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NCAA MEN'S 1ST AND 2ND ROUNDS: TULSAMarch 19, 2017Andy EnfieldJordan McLaughlinChimezie MetuTulsa, Oklahoma Baylor - 82, USC - 78 COACH ENFIELD: Unfortunately, we came out on the wrong end today. Guys played extremely hard, had a successful season, set a school record with 26 wins. We're very proud of our players and the way they've developed. And give Baylor credit. They played an excellent game as well. It went right down to the last minute with a two-point game. And we're proud of our players and also I thought Baylor played extremely hard. It was just a great college basketball game. Q. Andy, you guys have actually thrived or seem to have thrived off of being behind, making rallies, things like that. Did it catch up with you today, specifically the way Baylor was able to pull away? COACH ENFIELD: Well, we took a four-point lead twice with under seven -- six minutes left, and then they went on that run where they made -- they got an offensive rebound there and a four-point play and another basket. So we were right there where we needed to be in the last five minutes and had the lead, but went back and forth. And when you have two teams that are as evenly matched as our teams were and are, I think there were some runs in this game. It was a five-point game at halftime. That's not a lot. And we came out and eventually took the lead. So this wasn't one of those games where we were way behind. This was a game that was there for the taking if we would have executed down the stretch. Q. Coach, Motley picked up his fourth foul with about eight minutes left. You guys had just taken, I think, the four-point lead right there. Did you feel like you had them on the ropes and could kind of get some momentum down the stretch there? COACH ENFIELD: Well, we felt they were playing very well. We made a defensive error and they made a three, and then we came down and made a three that put it back to four and then they came down and scored. They went small with Motley out of the game, and they relied on some other people and they stepped up. Their point guard stepped up and scored down the stretch, and Maston had a big game. So when your leading scorer goes out, it's an opportunity for other players sometimes to score the ball, and that's what they did. Q. Chimezie, just talk about your game. You had a big game there. Just talk about what was working for you. CHIMEZIE METU: I just felt my teammates were giving me the ball in the right spots and I was just trying to make plays. But I mean, it came down to us getting stops on the other end, and we weren't able to do that. And we fell short. Q. Coach, just talk about his game and how he helped spark you guys offensively. COACH ENFIELD: Well, Chimezie was one of the most improved players in the Pac-12 this year for a good reason. You say his skill development, his size, and he's had a tremendous season for us with Bennie Boatwright being out 18 games. In fact, Jordan, the two players here sitting led us -- they're two of our four veterans, even though they're only sophomore and junior, with Elijah Stewart, and then when Bennie went down with his injury. They really led us the entire season. And you saw that tonight. But it's great for players to develop like Chimezie and Jordan. They've had great careers so far. They've been to two straight NCAA tournaments. They went farther this year than they did last year. And they're the building blocks of our program, and they just have turned into just outstanding players and even better leaders. Q. Coach, Lecomte had some injuries late in the season. It's been a while since he had an explosive spurt like he had during the last five minutes. But was it part of your game plan to kind of assign somebody to him or look out for what he could do? COACH ENFIELD: Yeah. He had struggled early, ended up 1 for 6 from the three. The only one he made was when we fouled him in that four-point play. Then he got in the lane a couple of times and he's a good player. I think he's right at his average. He had 12 points and five assists, so that's about right what he averages. He struggled early with a shooting. And like I said, when Motley went out someone else had to step up, and he sure did. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports   |
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