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South Dakota State University Athletics
0306 MBB Quotes vs. IPFW
3/6/2011 11:21:00 PM | Men's Basketball
South Dakota State head coach Scott
Nagy
"(It was a) very physical game,
very physical game. We knew it would be. Really of all the teams that I would
prefer not to play, it is them because Dane (Fife) does a really good job and
we have struggled with them in the past. Obviously this year we did very well
against them. So, I was hoping for someone else but our kids did a great job.
Offensively we weren't very good in the second half. We didn't shoot free
throws like we should have but we did enough. When they got to seven, they made
a big play. We just made the plays we needed to make. Dale (Moss) was really
good tonight. And, I knew he would be. The thing about Dale, I can tell the day
before a game if he is going to play well and he was really locked in. We had a
great practice yesterday. It was short and the kids were locked in. We got off
to a great start and that is probably what won us the game because the rest of
the game was a dogfight."
On close games this year
"I felt okay with it. The only
thing in terms of coaching change I could have made was going zone. But I knew
they were going to just put their heads down and drive. When you go zone, we
don't rebound very well out of the zone. If we would have made free throws, it
wouldn't have gotten as hairy as it did. You know we had some kids make some
big plays. Jordan Dykstra is a freshman and he goes 5-for-5 from the field, five
rebounds, no turnovers, just really played well. Unfortunately, he was in foul
trouble or he would have played more. You can't say enough how important it is
to have players come off the bench. So I thought you just put it in Nate
(Wolters) and Clint (Sargent) hands. Clint has struggled a little bit but I
will go with him. He is our guy."
On what stood out about IPFW
"They started a lot smaller. That
is like the first time we played against a team that was smaller than us. They
tried to switch everything. North Dakota State did the same thing. They
probably thought we wouldn't be as effective. They had guys switch out onto
Nate but we just backed it out. And Nate he will get by just about everyone.
They did a lot of stuff. My focus is so much more defensively and trying to get
stops. But that is the one thing that I noticed was on the ball screens they
were switching most of that."
On Oakland and challenges they pose
"For us to beat them, we will have
to play just about perfect. We will have to do a great job of rebounding the
ball. We will have to be incredible defensively. It will be physical. They have
had a day of rest so they have the advantage there. We will just about have to
play perfect to win the basketball game."
On what they have learned about Oakland
"They are really good. Offensively
they are as good as team as we have played all year, no question. And you know,
I would like to play some zone but we don't rebound out of it. We get them to
miss more shots out of it but we don't rebound so as a coach, stay man, if we
rebound better, do we stay with that, I am back and forth on it. We will have
to score a lot of points and we have to hope they don't play their best game."
On whether it was good sign to be
able to fight off the challenge from IPFW and was there pressure
"Quite honestly when you have a
player like Nate (Wolters), it makes it a lot easier. You just put it into his
hands and let him make plays out of it. He was picked first team all conference
for a reason. Other teams know he is that good. It just makes it easier, when
he has his hands on the ball. He is a great free throw shooter, he didn't do as
well tonight, but he is going to get fouled a lot and he is a great passer so
he is going to make plays. There is something to that, there is pressure. But
now there isn't any pressure tomorrow night. Now we can relax and play."
South Dakota State guard Nate Wolters
on
the win and how it compared to last year against IPFW
"Last year was a good game too but, we have had success this year against them.
It was a good game. They are a tough team. I thought we really played well
early and then the second half we just held on. It got close at the end but it
was a good effort."
On losing the lead and fighting off
IPFW's comeback
"They shot well in the second
half. They are a good team; you know they are going to make a run at you. They
made a nice first half push, cut it down to four but we kept the composure
which really helped us."
On Oakland
"I am really looking forward to
it, the whole team is. It will be a lot of fun. It will be a great atmosphere.
They are a great team but I think we can win. We will see what happens."
South Dakota State forward Dale Moss
On
his play and the crowd
"They did a great job of lifting
us up. We came out and did what we are supposed to do. In those tight
situations that is good, because we were struggling for a little bit but then
we made a play and fed off the crowd. They were getting into it. Anytime you have something like that,
it is always a plus."
On the physicality of game and how it
went
"We have great passing big men and
Nate is a great passer so we have the opportunities. It was definitely a
physical game and we knew it would be that way. I think it is good for us and
sets the tone for the rest of the tournament. Anytime you can play and win a
game like that it helps us."
On the adrenaline rush in your home
town and this atmosphere
"It is honestly amazing; like
Frost (Arena) is great and we have great fan support there but the atmosphere
is different down here. You know, we are fortunate to be in Sioux Falls, there
is really nothing like to compare it with in the regular season. I think
everyone in this town gives it a great buzz before tipoff and what-not. It is a
completely different game and we have a lot of guys ready to play in this
situation. It is good that we stepped up and played well and got the first one
under our belts. It should be good the rest of the day."
On whether there was a defensive
letdown
"They started to be more
aggressive off the drive. Whenever you get a lead like that sometimes you have
a letdown. You tend to relax at certain times. I think we did that at times.
They fought, give credit to them for that. The fact we are able to pull it out and get a win says a
lot."
IPFW head coach Dane Fife
"I am
really proud of our guys. We absolutely competed our hearts out. I gotta give
the Jackrabbits credit. I think Scott has done an absolutely fantastic job.
They added (Jordan) Dykstra. They are defending a lot better. Just an improved
team. I thought the keys to the game were offensive rebounds. If you look at
the shooting percentages, very similar. Another key to the game, was when we
made a run and got called for two flagrant and technical foul."
on South Dakota State
"I was hoping South Dakota State would feel the pressure. They beat us three
times. Their crowd was expecting to beat us again. You gotta give them a lot of
credit. They came ready to go. I give our team a lot of credit; that's the
closet we came to them. So, again, great environment. Great game, very, very
competitive. Just two solid basketball teams."
on IPFW's small lineup
"(I was) absolutely surprised that Trey (McCorkle) had success. Because Trey
struggled against these guys the first two times we played. We asked Trey to get
a little deeper and so he did. I thought he did a good job of creating an angle
and I thought our guys did a good job of finding him."
IPFW forward Trey McCorkle
on the successful night
"They doubled team me every time I touched the basket. Coach and the players
told me to get a deeper seal. So I got a couple more feet to the basket than I
normally would. Just making quick moves. It was successful, so I just stuck
with it."
IPFW guard Ben Botts
on the defense in second half
"I
think we slowed it down and made some adjustments. We got caught up a little
bit in the atmosphere. They come out really hot, too. (They) got a few points
off turnovers."
on IPFW's progress through his
four years
"Well,
it's gone by so fast. But it's great to be a part of something that got better
every year. No regrets here. I'm glad I got to play with the guys; I'm glad I
got to play with coach. I just hope the program gets better every year; and I
hope it will."
Players Mentioned
Bryan Petersen Postgame Comments vs Dakota State (11.06.2025)
Friday, November 07
Men's Basketball Highlights vs Dakota State (11.06.2025)
Friday, November 07
Men's Basketball Weekly Update (11.05.2025)
Wednesday, November 05
Women's Basketball Weekly Update (11.05.2025)
Wednesday, November 05