Postgame Quotes vs. Missouri

OLE MISS HEAD COACH KERMIT DAVIS

Opening statement…
"We got just what we thought from Missouri. When they're full strength with (Jeremiah) Tilmon and (Dru) Smith, they're a good team. It was really a tale of two halves. The first half was really free-flowing. We got in a great rhythm offensively, putting up 49 against a good defensive team. It turned in the last three minutes of the first half. We made some really poor decisions with the ball up 15. We were up 11, Bryce (Williams) turned it over and it went to nine. They just kept the momentum. It was good for us, we really guarded the second half. The key was holding them to 28 percent. Khadim (Sy) really came in and played well with four fouls."

On Breein Tyree…
"He was really efficient tonight. That was the toughest 19 he's had all year, only on nine shots. They got after him, (Dru) Smith really guarded. He really sat down and defended Breein as well as anyone did all year long. One thing about Breein, he had turnovers and he stayed really mature, made some physical finishes and tough mid-range shots. He put us on his back in that stretch in the second half."

On Blake Hinson…
"He can do that, he'll just get going and make four or five threes. He got good shots, guys found him. The second, it was kind of hard on him, he never got back into a rhythm. Missouri did nice adjustments to him. When that happens, he's got to shot fake, get himself in the lane and get to the free throw line."

On Breein Tyree's career…
"There are a lot of fans that have had season tickets for a long time, Tad Pad (Tad Smith Coliseum) and here (The Pavilion). They've seen a lot of terrific players go through these buildings, but that guy right there, I've been doing it for 38 years, that guy doesn't come around often who is built to score like that at all three levels. Tonight, I really thought he could do it on nine shots, he was efficient in that."

On the confidence level heading into the matchup with MSU Saturday…
"That's just one of those games that sometimes will just happen, Mississippi State just wasn't at their best (in the first matchup). It's a rivalry game, the last game has no bearing on this one. Our team has a lot of confidence. To me that's the most fun game on our schedule, when you can go to your arch rival's building and play. It doesn't get any better than that, especially in a rivalry like Ole Miss-Mississippi State. Our team is starting to play better. We found a way to get the close win tonight."

On this season's performance on the road…
"Our teams have been known for toughness and winning on the road. We haven't done it this year. We've had chances, Auburn, Kentucky, Missouri, Memphis and we haven't closed the games. Dribble penetration has hurt us on the road, so we've got to guard and rebound the ball."

MISSOURI HEAD COACH CUONZO MARTIN

On the second half runs coming up short…
"I thought we did a good job of battling back. We did a much better job of limiting the three balls in transition. I thought we did enough defensively, we just didn't capitalize in some areas on the offensive side of the ball. There were a couple tough calls on Dru (Smith), but that's part of the game."

On the first half defensively…
"We just didn't fight, had no rhythm or toughness. We didn't set a great tone. Late in the first half and second half, we were much better."

On the turnovers down the stretch…
"That's two critical ones by good ball handlers. You can't let that happen, especially in that situation at the end of the game on the road."

On finishing games…
"When you turn the ball over in critical points of the game, you can't have that. I just think we have to make shots and make plays. Those are the biggest differences when you're on the road, having players step up and make plays. We didn't capitalize, we had great opportunities but didn't capitalize."

On losing road games…
You learn and you grow from it, for us it's just the consistency of it. You have to carry the scouting report from start to finish. One thing we haven't been good at all year is making three-point shots. We have to be able to make those, especially when we're open. Three-point shooting is one thing where I thought we'd be better."

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Players Mentioned

Blake Hinson

Breein Tyree

The University of Mississippi Athletics