Nov. 10, 2006

Recap | Final Stats

Columbia, S.C. – South Carolina Coach Dave Odom
Nov 10, 2006

“We’re certainly pleased to win. They played extraordinarily hard. I knew it was going to be a hard fought game.”

“The best stat of the game was we had only 7 turnovers. When you don’t turn the ball over, that keeps you in basketball games.”

“We won our first game. I’m pleased. Now we go out on the road to (U.C.-Irvine). We must play better there.”

“I knew they’d play well. I was hoping they wouldn’t play that well, but they did.”

S.C. State Head Coach Jamal Brown
Nov. 10, 2006

Opening comment:
“I thought our guys played exceptionally hard. I thought they gave the effort I was looking for. I was very proud of their effort. If we wouldn’t have turned the ball over as often as we did, 22-7, it is hard to win. Although USC shot 1-18 from three-point range, it is hard to overcome those turnovers. That was 22 times we didn’t get a shot up. But overall, the effort was there and I am very proud of them.”

“I have a lot of respect for Coach Odom. I was an assistant coach while he was at Wake Forest and we played a couple of times. It was a great experience. I really think that this team is going to be good and didn’t shoot the ball as well as we are capable of shooting it. We made a couple of critical errors down the stretch that probably cost us the game.”

On playing an SEC Team:
“Basketball is basketball, regardless of what level it is. I have enough confidence and faith in my guys that they can play at any level. I really believe in them as individuals and human beings. I really think that if we keep on working, whether it is SEC, ACC, Big East, whatever, we can play with anyone. We are preparing ourselves for the NCAA Tournament. This is a process and I have to stay focused on the process and understand that the bottom line is March 5-10 is the MEAC Conference Tournament.”

USC Player Quotes (Nov. 10, 2006)

Brandon Wallace
“The win was good. We wanted a win, and that’s what we got. We wanted to play a little better than we did. We didn’t shoot the ball particularly well, and we didn’t play defense as well as we wanted, but we got the win and that’s enough for me.”

On being a team motivator…
“If I have to be, I will – anything to get the team going and get a win.”

“You always come into a game expecting to shoot well, but when it doesn’t happen, you have to find other ways, so we’re just gonna go back to practice and go back to work on shooting and stuff like that.”

“We knew that we still had time to win the game. It’s not over til it’s over.”

Brandis Raley-Ross
“It’s a load off my shoulders and the team’s shoulders. We were really geared up and hyped up, and we were really excited.”

On making free throws
“I was just thinking `I can’t miss. I can’t miss. I’ve gotta knock’em down. When I released them I felt like they were good.”

“I credit South Carolina State. They played some good defense. They played hard and made every shot tough.”

Tre’ Kelley
“The win was good. We wanted to play a little better than we did. We didn’t shoot the ball well, but we got the win, and that’s enough for me.”

On getting injured
“I got cramps in my calf muscles. I just tried to drink some fluids when I got on the bench, and I got back in there.”