Recap | Box Score | Notes | USATSI Gallery

4/5 BAYLOR (9-0) 89, NR/NR SOUTHERN (4-6) 59
Wed., Dec. 14, 2016
Ferrell Center (Waco, Texas)
Attendance: 5,091

BAYLOR POSTGAME QUOTES

Baylor Head Coach Scott Drew
Opening Statement...
"Well, coming off finals you're always worried - is the team going to be focused, are they going to have their legs, are they going to come out and not be ready to go? We got out to a great start and got separation early and then did a good job in maintaining that. Early in the second half we tried to make the spectacular plays instead of making the easy plays and we want to make sure that we operate and are more efficient, but I think the guys just wanted to excite the crowd a little bit."

On team being eager to play...
"Well I think that the good thing is we had a lot of them play 18 to 25 minutes, so you're able to keep them fresh, keep them focused out there. About the only thing that you would say that stood out that was poor was the free-throw shooting, so the good thing is we can work on that and do a better job in that area because we have been strong in that area up until today. But, a lot of positives from today's game and especially coming off finals you never know that to expect."

On what Nuni Omot adds to the team...
"Nuni is somebody that gives you a stretch four, he can play the three, versatile player. In practice it's one thing and in a game it's different, so you knew when he'd get out there there would be some jitters, there would be some excitement and now we've got 18 minutes of film to help him get better and help him relax a little bit... But, he's another guy that is a good teammate and makes the right plays, not a selfish player, a fundamentally sound player, and somebody that can definitely provide something for the team."

On difficulty to form rotation with 10 players in it...
"That's a good problem to have. Most coaches want that problem. So as long as the team puts the team first and knows that in basketball everybody has games where they play better and games where they don't play as well and I always say that players decide playing time."

Junior Johnathan Motley
On being ready to play after finals...
"We were very eager. It's tough going through stretches where you don't have a game and you're taking tests and studying. So we were very eager to get out here and handle business."

On what Nuni Omot adds to the team...
"Length, incredible athleticism, the ability to stretch the floor, because he shoots the ball so well at 6-9. He's just an awesome athlete. He'll add more athleticism than we already have. He'll add length to our defensive lineup. It will be good when he puts it all together.

Senior Ishmail Wainright
On treating every opponent the same...
"Coach preaches to us anybody can be beat. You've got to play every game like it's our last."

Southern Head Coach Roman Banks
On facing Baylor's post players...
"I knew they were going to go straight at us on the inside. Those guys are very long and can score the basketball. It just didn't look like we gave them enough fight. That's what I was disappointed in. It's fine. I know that we are giving up some inches and everything, but you're just letting the guy get into position. That's what I was disappointed in, and I think by the score. We started Emanuel (Sheperd) for that reason. We tried to get a better matchup. Actually, I didn't coach that well. That didn't work."

On having to play from behind...
"They were just more dominant than we were. They controlled the tempo. They got us defensively. I thought they did a very good job of challenging us out front in being long. In the second half, I think we cut (Baylor's lead) to 19, and we had a couple of shots. Our guys went back door and we fed them, and we missed two layups. Obviously, that's intimidation from the big guys. So, I think that was our last true run at that point."

On relying on two players to score...
"It's really tough. I thought Baylor did a good job because Trelun (Banks) would usually give us 10 to 15 points. It just depends on the flow of the basketball game. I don't even know if he got an attempt the second half, or maybe just one attempt. He had some shots rim in and out, but obviously they kept pushing him out. I think it bothered him a little bit. Six attempts are not enough for him. He's got to shoot the ball at least 10 shots. Our other problem is finding another shooter."