Postgame Quotes: ?Ohio State 82, Grambling State 55 – Ohio State Buckeyes
11/17/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Nov. 17, 2015
POSTGAME QUOTES
Ohio State 82 (2-0), Grambling State 55 (1-2)
Nov. 17, 2015
Value City Arena – Columbus, Ohio
Attendance: 10,779
Thad Matta, Ohio State Head Coach
On preparing for Grambling State
“They run great offense, they really move you around. I anticipated they would hold the ball for the first 15 seconds of the shot clock and then try to attack us. We just couldn’t lose our momentum, make sure we go down and score to win.”
On the performance of Kam Williams
“The biggest thing that we talked about is that there are a lot of other ways to impact a game other than making shots. In the beginning of the game he missed a couple of threes but on defense getting a few steals really ignited him.”
On the turnovers and how to improve
“It was really the little things. We had to clean up the traveling. I’m not asking the guys to play perfect but we have to be a little more sound in terms of what we are doing out there.”
Kam Williams, Ohio State guard
On his scoring performance
“I think if I am always in attack mode that will affect me on not jut the offensive end but also on defense. I feel like when my defense is at a high level my offensive game fills in for itself.”
On where Ohio State wanted to improve
“Aside from the turnovers, one of our main points of emphasis was to improve on our transition defense. We had a better grasp on it this game but I feel like we did a lot of it better this game.”
Keita Bates-Diop, Ohio State forward
On Ohio State’s defensive improvement
“We wanted to see multiple stops in a row and then on the other side scoring and not turning the ball over. We still have to work on turnovers but we wanted to build a big lead at halftime.”
On Ohio State’s turnovers
“I think it’s a combination of being agitated, sloppiness and laziness all at the same time. We’re just getting sped up and in practice we don’t shoot the gaps like they did today. That was the first time we really saw someone get into the passing lanes.”
Shawn Walker, Grambling State head coach
On the game getting away from Grambling State
“We got off to a really bad start tonight. Particularly almost the entire first half, we didn’t move on offense and I think we turned the ball over 11 times almost to a point where we threw the ball directly to them.”
On adjusting to the new shot clock
“I don’t think it impacted us tonight because we were trying initially to start the game and control the tempo. So we tried to run some fake motion and then get into our offense but we didn’t attack when we came out of that.”
On the opportunity playing Ohio State presents
“When you a play a game like this one you’re always 40 minutes away from the biggest story in college basketball. Obviously it’s a big challenge, but it’s also a major opportunity.”
