Feb. 16, 2011
Recap | Box Score | Notes | Photo Gallery 
Kent State Head Coach Geno Ford
"I thought guys got frustrated and got a little bit into themselves with what was going on at certain times during the game instead of just fighting through it-like we have been doing-and you've got to give them [Miami] credit. They played really well. I'll tell you, [Julian] Mavunga had some big-time offensive put-backs that really hurt us and Winbush shot the lights out, so they deserved to win. They made enough plays to deserve to win, that's for sure."
On Miami moving on with Ballard out for the season: "You've got to give their kids and Charlie a lot of credit because I don't know how many programs could sustain losing an all-conference player in Ballard and having some other injuries in a point guard that's been getting a lot of minutes and still be 12 games into it and in first place. And I think they've done a good job this year offensively, you know they've sped it up a little more than they used to, and it's been more difficult to guard them. I think that's where they've had a lot of success. I think, offensively, they're as good as anybody in the league."
"I thought the most impressive thing is Charlie's kept them going. If we had the same situation, I don't know if we'd be able to be as good as they've been, losing some key people. They're 6-1 without Ballard? I mean, that's sick. The kid's one of the top five players in the league, so you got to give them a lot of credit."
Miami Senior Forward Nick Winbush
On the come-from-behind win: "We've had to deal with some injuries, and we've had to deal with adversity. We knew what was on the line tonight and we came with it. We got down in the first half, but everybody just stuck with it. We fought and we got a V [victory]. We're happy with that, but we just have to maintain it these last four games."
On playing Kent State for the second time this year: "They beat us pretty bad up at Kent, so we came in with a chip on our shoulders. We kind of got embarrassed up there. We came out and didn't play well in the first half, but I thought overall we played well and played with confidence. We fought back and got it done."
Miami Sophomore Guard Orlando Williams
On hitting a three-pointer with 35 seconds in regulation to give Miami a one-point lead: "It was exciting. I was just as happy as could be when I hit the shot that put us up. I was hoping it was going to win it for us, but they hit a tough shot and it bounced in [and sent it to overtime]."
On his improved play in the second half: "I think I picked it up defensively, which got me going offensively. Getting more involved and playing a better overall game."
Miami Junior Forward Julian Mavunga
On the upcoming ESPNU BracketBuster game: "We welcome it. It's a chance to get a break from seeing all the same faces. It's a chance to test ourselves against someone else that's out there. It will be a challenge for us and we're definitely up for it."
Miami Head Coach Charlie Coles
On key points of the game: "Once again we rallied against a good team. The things I was most pleased with were Julian Mavunga's 17 rebounds, Nick Winbush's 12, Orlando Williams' second half and the fact that Josh Sewell played 38 minutes. And, of course, how tough we were mentally. Any time when you hang with Kent State, and you can match their energy, that's pretty good. I want to give credit to Rodriquez Sherman. He's one of the best players in the league. He shot 9-for-12. I don't know if we defended real well the whole game, but we did defend well when we had to. That's what we have to carry with us. And defend better a longer period of time."
On the team's aggressiveness: "When we're aggressive, that's the best thing we can be as a team. Some teams make mistakes. For instance, Julian had four turnovers tonight, Allen had four too. But I think Julian showed us all something in the second half when he just kept going and getting rebounds. Julian and Nick, they showed us something. I want to keep that, and maybe one of these days we can play a single-digit turnover game. But right now, we're ok with what happened because we out-rebounded them by 13."
On free throw shooting and areas to improve: "We're shooting more free throws than any team we've had in the last six years, I think. We're plus against our league opponents on free throws. And we're shooting pretty good free throws. If we can get our defensive percentage down a little bit and keep the rebounds and be a little more efficient on offense, we can get better. We're not at all satisfied. We're satisfied with the effort and I think our guys are having fun. They believe in themselves. That's worth a lot. I wouldn't trade that for anything. That's the most valuable thing, believing in each other."
