Jan. 17, 2008

Recap |  Box Score

Loyola vs. Detroit
Post-Game Quotes
Jan. 17, 2008

Loyola Head Coach Jim Whitesell
Opening Statement
"I'm proud of our guys, they hung in there. They got off to a rough start and turned the ball over a lot early. I really thought Aric Van Weelden and Dave Telander gave us a spark and helped us finish the half fairly well. Goode was fantastic for them. A lot of his shots were well guarded, but any kid that goes 10-for-13 and 5-for-7 of threes, he's on fire. He just did so many good things and shot the ball well. Our guys came with a big stop at the end when we needed them to and they made some big plays when Detroit kept answering back. Detroit's been a little bit like us this year. We certainly needed this one very, very much so I'm relieved and happy tonight.

On Dave Telander
"Dave didn't get a chance to play at UIC and this game he comes out and gives us eight points. I thought he was the guy that gave us a bump in the first half emotionally. The kids all got behind him and defensively he was really smart and did some nice things."

Loyola junior guard J.R. Blount
On tonight's game
There were times in the game where they punched us and we punched them back. That's something we haven't been doing, so it was a good step.

On the bench's performance tonight
"Aric [Van Weelden] and [Dave] Telander were playing well in practice and Coach [Whitesell] always rewards people who play well in practice and it flowed over to the game. How you practice is how you play. Telander hit some big threes in the first half and gave us a boost. Aric's defensive presence is just to play smart. He doesn't turn the ball over and make mistakes and that what we need out there. Coach [Whitesell] went with them tonight and they helped us win the game."

On the team's three-point shots
"The start was a little rocky to say the least. We practice the three and shoot the three very well in practice so that's why we haven't really strayed away from it even though we weren't shooting the ball well in games during the season. But it's all about execution and repetition. If you know you've got confidence in making a shot that's the one you take."

Loyola junior forward Leon Young
On his team's performance
"It's good. We came back and we're starting to get it. We're starting to understand what we have to do and we're utilizing our weapons. I think this is a good step in the right direction."

On Aric Van Weelden
"He does all the little things that don't necessarily show up in the stat book but make a difference. You know he'll always have your back. He chipped his tooth out there tonight, but he stuck with it, played hard and finished out that minute. That's the kind of person we need out there."