Mizzou 67, Emporia State 62
Postgame Quotes
Mizzou Head Coach Cuonzo Martin
Opening statement…
“We got the win. I think that was the best thing about tonight. I said to my guys that you don’t get these nights back and you can’t take it for granted. You walked away with the win. We had opportunities to make shots from three. We didn’t shoot the ball well from the free throw line and we had 18 turnovers. I think the only thing that saved us was that we were playing at home.”
On his message to the team at halftime…
“Get some energy. Our guys feed off the crowd energy. You can’t take Emporia State for granted and they shot the ball well from three. You have to create your own energy. I thought even as a coaching staff that we had to create energy for the guys on the bench to get them going. I thought we did a good job of pounding the ball inside and our big men made big plays.”
On Blake Harris’ impact tonight…
“I thought he played well. I think Blake can be a really good on-ball defender. He can push the ball and put pressure on the defense. He did a lot of positive things. Just watching the game, I thought him and Reed did a lot of good things.”
On Reed Nikko’s performance off the bench the last three games…
“I’m very impressed, because he’s one of those guys who carries out his assignment to the tee. He’s big and physical. I think the biggest key with Reed is having him understand how talented he is and believe in himself. I think he’s better than what he gives himself credit for.”
Mizzou junior forward Kevin Puryear
On attacking the interior more in the second half…
“Yeah, that was really the focal point for us the whole game. I think our big guys did a pretty good job on the interior. Reed (Nikko) did a great job with his energy level and hunting down the ball. We struggled shooting the ball tonight, but it was just one of those days where we really had to defend the ball and get all of the stops we could.”
On guarding Emporia State’s leading scorer, Brian Morton…
“He’s a good player. We’re not going to disregard any opponent. Everyone is capable of playing well. He made plays when it counted. Our defense just needed to be better.”
On Jeremiah Tilmon’s impact on the game tonight and how Mizzou’s big men performed…
“His presence and being big and physical down low and being able to finish around the rim. I think overall we all did a pretty good job of finishing around the rim. That’s one thing that us as big guys need to hang our hat on. We need to be physical and make easy baskets around the rim. We also need to be strong on the defensive end as well.”
On the team’s goal later this week at the AdvoCare Invitational…
“Winning it. We’re going down there with one thing in mind. We’re going down there to win it. That has been our goal from the start so whatever we need to do we’re going to do it.”
Mizzou sophomore forward Reed Nikko
On having multiple big men out on the court at once…
“We work on it a fair amount in practice. Having me and Jontay or Jeremiah and Jontay down there. Like Kevin said earlier, we made it an emphasis to get the ball down inside. With two bigs out there at once and Jontay’s ability to stretch the floor allowed us to execute. It’s just another strategy for us to get the ball inside.”
On his personal health…
“It’s probably the best I’ve felt since junior year of high school. I feel great. It’s a huge credit to our team trainer and medical staff for getting me here. I feel really good right now.”
On the team adjusting to Emporia State’s toughness…
“I wouldn’t say we were frustrated. We came out a little flat. We just had to come out in the second half with more energy, step it up and want it more.”
