Nov. 28, 2009

Recap | Box Score | Notes

Guard Rodney Haddix

"We didn't have a good trip to New Mexico and things haven't been exactly the way we wanted them to be to start the season but to get our first win at home today was a very big thing. We've been talking a lot this year about protecting our home court, we know we're a young team with not a lot of experience, but to get a win in our first home game of the year against a good Evansville team is a good thing."

"Evansville runs a very good motion offense, not a lot of teams run their offense as fluently as they do, so to play the type of defense we did tonight was a big step for us."

"When we got into halftime, Coach talked about how we were in the same position a year ago (leading Evansville at half), and so being able to keep that lead and keep our focus offensively and defensively shows how tough we are and that we can be the kind of team that doesn't just have to come from behind."

Center Julian Mavunga

"Coach always tells me that the talent is there, and last year as a freshman I had my ups and downs, but this offseason I did a lot to be prepared for the college game. Definitely confidence is a big thing. I got my first start last week and I think that really helped me."

"Coach always tells me that if I could have my own way, I'd be a guard. I'm not sure how true that is, but I've definitely gotten more comfortable shooting from outside. I did it a lot in high school and shot a high percentage and it's something I work hard on, so he's okay with me taking that shot if it's in rhythm and in the flow of the offense."

"We had two of our best practices of the year coming into this game which is very important because we're still young and trying to find an identity. What we want to establish is that we're a tough team and we want to carry that mentality from our practices into the game."

Coach Charlie Coles

"I think this was probably our best game so far. I know some would argue Kentucky, but I would say this was because we had a combination of good defense and good offense and from a coaching perspective, we did what we set out to do. Against Kentucky, some of the things we did weren't what we set out to do. I think all-around today, we made some great plays. Our objective now against Dayton, is to continue our defensive effort against an even better team on Wednesday."

"You have to learn how to play with the lead just like you have to learn how to play from behind. Sometimes having a lead can be more dangerous. The key today was staying focused and not letting any negative thoughts enter their heads about any kind of a comeback."

"Orlando (Williams) has a lot of ability. We want to get our freshmen involved early on in the season, but that's not to take away anything from Kramer (Soderberg). Kramer is still a very important part of our team and you see who I went to when things got a little tough because I trust him. But we'd like to get Orlando and Allen Roberts involved. I think that adds to our team."