University of Minnesota Athletics
Postgame Quotes: Indiana
2/15/2017 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Recap | Notes | Photo Gallery 1 | Photo Gallery 2
Minnesota Head Coach Richard Pitino
On Nate Mason's game...
"Nate Mason was as good as it gets. He was playing with unbelievable confidence. Especially in that first half, he was unstoppable. He saved us because our offense was not clicking."
On the team grinding out the win...
"We use the term winning plays. Eric [Curry] made a bunch of them at the end. He had that steal on the right side on there by the baseline. [Jordan] Murphy winning plays, making two free throws. He told me he was shaking. To do that and then Eric [Curry] defensively, doing a lot of great things. Then Akeem [Springs] at the end, following his own shot. Eric [Curry] keeping it alive, making it a winning play…That's what good teams do."
Graduate Student Akeem Springs
On game winner…
"It felt good. It felt good to help out my guys they were battling all game and I didn't feel like I was helping them. It felt good to contribute after a tough game."
On final play sequence…
"Indiana scores, coach calls the play out, when I got the ball I'm thinking, 'Where's Nate? I couldn't find him.' So I took a shot and thought, 'Oh god, I missed.' But I chased it down and I don't know how I finished."
On his teammates…
"Nate did a good job of keeping me confident all game. Especially Mason and Murphy did a good job of keeping me confident which is why I took the final shot. Eric Curry needs a lot of credit, he tipped that ball out."
On the grit the team showed…
"We still have a long way to go. This game speaks to us being a good team. Good teams find a way to push through when one of your three-point shooters doesn't make a three. It just speaks to us being a good team when you've got a Nate Mason who is the best guard in our conference and go off and just have 30 [points] for our team in the win."
Sophomore Jordan Murphy
On Indiana's big players…
"I was trying to battle. I know that they have some really talented bigs and some good rebounding bigs so I battled the best way I could. Throughout the foul trouble we had with our bigs we just have to keep battling and working for the rebound."
Battling through foul trouble…
"It was a tough battle. Those guys [Lynch, Curry] is really talented, a lot of potential, really versatile. Curry did a good job of handling Thomas Bryant. BK did good too he just got into foul trouble. To their credit they did good and we battled. It was close in rebounds."
Junior Nate Mason
What this win says about the team…
"It says a lot. We knew what we had at stake coming up in this game. We just wanted to give it all. We started off horrible with nine turnovers in the first half. We came back in the second half to which says a lot about our team and Akeem to take the shot that he did."
Thoughts on final play…
"I was happy it went in. When [Akeem] took the shot I knew it was a tough shot. I knew he would get on the rim or make the basket. I was satisfied with it."
On overcoming shooting struggles…
"I didn't look at it that way. I just wanted to come out aggressive. Coach always says be aggressive, be aggressive, be aggressive. I felt the seems and saw the looks."
