Bowling Green State University Athletics
Louis Orr Postgame Quotes
December 02, 2007 | Men's Basketball
Dec. 1, 2007
Recap | Final Stats
ROCHESTER, Mich. (BGSUFalcons.com) - Quoting Bowling Green State University men's basketball coach Louis Orr after Saturday's 90-80 loss at Oakland University ...
BGSU HEAD COACH Louis Orr
Was it a case of not executing down the stretch, with a few turnovers and shot selection at crucial times?
"I don't blame (the loss) on the offense. You look at the stat sheet, and they shot 35 percent in the first half. Thirty-five percent, and we still made some mistakes, but we were up three (at halftime). In the second half, they shot 67 percent. We can't play tag with a good offensive team like Oakland on the road, and expect to just trade baskets. As soon as you make a mistake, you turn the ball over, they get a little momentum and you're on your heels."
"In my opinion, 80 points and 54 percent shooting from the floor is more than enough offense. We've got to guard, and we had a letdown in the second half. We lacked in execution, and we turned the ball over at some crucial times, but it starts at the defensive end. If you guard, if you defend at a certain level, you can play through mistakes, because you know you can get a stop at the defensive end. A team like Oakland is a very good offensive team, and they can score. If you try to trade baskets with them, sooner or later, you are going to stub your toe, you're going to make a mistake."
"We need to put together a stronger defensive effort in the second half, and raise the level of our play. That's a process. Right now, we are not playing 40 minutes of the kind of basketball that we need to play. We are showing glimpses - we are definitely showing glimpses - but it's just a process, and you've got to go through some growing pains."
Were there some factors, such as foul trouble or players getting tired, that contributed to Oakland's second-half scoring?
"Nate Miller and Darryl Clements each played 37 minutes today. We had four guys over 30 minutes, and Joe Jakubowski played 29. The foul trouble shortened our bench. We have been getting a lot out of our bigs, Otis (Polk) and Marc (Larson), but they got in foul trouble today. So, it's a combination of things. More than anything, though, we've just got to raise our level of play in the second half, especially on the defensive end."
"You can't play tag. You can't just trade baskets, especially on the road. Our identity, what we are trying to establish, is that we are going to defend, we are going to rebound, and we are going to execute on the offensive end. When you look at our wins, that is what we have done. We have not won any 80-point shootouts, and we have got to defend better in the second half."
