Mizzou vs. Texas A&M Post Game Quotes
3/5/2014 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
March 5, 2014
Recap | Final Stats | Notes | Staff 
| USATSI
Mizzou vs. Texas A&M Post Game Quotes
Missouri Head Coach Frank Haith
Opening Statement…
“Great win for us and we knew it was going to be a dog fight. The way they (Texas A&M) played, I give them a lot of credit. Billy (Kennedy) had his team prepared defensively, they were very good. I am proud of our guys for staying with it. It wasn't a pretty game… this game was like going to the dentist.”
Stress at the end of the game…
“Going back and forth to the scorer's table made it tough. We had plays that were not fluid. They had a turnover, then we had a turnover. There were some intense moments for sure.”
Scenarios for the end of the game…
“We went through them all. If the ball was theirs, then what were we going to do defensively. Or if the ball was ours, then how are we going to execute a play. We didn't have a timeout left. We went through all the scenarios depending on who had the ball.”
On Earnest Ross' big play in the final minutes…
“Earnest struggled for the first 35 minutes. He had a great five-minute stretch, he was 5-of-6 down the stretch. He had a big steal and some major rebounds. The execution play ran for him, he made a nice lay-up.”
On Tony Criswell…
“He has had a career here where he has helped us win games. We've just asked Tony to continue to stay with it. He probably hasn't had the senior year that he wanted to have or we wanted him to have. I'm proud of the fact that he has continued to stay with it and has grown on and off the court.”
On the play of Torren Jones…
“He broke a team rule and had to sit out the first half. He obviously gave us a great lift in the second half. (He) plays with a lot of energy and passion and gets his hands on a lot of balls at a time when we needed it.”
On the steadiness Ryan Rosburg…
“I really trust Ryan. Ryan really knows what we need to do execution-wise. Even though he isn't flashy, there were some plays where Torren just got lucky. Ryan will always play because I trust him to make solids plays for us.”
Missouri Player Quotes
Senior guard Earnest Ross
On his late-game performance…
“I just tried to win the game and do it in every possible way, whether it was rebounding the ball, guarding their best player or knocking down free throws. As long as we win that is all that care about.”
On being able to play in front of family…
“It is always great playing in front of family. It is not something I get nervous about, it is something I get excited about. Being able to play in front of family and a lot fans is a once in a lifetime opportunity, and I embraced it.”
On the play of the freshmen…
“I think all of the freshmen gave us great, great excitement today. Torren Jones, Wes Clark and J3 (Jonathan Williams, III) all played great tonight. Those (guys) are great future Tigers and as long as they keep playing the way they are playing, I believe we are going to have a great stretch and a great chance at the NCAA tournament.”
Junior guard Jabari Brown
On the finals moments of the game…
“Some calls went both ways and we just tried to execute and do what we had to do to get a win.”
On the play of Earnest Ross at the end of the game…
“He is a competitor and I know he is going to make some things happen, so I wasn't surprised. I was happy for him and I knew he was going to stick with it. We always talk about how when you are going through hard times you have to keep playing and eventually good things will happen.”
Texas A&M sophomore Alex Caruso
On his perspective on the last minute of the game…
“We've had multiple games this year where the game has come down to the final minutes. I feel like we knew what to do. I feel like we did not execute it as well as we needed to. From a player's standpoint, you just have to go with what they call. I cannot go over and talk to them and try to get them to change the call. That's the coach's job. I know some of the referees from them doing some of our games; they are good officials. I'm sure they tried to make the right call. They are doing their job and I'm just out there trying to play.”
