Feb. 4, 2010

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Post-Game Quotes
Loyola 92, Youngstown State 85 (OT)
February 4, 2010

Loyola Head Coach Jim Whitesell
On Terrance Hill's ejection
"I don't know exactly what happened. Obviously they said there was contact. Was there contact before? I don't know. I know there was a lot of woofing going on before then. You have to keep your composure and you have to play, but I'll be anxious to look at the tape and see what the verdict was because I was surprised. Sometimes kids get into it and there's jawing, but I haven't seen it. You really hate to let that be a part of a heck of a win by our guys."

On the team's play
"It was a heck of a win by our guys. Marcus Thomas came in as a senior and stepped up and really played well and obviously (Courtney Stanley and Geoff McCammon) played great, but we had to have every point. I've never had a team shoot 73 percent in the first half and be down eight (at halftime). That's unbelievable. We told the guys at halftime that they had to stay with it because they were shooting the ball so well. We tried to make a few adjustments there, but the beginning of the second half really helped us. Marcus hit a three and I think Geoff hit a three and we were down two then. Then all of a sudden, we weren't dropping our head - we were playing on. Then it was pretty much a close game the whole way. Mentally for our guys, the beginning of the second half really helped us. It was a heck of a win, and I can't thank our students enough. They really helped us win today."

On the team's rotation after Terrance Hill's ejection
"Well basically we said, `you guys have to play.' (Geoff) McCammon's in great shape, he just never looks winded. I think Marcus (Thomas) might have been a little bit of a different story. Obviously with our bigs, we have to rotate those guys - athletically, they just need more rest. Walt (Gibler), Andy (Polka) and Ben (Averkamp) all played well, I thought, and that really gave us the luxury of keeping a guy out there for a couple extra minutes. It messes up your rotation, but the other thing is that Terrance is a ball handler. He's the guy who is the secondary ball handler or even runs the point for us."

Loyola Sophomore Guard Courtney Stanley
On the team's determination in a comeback win
"I think we realize that our season is on the line. At this point, we have to win. It's the second half of the season and we don't want our season to go down the drain, so it's do or die right now."

Loyola Junior Guard Geoff McCammon
On Youngstown State's offense
"They're really offensive-minded, so they're always on the attack. When they're hot, they're going to hit shots and they build off of their confidence. If they hit one, they're going to hit another. From their point guard to their power forward, they can all shoot, so they were just getting open and they were hitting shots. I guess they weren't playing as much defense because we were getting good shots too."