Feb. 24, 2004
Head Coach Mike Brey Quotes
On Providence
“They are an older group and they play like one. They certainly deserve the win. They are poised, that is what they have shown all season, and that is why they are one of the better teams not only in the league, but nationally.”
On the upcoming games
“Our group is resilient, and I’d like us to use these last three games to get ready for the Big East tournament, which is the tournament I want us talking about.”
On Rick Cornett and the team
“Rick Cornett is developing, he was very active after his first couple of rotations. Russell Carter came off the bench and was being very active shooting the ball. This is the team we have we have to make the best of it to make the best of the season.”
Notre Dame Player Quotes
Junior G Chris Thomas
On the play of Ryan Gomes
“Gomes is the best player in the league right now. What he is to that team they have him, and that’s why they won.”
Junior F Jordan Cornette
On the game
“They controlled the tempo a lot. We couldn’t get into playing our type of game.”
On what happens next
We come back tomorrow and we work on it. We just have to finish up the regular season, get these next three games, and go into the BIG EAST Tournament with some momentum.”
Sophomore G Chris Quinn
On Providence’s defense
“I think their defense did a great job today. It seemed like we couldn’t get any real open looks at the basket.”
On the future of the season
“We just have to look at one game at a time now. Every game we play is important. Our team has been through a lot already this year. We just have to go into Los Angeles and get back on track.”
Providence Player Quotes
Sophomore guard Donnie McGrath:
On his 16-point effort
“My shots just came in the flow of the offense. It seems like a lot of times when they went on a run, I ended up with the open shot. I got in a flow, I just got in a rhythm. My teammates kept finding me, and I kept getting open shots. Once I was hitting them, I kept looking for my shot a little bit more.”
On the difference in the game “We hit the boards a lot harder in the second-half. We just played good defense, and that is what we tried to do and it worked out. We were hitting our shots too.”
Junior forward Rob Sanders:
On the team’s second-half effort
“Ryan showed up and got 25 in the second half. We played better defense, got to the offensive boards, and got the win.”
Junior forward Ryan Gomes:
On his second-half adjustments
“In the first-half, I took myself out of the game, missed a few shots, and turned it over once or twice. I really wasn’t mentally playing in the first-half. When I went in at halftime, coach [Tim Welsh] and all the players told me to forget about the first half and come out and play in the second half and that is what I did. I just forgot about the first half and took each possession in the second half like it would be our last.”
On the second-half rebounding advantage
“There was one possession in the first half where they got about five loose ball rebounds. I took it upon myself, and the team took it upon themselves to go up there and get it with two hands. That was a difference — out-rebounding them in the second-half.”
Providence Coach Welsh Quotes
On his team’s play in the first half
“I thought the key to tonight’s game was in the first half when our defense kept us in the game. If you only score 24 points in the first half of a road game, you’re usually in trouble. I was upset at half time. I didn’t like our energy, I didn’t like our hustle, and I thought Notre Dame was playing with more toughness.”
On his team’s response in the second half
“We played with a little hop in our step, we attacked better, and we got to the rim better. In the first half we had one offensive rebound, and in the second half we had nine. That shows what type of aggressiveness we were playing with in the second half.”
On junior forward Ryan Gomes
“Ryan got going in the second half. He had 2 points in the first half and finished with 25 points, so he had a big second half. We all feed off of him, and when he’s playing aggressively like that, it trickles down to everybody.”
On junior forward Rob Sanders
“Rob single handedly kept us in the game in the first half. If it wasn’t for him, we probably would have scored 12 or 14 points in the first half. He’s feeling it now and starting to play with a lot of confidence. He is a key member of our team because he allows us to bring in other people at different positions and create cleaner rotations.”
On the Friars halftime
“We had some discussions with everyone, and they were pointed. I called them out. They were just standing around. The guards weren’t getting into the mix on the loose balls, but in the second half we all came out with a different look.”
On his team’s free throw shooting down the stretch
“There were some times when Notre Dame was creeping up, but we were able to knock down free throws to keep the lead above ten. We were able to keep the lead at a comfortable level and not let the crowd get back into it.”