Feb. 10, 2012

Recap |  Final Stats |  Notes

CALIFORNIA HEAD COACH MIKE MONTGOMERY

On the game
"We started playing hard in the second half. I don't think we played hard enough in the first half. Harper [Kamp] shot the ball, well. He was successful at being the second post, down low. He was a huge part of that strong second half. Maurice Jones is awfully skilled for a player of his size. You have to give him credit. He can get points, down low, and he can take that deep shot. Because of SC's small lineup, Robert [Thurman] was negated a bit, but he showed up in the second half."

USC HEAD COACH KEVIN O'NEILL

On the game
"We played a good first half, and gave ourselves a chance, but we wore down a bit, in the second half. It's a results of our makeup, right now. It's a tough situation for the players. My feelings go out to them. They're frustrated. It comes with losing. We have a circumstance that isn't changing. We have to do a better job of putting two good halves of basketball together. Cal is a good team, a veteran team."

On the play of sophomore G Maurice Jones
"When Mo is not in, we don't function well. It's difficult for us. We're asking too much of Mo. We're asking too much of all the guys. It's incumbent on them to make an impression going down the stretch and to try their hardest."

On California's second-half scoring run
"The game was decided in the first five minutes of the second half."

On what he told his team after the loss
"My message is the same every day: We have a job to do. Do it as hard as you can, as long as you can; including me. Nobody feels sorry for you. It's basketball. Our circumstance stinks. It's the culmination of a lot of things. We need to keep the integrity of playing hard, every day, and as best as we can."