St. John's University Athletics
Postgame Quotes vs Seton Hall
3/1/2008 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
March 1, 2008
Box Score | Quotes | Notes | Photo Gallery 
QUEENS, N.Y. -
Head Coach Norm Roberts
Opening Statement:
"I thought it was a great game. I give Seton Hall a lot of credit. They can really make shots. They are a really good basketball team. Bobby is doing a great job with them over there. I thought our guys really hung in the game, even when things didn't go right for us. Some plays that we had didn't go right. There were a couple of plays where we ran the perfect offense and got the shot right and it just didn't go down. The kids never gave up. Eugene Lawrence's will to want to win this game and be tough was great, even though he didn't score baskets. He and Malik really willed us to win with their toughness. I was really happy with the way we played."
On shot selection:
"We really shot the ball well tonight. We did it because it was in rhythm. Larry made a big three and stayed with it, even when things hadn't gone well for him early. Burrell did a great job of making baskets at the end, when he had struggled early. We stayed with it."
On playing in Carnesecca Arena:
"The crowd really got into the game and helped us when we needed it defensively. That is one of the reasons why when we do play here, this is a tough spot. When those people feel like they are crawling right up your uniform, it's tough. It's tough to play here. Our crowd and our fans did a great job of coming out and making it a tough atmosphere for Seton Hall. It gave us energy when we needed it."
On looking to the future:
"I think it lets everyone know that our freshmen are going to be good. They just have to be patient and let them develop and be good. It takes time. We are trying to get freshman to play like juniors and that is very tough to do. There is a lot of light at the end of the tunnel. We just grind it out and give them a chance to be good. The atmosphere we played in today gets our kids pumped up about being here at St John's. We are going to get it back, it just takes some time."
Junior Guard Anthony Mason Jr.
On the victory:
"Me and Larry were just knocking down good shots. We were open. Our teammates were giving us the ball. It was important because it was Senior Day. It was for Geno and Otoja and for Liam."
On the atmosphere in the arena:
"The big thing today was our fans and our crowd. They really got us into it. They kept us focused. They really got us excited."
On beating Seton Hall:
"The only reason I say this game is special is because it was Senior Night. We go into every game trying to win. We are just trying to make it to the BIG EAST Tournament."
Senior Guard Eugene Lawrence
On his scoring struggle:
"I think my teammates did a good job. I tried to play extra hard defense and tried to get players some open shots because I saw I was struggling."
On his tenacious defense:
"I just tried to stay active defensively because I felt that if we could pressure them a little bit, they may turn the ball over."
On facing Seton Hall:
"It was a physical game because we all know each other. We grew up together. It was real competitive and physical. It was a good game."
Head Coach Bobby Gonzalez
Opening Statement:
"Carnesecca Arena is a tough place to play. I knew we would have to be fortunate to come out here with a win. One thing I think we didn't do a good job of is that we were up 10 right before half. We had a chance to go up 12 and Eugene Harvey turned it over. He really struggled today. He had nine turnovers. When your point guard has nine turnovers on the road, you're going to have a hard time winning. We didn't close the game out. I thought we outplayed them and won the game but they made big plays and big shots at the end to win the game."
On closing the season:
"We've won two games in a row and they were both incredible games for us. The games against DePaul and South Florida were both must wins games. We came in here today and we just about had enough in the tank but St. John's had a little more juice than us."
