Feb. 21, 2008

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Notre Dame Coach Mike Brey Quotes

On tonight’s comeback win…
“It’s a heck of a win for us because there were a lot of times where we got a little frustrated, and you may have thought ‘Well, not tonight.’ But we kept finding a way, and I think Tory Jackson’s will, at key times, make his teammates believe.”

On Notre Dame’s play down the stretch…
“I thought we got better defensively in the second half, and controlled the paint for at least the last 10 minutes. They’re very big and very physical, and they put it on us for a while, but we found a way to do it, made free throws, and believed in our ability, and it certainly helped us tonight.”

On how the Irish overcame some early misses…
“I really feel this was like the Cincinnati game. I said to Kyle [McAlarney], ‘We’re going to get good looks. Stop hanging your head and being frustrated. You have to guard. They’re too good. If you hang your head because you missed a shot back on the other end, they’re going to score.'”

On Notre Dame’s resiliency…
“I thought our energy and our conditioning helped us. Everybody was tired, but I thought we were a little fresher the last five minutes.”

On what Tory Jackson means to the Irish…
“I really think he [Tory Jackson] has been lost in the Harangody stuff, and now, if you look at the progression, he’s really been a key for us; doing things at key times that made us think believe that we could figure out a way to steal it and get out of there with a win.”

Notre Dame Player Quotes

Junior Guard Kyle McAlarney
On the team’s progressive performance at the end of the game…
“With seven minutes left, I thought ‘when is it going to happen?’ I think we were getting good looks. It comes down to getting stops and rebounding. When we did that, it got us running and gave us momentum.”

On the Notre Dame comeback…
“I got a few good looks in the first half, but after that they were on me. When we focus, when we’re down 11, down 20, we can come back, no matter what the score is.”

On Pittsburgh’s playing ability…
“I think they are the toughest team we will play this season. The physicality of the game and the BIG EAST. They symbolize all of that. They are very physical and they have always been like that.”

Sophomore Guard Tory Jackson
On the Notre Dame crowd…
“The way they support us is unbelievable. When our crowd got into it, I felt like it put a lot of pressure on Pitt. They felt like they had to rush their shots and when they did, they took bad ones. They were our sixth man today, and it really helped.”

On his rebounds…
“I was very shocked about the number of rebounds I had, because I did not really pay attention during the game. We are just out there trying to get a win. I think it’s an advantage for us when a guard can rebound.”

Sophomore Forward Lukeo Harangody
On the crowd at the Joyce Center …
“It was the loudest I ever heard it get in there tonight. That’s a great thing to have. It definitely helps a lot.”

On the offensive run …
“Coach told us they’re running out of juice, they’re running out of energy and this is the time to put our run on.”

On the upcoming game against Syracuse …
“Syracuse is playing well. They just beat Georgetown at home. We’re going to watch some tape tomorrow and we’ll be ready Sunday.”

Senior Forward Rob Kurz
On the win …
“To get this one at home was a really big win for us and we won this game in a way that maybe was not our style. It showed that we can win in different ways, and it was great for our confidence and it just shows how good we are as a team.”

On being down early in the game …
“I think we just gave up too easy of baskets. But once we got down and got some stops, some big turnovers, we knew that we were going to make our run.”

On Tory Jackson …
“He played unbelievably. He got some loose balls for us and he was all over the place. He just played great and he’s a big reason why we won.”

Pittsburgh Player Quotes

Freshman Center DeJuan Blair
On Notre Dame’s play down the stretch…
“We fought really hard. They just played smarter.”

On Notre Dame’s edge on the boards…
“The little guard (Tory Jackson) had 13 rebounds. We just weren’t boxing out. That’s how they got most of their shots. We got beat on the rebounds. That’s why we lost.”

On Pittsburgh’s back-to-back losses…
“I’m really steamed. I don’t know what to say. I don’t remember ever losing two games in a row. It would have been different if they had been beating us the whole game, but we had it. I’m just looking forward to Sunday.”

Senior Guard Keith Benjamin
On Kyle McAlarney’s two key three-pointers in the second half…
“They were big for Notre Dame. They were two deep, contested threes.”

On guarding Tory Jackson for much of the game…
“I was going for the ball too much. I take responsibility for allowing him so many rebounds tonight. It was just instinct to see the ball and then go for it. That was me not following the scouting report.”

Pittsburgh Head Coach Jamie Dixon

On the outcome of the game…
“Notre Dame played well. They made the plays at the end; they made the threes to really pull away. We did not make free throws and we didn’t make the plays. We played well for 30 minutes and put ourselves in a position to win it down the stretch, but they made shots and we didn’t. This is a tough place to play. We have had good success here, but not tonight. They made the plays at the end.”

On Pittsburgh’s play tonight…
“We missed some free throws, we missed some layups, we missed a dunk, and that obviously can change a game. And they hit a couple threes and (there were) some break downs on our part. We did not execute, we just didn’t make the plays. Those are things you have to do against a team making threes down the stretch.”

“We did not make some plays, and on the offensive end they made some tough plays. (Notre Dame’s Tory) Jackson hitting the three was big. To their credit, they did a good job with those shots.”

“In our losses, our three-point shooting has stuck out as poor shooting performances. I thought we took good shots throughout the game. We had a number of open looks and did not finish around the basket. That really caught up to us at the end.”

On the play of Notre Dame sophomore guard Tory Jackson…
“His rebounding was something we talked about. We talked about the offensive boards. He got them early and he got them at the end. We really emphasized the rebounding. It is something we do well, but they are leading the conference.”

On the health of Pittsburgh junior guard Levance Fields…
“This is the first time we really saw him play. This was a big step for him. He played with more confidence. It is really where we expected to be. Most times when guys are out that long, they are out for the season. This is happening in the middle of the year. This is a unique situation. Today was a big day for him as far as getting into it. He needed this. He played well, so we will have to see how he feels tomorrow.”