March 3, 2009

Recap |  Final Stats |  Notes

Cleveland State Head Coach Gary Waters:
"Our guys did a great job in the second half defensively. At one point we were holding them to 20-percent in the second half and I thought that was the difference. Our offense wasn't clicking on all cylinders and that hurt a little bit. We missed some shots and it allowed them to get in transition and do some things to keep the score close."

"I thought Trevon came in and did a great job on the point guard and really kept him under control. J'Nathan took control of the offensive end and we got a couple of jumpers from Norris and we were in control of the game."

"We went with J'Nathan when he got two quick fouls because we didn't have any offense and I couldn't leave him out. That was a calculated situation that could of went bad if he got that third foul."

"When you play a team for a third time, it's not as easy. I thought we weren't clicking on offense and they were doing enough to stay around. When you have a team that doesn't have anything to lose, they just let it all hang out. They were excited and were playing and we were a little tense and tight because we knew the importance of the game."

"We knew we had one thing to hang our hat on and that was our defense. And once that started clicking in, we did a good job. The one that I thought was the key was Tre. He put the pressure on their guard and he couldn't run the offense. He was going east and west and I knew we were in control."

"I wanted to lose the bench a little more. I think Tre gave us some great minutes tonight, but I wanted to get a few more players some minutes."

Cleveland State's Cedric Jackson:
"When you are facing such a dangerous offensive weapon, you have to shy away from the team defense and just take him out of the equation. That's what I did and then tried to help on the glass."

"We are taking it one game at a time, but we also have a sense of urgency about every game. We took this game very seriously tonight. At times, we faced adversity, but we fought through and now that we got that out of our system, we are going

Cleveland State's J'Nathan Bullock:
"Coach told me to stay ready (when I had two fouls) and that's what I did."

"Our offense just wasn't clicking, but we did what we do. We defend and hung our hats on the defensive end and hoped our offense would come through.

"We weren't in a panic situation. We knew the offense wasn't clicking, but it would come along sooner or later. We knew if we kept defending, the game would be ours."

"I just cherish the moment of playing with this team and this environment. Having the name Cleveland State on my chest, I love to represent it and when I first got here it was the same way.

Cleveland State's Norris Cole:
"Rhythm was the key tonight, but it started on defense and gave us some momentum and once momentum started you feel it flow through you and once I got in rhythm the shots started falling and I was able to help the team."

"We just try to take it one game at a time. We had a sense of urgency and were prepared. The seniors and coach got us together, had a series of meetings to get our heads together and we were ready for this game."

Detroit Head Coach Ray McCallum:
"Our young men came out and started the game with a lot of enthusiasm and emotion. We knew it was going to be our last game if we didn't put forth the effort we needed. I thought we had a good effort in the first half and kept them off balance. We wanted to attack them on the inside. We went deep into our bench and I thought that really helped us."

"Going into halftime, we were really pleased, but we knew they were going to come out the start of the second half and try to speed us up and turn us over. We battled, but it came down to Bullock doing work around the basket and the playmaking ability of Jackson."

"We played well in some stretches. We wanted to keep our turnovers down. But with Jackson at the point of attack, they just wear and wear on you."

"They talk about play calling, but it really comes down to play making and that's what theur two all-conference players (Bullock and Jackson) can do."

"We're not happy that the season is over, but as I told the guys postgame, I was proud of their effort and getting production from a lot of guys."