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Coastal Carolina (16-17) 51, UTA (25-7) 71
Friday, March 10, 2017
Lakefront Arena • New Orleans, La.

Postgame Quotes

UTA Head Coach Scott Cross
"It was tough, hard fought, ugly basketball game. The good thing about it is that our guys found a way to win. We preached before the game that we had to be the toughest team and they embraced that, especially these two guys here. What they did on the boards was tremendous, both of them having a double-double. They played their hearts out and so did the rest of our team and I think that's the reason why we were able to win. Definitely didn't win this game with offensive execution or shooting, we won this game by playing great defense and rebounding the basketball. I think this team is capable of winning in multiple ways and I'm proud of them putting forth the effort today to come out with a victory."

On the team's depth.
"I thought that was one thing that would give us an advantage in this tournament; that we are 10-11 deep. With Jalen going down, we are going to need all of our guys. All our guys did great, they created a lot of offense off their defense and zone. They got in the passing lanes for steals. But it all started with Jorge, he sets the tone. It tells you why we have success. It is guys like him. He embodies every bit of our culture and does everything we ask of him. He played his heart out and it was pretty special to watch him play."

UTA senior forward Kevin Hervey
ON his strong second half after a slow start?
" At the beginning of the game, I was forcing it. I wasn't playing through my teammates. I was shooting too far out and coach mentioned to move a step in and I shot with confidence. If I miss it, I'm on to the next shot, next play. I don't think too much about the past."

UTA senior forward Jorge Bibao
On leading the team through a rough start?
"It's my last go around, it's my last conference tournament and I'm trying to go out with a bang. Whenever tough situations come up and somebody needs to step up, it just takes effort and giving all you have; diving for loose balls, getting rebounds and playing defense. Our shots weren't falling like we are used to but we still can do the little things, and if we do those things and the shots start falling, like at the end, we can beat anyone.."