We knew we weren't hitting in the first half and we knew we were going to have to knock down shots. Then the first one I hit in the second half felt real good, then I got another one, got the ball to me pretty quick after that. Once I got two in a row, I felt pretty good.
Shagari was huge. He changed the complexion of the game. He changed our energy level.
Maybe it was a little deep, but I knocked it down.
I was fortunate. My teammates did a good job getting me the ball.
I didn't want it to be my last game. I just tried to leave it all out on the court.
He was calling for the ball a lot. He hit some tough shots. He always hits tough shots.
To come back from 11 down in the final five or six minutes at a neutral site against a great team does show a lot about our toughness.
Joe was in there mixing it up. That's what we needed.
I thought we responded well to it, the veteran guys stepped up, started the first half, started the second half, played well. People got some opportunities tonight and I think they took advantage of it.
I thought we played them tough. But I think they did some things down the stretch that separated us.
I think we played a lot better tonight together. We just looked good out there.
My whole team was behind me and saying, keep shooting. Coach Smith was saying just jump up there with confidence. We know you can hit it, so anytime your teammates and coach say that, then it's going to inspire you to knock down shots so that's what you need to do for your team.
That was something between me and the team. To have your teammates cheering me on like that, it means a lot.
We dug ourselves a big hole but we just came together and played for each other. Once we put two halves like that together, we'll be tough.
When we're in the spread, it's hard to guard. Joe's a capable player, and he really stepped up tonight and gave us what we needed.
We play two top-10 teams (this) week. It's in our hands.
We've got a lot of guys playing well at the same time now. That's a good sign. As time has gone on, we've figured what we have to do to be successful.
We've got a lot of guys playing well at the same time now.
This was a big step for us, in terms of playing like a team. That's the way you have to play. You have to play for each other; you have to play together. When you do that, that's what gives you confidence in each other and in yourself. That's what we've been lacking.
We just got stops, rebounds and hit free throws. We've been trying to prove something every game and I think we've proven to ourselves that we can defend, rebound and hit free throws and if we keep doing that we'll win these close games.
We missed a big opportunity. It's a tough place to play, but we were right where we wanted to be and didn't make plays at the end.
We could coast into the tournament and just worry about getting the best position possible. This year we are fighting for our lives.
You practice like you play, and this is going to be Coach's system. This gives everybody an opportunity to start, and you've just got to take advantage of it.
A lot of people expect Kentucky to play on the weekend. We've been down here since Thursday, and we've been fighting two games. We've made it to the weekend, and we'll just keep it going game by game.
A lot of guys were open today and I just made a lot of extra passes when I could have shot, but I found a teammate who had a better shot.
They knocked the free throws down and ended the game.
It's going to be us against a lot of orange. They came into our house and took care of us, and we've got to go down there and take care of business. ... This is a chance to show everybody that we can play with the top teams.
It should slow the turnovers down and bring the assists up.
It's something I felt like I needed to do. I apologized for the losses and the way I had been playing. This is my senior year, and I don't want to go out on a bad note. I just want us to play for each other when we're on the court.
Take out our center, it shakes things up.
It seemed like I'd hit one, but they'd turn around and hit one, too. It really didn't matter.
They did a good job of taking away the three. We had the shot, and that's all you can ask for.
They were closing out on me quick and giving me driving lanes. I was able to hit some mid-range shots and make some extra passes in there. Then I started hitting some threes there near the end trying to get us back. It just wasn't enough.
They were pretty high, weren't they? I thought we looked hot out there.
Anytime we can contest shots and rebound the way we did, it'll be tough to beat us.
I had the ball in the right spots. My teammates set some good screens.
I just tried to hang in there and fight with the bigger, more athletic guys.
I hit some shots tonight, but a lot of that just had to do with, I had the ball in the right spots. My teammates set some good screens, and ... I just tried to take good shots, and they just happened to be at good times.
Being 5-5 in the conference, I'm sure we're on the bubble. But we've got to fight our way to the end.
I didn't think they were going to foul me. Most teams don't want to foul me at the end, but they did.
I didn't know what happened. I thought I was going to have to call a timeout or something. It was crazy, I just saw him and I was like, get up.
The first 3 I hit in the second half felt pretty good. And once I hit a couple in a row, I was feeling really good.
