Bowling Green State University Athletics
Quoting the Falcons After the Win over Ohio
January 06, 2008 | Men's Basketball
Jan. 5, 2008
Recap | Final Stats
BOWLING GREEN, Ohio (BGSUFalcons.com) - Quoting the Falcons after Saturday afternoon's 52-49 win over Ohio University at Anderson Arena ...
JUNIOR Nate Miller
"Today was a fresh start for us. We were 5-7 after the non-conference season, but we had a 0-0 record in the MAC. We wanted to come out, try to get this win and make a statement to the MAC."
You got the win despite not having a very high field-goal percentage today. Can you talk about the role your defense played?
"Coach Orr always tells us that we need to build a foundation, and that foundation has got to be defense. Darryl Clements set the tone early with his help-side defense. We knew that Ohio was going to try to go high-low with (Jerome) Tillman and Leon Williams. We wanted to stay in help-side and get out to the shooters. We just played together as a team; we played good team defense and we played hard. Everyone played through the entire shot clock on every possession. No one took plays off, and it benefitted us."
FRESHMAN Joe Jakubowski
On forcing 20 Ohio turnovers
"We just tried to play solid defense. We had pretty good ball pressure, because we didn't want them to get it into the post, and we got our hands in the passing lanes and got some turnovers."
Do you feel that this was kind of a baptism by fire for you? It was your first MAC game, and you got hit in the face and had to leave the game because of blood, but you came back to help your team get the win.
"It was a little challenging, kind of a baptism by fire, like you said. The game is a lot faster; it is at a whole different level, and I'm just trying to get used to it."
BGSU HEAD COACH Louis Orr
Opening statement
"Somebody asked me after the Duquesne game, what could we take away from that game. I said 'let's wait and see,' and that I could answer that after this game. The reality of it is that we are learning to scrap, claw and fight for everything we get. We are learning the value of defense. In two of our last three games, we have held teams to thirty-some percent shooting, and we won both of those games. We have outrebounded our opponents in those three games. We've had 18, 18 and 17 offensive rebounds, and we went to the free-throw line over 20 times in each of those games. And in (the two wins), we probably shot around 30 percent."
"Nate was right. Our foundation is that we are going to compete, we're going to defend, we're going to rebound, and we're going to be tough. Offense may come and go -- and hopefully we will have better shooting nights. I'm sure we will. But, when you defend, rebound, get to the free-throw line, you play together, you play with a resolve and a determination, and you have faith, a lot of great things can happen. So, to God be the glory."
What does a win like this mean to you?
"Well, it just speaks to how tough this league is. And, league play is like that. You want to try to play well at home; you want to win at home. I have a lot of respect for the Ohio team and staff. They are a quality group of people. They are a very good team, and they have beaten some very good teams this year. We've just got to believe in ourselves and in what we are trying to do, and we took a big step forward today. The more success you have, the more that young people believe in what you are trying to do. Whether it is a pretty win or an ugly win, a win is a win, and we'll take it."
Can you talk about the effort your team put forth today? Guys like Otis Polk were diving on the floor for loose balls.
"One of our goals every game is to win the hustle plays -- loose balls, taking charges. Chris Knight turned the ball over, but got back on defense and took a charge on the guy. Our guys have to show that the game means more to them than to the other team, and you show that by how you play. You win those hustle plays. So, when Otis got on the ground, and when Nate got on the ground, and Marc Larson ... all these guys getting on the ground for loose balls, and taking charges; that lets me know that they want to win. They are competing. And, to me, that's a thing of beauty. Those hustle plays don't show up on the stat sheet, but they help you win, without a doubt."
So this would be a pretty win to you, then?
"I think it's a win that reinforces to your guys, your field-goal percentage does not have to dictate whether you win or lose. That's really part of our identity, and I think every team has to have an identity. Ohio was a team that we knew was going to get the ball inside. That was their game plan, get the ball inside to Leon Williams and Jerome Tillman. That's their identity. We are still forming our identity, and this is a part of it. We defend, we rebound, we play tough, and we scrap. We may not always shoot it well, but we do not want that to dictate whether we win or lose."
