Nov. 29, 2006

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Winston-Salem State vs. Notre Dame

Post-Game Quotes

November 29, 2006 • Joyce Center • Notre Dame, Ind.

Winston-Salem State Head Coach Bobby Collins Quotes

On Notre Dame's performance...

"They did a very good job of executing. They turned a lot of our turnovers into points and I thought that played a major role."

"They are a very, very talented basketball team and they wore us down. They did what they were supposed to do."

On Winston-Salem's current road trip...

"The travel alone is very difficult and playing teams like Notre Dame, it doesn't help. We are prepared, we get our rest on the road, but there is nothing like your home rest."

"We're going to take it one game at a time and give it all that we have and hopefully one night we can catch on fire and win one of these games."

Notre Dame Head Coach Mike Brey Quotes

On executing their game plan after a tough game on Monday...

"I just wanted us to get off to a better start on both ends of the court. We were more efficient. I didn't think we were as alert defensively against Lehigh the other night, but what hurt that was that I thought we took some quick shots. We weren't great offensively. I thought that we were better defensively [tonight] but were very, very good offensively our first five possessions."

On the different look that Winston-Salem State gave tonight...

"We saw some different things tonight, which was good. They played some zone. They pressed us. I'm glad they trapped us, double-teamed, because we'll see that a lot Sunday against Maryland. We played some zone to work on it a little bit too. We want to be able to change defenses."

On Rob Kurz' play the last couple games...

"He is carrying himself so confidently. He's a guy who has really arrived as an excellent BIG EAST forward. I'm really pleased with his improvement and where he is mentally. And he deserves it. As I've said before, there isn't a harder worker in our basketball program. This is a guy who sets the tone for work ethic, a little bit like Troy Murphy did here."

On Colin Falls earning the 1,000th point of his career...

"I think what's lost a lot of times with Colin Falls is just how good an all around basketball player he is. He'll help defensively. He leads us in charges. Feeding the post. Leading our group.  And all of a sudden our style has changed in his senior year. He hasn't come to my office and said, `Coach, I'm not getting enough shots, what are we going to do?' He just says, `What do we need to do to get better? What do we need to win?'

On the upcoming game versus Maryland...

"I told our team that if they look at our schedule, in our first eight games, including Alabama next Thursday, we will have played three of the hottest teams in the country when you count Maryland, Butler, and Alabama. We couldn't get the Butler one, but we have two more great opportunities."

Notre Dame Player Quotes

Sophomore G Kyle McAlarney

On finishing up the stretch of so called "warm-up" games...

"I don't really consider any games "warm-up" games. All of these teams could give us a run at any point, and all these teams are good teams. I think we're all just really excited now that we get to play Maryland, who's pretty much the hottest team in the country right now."

On learning from last year how important it is to finish games against lesser-known opponents...

"We returned guys that know that every game you can't take anyone lightly, not at this level. Every team is good; you saw Lehigh the other night. They had us in the first half. We have got to pick it up every game. We've got to step it up and be prepared."

Senior G Colin Falls

On defensive adjustments made in anticipation of bigger games next week...

"We didn't have many breakdowns. We got the loose balls, and we doubled them in rebounds. Defensively, we played as well as we could have. We have a lot of momentum going into Sunday."

On knowing how close he was to scoring 1,000 career points prior to the game...

"I didn't [know]. I did when I heard it. It was a good feeling."

On playing bigger games against powerhouses Maryland and Alabama next week...

"They have a lot of athletes, and a different kind of athlete than we face. They've got guys that can shoot the ball, too. I think we're going to mix it up, play some man, zone - we're going to keep them guessing and not going to let them get into a comfortable role. We're headed into a big week. This is why I came to play college basketball, and this is why everybody came to play college basketball - to play in these marquee match-ups."