Wake Forest Athletics
Postgame Quotes
12/22/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Wake Forest Head Coach Danny Manning
Opening Statement...
"Xavier dominated the second half. We didn't have any answers for them in the second half. We came out in the first half, and we did some really good things. But probably more importantly, we did a much better job of guarding in the first half than we did in the second half. That's not to take anything away from Xavier. They're one of the best teams in the country for a reason. They're tough, they're hard-nosed and they compete. Chris [Mack] has done a remarkable job in scheduling the games that he's scheduling and putting those guys in the position to be successful. They're going to be one of the better teams throughout the course of the year, when they get into conference season, because they've been battle-tested and they're tough."
On Xavier's improved defense in the second half...
"We settled for too many jump shots today. We can't play games when our leading scorer only gets three field goal attempts. He shot 10 free throws so that means he got fouled in the shooting motion a few times, but we have to continue to play inside-out. That's the key to our success. We get the ball into the paint and then throw it out. Tonight, we didn't get the ball into the paint nearly enough. They didn't allow that to happen tonight."
On the play of Bryant Crawford...
"I saw a freshman. I saw a talented freshman that's fearless. He's going to be the leader of our team for the next three years. He's got to get better from it. He can't let it happen again."
On the play of the freshmen...
"They're freshmen. We know that they're going to have the freshman peaks and valleys, and it's going to happen throughout the course of the ball game. Bryant Crawford is a battler, he's a warrior. He's going to be the leader of our team for the next three years."
On the Deacs' play of late...
"We've played some teams that weren't as good as Xavier and had some instances in the second half we were able to overcome. You're not able to overcome them against that type of team. You're not going to be able to overcome those miscues in our conference. We understand that. We talk about it. It's just a matter of going out and doing a better job of executing. We had an opportunity to tonight, and like I said, they came out in the second half and delivered the first blow and we didn't respond well."
On his takeaways from the game...
"We take a loss away from the game. That's what we take. We also should take that this is one of the best teams in the country. We're inching closer to where we need to be. We're nowhere near there yet, but we're moving in the right direction."
Xavier Head Coach Chris Mack
Opening Statement...
"We didn't play very well [in the first half] and Wake Forest had a lot to do with that; their size, their length, their readiness to play, their ability to shoot in the first half. We turned the ball over uncharacteristically way too much. But in the second half, we responded. We did not turn the ball over nearly as much. I saw a toughness in the locker room and a little disappointment in ourselves."
On being 12-0...
"You certainly don't set out to go undefeated. We take our challenges one at a time. The growth of this team from last year is amazing. It's mostly seen in practice. If you turn it on and off--you practice hard one day then you're not who you're supposed to be the next day--you can't show up on game night."
On the first half...
"I was a little surprised how we came out tonight. And that's where I give Wake Forest credit, they were ready to play and our guys got set on their heels, but our guys came out in the second half."
Freshman Guard Bryant Crawford
On his takeaways from loss against Xavier…
"It's been the same thing we've been saying all year, not putting two halves together. That's something we have to come together as a team and do."
On the Musketeers' late comeback…
"They struggled to score with the 1-3-1 and they came out more aggressive than us. Down that stretch, we fell back we got the pressure applied like we did in the first half. We got a few calls that did not go our way. Me, personally, I lost my head and cost us some extra points that added to their momentum."
Senior Forward Devin Thomas
On fixing missed opportunities…
"I'll fix it. I'll have that fixed by next game, without a doubt."
On the game results…
"It was a perfect opportunity for us to beat an undefeated team, rank sixth in the country. We probably gave them their toughest game all year."
Freshman Forward John Collins
On his playing time…
"Coach Manning stressed to Doral and I was that it's not just he doesn't want to play us, but we have to earn our minutes in practice. We're freshmen. We have not earned that trust yet. It's coming along and it's something you have to work with."
On learning from Devin Thomas…
"He's part of the reason why I'm so active on the offensive rebounds, because Devin is the first guy to go at you. He's probably the guy I've played with that has the most energy."
Sophomore Forward Cornelius Hudson
On the energy throughout game…
"Even though they were making their runs we were still up. We just have to rebound more and focus on defense more. We beat them in the first half. In the second half, we just have to focus more. We had all our energy first half and the energy fell down in the second half."
On Xavier's comeback…
"The game is about runs. Both teams had runs. We had our run in the first half, and they had theirs in the second half. We just have to play harder and we'll be back."
