Postgame Quotes - Wake Forest 70, NC State 69
1/16/2014 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Jan. 16, 2014
Wake Forest Head Coach Jeff Bzdelik
Opening statement...
"Our basketball team showed tremendous heart, grit (and) determination. Obviously we played much better in the second half. We actually out-rebounded them, if I'm not mistaken, in the second half. First half we weren't very good on the boards and we weren't very good at taking care of the basketball, but we straightened that out. We were very active in the zone. Arnaud (William Adala Moto) just really played well in all areas in the game. We did a lot of good things from an execution standpoint when we executed down the stretch there and when we had the ball down one with 10 seconds--just a lot of timely plays that enabled us to win this game."
On the development of sophomore forward Arnaud William Adala Moto...
"He's never wavered in his attitude. He's continued to work very hard. He's only halfway through his second year. He's a young man that hasn't played as much as the other guys on the team, in terms of growing up in Africa. So he did a heck of a job for us tonight. He really did. [ I'm] really proud of him."
On deciding what play to run with 10 seconds left...
"We practiced that. We practice our special situations often. They'll tell you that. We practice it in a way that if teams switch, we know what to do, and we do it in a way that we have various lineups out there in case someone gets hurt or someone's fouled out. Everyone knew what to do; we just needed to do it, and we did it. It was a good day."
On the first half...
"Let's give NC State a lot of credit. They're a very talented basketball team that's won three straight road games coming into this game. They shot well in the first half against our man and we weren't defending them very well. Give them a lot of credit."
NC State Head Coach Mark Gottfried
Opening statement...
"My first thought is, that I am really proud of my team. We had to overcome a lot and at one point were in some bad foul trouble, but I thought that our guys played with a lot of courage and they competed. They put themselves in a position to win. We just needed to make one more defensive play. We were one defensive play short. I liked our guys' effort and I'll take it every time. It is disappointing we lost but at the same time I thought we competed unbelievably hard and just came up a little short."
On the play of NC State...
"I'm proud of my team. Disappointed that we lost but proud of our effort and proud that they put themselves in a position to win. We had to overcome a lot of foul trouble and we had a poor night from the foul line. We have been shooting foul shots really well but tonight we struggled from the line. We had some open looks against the zone and some good looks that we didn't make. But we still had a chance to win."
On the scoring in the second half...
"I think their zone had a little bit of impact but we were still getting good shots. We have to step up there and make some. We still overcame a poor shooting half and put ourselves in a position to win with a lead."
Sophomore Guard Codi Miller-McIntyre
On the big win against NC State...
"Our game plan was to make sure we hold our house down. We faced adversity at home and we overcame it."
On the last ten seconds in the game...
"The goal was to give me the ball and go full speed to the basket. If I did not have it, I had Coron (Williams) and Travis (McKie), but I saw the opportunity and I took it."
On other players impact on the game...
"Devin (Thomas) played well offensively and defensively; he brings a lot of energy to the game, but I think the key player to tonight's win was Arnaud William (Adala Moto); he was great offensively and defensively."
On the Clemson game next Saturday...
"We just have to take our energy we have at home and find some way to bring it with us on the road."
Sophomore Forward Devin Thomas
On the big win...
"Big state rival. We got more physical in the second half and started rebounding more."
On Codi Miller-McIntyre's game-winning drive...
"It was a big play. It ran exactly how we drew it out. We persevered through adversity. At times when we were in the huddle, we would keep positive, and we got exactly what we wanted."
On the physical aspect and fouls in the game...
"It definitely changed the tempo. We just had to adjust to it."
On Arnaud William Adala Moto's impact on the game...
"He rebounded and that's what we needed the most. He made big free throws and big shots. He's been playing well for us lately."
On the Clemson game next Saturday...
"We feel good. Still trying to get our first road win as a team. We are expected to win these games at home, now we have to take it to the next level."
