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Opening statement:

"We're very pleased with the free throw shooting tonight. You're going to win a lot of games when you go to the line 30 times, and you'll win when you make 26 of 30. Can't promise that we'll keep doing that, but we love it right now. Hats off to Rico (Gathers) and Taurean (Prince) going 16 for 16. That's tremendous."

On the beginning of the second halfà ¢Ã¢' ¬ ¦

"It's amazing that sometimes what we say at halftime is just the opposite of what happens. We ended the first half poorly, so we wanted to start off the second half fast. From now on I'll tell them to start the second half slow and see what happens. I probably should've called timeout quicker so I could organize us. I thought that when we switched to the zone we got a couple of stops, got in transition and got a lot more active. The good thing is that we have depth. When you go to the bench you don't lose, and sometimes you improve, which is awesome."

On the Bears' passing gameà ¢Ã¢' ¬ ¦

"No question that coaches would love to have 23 assists. With the 12 turnovers, we'd like to get that down to the single digits, but 23 (assists) is outstanding."

Senior Taurean Prince

On bouncing back from slow start in second halfà ¢Ã¢' ¬ ¦

"They went on an 11-2 run and when any team goes on a run like that, they're going to try to turn it up a notch and bring more intensity. I think we did a good job as a team of turning that momentum around and getting back to what we do best. We got the ball to our posts and were able to play out of that."

On having a break coming upà ¢Ã¢' ¬ ¦

"It's always good to get a break, but you still have to be active as an athlete. You can't just sit around and not do anything. You still have to get in the gym, get some shots up, and spend some quality time with the people that you love. At the same time, you still have a job ahead of you, so you have to be ready to get back to practice to keep getting better."

Sophomore Al Freeman

On team's 3-point successà ¢Ã¢' ¬ ¦

"When we're playing well and moving the ball, a lot of times defenses end up scrambling. We just essentially try to take what the defense gives us. If they close out hard, then we stress dropping our shoulder and getting into the paint. If they play back on us, then all of us are good shooters and are confident in our ability to knock down shots."

On noon start the day after Thanksgivingà ¢Ã¢' ¬ ¦

"We talked as a team and knew our circumstances, so we tried to make a conscious effort to not overdo it like you normally would on Thanksgiving. It was different. I wouldn't say it was difficult, but it was different. We aren't used to playing this early, but every game is a game and whenever you step on the court you're expected to perform your best. We tried our best to come out here today and get a win, get better, and play as hard as we can."

ARKANSAS STATE POSTGAME QUOTES

Arkansas State Head Coach John Brady

Opening statement:

"That (Baylor) team overpowered us. My team didn't quite guard as well, but on the other hand Baylor has some weapons. They're long, they shoot the ball well, shot balls over us, were physical around the goal, but our team really did some good things. Offensively we were fine. We scored 72 points, which is good relative to who we played. That (Baylor) team just overpowered us. Watching the game tape between Baylor and Oregon, I think Baylor has a better team than Oregon. I know they lost the game on the road up there, but I think they've got a real good team. I think they can do some real good things. They've got some power around the basket and block shots. They just shot the ball so well, and to me they just score so easily."

On what his team did to get back into the game at the start of the second halfà ¢Ã¢' ¬ ¦

"We executed, made some shots and stopped them. That's probably the biggest stretch that we stopped them four or five times in a row. We got a little happy and a little giddy. We tried to drive the ball in between three or four guys and got a charging foul. Then we turned the ball over two times after that with a travel and a missed layup. Those things stopped our momentum and Baylor came down and made a three point play. When you have opportunities like that against this Baylor team, you have to capitalize on it. We looked like we belonged on the floor for a while, for about 10 minutes. We just need to defend better."

On matching up with Baylor's lengthà ¢Ã¢' ¬ ¦

"With that length and strength, they're a lot more physical than we are. Within six to eight feet of the goal is where we had some problems today. We'd have to help down in the paint, and they'd kick the ball out and hit threes. They shot the ball really well today from out there. They were about 10 for 23 from the arc, but they made them all at the right time. Every time they needed one they'd jump up and knock it down. But I like this Baylor team, and I think they are going to be really tough to beat, even in the league they play in. I like what they are able to do and their versatility."