St. John's University Athletics
POSTGAME QUOTES: St. John’s vs. Villanova
St. John’s Head Coach Mike Anderson and senior center Joel Soriano spoke with the media following a 57-49 loss to Villanova at Madison Square Garden on Friday
St. John’s Head Coach Mike Anderson
Opening Statement…
“First, what a crowd and atmosphere. Our students and fans showed up in numbers. We didn’t do what we were supposed to do, but I don’t think it was for lack of effort. I thought our defense was good, but you have to make shots. They [Villanova] did a good job, for the most part, of controlling the tempo. When we did have a chance to control the tempo. I thought we went too fast. We had 17 turnovers against a team that sits back in their defense. I thought that was huge in this game. Going down the stretch, you have to make plays and make shots. We had opportunities, but we couldn’t score and you have to score to get into your defense.”
On the offense late in the second half…
“With the foul situation, we did not get into the one-and-one. We did in the first half by attacking. We missed a lot of shots. We had some opportunities and we didn’t cash in. We had one possession where we had three rebounds, and we still came away with nothing. That’s tough. You have to put the ball in the hole and we didn’t.”
On team’s response heading into the next game…
“We’ll find out. We know how good Creighton is, especially at home. They’re a team that can spread you [out] and shoot the ball. Obviously, we are going to their home, so we have our work cut out for us. I expect us to get prepared for them. It’s the BIG EAST. This one’s over; it has to hurt, and we’ll move on to the next game.”
Senior Center Joel Soriano
On the team’s performance…
“It’s very frustrating. I missed a lot of shots, and I blame myself. I shot 4-for-11 and missed a lot of [chip shots], which was very frustrating. “
On the Madison Square Garden atmosphere…
“The atmosphere was great, but we just have to finish it out next time.”
Opening Statement…
“First, what a crowd and atmosphere. Our students and fans showed up in numbers. We didn’t do what we were supposed to do, but I don’t think it was for lack of effort. I thought our defense was good, but you have to make shots. They [Villanova] did a good job, for the most part, of controlling the tempo. When we did have a chance to control the tempo. I thought we went too fast. We had 17 turnovers against a team that sits back in their defense. I thought that was huge in this game. Going down the stretch, you have to make plays and make shots. We had opportunities, but we couldn’t score and you have to score to get into your defense.”
On the offense late in the second half…
“With the foul situation, we did not get into the one-and-one. We did in the first half by attacking. We missed a lot of shots. We had some opportunities and we didn’t cash in. We had one possession where we had three rebounds, and we still came away with nothing. That’s tough. You have to put the ball in the hole and we didn’t.”
On team’s response heading into the next game…
“We’ll find out. We know how good Creighton is, especially at home. They’re a team that can spread you [out] and shoot the ball. Obviously, we are going to their home, so we have our work cut out for us. I expect us to get prepared for them. It’s the BIG EAST. This one’s over; it has to hurt, and we’ll move on to the next game.”
Senior Center Joel Soriano
On the team’s performance…
“It’s very frustrating. I missed a lot of shots, and I blame myself. I shot 4-for-11 and missed a lot of [chip shots], which was very frustrating. “
On the Madison Square Garden atmosphere…
“The atmosphere was great, but we just have to finish it out next time.”