March 10, 2006

Recap |  Box Score |  Notes |  Photo Gallery

Ohio State Head Coach Thad Matta
Opening statement:
"We were obviously fortunate to win this game. As I told the guys, as a coach this is one of the toughest games to coach in. One of the big things we talked about at halftime was I felt as though we were tying our offense to our defense. When shots were not going in, we did not sprint back and we were not playing hard. We gave Penn State way too many easy baskets.

"To come out in the second half and get a little bit deeper in the hole, during the 12:00 timeout I really had to step up and challenge our guys. This was the first time all year I did not think we had the energy we needed out there. A lot of times when the shots start going in, as they did for us against the zone, it really opens things up for us.

"Defensively down the stretch I thought we were a lot more active. (Penn State guard) Mike Walker got going. We gave him a couple free looks, and (Penn State forward) Jamelle Cornley was tremendous today. But as I told them, that's what I love about this team -- we keep coming back fighting and competing, and they did a heck of a job to win this basketball game today."

On attacking Penn State's zone defense:
"In the first two games against them Terence (Dials) got only four shots in each game. Today he had 11. We did want to get the ball inside to him. That was very important to us. In the second half we went to a different zone attack and it worked better because the ball went in the basket. We got the exact same shots, but quite honestly the difference was that the ball went in."

On the fight Ohio State had to win the game:
"The competitive nature really took over. For whatever reason, things did not go well out of the gate for us. As I told them at halftime, that was the disheartening thing for us, but we fought back. Our defensive intensity got so much better. I can't tell you how many times I looked out there in the first half when Penn State was catching the ball on the wing and our players were turned toward the basket. Then in the second half, especially in the last 10 minutes of the game, the activity was much better. They wanted to win down the stretch."

On the team hitting clutch 3-pointers:
"I kept telling them in the timeouts to set their feet. In the first half, we were catching the ball straight-legged. I gave them a demonstration at one point of how we want them to have their feet set, knees bent and ready to shoot the basketball and shoot with confidence. It was one of those nights where shooting becomes contagious. Today, fortunately for us, it got contagious and we were able to knock down the last six of seven."

Terence Dials
On lack of energy in first half:
"I just think (Penn State) played really hard. They had a lot on the line and played really aggressive. We were flat on our heels a little bit, reacting to what they were doing rather than being the aggressor. In the second half that kind of changed."

On competitiveness of last 10 minutes:
"We had a lot riding on the line as well as they did. We didn't want to lose our first game here in the tournament. We came out, got it together on the court and played hard. Fortunately, we knocked down some shots and that got us going a little bit."

On eight second-half 3-pointers:
"Anytime you hit shots, you're going to get a little extra energy. We were fortunate enough that we were able to knock them down. We dug ourselves into a little bit of a hole (in the first half) but we were able to knock down some 3's and string a few stops together on defense. That's what helped us today."

On Jamelle Cornley:
"(Cornley) plays so hard. You have to match his intensity level every time he steps on the court. He is the Freshman of the Year so he has a lot to prove but he just plays so hard every game."

On Penn State's defense:
"Well they played a 2-3 zone and a lot of times they had two or three guys on the baseline. That's where I usually operate. Our guards did a great job of penetrating the zone in the second half. I got a lot of easy catches but I just wasn't able to finish for one reason or another. I'm sure it will be a different story in our next game." 
  
Je'Kel Foster
On Ron Lewis:
"Ron Lewis is a great athlete. He did some tremendous things for us today. He gave us a big spark off the bench and that's what you need in those situations. He stepped up today."

Penn State Head Coach Ed DeChellis
On how well Penn State competed in the game:
"We really competed. We played hard and we had the opportunity. We didn't make some critical shots and we missed some critical free throws we needed to make. When we are playing a good basketball team like Ohio State, who won the league title, we've got to take advantage of the opportunity but we just couldn't make our shots at critical times. They made some good shots against us."

On if tiredness played a factor in the game:
"We weren't tired. We had some good flow and adrenaline going. We just missed some shots. That happens. We went 3-for-17 from the three point line and they made some from behind the arc. Sometimes the game is all about who makes a basket at a critical time. We were up two, we missed two free throws and they come down and knock down a three and are up one. You know we had an opportunity and we didn't cash in when we needed to. Our kids played hard, we competed and made a very good run at this team but it just didn't happen for us."

On whether the team was short-handed:
"Our backcourt didn't score. You can look at the front court all you want but we didn't get many baskets out of the backcourt. They had some open shots and we couldn't capitalize those. We would like to have one more guy off the bench for us. Milos (Bogetic) got in, played a little bit and he got banged around. He's a freshman playing against a senior. That's who we are and that's where we're at. Hopefully in another year or two we will have more guys and we can continue to build a program. I thought these guys played a great game, we gave it a heck of a run and we were a basket or two away from where we needed to be."

On making shots down the stretch:
"We came out early and had a really good start. They hurt us at our place and they hurt us again. They got in a rhythm and they are a senior dominated team. Three of those guys are fifth-year seniors. We're not that. Sometimes experience plays a critical part in this thing. They've got some experienced guys who stepped up and made some big plays. They strategically should have done well. They just shot over us and made some big baskets. For 35 minutes we were in pretty good shape."

Geary Claxton
On the game:
"We had a lot of adrenaline and were ready to play, but the shots weren't falling. Ohio State had some big shots and they were able to key off some rebounds. I tried to stay aggressive even though I was in foul trouble and compete to win the ballgame. I had to play smart, but I really wasn't thinking about the fouls. I just kept playing."

Jamelle Cornley
On Terence Dials:
"He could tire you out, but it's one of those things where I have to use my body and mentally be tough. Sometimes I can't shoot over him and I'm not able to get around him. If I don't have a quick move or quick jump shot, I have to kick it out and repost. I'm just going to have to keep on fighting, he's got about 30 pounds on me and there's nothing I can do about it."

On having something to prove against Ohio State:
"I don't think I would have ended up playing for them. That is my gut feeling because I wanted to get out of the city. I wanted different scenery and a different experience away from home, but it's a joy to play them because I've watched them for so long and some of the players I keep in contact with off of the court. I will always cheer for them because they are my home crowd. Anytime you're from that type of a city you always feel like you have to prove something, but you have to worry about the task at hand and that's winning the game. Unfortunately today we came up a little short, but I look forward to playing them next year and to pick it up from there."