Rutgers Basketball HC Steve Pikiell talks with the media following Wednesday afternoon's 76-72 loss to Ohio State inside of the Schottenheimer Center.
Opening Statement:
"We really got back in this game. They had some unbelievable shots in the first half, tip of the hat to them. I watched some film at halftime and I thought we played really well on the defensive end, but they were on an amazing clip. We really tried to hang in there, we outrebounded them and they will be in the top-25 next week. We just fought. I loved how we connected, but we need to get better. We showed some signs and I still believe this team can score 80 points, and we did get the ball up and down the court, but there are no moral victories in this great league. I'm proud of our effort but it wasn't enough."
On second-half adjustments:
"They made some unbelievable threes and I think Austin Williams helped us out greatly late in the second half. (Bruce) Thornton was getting in the lane and was really using his size and strength over our guards. Austin stayed ready, that's what this team has to be. Derek [Simpson] also was outstanding today and he got eight rebounds. We have been asking our guards to do more on the backboards. He and Noah [Fernandes] really helped us a great deal. We did a better job late stopping their threes, but they have so many weapons. I loved our tenacity, but we let them get too big of a lead early. We showed some good signs, but it really isn't easy in this league."
On Derek Simpson's offensive performance:
"We need Derek to be aggressive like that. Especially with the way they play defense. We recognized that every team plays defense differently. I know Derek (Simpson) can finish the plays he needs to, downhill or in the lane. He's a really good mid-range guy and though some games priors haven't been like this. We have a lot of faith in him. Noah [Fernandes] was very aggressive today too. They both did a really good job in stepping up. We will continue to get better."
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