MIZZOU MEN'S BASKETBALL POSTGAME QUOTES (DEC. 29)

Mizzou 78, Arkansas-Pine Bluff 25

Head Coach Kim Anderson

Opening Statement…
"Obviously, it was a game we played well in. I think the way we did it was important. I thought we shared the ball well. Going into the game, we talked a lot about how to guard them. We also talked about rebounding. We followed suit with what we wanted to do. Obviously, we got the game out of whack early. At halftime, our big challenge was what we thought we could hold them under (total points). They said 30 points. I said there was no way. I told them if you hold them under 30 points, then we won't practice tomorrow. They held them to 25 points, so we won't have practice tomorrow. You just have got to give the guys some motivation sometimes. I thought everybody played well and contributed. I was particularly impressed with our energy. A lot of guys made energy plays tonight. It was a good win." 

On what the team particularly excelled in tonight vs. the Golden Lions…
"We've played well at times this season, but we haven't played well for 40 minutes. In St. Louis against Illinois, we started off okay then went in a rut then did okay again. We've done the same thing in other games too. I've said this all along with a younger team, we have to gain consistency. Tonight, we made hustle plays like rebounding and converting second chance opportunities. We handled the ball well in the second half. We shared the ball better overall. We also practiced a little bit better this week. I'm happy for these guys. To see those guys get excited and pull for each other was great." 

On how the team prepared leading up to tonight's matchup…
"I think we were disappointed in the way we've played lately. I think there's a determination factor here. I hope that carries over for this team. A different guy could lead us on any given night. I keep using the word consistency around them and that's what we've got to get too."

On how the team reacted to shuffling up the starting lineup…
"Good. I thought Namon (Wright) came in and made some good plays. Ryan (Rosburg) is always solid for us. K.J. (Walton) was good. Russell (Woods) did a great job on the boards. I thought all four of those guys reacted well."

On Wes Clark playing well again tonight, following his strong performance vs. Illinois…
"We need that. Tonight was a night where he didn't have to score a lot of points but I thought he did a good job of controlling the game. He made some plays for other people and I thought he was real solid on the defensive end."

Sophomore forward Jakeenan Gant
On playing with more consistency tonight…
"We wanted to be more active on defense. I wanted to get my teammates involved. We were running the court and doing the little things. Everybody played well tonight."

On recording a career-high in rebounds…
"Every day at practice they get on me about rebounding. They want me to rebound better and be more active on the glass."

On having extra time to prepare for tonight's game…
"We've been more competitive in practice and getting after it more defensively. Offensively, we've played more as a team. We've had the mindset of 'one more pass.'"

Freshman guard K.J. Walton
On the importance of a win like tonight…
"We needed this a lot. It's a big confidence builder for us. To win this game by such a large margin will get us going for SEC play and all of our games going forward."

On having the confidence to keep Arkansas-Pine Bluff under 30 points…
"It was a challenge. Coach Anderson has been challenging us all week to be better in every aspect of the game. We wanted to come out here tonight and prove that. We wanted to contend the whole game and even dominate the whole game."