Anthony had a real good look, but it came up just short. He had just made [a three pointer] and he is our best three-point shooter off the dribble, but he couldn't [do] it. |
As hard as this is, our group is instilled with character and we will rise from this. There's a lot of basketball left. |
He practiced yesterday and today, and we did not have him in any contact. We will see how he is at game time on Saturday. |
His knee is being evaluated. His knee and upper leg are just real sore right now. His absence would certainly be a big loss for our team. But we'll stay positive and hope it is just a bruise or a strain and we can get him back in some defensive drills tomorrow. |
I challenged James before the game because I didn't think defensively we were effective like we needed to be. Craig gives us a little more weight and then I thought James' athleticism bothered (Williams). |
I thought we came out with a lot of energy. Particularly on the defensive end; we had great defensive energy. |
I thought we played well on offense for the first 4 minutes of the second half. The next four, however, we didn't have it. And that's where they made their run. |
It was certainly a difficult ending to that game. |
It's a great opportunity for conferences like the MAC, Missouri Valley, Horizon, the Midwest, and Big South. As [NIU] is going to play at Winthrop and play a good game. |
James has been a defensive presence for our team. And his ability to protect the basket has improved all year. |
James wasn't able to go. He had been doing a good job, and him not being there was a big loss for us, but we fought hard and competed really hard all game. |
Kent State is a very good basketball team. They're off to their best start in school history, and we knew it was going to be a challenge, as just about every home game has been for us. |
Senior day is really a special day. I could tell at our morning shoot-around that these guys were really focused. Everyone went out there and made sure that NIU would get the win. |
That was a tough second half for us. Our screening and passing weren't there, and our shots weren't falling. It's like the second half was a complete reversal of the first. |
The outcome of the game is important for us to continue to play well. Sometimes seeding for a tournament can be deceptive. |