March 8, 2006

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Dayton Head Coach Brian Gregory

"It didn't start off very well. Give them credit, because they shot the ball well in the first half. They're really penetrating well with their guards. We did a good job adjusting in the second half. Unfortunately, when you play a good team you can't go in stretches where you don't score and don't defend. We had some opportunities, but - story of the season - we couldn't get it over the hump."

"Those two possessions there where you have a chance to take the lead, but we turned it over and they scored. They don't tend to make those kinds of mistakes. They had [only] eight turnovers and they had 15 points off turnovers while we had five."

"It's been a tough year, more so because we've shown some flashes as done some good things. It's frustrating for the players. It's frustrating for the coaches."

On Brian Roberts: "He got 14 shots. That's probably his average or right around there. But in the last two weeks he's worn down quite a bit. He's played too many minutes this year. He's the marked man. And remember, for one-third or 50 percent of the games, we were playing with Monty [Scott] or with a half Monty. But he [Roberts] had an incredible year. But he's a better player than he's played this year."

On Jimmy Binnie: "He gave us a lot of effort. I was pleased that he wanted to come out and play. He has been great over this stretch that he's been hurt."

Dayton Senior Point Guard Warren Williams "[Saint Joseph's] defense wasn't any different than it usually is. It's just that [Pat] Calathes was playing more than he usually does and he was guarding me."

Saint Joseph's Head Coach Phil Martelli

"It was a very defensive game. I knew coming in Dayton was a very strong defensive team. They give up 30 percent from three and only allow a limited number of points. We didn't play offense at all in the second half. I think we only made eight or nine shots in the second half."

"Dayton actually had some more slips on ball screens that we weren't prepared for."

On the turning point of the game:
"[Dwayne] Lee and [Abdulai] Jalloh got two breakaway layups. I think that happened with about six or seven minutes left in the game and that really helped get our feet back under us."

Talking about sophomore guard Abdulai Jalloh:
"He rebounds well but his shot selection leaves a little to be desired at this point. It's only his 28th game and they say things come around by the end of your sophomore year. He's an explosive offensive player and he's pretty good at the defensive end."

Talking about tomorrow's semifinal game versus Saint Louis:
"In the era of being politically correct, I will not tell anyone to take a pill to stay awake during tomorrow's game. It will be a low-scoring game. But this league features a lot of great defensive teams. Saint Louis goes to the glass hard and values every possession."

"You try and play your best basketball at the end of the year and I feel we're clearly playing our best basketball right now. We were 11th in the A-10 after the Temple game and it's a tribute to our four seniors (that we have won six straight games). They knew were better than what our record showed."