Postgame Quotes - USC 84, UCLA 76
USC 84, UCLA 76
January 25, 2017
UCLA head coach Steve Alford
on USC’s zone defense
“The zone was hard to defend tonight. We were able to close in on it in the second half and that limited some turnovers. Overall, we did not get into the flow that we wanted to accomplish. Credit to USC.”
on UCLA’s 17 turnovers
“We dug ourselves a big hole tonight in the first half with a high number of turnovers, and that’s something you cannot afford on the road against a team like USC. They were able to get a lot of points in transition, and that was thanks to our turnover woes. Our turnovers led to a lot of three-point baskets from USC.”
on USC’s Shaqquan Aaron
“Aaron played a great game tonight off the bench, credit to him, probably a career high and he had a big impact against us.”
on the Bruins’ road ahead
“I think our bye week comes at the perfect time. We get a week to regroup and go back to the film and get back to the style of play we want on the Washington road trip next week. We fought back hard tonight, but we need to get back to the flow that we like.”
UCLA senior guard Isaac Hamilton
on the vibe in the locker room
“Just the players, just now, we had a little meeting with no coaches around, just an opportunity for us to talk amongst each other and to try and figure things out. We just need to play together and continue to have fun out there. Sometimes, we might get into our little shells, from time to time, and nobody will really branch out to each individual. That can be a tough. As a ballclub, we just have to talk and be more talkative. We have to talk.
on losing to USC
“I think all the losses are tough. I mean, this is our in-city rival, but I think that every loss hurts. We’ve got to take this as a learning tool and continue to get better.
on what the team will focus on most in the next week of practice
“Defense. It’s defense. I mean, Coach [Alford] can’t emphasize it much more. But that is what we need. We need to get stops, by any means. We can’t give up any easy buckets.”
on UCLA getting every team’s best shot
“We just have to come out with the same intensity that teams are using when they come after us. Guys are going at us with everything they’ve got. We’ve just got to do the same. That is what can take us to the next level, both defensively and offensively.
on coming out with an 8-0 scoring run before USC adjusted its defense
“I think that we stood a lot. USC got in that zone and we did not cut as well. And, you know, we didn’t make the shots that we normally make. That made it tough.
USC head coach Andy Enfield
on defeating crosstown rival UCLA
“That was a big win for our team. The players played exceptionally hard. They shared the basketball. They got hands on a lot of balls and we affected the game with our defense. When you play a team like UCLA that is so explosive, if you turn the ball over it leads to points. The team executed our game plan exceptionally well. One of that was to force turnovers."
on the atmosphere in the Galen Center
“This was as good of an atmosphere as I’ve seen in this building. It was a great college basketball environment. We came out on the winning side tonight. We played a very good game and the atmosphere was exceptional."
on what the win means for USC
“To beat a top 10 team as good as UCLA, sure it ranks up there with our good wins. It means a lot in the Pac-12 standings and on the national scale, but there’s a long way to go."
on UCLA freshman Lonzo Ball
“Ball is an outstanding player. He did have some turnovers. You do the best you can on a player that talented and play as hard as you can."
on USC playing zone defense
“We’re undersized. We went to a zone. We had to get to their 3-point shooters. [Thomas] Welsh hurt us early inside. We had to contest every three.”
on USC’s 30 points off the bench
“[Harrison] Henderson was not afraid of the moment. [Shaqquan] Aaron was spectacular tonight. It was his best game. Nick [Rakocevic] gave us great minutes in the first half.”
on USC guard Shaqquan Aaron
“What impresses me with Aaron is he keeps getting better. We have a lot of confidence in him. It was just a matter of time. He had a great game. He was a big key in the win.”
USC sophomore guard Shaqquan Aaron
on keys to the game
“When we went into zone, we were able to get stops. Our approach was to play hard regardless of the crowd. This was the most I’ve felt comfortable this year. My shots kept falling. It was a great win. We will build off it. When you lose, you learn and get better. Tonight at the end, we broke the press. And we stayed composed. When they made that run, we stayed composed and made shots.
on limiting UCLA’s offensive performance
“All of them, we had to stop them from pushing the ball and getting threes off. It was a big game, a big stage where I want to be. I just want to help my team.”