: I think for the most part we handled it well. That isn't really the reason that we lost. It basically came down to our foul shooting. If we make a couple more foul shots, the game is sealed. It did bother us and frustrate us a little bit because on their run they came back in a couple of easy baskets and fouls but that's how it goes sometimes.

Minnesota Coach Tubby Smith Quotes:

Opening Statement: Good afternoon, first of all I want to commend Penn State. Ed DeChellis had his team ready to play. They gave as all that we wanted and more. We feel very fortunate to get this win. I thought our kids showed a lot of hear, a lot of courage. I know Ed DeChellis is trying to build here at Penn State.

That winning attitude and it becomes a habit. They've had a good run and their still going to win a lot more games. I'm just glad that we don't have to come back here to Penn State until next year. Again, I thought we did some good things tonight. You look at their box score and I think the difference was certainly our ability to make our free throws. One of the things that we did well today and we had individuals that stepped up and made great plays from the beginning. I thought, especially Tollackson really set the tone for us with his energy and his interior post play early on. Dan Coleman once again had a double-double. He's playing great and I know he maybe struggled shooting the ball some, but guarding guys like Jamelle Cornley and Geary Claxton it takes something out of you and they've got a deep bench like we have. I thought when we got behind, we just didn't give up and guys like Blake Hoffarber and Al Nolen, they are just too young to know the difference. They just kept battling and kept hanging in there and didn't get down when we were down. They didn't hang their heads. So again, it was a huge win for us here because I know how good Penn State is.

Q: Coach, take us back to that 16-point deficit. What did you tell your team to try to get back into the game? A: Well, to be honest with you, I hardly look at the score. I'm there coaching every possession, trying to let them know we're not going to be concerned because I can't allow myself to think about being down. We weren't being as aggressive as we needed to be. I think we made some threes there. I think Blake Hoffarber hit some threes. I think that's when that was going on. I would have to look at some film to be honest with you. I thought that missed dunk there, they had a chance to break away but we got it back and scored. Our defense picked up. I thought maybe we got on the boards a little bit better even though we got out rebounded again today. You can't panic in those situations. We started fouling and Penn State had a lot of momentum, but again we kept fighting, Blake made those threes and McKenzie hit a jumper so then our kids get rejuvenated and we just started playing a little bit better. When your defense picks up, you're a little bit quicker.

Q: You were talking about winning attitude, can you teach that or do you have to recruit that? A: No, I think it starts in practice. One of the first things I say to a team is that you have to talk, walk, act, and practice like champions. You have to have that attitude that nothing is too great and you have to dream, big dreams and the only way you can do it is everyday we talk about winning practice everyday. Those that can't handle the intensity of it, well they will leave the program eventually. It just may not be for them. The level of intensity, that's why you have so many levels of competition in the NCAA. I never really understood why people worry about kids transferring. People change jobs, you find out later that this is not the coach that recruited me, I'm not cut out for this. At Tulsa and Georgia, it's a matter of coming in with a plan, with a system and a philosophy and sticking to it and I think Coach DeChellis and his staff is doing that. He's building things the right way. It may take a little bit more time.

Q: How does a team do to not let a loss like this ruin a season? A: Well it's only one game. That's the first thing; you take it one game at a time. Like anything else that's over and done with. We didn't play well. Let's learn from our mistakes. We lost two in a row to UNLV and then to Michigan State. So I'm sure coach and the staff will look at the things they did well and improve on things they need to improve on and move on. You really don't have any time to worry about it. It's like writing your article; it's over and done with. So, that's the attitude we take. That's why we are a team; individuals picking each other up. It's a tough loss for them. They were playing really well and we were fortunate the ball bounced our way today. We can easily be walking out of here saying hey, other way around. So I know Penn State will win their share of basketball games. They will beat a lot of people and that's the attitude they have to take. Thank you and I haven't been here and I'm impressed with the hospitality. They way they run their program here, it's impressive. I can tell you that it's not like that everywhere. So I want to commend the Penn State people, thank you.