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SU Player Quotes vs. Cincinnati
Syracuse Player Quotes
Syracuse vs. Cincinnati
January 17, 2007
Carrier Dome-Syracuse, N.Y.
Senior forward Demetris Nichols
On having to come back late in the game:
“We dug ourselves a hole basically and we had to get out of it. At least we won, but we cannot play like that. It seemed like we took two steps backwards as oppose to a step forward. As long as we learn from this, that’s the bottom line.”
On needing to find a way to put opponents away:
“I don’t think that is it. We have done it in the past but we do not know if we can do it everyday. But like I said as long as we learn from this, we’ll can go back and laugh at this later but it’s about getting better.”
On any nervousness when Cincinnati took the lead:
“Honestly I was nervous. I couldn’t believe they were up one point after being down that much. But we stuck it out and came up with two key rebounds and I think that determined the game.”
On late foul shots:
“We expect to hit those and Coach expects us too like it was any other day. It was clutch though.”
Sophomore guard Eric Devendorf
On Cincinnati’s late rally:
“We can’t think too hard and they came out and made some big shots. But luckily we came though in the end and we got the win.”
On being able to come back late:
“As a team it shows our character and we stuck through it. Knowing Cincinnati is not a top team or a ranked team, just fighting through and getting the victory shows a lot of confidence in our team.”
On getting an early lead:
“We were cruising and every team is going to make a run at you. That’s college basketball. They are a talented team and came out and played tonight. There was a big rally from Cincinnati and luckily we were able to come away with a win.”
On the team’s turnover problem:
“There were some tough turnovers. Some unforced turnovers, probably some forced turnovers. They are a scrappy defensive team and they are known for that. That’s something we’re going to work on. We are not worried. We got the win; whether it was by 30 points or one.”
On confidence from the foul line:
“I am not worried about it. I am a confident player and confident in my abilities. When I went to the line, I won’t lie, I was nervous, but I made the shots. It is all positives nerves. I am happy to be on the line and happy to have the opportunity to win the game. I just went out there and made the shots.”
Senior forward Terrence Roberts
On Cincinnati’s strong second half:
“We gave them confidence and once you have that you feed off of it and it tough to win those games. We were resilient and fought back when they took the lead and that was key for us.”
On the difference in the halves:
“My movement got slow. My leg started to bother me a little bit. It was just tough to get out there and get on the shooters. I was thinking too much on defense and I think they did a better job. They doubled us every time in the post so it was tough for us to get it in. But the big guys stepped up. Matt (Gorman) made some big threes in the game and it was good for us in the end.”
On Eric Devendorf’s free-throw shooting:
“He is a great free-throw shooter. I bet he was nervous but so was I. I was nervous about getting the rebound in case he missed. But he’s been doing it since freshman year and he always does a great job.”
