Dec. 15, 2007

Recap | Box Score

Post-Game Quotes
Loyola vs. Northern Illinois
December 15, 2007

Loyola Head Coach Jim Whitesell
On the big plays at the end of the game
"This was a game where no one could really pull ahead. Our guys made great plays to get it into overtime, and J.R. (Blount) makes a huge three. Then in overtime, we saw Andy (Polka) make a big three, Tracy (Robinson) got a three, and a lot of that was really set up by Leon Young's play inside."

On grinding out wins
"I think we're going to have a lot of these types of games where you just don't give up, and we lost a couple of them that way too, early in the season, so maybe we're learning some things and getting better at it."

On playing to the very end
"We came up with a stop and J.R. (Blount) comes down and hits that big three. The good thing is at least we covered back, because they were going to run it back at us and they got a good shot. And you see that so many times where the guy makes it and everyone thinks it's great, but the clock stops and here they come. (Jarvis) Nichols had a good shot, he just missed it."

On what Leon Young brings to the game
"Leon had one big tip there when we were kind of struggling to get us back going again. We're trying to get the ball in to him better, we're trying to get him a touch, because he's efficient offensively and also we've had games where he's led us in assists. That's when we've shot the three well - when it's gone in and out, not when it's gone out and in. I think that's been a big part of where we're trying to get better offensively."

On the big performances from the bench
"(Ross) Forman gave us 11, and (Darrin) Williams gave us four, but I thought Williams, in the first half, really played well. When Leon went out with foul trouble, we didn't lose a beat in terms of scoring inside there. Darrin got going pretty well, he was pretty efficient. And Aric Van Weelden, in these last two games, has been big for us. Against Milwaukee he had five points and he made a big three. He's just had good, steady play, and gives us that extra ball handler. Every time Aric's on the floor, I think he's getting a little more confident."

On transfer Justin Cerasoli becoming eligible for Wednesday's game
"He'll play a lot. Justin can help us at the point, he's got good size, he's a good passer and he can shoot it. He'll get in there right off the bat. He's earned that from his playing time in practice. Justin will definitely help us, no doubt about it."

Loyola junior guard J.R. Blount
On his shot to tie the game
"Andy (Polka) got the rebound and kicked it out to me and I looked at the clock and there was still about 10 seconds left, so I came down and they trapped me. I went back to Andy, then he got it right back to me. The defender tried to beat me to the right, so I just put it behind my back and it was wide open."

Loyola junior forward Leon Young
On his inside game
"I was a little frustrated in the first half because there was a lot of double teaming, and I think I had a problem adjusting to it in the beginning. Then I got into foul trouble, so I was out, but the inside thing just came from the idea that we had to win. We really got hyped, we got ready to play, and then we kind of settled down in the second half and got back into what we do. But it was just out of necessity to win."