Ole Miss 76, Mizzou 73 - Postgame Quotes (Feb. 3, 2016)

Mizzou head coach Kim Anderson

Opening Statement...
"It was obviously a tough loss. I thought our guys played extremely well, compared to Saturday. You could tell what we worked on in practice, they executed in the game. I know nobody likes to lose. I don't like to lose either, but I was proud of our effort. We just couldn't make the stops at the end when we needed them, but I'm proud of the way our guys played. They played hard the whole game, made some shots; made some threes. So, hopefully this game, as disappointing as it is now, will be a confidence builder for the rest of the year."

On this type of lose stinging more than usually…
"I thought we did some things really well, compared to the past couple of games. So, from that standpoint, it's encouraging as a coach to see your guys in the middle of the zone, catching it, and getting it to the baseline for dunks. When the other night, that was the furthest thing from our mind. I think we shot the ball better because we moved the ball better. We got the ball inside the zone, we kicked it out, and the guys were in a rhythm. We didn't just kick it out around the perimeter. It's hard. This is hard. It's frustrating. Obviously, I was frustrated. You just have to keep going, come back tomorrow and get ready for Alabama and hopefully continue to play like this so we can win some games."

On the team's plan for the last two possessions…
"We were trying to get the ball to Wes. We just felt like Wes could get a shot, or get a kick out to one of the guards, or a drop down. So, we decided that was the direction we wanted to go. Even in the last three seconds we kind of wanted Wes to get it. It's kind of hard to get it in three seconds, but by the time he got a good look the buzzer had already gone off. We got what we wanted, but we just didn't make it."

On how Cullen VanLeer's overall game felt…
"He has really struggled shooting, but we say 'Just keep shooting'. He's worked at it hard. And if you notice, he was helping bring the ball up against their 1-3-1 three quarter court zone. I think his game has expanded a lot. He still has to learn some things, but we all do. I was happy he shot the ball; he made some baskets because he's struggled a little bit." 

Mizzou freshman guard Terrence Phillips

On how this loss might sting worse than others…
"I would say, without a doubt, I think Namon would agree with me, this is a tough loss. We competed for 40 minutes tonight. When they got up by six, we fought our way back. This was a winnable game. We were right there. We put ourselves in a good position with five minutes left, and that's what we want to do every night. But this is just a tough one here."

On the final possession for Ole Miss…
"We knew the ball was going to be in his (Moody's) hand. He is a great player, so there is no reason why it wouldn't be in his hand. He did what great players do, he got in the lane and he made a play at the end."

On how Mizzou can build on this…
"Without a doubt. Like I said earlier, we competed for 40 minutes tonight. Going on the road, we just have to do the same in front of a hostile environment. We just have to stick together and compete like we did tonight. If we can do that for the rest of this season, it's just setting us up for success next season. We just have to compete and build on this. We can build on this."

Mizzou sophomore guard Namon Wright

On the final shots not landing…
"Yeah, those are tough shots. I thought they were going in. They didn't fall for us, but we are going to keep going at it. Those were tough shots, and if he [Clark] makes them it's a whole different end to the night."

On his three-point shooting success…
"I'd rather have a win. We did shoot the ball well, but without a win, in my eyes, it's, you know…"

Ole Miss head coach Andy Kennedy

On the heavy three point shooting from his team…
"You know it's kind of how we are constructed right now until we get Saiz back. He's really our only low post presence, a guy we can throw it to on the block. He's been out now about five games, maybe six games, I lose track. Hopefully his return is coming sooner rather than later. So we just have to spread you out. We've got an undersized kid in Marcanvis Hymon who can slash to the basket. We don't have anything based on our size that we can throw down their to the block. So, we've got to pick and pop you. Tonight we had some looks based off of how people are guarding Moody. I thought he was very average tonight for his standards, he goes for 23, eight, and five. But the way that people guard him creates opportunities for others and tonight I was happy to see some of those guys step up. Namely, Tomasz Gielo down low in the stretch with some looks that were created again based on how you have to guard Moody."

On the play call after the timeout late in the game…
"You know, we just ran a little sideline action, which is something that we do on a regular basis. We try to put the big guy that has the best matchup, which was Gielo for us. He was playing the five for us, which was problematic on the other end because Rosburg and the other guys were physically having their way with us on the offensive glass. But, it put him in a little of a defensive problem. So we had Gielo with a dribble hand off leading into a pick and pop with Moody getting downhill with his right hand. I wanted Moody to try to turn the corner if he had an angle, he had one and he made a play."

On Missouri…
"I thought Missouri played outstanding. When you look at it, both teams really shoot the three well. Both teams turned it over a bit too much. Usually you don't survive 17 turnovers on the road in this league. But, the fact that we shot close to 50 percent from three and over 80 percent from the line allows you to do that. I've got to give Kim and his staff and his team a lot of credit. I've known Kim Anderson for a long time. He was on Coach Stewart's staff and he recruited me back in the 1980's out of Mississippi. So I've got great respect for him as a coach and as a man. He was put in a difficult situation. I think tonight is evidence that he is Missouri through and through and his kids continue to battle. They made some huge plays. They made a couple of big, big threes against our two-three zone to give them the lead. We were just fortunate that we were able to answer."

On the play of Mizzou's Clark and Phillips…
"I think they are really tough guards. Wes Clark is a guy off the dribble that is as difficult as there is in this league because he is explosive and he can make shots so you have to press up on him. Phillips is a young guy, and young guys are going to have big moments and they are going to have inconsistent moments, we all have them. I thought tonight he played tremendous and hopefully for that young man this gives him the confidence that he needs to finish strong."