POSTGAME QUOTE SHEET:
WICHITA STATE 69, JACKSONVILLE STATE 65
DEC. 12, 2018
WICHITA, KAN. / CHARLES KOCH ARENA (10,028)
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HEAD COACH GREGG MARSHALL ON...
...opening statement:
"Kind of what I expected, I was hoping that we could beat that team. I've known Ray (Harper) since mid '80's...'85. A lot of respect for his coaching ability. They run some good stuff. Tough kids, that's what you get with his teams -- tough, tough kids. They never even wavered. We eventually made just enough plays to pull out a four-point victory."
...Samajae Haynes-Jones' late three to take the lead:
"Well, first of all, I loved the fact that Dexter (Dennis) got the rebound. That starts the whole thing. That's a big-time rebound. In another win we had, maybe Baylor -- he had two of those. It was very reminiscent of that particular play. Another win that we had, and he sealed it with two offensive rebounds like that. Happy that he could contribute in that way, and then Samajae is wide-open at that point. We were having a hard time scoring at that point, so I'm glad that he pulled the trigger."
..Dexter Dennis' athleticism:
"He had a good defensive stop, got a block. He is an athlete and eventually he's got to work on his skill. Dribbling the ball and passing the ball. He passed it into the post tonight for the first time all year. I've been on him in the Oklahoma game, we had wide open guys and he doesn't look in there. It's not that he's selfish, because he's not shooting it -- he's just tentative. He doesn't look, he's not been trained to look at the big guy if we have a good position. His offensive rebound was huge, and then he got that block and I think he got the rebound, he had eight rebounds."
...Jaime Echenique taking advantage of his size:
"A guy that is using what God has given him. He's blessed him with this frame of 6'11 -- he's gotten stronger, he's got long arms. We were able to throw the ball over the top and then if we couldn't throw it over the top and they played behind, he was able to catch it and make a move. They didn't double him, they didn't do anything like that. It's good that he was able to get that ball down there and take his time and stick it in the basket. He had a couple of big-time offensive rebounds in the second half, and he panicked on one and throw it in the back court."
...Emphasis on rebounding:
"They (Jacksonville State) are not a big team, that is their only demise. They are just not a big team -- but they are gritty, and they are tough, and they're aggressive. I thought we did a really good job honestly of checking them off the glass. They are normally a very good offensive rebounding team. That team will win 20-something games, and have a shot in their league. Now that league has some good teams, with Murray State and Belmont. Ray (Harper) is a tremendous coach. I watched so much film and I'm sitting there going 'Why did we schedule this game? It's kind of like Louisiana Tech. Why did we schedule this game this year? Why didn't we go for the bottom of the league rather than the top of the league.' Two years ago -- first NCAA ever, last year 23 wins and this is the third oldest team in college basketball."
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SENIOR GUARD SAMAJAE HAYNES-JONES ON...
...the late three pointer:
"I was wide-open and I just had to relax, do my routine and knock it down. That's what I was ready to do when I saw Dexter rebound the ball. When I saw it leave my hand I knew it was a bucket."
...closing the game:
"Keeping our poise and not thinking it's over with, it's a game of runs. We just have to keep our heads in the game and finish it off. There will be times where we face adversity and we just have to keep playing hard."
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FRESHMAN CENTER MORRIS UDEZE ON...
...Samajae hitting the three to change the game:
"It was an unbelievable feeling. I know how hard Samajae works on that shot every day. It was a big-time shot."
...Marshall's message leading into Wednesday night's game:
"He wants us to show heart every game and we didn't do that in the second half last game (against OU). That really got to us and we just grinded these last two days to prepare for this game and obviously, we came away with a good outcome."
... finishing +11 on the glass after being outrebounded badly at OU:
"Toughness, going after the ball and not ball watching."
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JUNIOR CENTER JAIME ECHENIQUE ON...
...motivation after the Oklahoma loss:
"Every time we have a loss we try to pick up really quick. We can't stay thinking about what happened or what we didn't do. We have to move on to the next day, go practice and try our best to be ready for the next game."
...his height difference:
"I was just really trying to go as hard as possible. I try to take advantage of my size."
...on Morris' progression:
"He's strong, a dog and he just fights every time. It doesn't matter who you are, where you're coming from -- he's just going to work you. Sometimes people have ups and downs. I always try to keep him up. I let him know that he's going to have bad games and games where you're not going to score, but I hope he is getting it."
...Dexter's rebound:
"When Dexter got the rebound and passed to Samajae and I saw him dribble the ball, I was scared and had thought he was going to shoot. When you see him take that dribble with that smile, you know he is going to stroke it. We have really good chemistry. He's my roommate and I know when he can really do it."
