Feb. 27, 2009

Recap | Box Score

Post-Game Quotes
Loyola vs. UIC
February 27, 2009

Loyola Head Coach Jim Whitesell
Opening statement
"We certainly made it exciting at the end there, giving ourselves a chance to tie it or win it. But it was really our first three, four minutes when UIC just kept us at bay. They dominated us in the first half. The last two games, I have no idea why we have started this way. Then you have to fight like crazy. We ran out of timeouts with about five or six minutes to go in the game. Rob Eppinger was fantastic for them and Scott VanderMeer has always been someone who plays incredibly well for them. Their guards are high-quality guards and their big guys also played very well.

"I was really upset with our guys, because it's UIC and we're just kind of standing around looking at them. I told them you better get in there and compete, because we're getting pushed around. We were taking hard shots and weren't playing very aggressive.

"The first 34 minutes, UIC just out-played us and we didn't finish plays and we didn't play with the effort we need to. That's a high-intensity game and they were sharper."

Loyola senior guard Justin Cerasoli
On the difference in the game
"We just got through speaking with coach and he said it wasn't the last play that lost us the game, it was the way we played in the first half."

On the second-half comeback
"We just wanted to be aggressive. That's something coach has been preaching to us all year. We wanted to attack and put the pressure on them."

Loyola senior guard J.R. Blount
On the second-half comeback
" Playing from behind is difficult. We were lackluster in our start and then we had to come back in the second half and that's difficult to do, especially against a team like UIC."

On Loyola's possible first-round opponent
"We can play with anybody. It's just a matter of coming out and executing. Whoever we get in the luck of the draw is who we have to prepare for."