Nov. 28, 2010

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Mizzou Basketball Post Game Quotes

Head Coach Mike Anderson

Opening Statement...

"Both teams came out and battled. I thought we found a lineup in the second half that worked for us. We started out sloppy on offense with some careless mistakes, but we played good defense early on to stay ahead. Once we corrected those problems, we pulled away in the second half. I thought our guys responded well and kept up the pressure after halftime. We were able to wear down Arkansas-Pine Bluff, and to show our fans how we play Missouri Tiger Basketball."

On his team's play in the first half...

"Turnovers were a major concern for us in the first half. It was frustrating for me to see the experienced players on our team give the ball up. You can't do that if you want to win in the Big 12. Those are mistakes we need to clean up, and we need to improve our assist-to-turnover ratio before conference play starts."

On the production the Tigers received from their bench...

"We did a good job tonight of maintaining a high level of play, even when our starters weren't in. Steve Moore is one of those 'glue' guys for us. He doesn't worry as much about scoring, but he provides a strong defensive presence off the bench. Matt Pressey is another key bench player. He puts pressure on the opposing defenses because he doesn't hesitate with the basketball. He also moves without the ball to create more scoring opportunities. He's been one of the more consistent players we've had this year."

On junior forward Ricardo Ratliffe...

"Ricardo brings a great defensive presence inside, and he has a great mindset for our style of basketball. One play that stood out to me was when he missed a layup, but got the offensive rebound and drew a foul to help us score from the free-throw line."

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On the adjustments the Tigers will have to make before their next game...

"It seemed like some of our guys were trying to impress the crowd a bit too much at the end of the game, so we'll need to make sure everyone is focused before we play Georgetown on Tuesday. Georgetown has a good team and a good coach, so we'll have to be prepared for a tough game from them. "

Mizzou player Quotes

#24 Kim English               

Junior Guard - Baltimore, Md.

On the emphasis coming into the second half...

“We just emphasized defense and energy. Offensively moving the ball there was just no energy for a good eight-nine minutes in the first half. We have some guys in there that played more aggresively defensively and were sharing the ball offensively but still it was a 38-36 game at half time and that was unacceptable. We really just buckled down and knew we had to get back to the blue collar things that are Missouri basketball in the first five minutes of the second half to set the tone.”

On his absense in the first half...

“Coach made a decision and he went with five guys. He always stresses we have no starters. He doesn't worry about the quantity of minutes, he just wants a productive, quality minutes. I had a pretty productive game but that's thanks to my teammates.”

On traveling so much in the next few days...

“As players you always want to play. You want to play back to back. You want to play in new venues on the road in places you've never been and states you've never seen and against good quality opponents from the PAC-10 and the Big East, those good, solid leagues. It's a lot more fun than two a-days. We're definitely excited for this two-game stretch, but we're not looking at Oregon at all. It's just what we've been doing every year; get better at practice tomorrow, have a good first half against Georgetown, have a good second half against Georgetown and hopefully we're blessed to have the outcome we seek.”

#21 Laurence Bowers

Junior Forward - Memphis, Tenn.

On playing a better game against Georgetown...

“Georgetown is a really good. I think they're 5-0 or 6-0 now as well. They're very experienced. We have to come out with a lot of energy in the first half. We can't come out flat like we've been coming out. I think we have to execute it and play how we play. Georgetown doesn't have the same tempo as us so if we can force the tempo and bring a lot of energy in, I think the outcome will be great.”

On why the team has had so many flat starts...

“I really can't answer that question. It's just something we have to fix. We know we're coming out flat. We're not coming out intentionally that way. We're going to just work hard and practice some more and get ready for Georgetown and come out with a different mind set because we know we have to step up and play with a different mindset.”

On if there is another player besides Moore who can play with his back to the basket...

“I think Ricardo Ratliffe is finding his groove. Some of the shots he's putting up, they're usually money in practice, they usually go in. When he does some of the shots he's doing in the game, it's not like 'Ricardo don't shoot that' because we see him make it on a consistent basis. I think he's more of a back to the basket player than myself or Justin.”