BIG EAST CONFERENCE MEN'S BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT

March 10, 2021

Charlie Moore

DePaul Blue Demons

Madison Square Garden

Postgame Media Conference

DePaul - 70, Providence - 62

Q. So, big one for you guys. Third time is a charm; they beat you twice in the regular season. What was working you this time around? And how much of a boost was it to get Javon Freeman-Liberty back today?

CHARLIE MOORE: It was a big boost getting Javon back. He's a great player. We play well off of each other as well. And it just felt great out there. I felt like we were all staying aggressive. And we did a great job on the defensive end.

Q. I'm curious what you guys saw that you may be able to take advantage of Providence off the dribble. Seemed like there was an awful lot of dribble-drive attacking all game long.

CHARLIE MOORE: Like I said, man, we just wanted to be aggressive today. Push the pace. Get in the paint, like you guys said. Draw defenders to kick out for open teammates. We followed that game plan out there tonight and it worked for us.

Q. Can you talk about the play during those last five minutes when it was a close game then you guys make all the big plays? What do you think when you were winning in the closing minutes?

CHARLIE MOORE: I feel, like I said, we were being aggressive, but patient as well. Looking to make the right play for the team. Down the stretch we made some good shots. Vois, he made a big layup. Javon as well and myself as well. We all made big plays down the stretch. It helped us prevail at the end.

Q. I don't know what it is about New York or the Garden, but in your last three games -- the two in the Garden last year the game in St. John's -- you're averaging 21 points, six assists and five rebounds. Is there something about the Garden or New York in general, the bright lights and the big city and the big stage, that you play well?

CHARLIE MOORE: I love playing in the Garden. Great environment. But also I feel like tonight we just played a great game. Teammates came with it. They've been trying -- so I just feel like we played great out there.

Q. Congratulations to an 11 seed going on to play a tough UConn team tomorrow night. But first I've got to ask: It seemed kind of like the game was a lot closer than everybody thought. You shot 46 percent the second half, you and Javon Freeman. Just what was Coach Leitao saying to you during the timeouts?

CHARLIE MOORE: Just telling me, you know, to just win the game, make aggressive but smart plays down the stretch to help us prevail at the end. I just followed his game plan, and it worked for us at the end.

Q. You guys won this game in the same round last year, but obviously COVID put an end to the tournament. How does it feel to get a chance to play in the quarterfinals tomorrow after it was taken away from you guys last year?

CHARLIE MOORE: It's a great feeling. But it's another game. It's a different day tomorrow. Everybody's going to forget about this game come tomorrow. So we've got to come out with our hard hats on and play a great UConn team. They're great defensively. We've just got to attack them and play defense like we did today.