Dec. 3, 2003

Recap| Final Stats

California Head Coach Ben Braun

General comments:

"People who think we're going to come out and run all over UC Irvine, they don't know much about basketball. UC Irvine is a very good team, and Pat Douglass knows how to coach. It wasn't too long ago when we lost to them. They've got some experienced players who are disciplined and they executed so well in the first half."

On the defensive emphasis in the game:
"In a game like tonight, you've got to play defense. You've got to go out there and shut them down. I thought A.J. Diggs and Gabriel Hughes did a good job tonight on defense. They really worked hard to get good position and pressured the ball. I was able to point out to the team how proud I was of those guys. Our team stepped up in general in the second half, stepping out on their screens and forcing some harder shots."

On the play of the freshmen:
"(Ayinde) Ubaka hit some big shots for us and so did Marquise Kately. Kately took what the defense gave him. And Dominic McGuire did a nice job tonight too with his aggressive play. He changed a lot of shots tonight (on defense). Leon (Powe) was Leon. He showed some tenacity getting to the foul line."