Fresno State Athletics
QUOTES: Fresno State 58, San Diego State 57
2/10/2016 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
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Rodney Terry, Fresno State Head Coach
On the win tonight...
"I thought our guys really came out and competed for one another. We started the preparation two days ago for this ball game. We knew we we're going to be undermanned but we weren't going to be undermanned in terms of our effort and in terms of coming out and working for each other."
On the Fresno State's defense tonight...
"Coach Wainwright has done a great job with our guys all year long with zone. Our guys did a great job of executing our zone defense tonight. They also did a good job of rebounding out of that zone."
"We had really good rotation. I thought our guys did a great job of being on that white line and tagging those guys. Our guys did a really good job of ball strain defense and taking away their role guys. We got some key steals in the process of doing that."
On having to rely on players to come off the bench...
"Every guy we called upon tonight stepped in and did a nice job for us. They gave great effort. Sam Bittner and Lionel Ellison III came in and gave us great minutes. It was a great team win. I told these guys earlier this week that we have enough `Dogs in this kennel to get things done."
"We've played some really great San Diego State teams. We respect their program and what they've been able to do over the years. Although, we knew we had the chance to come in tonight and play at a very high level. If we won 50/50 balls and did a good job on the glass, then we'd be right where we needed to be."
"For me, in the five years that I've been here, this is our biggest win here at home. We had a great home crowd. We are able to feed off our home court when our home court is rocking like it was tonight. We're making this a very difficult place to come into and win. The more and more we can make the Save Mart Center a tough place to play in. People don't like coming to Fresno because they know we're going to compete and do everything we can to protect our house. I give our guys a lot of effort and credit tonight for the effort and the determination to never give up."
On Sam Bittner...
"Sam has earned those minutes. He has been a guy that has played day in and day out on our blue team (scout) at practice. He has really prepared our starters all season long. We always tell our guys to stay ready, when your opportunity presents itself: seize the moment. He stepped up for us tonight in a big way."
On what is next for this team...
"Tonight, we are going to enjoy this win. In this league, you enjoy it for one night and then start preparation all over again for another difficult opponent. If going forward we can continue to buy into what we're asking each and every guy to do as a team then we can be as good as we want to be down the stretch."
"Eric Musselman has done a good job in his first year at Nevada, and has gotten hem to compete at a very high level. They are a very difficult team to match up with. They are an older team that is playing with a lot of urgency right now. They play really well at home. We've got our work cut out for us on Saturday."
Marvelle Harris, Senior Guard
On missing three starters in the game...
"Our whole emphasis on this game was we have enough dogs in the kennel, so when a player goes down we always have somebody ready to step up. Cullen did a great job on the board. Sam came in and played major minutes. For his first game to be against San Diego State, he did a great job. Everybody stepped up to the challenge."
On the strength of San Diego State, causing you to find something in yourself...
"I think it helped but at the same time we knew we had to come in and step up to the challenge and play hard. San Jose State helped us realize that you can't just walk in and win any game, every team is going to compete and that's what we did the last two games."
On the tie for second place...
"It sounds great but we still want to get to first place."
On the atmosphere of the crowd...
"It was great. We want the Save Mart Center to be like that every game. It makes it a tough place to play in. A lot of other teams in this league have tough environments when you go to their house. Making this a hard place to play in will really help us."
Cullen Russo, Junior Forward
On pressure of having all the big guys out...
"You have to step up with two guys being out and not having as much depth as we are used to. Coach told me you have to step up big and get it on the board. That was the biggest thing for me and I just tried to do as much as I could."
On playing for teammates who couldn't be on the court...
"Torren and Karachi definitely let me know that with them being out that I had to step up big tonight. Every timeout, they let me know on the bench to keep getting on the board. All I could think about was that if they were out there, they would be crashing those boards. I tried to do as much as I could for them."
