Dec. 27, 2002
Dick Davey, Santa Clara Head Coach
"We were really lucky to get out of this one with a win and we are really happy to be in tomorrow night's championship game. The first half was a bit sloppy and we weren't playing to our potential. In the second half, we started putting the ball into the basket and it opened up some other things for us. It gives us another look when somebody steps up and makes some shots, certainly. Brandon (Rohe) has matured into the position (of point guard) for us. He has kept his turnovers down in the last few games and he just has three in our three games. Coming out of high school, we knew he could shoot the ball. We are pleased with his decision-making abilities and his ballhandling is better than we thought."
Brandon Rohe, Santa Clara Freshman Guard
"Getting the win tonight was the important thing. The guys were doing a great job in setting screens and getting me open. I've been playing point guard the last few weeks due to injuries and such. I am a natural two-guard, which I played in high school, so there has been a bit of an adjustment to make to this new position. I the first half we just weren't playing well. Fortunately, in the second half we managed to pull it out. I'd like to think I'll never miss a shot. I guess that's the shooter mentality in me. The team tells me to keep shooting. I just like to play basketball, particularly as long as we are winning."
Lafayette Stribling, Mississippi Valley State Head Coach
"That number 10 (Rohe) really hurt us. We knew he could shoot the ball. We just weren't doing the things defensively that we needed to do to stop him. It seemed as though we would forget which player was hurting us. I'm not sure how that happens. He really played well for them. Santa Clara outrebounded us by a large margin in the second half and that really made a difference. We were about even on the boards at halftime, then they outrebounded us 24-8 in the second half. (MVSU alumnus) Jerry Rice was a great athlete. He didn't play basketball at Mississippi Valley State but he could have. He was a great person as well as a great athlete and he could do it all.
