Wake Forest v North Carolina State
2/10/2005 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Feb. 10, 2005
Recap | Final Stats | Notes | Photo Gallery
Wake Forest Head Coach Skip Prosser...
On the game:
"We played hard for the most part and so did NC State. We did a good job on the offensive boards. Even though they shot 56% for the game, we tried to keep them from making under 10 three's and we did that. We also forced 20 turnovers. I don't think that our defense was that deplorable. They're a good team, and there are no off nights in the ACC. To have 20 wins at this point with our schedule is an accomplishment, but at the same time, our guys know we have a quick turnaround to Saturday."
On Taron Downey:
"He always [makes the big shots]. He's so dependable. I feel extremely confident with him in the game in so many areas. I have supreme confidence in him. He led us to an ACC regular season championship two years ago."
On being tied for first in the ACC:
"It is important. This is the best league in the country. I know a lot of attention goes to Duke and UNC. We're like those guys chasing Butch and Sundance. They know who we are. They know we aren't going anywhere. It's a challenge to us and it is important to us."
On offensive rebounds:
"It is a big part of what we do. When we go small it does help our ball handling, but it hurts our offensive rebounding. Our guards do a great job of chasing balls down. They do a good job of getting rebounds when our big guys are engaging down low."
North Carolina State Head Coach Herb Sendek...
On the game:
"Our guys played well in the second half. We put ourselves behind the 8-ball with early turnovers which led to easy baskets. We cut it to six and had a couple of key turnovers and they got it back to a comfortable lead. They're a heck of a basketball team. I don't see a component that they don't have. Skip's done a great job with this team."
On Wake Forest:
"They do a tremendous job on rebounding. We shot a high percentage. We missed 22 shots and got nine back. That is a reasonable number for our team. They attack. That is one of those components. They do a great job at the foul line. They don't let you off the hook when you do foul them."
On Taron Downey:
"He's having a terrific year. He's one of those guys that's underrated. He doesn't get the same press clippings that the others get but he's another guy that is a tremendous weapon. He gives them another great ball handler."
Wake Forest's Chris Paul...
On Julius Hodge not starting: "That was really odd. We did not know about that going into the game. At first it was like he was in the game, but with out him they are a different team. We tried to put as much pressure on him as possible. His drive never stops. Everything tonight was lay-ups and free throws. It's kind of crazy when you know that's what he wants to do and he still does it. I guess that's the sign of a good player."
On the upcoming games:
"I'm excited. Most teams that beat us the first time we look at it as payback the second time. I had never beaten N.C. State since I've been here, so this was a first one for me. This turnaround is just like when we played Georgia Tech and then played Miami. The coach compared it to the NCAA tournament. It is really going to show us that we are ready to play."
Wake Forest's Taron Downey...
On the attention from the media: "I think if i keep playing better I'll get the attention, but i'm not here for the attention. I'm here to help my team get wins and whatever I can do to make that happen, then that's what I'm going to do."
On the game:
"Anybody can step up on any given night and help us out. We played really well at the beginning and we got a good win out of it. If you are number one or you are number twenty-five, you just have to go out and get wins every night. As long as we are getting wins we are fine with that."
