Jan. 25, 2006
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HEAD COACH Brian Gregory
"We talked the last few days about giving a great defensive effort, and we did just that. We did a very good job on the glass, a very good job of defending their dribble penetration and still being able to contest the three-point shot."
"That team that we played has had some tough losses this year, similar to us, and so we knew that we were going to have to play very well and I thought we did. We got some solid performances by most everybody and some outstanding performances by a few and that really helps us. Obviously Norman Plummer played tremendous. Chris Alvarez in the second half was very aggressive. Those two guys defensively in the first half really set the tone and their offense kind of continued from there. Warren Williams did a very, very good job at the point. He had some shots that to us looked like they were going in but they just didn't. So he just needs to keep shooting those. That was good to see. That really gives us a lift, and our freshman came off the bench and gave us some energy so we got a lot of good basketball from a lot of players."
"One of the reasons how you score 75+ points in each of the last two games because you've got more guys doing more things and being more aggressive. And our defense has been better and that sets up our offense. That St. Bonaventure team is going to win some games in this league. I'll take Ahmad Smith any day of the week. We just really played well in the first half and the first seven minutes of the second half."
"All we've done is kind of just stuck together and kept working on what we knew we had to work on. We didn't let those tough losses get us down to the point where we were going to quit working. After Saturday's game, negative things were being said and our guys didn't pay attention to that. Our guys hung in there together and I think they've gotten a lot closer because of that. Now we just need to keep taking steps forward. `Steps forward' doesn't always end up resulting in wins, but we've got to keep taking steps forward and the wins will come."
"[Plummer] was real aggressive with the ball. He was really aggressive moving without the ball. He got some on post-ups, he got some on just drives and cuts to the basket. We ran a lot of stuff once he started getting it going where almost every play he was one of the three options within that play. It just seemed that option for him was open quite a bit. We ran a lot of different things. Some off of ball screens, some off of straight post up. He's been shooting the ball well. I said two weeks ago `You need to start shooting that jump shot more in the second half.' So he's playing with a lot of confidence right now."
"Monty, his foot's bothering him. We've run every test imaginable and he's got another one Friday I think. It's not necessarily the bottom of the foot, now it's the foot in general. It may due to the fact that he's had the other problems. He toughed it out and when we got the lead he said to me he felt really good and made some shots so we just decided it was time to get him some rest. He's probably the last month practiced four times. That obviously has a lot to do with some of the problems we have at times."
"Fourteen days they said [that Brian has had pink eye]. It's not pinky either, it's red. It's blood red. Brian just, you know, just wasn't as aggressive as he needed to be."
"[Warren] practices better and better. He's been here three years so he knows exactly how I want him to play. It's clear. It's very clear and evident to him. He's playing hard, he's thinking with it. Maybe the fact that the guys have stepped behind him, this staff has stepped behind him, and he's a senior and he knows he's got four home games left. That's incredible that's all he's got. I give the kid a lot of credit `cause a lot of kids with less heart and less determination would have packed it in already, and he hasn't done that. He's a smart enough player to know when he's not playing up to his capabilities."
(On walk-ons Jeff Penno and Will Brady) "I kept saying if those guys make every shot when they go in there, people are going to start complaining that I'm not playing them. Because they have. Goodness gracious, every time those two guys come in they make those threes. They're pretty good shooters. And they practice hard so it was good to get them in."
"Charles right now is probably where he should have been in the first or second week of December. He missed five weeks with that injury. And Des is in the best shape of his life right now, not quite where I want him to be. I don't discuss weight, but he's dropped his body fat and he's just in better condition. He's learning how to play harder and he's getting pretty good at it. He's a force on defense in the post. He's very solid upper body and needs a lot of work on his legs. When he gets that strength you're not going to be able to move him."
"We've got great fans. It's been hard on them. We lost four home games to DePaul, Vanderbilt, Temple and Charlotte. They supported us, they've done a great job. They were great tonight, they were great on Saturday and with four home games left our job is, especially at home, we should play with a little more intensity and a little more intensity because we have a great home court."
"We have tomorrow to talk about Xavier."
ST. BONAVENTURE HEAD COACH ANTHONY SOLOMON
"We did not come into the game looking to play a team based upon what their record was. Dayton is a very good basketball team no matter what their record is. They are a very good basketball team with a lot of quality depth. Their depth really gave us trouble and we never really could get in control of the basketball game tonight. We need to leave this game right here in Dayton and get ready for our Saturday afternoon game at the RC (Reilly Center)."
On the play of Norman Plummer
"Dayton does a great job of executing. We knew coming in that they would throw multiple players at us and really test our defensive habits. In the first half, Plummer was the recipient of many easy baskets, but certainly that was because of their fine execution. We were not at our best defensively tonight and Dayton had nothing to do with that."
On Dayton's defense
"Because of the quality depth that they have they are able to maintain a high intensity level defensively because they can run eight, nine, 10 guys at you. When they come into the game they are able to maintain a great energy level. Also, they position themselves very well. Their help side defense is among the best in the country. They are sound on both ends of the floor. Coming into the game they were holding their opponents to 39 percent from the floor and they did that again tonight."
On the ups and downs of Bona's season
"Although we are more than halfway through the season we are still working to become a more consistent basketball team where we can put together multiple games. We were all their on Saturday and now the type of play that we put on. We never got to that level tonight. We are still a team that is trying to grow in a bunch of different areas."
On falling two games back of the final spot in the A-10 Tournament
"Certainly one of our goals is to make it to the A-10 Tournament, but we can't get too caught up in that. We have to focus on us right now and play it one game at a time. What we are focused on right now as we depart our locker room in the Duquesne game on Saturday. As I started my conversation in the locker room after the game and ended it, I told the team that we need to get ready to compete on Saturday against Duquesne."
SOPHOMORE FORWARD Norman Plummer
On his game: "I just want to say thanks to my point guard. Warren led the team tonight. He got me in a position that I could make the shot."
On Monty Scott: "I was glad Monty could play. Monty playing took some of the pressure off of me. Thanks to Monty, I got the lane."
On the game: "This was a total team effort."
On being a role player: "I did nothing special. I'm just one of those guys who do all the little things, a blue-collar guy." "Everyone tries to stop Monty or tries to stop B-Rob. I've never been the #1 guy, but everybody likes a little spotlight sometimes."
JUNIOR FORWARD Monty Scott
On the game: "Everyone came out and played hard. This was a team effort. Everyone did something productive."
SENIOR GUARD Warren Williams
On the game: "We played well, shared the ball, played decent defense and ran the break."
On Norman Plummer: "Norman was just knocking them down."
