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PACIFIC-12 CONFERENCE MEN'S TOURNAMENTMarch 11, 2015Bo BarnesShaquielle McKissicHerb SendekLAS VEGAS, NEVADA USC – 67 THE MODERATOR: Coach Sendek will make an opening comment and the players will be here shortly. COACH SENDEK: I thought our defense certainly did not meet standards or expectations in the second half. And our opponent shot almost 58percent. And so if you're going to do that, hopefully you're converting at the other end. But it was just the opposite. We shot 62percent from the foul line, 5 for 22 from 3. We had a number of I thought pretty good looks and we didn't convert. And so in those situations your defense really has to lock down for you. THE MODERATOR: Questions? Q. Herb and Bo, I wonder how their zone impacted you, if you felt that was a big factor? BO BARNES: I don't think so. Like you said, we were getting good looks, we just couldn't make any, but we weren't getting stops at the other end, which was the biggest thing that hurt us. Q. Were they attacking a little differently there down the stretch, or what you did you see there? COACH SENDEK: We had a very difficult time containing Jacobs off the dribble. That was a big point of emphasis for us going in. He really attacked the basket. Reinhardt got it going on a few possessions. But the difference maker in the game was a freshman, Elijah Stewart. We held him to 27 points. Q. You guys went up 14 and you had a possession there that you could have added onto that. Just how big was that stretch there? Seemed like even in the first half you had a chance to build a comfortable lead, just couldn't get over it? COACH SENDEK: I thought there was three times that we had it there that I recall. Whether it was a key turnover, a missed free throw, one play or another, the lead quickly went back down under double digits. So what seemed to be a pretty good margin evaporated rather rapidly. Q. You guys worked hard to get yourself into a pretty good seed situation. What's the feeling to have this kind of happen after that, especially given how far ahead you were in the game? BO BARNES: Terrible. I mean, there's no other way you could feel after losing like that. We had chances to put them away, and we just couldn't get stops. Q. Shaq, can you answer that too, the mood? SHAQUIELLE MCKISSIC: It's been the name of the game all year. Some player in the team always steps up towards the floor, however many points. We had a 15‑point lead. I don't really know how to explain how it evaporated so quickly besides lack of hustle, energy. I don't know how that happened. Q. Shaq, you were driving to the basket like you usually do all season long but weren't getting the calls tonight. You kept on attacking, did you feel you weren't getting those calls for any reason? SHAQUIELLE MCKISSIC: I don't really know how to answer that question. I mean, I just went to the lane. There was a lot of contact, but it was both ways. So, I mean, I can't really dwell on that. Q. Herb, when did you sense that the game was starting to get away? Was it about the nine‑minute mark? COACH SENDEK: I don't know the precise time. We were focused on the next possession. We had some opportunities on offense that we didn't convert. We go to the line, missed two free throws and then you're back on defense. And like we've already talked about, our defense didn't meet standards at all in the second half. But it's a 40‑minute game. It's a game of runs. And so we never relaxed or felt like, boy, we have this game. That's not part of our DNA. And I thought if anything we went the other way and as they cut the lead to single digits, I thought maybe we tightened up a little bit. Q. What were the strategies to kind of try to counter the zone that USC was bringing in? What did you think was going to work in that second half, especially when they stuck to the zone even when you brought in Gilling and Barnes? COACH SENDEK: We pretty much were trying to screen the zone, attack it off the dribble. Certainly we wanted to work inside as well. Certainly give SC credit for doing a good job with it. And from our perspective, I thought we had at least a couple opportunities that we didn't convert. Q. Herb, are you able to sort of reflect on the season so far? It seems like you guys had sort of turned those things around after those tough four losses to begin the conference. It seemed positive. Obvious question, but is it frustrating to sort of end on this note? COACH SENDEK: I think the answer is equally obvious. Anytime you lose, you don't feel good about it. But I would say that this team improved from the beginning of the year to the end of the year as much as any squad we've ever had. And you could say that same thing from the start of conference play through the end of the regular season. These guys have been very consistent with their attitudes, their work ethics. I've had a great deal of joy being in the gym with them and collectively as well as with certain individuals, the improvement has been significant and dramatic. We lost a close game today. And that never feels good. But I don't think that that in and of itself takes away from the progress they made and the efforts they've had with some great wins through the season as well. THE MODERATOR: Thank you. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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