Jan. 29, 2009
Vanderbilt Head Coach Kevin Stallings
Opening statement…
They pressured us especially well in the first half and that led to turnovers and helped them win the game. I thought our kids played hard and really fought hard. At times, we played really well, just not well enough to win a 40-minute basketball game. (Devan) Downey was obviously sensational in the second half and that’s why he’s such a good player. He’s capable of taking over games. He took this game over in the second half.
On Ogilvy’s lack of offense…
I don’t think it was their defense as much tonight. I probably shouldn’t even be playing him right now. He’s very sick and I debated whether to play him or not and he did a great job rebounding in the first half but he never really got going offensively. He’s just in a tough stretch right now, we just need to be patient and wait it out.
On the play of Devan Downey…
I thought we continued to play with energy but I think Downey was the difference. He got to the spots he needed to get to and we couldn’t do anything with him as the game wore on. That’s what he does, he gets better as games go on and we know that, and we were prepared for that but we couldn’t stop him.
South Carolina Head Coach Darrin Horn
Opening Statement…
I’m really proud of our team tonight – I think our guys really took a step. There are some statistical things that go with it, in terms of wining three in a row that are good things. More important than that, any time you can go six minutes to start a second half to only score three points and then not just win the game but I was more impressed with our guys. It didn’t look like they got really worked up about it. There was a great deal of confidence and we continued to play the way we needed to play. That was really good to see. I think that’s a big step for our players and our team and our program. You have to credit Vanderbilt; they did a great job. Our guys responded well to their defense. They have a nice team and they will continue to get better. All in all, it was really a good win, there were a lot of positives for our team. We had a great crowd tonight at the Colonial Life Arena. We won’t be satisfied until we get it filled, but we really appreciate the fans, and especially our student fans.
On the importance of Devan Downey…
I think obviously he made some plays for us. But I think a bigger part of it was once we finally got a few shots to go down, we started playing the way we wanted to play. Our defense picked up, and we sped them up a bit. We got up and down and we spread the floor. Our defense was creating offense. There’s no question he’s always a key to it, but it starts with everyone being committed to it.
On Dominique Archie’s block in the second half….
It was really big. Those are the kind of plays we want to make. Those kinds of plays come from playing hard and covering up for teammates on the defensive end. I haven’t seen everyone in the league, but I think you’ll be hard pressed to find somebody who does more for their team than Dominique Archie.
On Sam Muldrow…
I think he helps a lot, he’s 6’9” and long and athletic. He brings good effort. He’s a presence. He gets his hands on passes and grabs rebounds. He does a lot of good things for our team. I think he’s going to continue to get better and better throughout the rest of the season.
South Carolina Player Quotes
Junior Forward Dominique Archie
On the team’s play…
Right now we are just focused on playing our ball. We know that if we come out and do the things we are capable of doing we will get the job done. We’re not really focused on any team or any one player.