St. John's University Athletics
POSTGAME QUOTES: St. John's vs. No. 4/4 Villanova
2/4/2017 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
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St. John's Head Coach Chris Mullin...
On the game:
"First off, [Villanova is] a really good team. I thought they got off to a really good defensive start. We got some good looks and didn't make them. I thought we hung in there. The offense struggled a little bit tonight, which isn't usually the case but it happens."
On the first half:
"I'll have to look at it, but I thought we got some good looks. I thought we maintained our defensive effort pretty good, but we just had a hard time putting the ball in the basket. ... They kicked our butt in the first [half]. In the second half, I thought we came out and showed a little more resistance, but when you have a lead like that it's hard to overcome."
On how to get where Villanova is right now:
"[We need to] get a little older, get a little stronger and have some continuity. They're a good team and they've been together [for years]. You have to wait and be patient."
On Josh Hart:
"He's a tremendous player. He understands his strengths and weaknesses. He's obviously their leader and I think he has a real good future in front of him."
On takeaways from tonight's game:
"They're probably going to be No. 1 or 2 in the country. We played good segments of the game. We probably won't take too much away from this actually. We have a week off so we'll probably move on."
On take away from this game:
"I look at it as another learning experience. I thought our defense was not bad. We got pounded on the boards again, which [gives them extra possessions] and that's not good for a team like us."
On being encouraged how the team played the second half:
"I thought the way we finished the game was very encouraging. We got it together and made a nice run. We finished the game playing the right way, playing together. I always talk about playing 40 minutes and no matter what's going on around you, you compete. When you do that every day then you're going to win your share of games."
Junior Guard/Forward Bashir Ahmed...
On what went wrong in the first half:
"We have to give Villanova credit. They came out and were locked in. They played really good defense. We were just off. We were taking tough shots."
On not playing consistent basketball:
"This is the BIG EAST. It's one of the best conferences and Villanova is a legitimate team and they have a lot of experience and good players. We went out there and battled in the second half, but they were able to win the game."
On takeaways from this game:
"We're going to use this game as a learning experience. We're going to try and bounce back from it. We have a big game coming up Saturday against Seton Hall. They beat us last time at their house. We're going to prepare and work hard and get ready for Seton Hall."
