Wake Forest Athletics
Postgame Quotes
2/22/2006 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Feb. 22, 2006
Wake Forest Head Coach Skip Prosser
On the win:
"We make it interesting. I thought the Clemson kids did a great job of fighting back from down nine. Coach Purnell has a very good team. If Justin's shot hadn't gone in we'd be talking about a recurring theme by not being bale to handle the ball against pressure and not making free throws. Fortunately it did [go in]. In the first half the pressure bothered us, not that they always stole the ball but we had ten turnovers. We are happy to get out of here with a win."
On the sense of relief after the win:
"I think relief might be a good word. I am happy for our players. I think all nine guys who played when we watch the tape you'll be able to find a play that they made was significant to our victory. Having said that you'll be able to find a play or two from those nine guys that could have lead to our demise as well."
On Justin Gray's game winning shot:
"We ran a play that they guarded and that happens. I think that to have a really great season you often times at the end of the games need a great player to make that play more often than not. In my second year here, Josh Howard almost always on a team that did well; made the last stop or rebound or an offense play. You need that."
Clemson Head Coach Oliver Purnell
On the game:
"That was a disappointing loss for our team after fighting our way back into the game. I thought they really bothered us on the backboards. All night long, they got second and third shots. (Eric) Williams was big against us as he was the first game. (Justin) Gray shows us the fine player he is by making a tough shot to send it into overtime. It was a lot of little things - free throw blocking out, block outs period. Obviously we didn't want Gray to get the ball back to make the last shot. We relaxed there just a little bit and he made an off-balance tremendous shot."
On the game-tying Gray three:
"Justin shouldn't have gotten it back. We got him inside the three. When the guy you don't want to get the shot gives it up, you have to try hard enough to not let him get it back. He hit a tough shot. There is no question about it. You have to give them credit. It went in and we went to overtime."
On Akin Akingbala's last shot in regulation:
"He had a great look. He got it along the baseline about 12 feet away. We actually had a better shot then they did."
On not fouling ahead by three:
"We had trouble rebounding on free throws. We gave up three offensive rebounds on free throws. If you give up an offensive rebound in that situation and they kick it back out and launch a three, you lose. We've had trouble rebounding free throws late in games an awful lot and that cost us in this game. Not that three, but they got the ball back a couple of times off missed free throws."
