2016-17 Chattanooga Mocs Basketball
Post-Game Quotes vs. The Citadel
Chattanooga, Tenn. – Jan. 11 – McKenzie Arena
Matt McCall, Head Coach
Opening statement after 83-73 win over The Citadel.
"I think we knew how The Citadel plays. They threw everything at us tonight. They threw man-to-man press, run and jump, zone press, zone, half-court man and switching. They threw everything at us and you have to give them credit. We never really got into a flow offensively. We got some stops in the first half and was able to get out on the break. You can't play casual or be loose with the ball, that's how they pounce on you. We got a little consumed with ourselves because we scored 125 points against them last year. The one thing I was really proud of was that we held them to 73 points. That's an accomplishment when they come in averaging 97 points per game."
On presence of Justin Tuoyo.
"I'm so proud of him. His presence is definitely felt on the backboard. He went for 13 and 13, four blocks. He was terrific down the stretch. It's all about his professional approach and I've been really proud of him for that. Again, he was terrific tonight. When the games on the line he wants to go up and get it. He had some big offensive rebounds and is rebounding out of his area. No matter what happened tonight, he kept playing."
On focus coming in against The Citadel's offense.
"We never really try to put an emphasis or focus on offense. I told our guys that they average 97 points a game. Our goal and focus was on defense to keep them to somewhere in the 60's. Every single night this team is going to face an opponents best shot. It can be really draining, there's going to be a ton of games that will be ugly and not pretty. A lot of teams want to beat us because it says Chattanooga across our chest. We have to play the game possession by possesion."
On staying the course.
"If your casual with the ball you start to turn it over and get out of rhythm offensively. It's something you never really see on the court. I was proud of our guys for staying tough, but I felt like we never really got in a flow offensively. You have to enjoy the process and there will be certain nights where it's not going to be your night. We settled in and I'm really proud of our effort defensively."
Justin Tuoyo, Sr.-F
"We knew they were the nations leading offense. We had to pride ourselves on defense. Everyone on that team can run and make a three. It helps to play great defense and held them to 73 points. It's tough to beat us when we get on edge and play that hard."
"I tried to find the ball more. I tried to find it off the glass and rebound. I ended up getting some rebounds and easy looks at the hoop. I give credit to my teammates for finding me."
Johnathan Burroughs-Cook, Sr.-G
On game plan coming in.
"We knew coming into the game they were going to play hard. We knew we had to keep playing hard and focus on defense, because if the offense wasn't going for us we knew we could rely on our defense. We knew they weren't going to be able to stop us on offense for long, so we just focused on defense."
Playing through early adversity.
"I feel like early on we had to get down and play tough. They threw a couple of traps at us and we were kind of rattled, but then we started getting it together and started breaking in and getting easy lay ups at the rim."
On attacking the rim.
"I knew when they were denying passes, I could beat the guys off the dribble a lot. Because I feel like I can get passed any guard if they are denying like that, and also, I was just trying to get down the lane, put pressure on the guards, and try to draw some fouls and get to the free throw line."
Duggar Baucom, The Citadel Head Coach
Opening statement.
"Congratulations to Chattanooga. Their starting five is as good as it gets in this league. They are the defending conference champions for a reason. Matt does a great job with them. It's hard to prepare for everyone. I was really proud of my guys how they fought and competed."
On toughness from The Citadel.
"Those kids go through a lot on a daily basis. A majority of the team is freshmen and sophomores. I'm just really proud of the way they play and fight. They kept fighting and through everything. That's something we try to strive on, playing tough. You can't measure the heart and I'm proud of our guys for showing that. It's as hard playing in this enviornment (McKenzie Arena) than anywhere in the league."
