Recap | Final Stats | Notes

Opening Statement:

"We had very good energy coming out in the first half. We had a lot of contributions playing through foul trouble. In the second half, we knew we would get a run from Southern Miss. They made some contested shots even with our effort and execution. We were able to stay together and not let what has happened before get to us. We learned from it and grew tonight."

On handling foul trouble:

"We have been through it before. We have had a lot of guys playing a lot of different roles before this season and we were able to call upon them. That was the first time Alex [Hamilton] has been in foul trouble. I thought Derric Jean, Dayon Griffin, LeAntwan Luckett and Jacobi Boykins picked up the slack for Alex and took care of the basketball and the offense."

On Erik McCree:

"I was really proud of him. He had a great week of practice and was really focused. Obviously, he was really disappointed with how the Florida trip went. He was really prepared. I could see that he was ready to play tonight and we needed him in a big way."

On the defense late in the second half:

"We have talked about stringing stops together and they are really starting to embrace that defensive mentality, especially in the half court with keeping people in front of them. We did it for nine straight stops at one time. They really had a great mindset tonight to defend."

On carrying over momentum:

"We have to chop up the film and show them the things we need to work on and the things that worked out well. And we need to have great practices. This experience was very helpful for us."