Jan. 6, 2007

Recap | Box Score

Gallagher-Iba Arena - Stillwater, Okla.

POSTGAME QUOTES

Baylor head coach Scott Drew
On tonight's game
"During the comeback we executed well on offense and play solid on defense. We gave ourselves a shot down the stretch on the road. I guess, that is all you can ask for. The good news is we have a young team. The more we get into close games in this situation the more we can win them. I am very pleased we put ourselves in that position."

On improved play in the second half
"In the first half we turned the ball over and we rushed some shots. We got some good looks in the first half we just did not hit them. In the second half, Henry (Dugat) and Tweety (Carter) got hot. Kevin (Rogers) also played well. I think they played off each other and got it going."

On his keeping the game close
"It is hard to do when you do not have a lot of time outs left. I am pleased with how we extended the game. We were able to execute in our half court sets quickly. I am pleased we did that. Now we have to try to execute for 40 minutes."

On the play of Tim Bush
"Tim Bush did a great job, especially in the first half. When we were struggling early, he really did a good job. "

On Rebounding
"Rebounding is important to our team. In the first half, we did a much better job on the boards. When you shoot 25 percent in the first half on the road, sometimes you are down more than we were. I was pleased with our rebounding in the first half. In the second half, we needed to do a better job."

On Mario Boggan
"We tried to guard him like everybody in the league tries to guard him, you do not a good job. He is a very experience player. He can score in different ways. Not may people have answers for him. We just wish JamesOn (Curry) was a senior with him."

Baylor freshman guard Tweety Carter
On his play in the last four and a half minutes
"We were just trying to come back, focus and pull out the win and that didn't happen. We have to get better at some things that happened on the court today."

On the play of their team
"We couldn't get in a groove in the first half. In the second half we shot the ball better and had nine forced turnovers. Coach called some great plays and we executed. Unlike in the first half, we got good looks. It's something we have to work at."

Baylor freshman center Josh Lomers
On starting his first Big 12 game
"It was a lot of fun. It is always great to have new experiences. I was a little nervous but played through it and tried to do the best I could."

OSU head coach Sean Sutton
On the game
"There are not going to be any easy games in this league. I really think that, from top to bottom, it is the best that we have ever had in the Big 12. There is going to be a lot of great games all year long, but there are going to be a lot of close games throughout. You never take a win for granted. When you get a win, it is good.

"We beat a good basketball team. It should not have been as close down the stretch as it was. We did some things that we have to learn from when we get into that type of situation. We made quite a few costly errors. We are up 10 and JamesOn (Curry) loses the ball and that kind of started it, but they made some big-time shots down the stretch. Overall, it was a good win and if you are going to have a chance to win the league, you have to win at home."

On his team's defense
"I think in the first half we played about as good a defense as we have played all year long. We were active and we did a great job defending the three-point line. They were only 2-of-9 at halftime and they had only been to the free-throw line six times at that point. I think in the second half, our defense softened up. We did not do a good job containing dribble penetration. We kept getting beat to the middle of the floor and then we didn't do a good job defending the three."

On Baylor
"They are a dangerous team because they can shoot the basketball. They have four terrific guards in (Aaron) Bruce, (Curtis) Jerrells, (Henry) Dugat and Tweety Carter is a big time scorer as well. I think Baylor will win a lot of games in the Big 12 this year. I was impressed with them.'"

On sophomore center Kenny Cooper
"He was a monster on the offensive glass and that is the way that we need him to play. I think his confidence just keeps going up and as his offense continues to develop, he has a chance to be a special player. I thought he was sensational tonight the way that he rebounded the ball on the offensive end. He got a huge put-back late in the second half off a missed shot. He had 10 offensive rebounds. I am not sure the last time we had a guy get 10 offensive rebounds. He finished with 11 rebounds and eight points. He did a good job guarding (Josh) Lomers at the other end. Lomers didn't have a point in 22 minutes so Kenny did great at both ends."

OSU sophomore guard Byron Eaton
On having Terrel Harris back in the lineup
"It is always good to have (Terrel) Harris out on the court with us. The things he does are good for the team. He plays great defense, shoots great and plays hard."

On preparing for Kansas
"We are looking forward to playing Kansas because they came in here last year and beat us on our home court. I want to return the favor. Most of all, coach (Sean) Sutton told us if we want to win the Big 12 Championship, beating Kansas will be a big part of it. They are one of the teams we have to beat to win the league. We will play like it is any other game."

On what the team hopes to do heading into conference play
"You won't find too many blowout games in the Big 12. Every game in conference will be tough. Last year, we had some games slip away. This year, we are going to try harder to get more victories. We have already had one tough loss against Tennessee, but that is behind us. We are going to try and get all of the victories we can get."

OSU senior forward Mario Boggan
On Baylor's run late in the game
"We got too relaxed because in the last few minutes they were able to hit a lot three-point shots. But, when you are in situation like Baylor was in, you always try to hit a lot of three's. We should have put it away when we had the opportunity, but we just got too relaxed on defense."

On having Terrel Harris back in the lineup
"(Terrel) Harris drives to the basket and can draw two or three defenders. He makes it easy for us to get offensive rebounds, plus he is a great shooter. It was big to have him back because he plays hard on both offense and defense. We are happy to have him back."

On being out of the game for six minutes due to foul trouble
"It is a terrible feeling being in foul trouble. It is hard watching my teammates because I want to be in there helping them play defense and doing the things I can do. Sometimes when you play too aggressive you won't get calls that go your way. My teammates did a great job without me. They can all score and play defense too."