NORTH TEXAS vs. UT-Permian Basin
December 28, 2005 Denton, Texas (The Super Pit)
NORTH TEXAS POSTGAME QUOTES
Jeffrey Simpson (NT, C)
“It was important for us to come out and play hard, stay in good shape and get a win. We’ve got conference games around the corner. We still need to work on our defense. If we do that and continue to work hard, we’ll be okay.”
Michael Sturns (NT, G)
“I think as a team we need to continue to improve as far as defensively determining who their scorer is and shutting him down. We also need to work on our rebounding. That’s probably the No. 1 thing we need to work on as conference play approaches.”
“We’re always striving to get better. I’m happy with where we are, but I also know where we can go. We know we can always improve.”
“We had to come out and play tough tonight, even though we won by a big amount. We played hard. It was about us running our stuff and doing what we had to do to win the game.”
Johnny Jones (head coach)
“Texas-Permian Basin is a much-improved team from last year. They competed with us from beginning to end and we needed that during this stretch just before conference play begins. Overall, I thought we played better as the game progressed. We have to do a better job of shutting down our opponent’s top scorer. Saunders (Marlo) got 29 on us tonight. We have to do a better job of recognizing who the go-to player is,”
“We did a good job of getting into passing lanes in the second half. We finished with 20 steals, which is a school record. We lead the Sun Belt in steals. This is an area where we have not been very good in the past, so I am pleased, but we understand we have to play much better as we enter into conference play.”
On Michael Sturns:
“Mike gives us energy off the bench. He does everything at full speed. He is getting a better recognition of the game every time out.”
On Jeffrey Simpson:
“Jeff had a solid line with 19 points, nine rebounds and five blocks in only 24 minutes. Like, Sturns, he is getting a better feel for the game every time he steps on the floor. As the season progresses he will face taller, stronger more active post players, so he will need to bring the same intensity he displayed in the first half tonight every night from this point on.”
