Postgame Quotes: OSU vs Oral Roberts

Oklahoma State head coach Mike Boynton

On the horn issues:
"That doesn't happen very often. It kind of threw everybody off. I think the crowd tried to make light of it which was cool. I'm really thankful that Coach Mills and his staff handled it well because that was a really awkward situation, especially considering where the game was at the moment."

On how the energy carried over into the second half:
"No question about it. We played the right way through all that stuff that went on. We just wanted to keep preaching to our guys to play the game the right way and be solid defensively. No messing around, just trying to take care of the basketball."

On Mitchell Solomon:
"He's our rock. He's the guy that kind of sets the tone for us defensively because he knows where to be at all times. He understands all of our schemes. He can cover a lot of ground and makes up for a lot of mistakes because he's very smart. For him to have a good offensive night and to rebound the ball is a bonus for us and it's something I hope we can build on."

On if something Brandon Averette does energizes the team:
"He has a swagger about him. His confidence comes from work. He really embodies the "Let's Work" mentality of our program. He spends as much time around this gym as anybody and it really pays off. His teammates know that and when he gets going, they all like each other, (so it gets them going). He had nine assists and no turnovers tonight, and that's something I'm really proud of."

On why Cam McGriff didn't play in the first half:
"Everything in our program is about making sure we're living up to the standards, and we don't lower those standards for anybody. He was late today and part of his consequence was he wasn't able to play in the first half. We hope that's a lesson he gets now and is something that isn't repeated. His teammates knew that part of the reason we didn't play as well in the first half was because we didn't have another guy available to us. It affected our team. I know he's a guy that will learn and grow from it."

On the team's chemistry:
"It's not like this team hasn't faced adversity, so we're talking about a group of guys that are living in the moment. They have a real appreciation for the fact that they can be here on this floor and play for this program. Regardless of whatever is going on around them, they're able to focus on each other, playing the right way, sharing the basketball and being so connected defensively. It's something I think we can build on."

On preparing to go home to Brooklyn:
"I'm thrilled for a lot of our players. I'm sure a lot of them have never been to New York City. It's an unbelievable place to visit and spend a little time. For three or four days, to get up there, enjoy yourself, see the sights and the lights and everything, it will be a great experience. But first thing's first, we've got a great opponent on Monday with guys that have a lot of talent. We'll enjoy tonight and start preparing from a coaching standpoint tomorrow. Then our guys will get up and we'll try to put our best foot forward."

Oklahoma State senior Mitchell Solomon

On his first half:
"Coach has challenged me to be more of a presence inside, so he was going to try to go to me, and I just wanted to take advantage of it. We knew ORU was really good inside, so I was going to be a big part of this game, so I tried to take the most of it."

On his thoughts on playing ORU
"It means a lot to me. I grew up going to ORU camps, going to ORU games, so it's kind of gone full cycle. I'm glad we were on the winning side. I have a lot of respect for the school. I have a lot of respect for the coaches and players."

On the team's defensive effort
"It's definitely been a big focus of Coach Boynton and he has instilled in us over the summer and in the preseason that we can still win games, even if we don't shoot well, if we play well on the defensive end, so we've put a lot of focus on that. Hopefully we can keep it going forward."

On playing a game with Eddie Sutton on the sideline
"It's really special. Being an Oklahoma kid, being from Tulsa, the fact my parents are from OSU and being a part of this tradition is really special. I almost can't put it into words."

On Scott Sutton
"He's done great. He took a week or so to get into the groove and get gelled in with all of us. He stands for the right things just like the rest of our coaching staff. It was an easy fit, so we're really excited to have his wisdom and expertise going forward."

Oklahoma State sophomore Brandon Averette

On ORU's gameplan to give him 3-point opportunities
"That's how teams have been guarding me so far: giving up the 3. I just stay in the gym working on my 3 just so people can't back off me."

On his nine to zero turnover/assist ratio
"That's one of the things coming into the year was turnovers. I just want to take my time, let everything come to me and don't force things."

On his hot start to the game
"Your first shot, especially your first few shots really get you going mentally. That picks up my defensive intensity and everything."

Oral Roberts head coach Paul Mills

On Scott Sutton on Oklahoma State's side this game...
"Scott is terrific. There not really a lot to elaborate on Scott...he's the all-time winningest coach at ORU. He is a fantastic coach and a fantastic person and he has gone above and beyond in regards of helping me transition at ORU."

On using the zone in the first half...
"We tried to play a little bit bigger than what we usually do and having three guys 6'8 or taller, one of the guys who usually plays center...a 6'10 kid, Javan White, just hasn't had enough reps on the wing in order to be really familiar with what was happening so I think that was more unfamiliarity with the position more than anything else...and that's my fault."

On Brandon Averette overall...
"I've known Brandon and watched Brandon play a lot specifically in high school when I was at Baylor and him being from Texas you know he hasn't shot it well so when he made the first two from 3-point range it was a little concerning because we were willing to give up that shot obviously finishing the game four for six. It's a credit to him that he has that kind of confidence to take those shots. Brandon is good, Brandon is tenacious and on a count of that he is going to contribute a lot to the Big 12 conference."

Oklahoma State University Athletics

Players Mentioned

Brandon Averette

Mitchell Solomon

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