Clemson vs. Florida State Postgame Coaches’ Quotes

Feb. 8, 2009

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Clemson Head Coach Oliver Purnell

On his overall impressions of the game: “Obviously this is a very disappointing loss. On our home court, in a game we had some control of in the second half. We weren’t playing our best and still had some control. I think we were up 19 in the second half and really didn’t play well from then on. Florida State, give them credit because they hung in there and that’s what you’ve got to do.”

On the reason for Florida State’s comeback: “They finished on a 24-6 run, so we obviously didn’t stop them, and we didn’t score.”

On what he told his team in the locker room after the game: “The last thing I told them was that we’ve got to bounce back. Our approach and attitude toward tomorrow’s practice is important. Now we have to go on the road and use the lessons from what Florida State did today and what we’ve done in the past.”

On whether his team was emotionally flat: “I don’t want to give the impression that we were that flat; we were good enough to be up 19 points in the second half. We weren’t good enough to win, but I just didn’t think we were that flat.”

On his team’s offensive problems: “We had some guys pressing and not taking good shots, we didn’t set good screens, and we missed some shots. I thought it was a combination of poor offense and not stopping them like we did in the first half.”

Florida State Head Coach Leonard Hamilton

On overall game: “Obviously in the first half Clemson came out at us defensively. When we did beat the press, I thought we looked tentative. I am proud of our team. They really stayed focused. There were four freshman on the floor for most of the second half. “

On end of the game: “We didn’t have much choice at the end except to play defense. We had to have stops to win. We were just playing the game to get the stops and not looking to score.

“I think the kids grew up in terms of communicating on the floor.

“I liked our synergy and the attitude on the court and on the bench. Everyone was involved. That’s the type of camaraderie we want.”

On atmosphere: “This is a great atmosphere. Hats off to the administration and Oliver, they made this place a challenging place to play. I’m proud we stepped up in this atmosphere.

“We needed this atmosphere to see how to play on the road.”

On win: “This is a tremendous win. I have so much respect for Clemson. They are holding a spot that we want to get to.

“Clemson’s talent backed us into a corner so that we had to create the synergy.

“I’m glad we fought back and won this game.”