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University of Houston Athletics
POSTGAME QUOTES: Houston 75, New Orleans 66
11/29/2017 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
NEW ORLEANS PRIVATEERS (1-5) at HOUSTON COUGARS (5-1)
Wednesday, Nov. 29, 2017 • Health & PE Arena • Houston
HOUSTON HEAD COACH Kelvin Sampson
Opening Statement
"We've made it to game number six. They were a tough team for us play against. I have a lot respect for Mark Slessinger and his team. I thought the team with a little more talent won the game tonight, but the team that was the most prepared, better coached, and toughest lost the game tonight. They outworked us in every aspect of the game, especially fighting back from being down by 13 points. It showed the personality of their team and the personality of our team. "
On the play of New Orleans
"The team we played the other night was talented, but they didn't fight back like the team did tonight. The team we played tonight has been notorious this season for falling behind by double digits in the first half and rallying back in the second half, including games against South Alabama and Memphis."
On Corey and Armoni making big plays late in the game to secure the win
"That is why I put them in. I didn't particularly like some of the body language I was seeing from the lineup I had in, so I was eager to get them on the court to see what they could do."
On pinpointing what the opposing team was doing well
"The other team was simply out competing us. When you start thinking you are better than you actually are, the other team can use that arrogance to their advantage and that is what almost happened to us tonight. Hopefully, this is a lesson learned as we move through the season. "
On using the game as a lesson for approaching practice for Saturday's game
"This game isn't necessarily indicative of how we will prepare in practice for the game against Arkansas on Saturday. I would honestly be surprised if we didn't play well on Saturday. I was worried about this game because of our big win last game and our sights on the Arkansas game. I don't want to take anything away from the team tonight though. We are averaging 15 offensive rebounds a game, but couldn't get one tonight. Offensive rebounding is all about effort and it was apparent which team was giving full effort tonight."
HOUSTON SENIOR GUARD Rob Gray
On if is it better to get rid of jitters now than versus Arkansas
"It's a long season, every game counts. It's kind of the same message we heard after we lost to Drexel, 'Better to get it out of the way now.' So that's not an excuse for us anymore. New Orleans went to the NCAA tournament last year, we went to NIT so that's more than enough reason to come out and be on fire."
On his motivation going into games
"I'm pretty motivated on my own, I don't really need anyone to motivate me. I need people to help me stay focused and to help me stay locked onto the small details. More than anything, with my motivation I try to help others who might not have the same attitude as me. I try to soak up what Coach Sampson says and put it into different words for someone who may not understand."
On Armoni & Corey making big shots
"Like coach was saying, they're shooters and they're makers. I'm glad they could come in, make some shots and fulfill their roles. It's good for Corey to see something go down, Armoni as well. It's just big, because on Saturday we're going to need Arkansas to honor them. We're going to need them to make some big shots."
On using teams like Arkansas to build their resume
"Arkansas is ranked 30 right now; we keep up with all that kind of stuff. Their defensive efficiency is really high and we're trying to work on ours. So, to be able to come in and have a chance to compete versus them would definitely be a good win. They've already beat some good teams this year."
On having multiple guys who can get rebounds
"Coach Sampson says it all the time, depth & big bodies. Chris Harris isn't playing right now, but when he comes back he's another big guy. We're proud of our big guys and we want to stay on them so they can be the best they possibly can. The more dominant they are, the more we're going to win and the more likely we are to go to the tournament. I'm super proud of those guys and I just hope they can keep listening to Coach Sampson with the right attitude and get better.
