Washington 69, Santa Clara 49
November 24, 2001 | Men's Basketball
WASHINGTON HEAD COACH BOB BENDER
General Remarks:
"I thought that the second half was a very important 20 minutes for us because the first 20 was very lethargic. I was asked an interesting question earlier in the week after the loss to Butler, 'whether it was harder for a younger inexperienced team to bounce back after a loss especially in a championship setting in relation to a veteran team?' My initial reaction was that I think a younger team can bounce back because of their youth and resiliency. I think we were pretty crisp in practice and I thought we would come out with a lot more intensity but we didn't. The nice thing is that we didn't panic. When we got down 4-6 points we worked our way through it."
On second half offensive improvements:
"We stood around so much offensively in the first half that we were just waiting for individuals to make plays. Individuals were trying to break a defense down and make a shot. In the second half we screened better, moved better and got better shots."
On making small improvements:
"You take little steps this early in the season. What I liked about this group is that when we walked in to the locker room the first thing I heard out of many of the players is that 'we held them 19 points in the second half.' The offense will always be much better when our defense picks up."
On the tendency to stand around of offense:
"There is a natural tendency to look for Doug especially if he has made some buckets early that we all stand wait to see if he can create something. Then we rely on the jump shot because it's the end of the clock. We didn't get David involved as we needed too early and again that is why the first half was so perimeter oriented. A young team needs to be a little bit more patient and keep getting David touches."
SANTA CLARA HEAD COACH DICK DAVEY
General Comments:
"We've been pretty inconsistent all season, and it showed again today. We play reasonably well in the first half, and then haven't done too well in the second half. That might have a lot to do with our strong-mindedness, and a lot with our maturity. We're not a very mature team, and as a result we don't respond well to adversity."
On Washington's second-half roll:
"They had a lot going well for them in the second half. They went to the post with Wrenn, started making their shots, and their confidence level got up. Sometimes, when you start making your shots, your confidence improves and you start playing better as a team."
On defending the Huskies:
"They are a very athletic team. They can beat you on the post and beat you on the perimeter. There wasn't one aspect of their game we were most concerned with, we were concerned with just about everything, truthfully."
