Postgame Quotes: No. 12 Ohio State 87, Morehead State 71 – Ohio State Buckeyes
12/13/2014 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Dec. 13, 2014
POSTGAME QUOTES
No. 12 Ohio State 87 (8-1), Morehead State 71 (4-8)
?December 13, 2014?
Value City Arena – Columbus, Ohio
?Attendance: 14,578
Thad Matta, Ohio State head coach
On the growing aspects of the Ohio State squad
“Those were the two growing areas in terms of our ability to take care of the basketball and for us defensively. It’s okay at times to speed the other team up and make them shoot quickly even if they score. We just kept telling our guys once we get back we needed to be sound. We just needed to be as sound as we can.”
On Amir Williams’s performance vs. the Eagles
“I thought he was very effective tonight. Even on five block shots from the other end, he was huge for us. Those are the type of plays that we need Amir finishing around the bucket.”
Amir Williams, senior center
On his play setting the tone for the Buckeyes
“I tried to get out to a good start. Coach always tells me and the players tell me as well that if I come out with energy, it gets my teammates going as well. I try to come out and play with as much energy as I can and I think I set the tone early for us. We jumped out quick, got a quick lead on the team and I think we just didn’t look back from there. We had guys making plays other than myself, with Sam leaping out for dunks, Shannon playing passing lanes, D’Angelo scoring the ball. I think my energy helped out the whole team and we just took off from there.”
On being aggressive offensively
“Coach is always telling me to be aggressive when I catch the ball on the post, and make a move down low. It’s just becoming more and more efficient in the game just going up strong with the ball. It’s a thing that they need me to do throughout the season if we want to be successful so we’ve got to have an inside presence whether it’s me, Trey, or Anthony, when we catch the ball on the post we need to do something with it and I feel like we’ve done a great job so far.”
Sam Thompson, senior forward
On production from the Buckeye centers this season
“It’s huge and it’s not just Amir, it’s Trey. It’s Anthony. We expect a lot of production out of all three of our ‘bigs’. When they’re playing like they did today, when Amir is doing what he did today when he’s really setting the tone, being the anchor of our defense and strong on the offensive end, it sets the tone for us, it allows us to play some passing lanes, it allows us to be more aggressive in our press and really lets us do some things that we want to do.”
On what the Buckeyes will take away from the win vs. Morehead State
“First of all, Morehead State is a really good team, not taking anything away from them. We played a really good first half. We sort of let out guard down in the second half. We didn’t have that same type of energy and intensity and execution in the second half on both sides of the floor. I think we were gambling too much on defense. We were giving up too many open shots, too many second chance opportunities, and points off turnovers. There are some things we’ve got to work on but it was a good win. It was a very good team and we’re happy to get out of here with another win.”
Sean Woods, Morehead State head coach
On Morehead State’s performance vs. Ohio State
“We give them credit because they did what they needed to do to win the game but our guys fought, and that’s what I was looking for. Most teams would have wilted under that type of competition and pressure but our guys kept fighting and showed character. I like who we are and where we’re going. I was very proud of our guys. We ended the game better than we started and that’s always what you hope for. I will take this game and go forward.”
On Morehead State’s game plan vs. the Buckeyes
“We have been seeing a lot of zone recently so that’s what we were working on. I was proud of our guys for infiltrating and putting them on their heels the second half. We had a few turnovers here and there, but they’re more athletic than we are and they beat us on the boards. The rebounding and the turnovers were the game.”
