Postgame Quotes: Oklahoma State vs Stanford

Oklahoma State head coach Mike Boynton
On both teams' strengths being showcased throughout the game:
"Our hats go off to them. They have a heck of a team. It's no wonder why they had the success that they had during the regular season. They have a lot of depth, a lot of size and skilled players who can pass it and shoot it pretty well. I'm proud of our guys for being able to find a way, even though we didn't play our best 40 minutes. But we played well enough to get away from them at the end of the game."
On Jeffrey Carroll's limited minutes:
"I wasn't really saving him, but I do understand the situation we were in. We could very well be on a plane for a couple of hours tomorrow on our way to the west coast for a game on Wednesday. In the back of my mind, I have to put all my chips on the table right now. When we got the lead in the first quarter, I thought it was a chance for us to rest him a little bit. Unfortunately, we didn't hold on to the lead as well as I'd have hoped, but we had him fresh there at the end."
On the team's mindset in the fourth quarter:
"I told them, quite frankly, that "this is it. If we don't get it together and play well for the next 10 minutes, this will be the last time we meet in this setting." I think that was something that meant something to them. I really enjoy coaching this team and they enjoy playing with each other, so they came out with a lot of fire in the fourth quarter."
On Stanford's length:
"They have really good athletes too. They pass it well and we were able to take advantage of them not really having a backup point guard and someone that was fresh in there quite a bit. We were able to speed them up when we needed to, but on the boards they dominated us."
On tonight's crowd:
"It was unbelievable. They kind of willed us through some not-great minutes. They were energetic and lifted our guys up. Our guys are certainly very thankful that they all came out and supported us tonight."

OSU guard Kendall Smith
On when he and teammate Jeffrey Carroll are on the same page
"When we're both playing at a really high level, it's a matchup problem for the other team. When we're going on the offensive end, it lights a fire under both of us. It helps up to be even more locked in on the defensive end, and I think this team prides itself on the defensive end."
On what changed for the offense in the fourth quarter
"Sometimes we can get in those little phases where we don't score as much. But we weren't ready for this team to be over with and we stepped up as leaders and talked to the team in the huddle. Immediately in the beginning of the fourth quarter, we came out with the right mindset. We were getting stops and getting out running."
On the confidence of the team
"No matter who play, you can look at the team and we've beaten them. No disrespect to Stanford or anything like that, but when we're playing in Gallagher-Iba Arena and we have our fans on our side, that really uplifts us. I knew if we took care of what we needed to take care of on the defensive end, then we were going to come out with a win."
On getting points off turnovers
"It's definitely important. We've prided ourselves on the defensive end all year. When we're really locked in on the defensive end, I think we're a really good team. We're going to go on some scoring droughts, but that's the name of the game. If we're locked in defensively, they can't score either. I think our focus every game is first on defense."

OSU forward Jeffrey Carroll
On his night offensively
"I was just trying to play my game. I tried to take the shots that I take every day, so I was just trying to play my game."
On knowing he was in the zone
"For sure, because I do that for each game. I started seeing that ball go through the rim and that got me going."
On the impact of the crowd
"I was pretty shocked, honestly. We knew the students were gone for break, but we had a great crowd tonight."
On the team's free-throw shooting
"Coach Boynton wrote free throws for all of us to see on the board. That's not us. I even missed a few that I normally don't miss, so that's just focus."
On helping teammate Mitchell Solomon on the boards
"That's my job. I take pride in getting on the boards. Scoring and getting on the boards are my two things to do. I have to do them every night."

Stanford senior forward Michael Humphrey
On his thoughts about his last game and the program's future
"It's crazy how quickly it comes to an end. With coach Haase and the guys they have in the locker room coming back next year, I know I'll always be a Stanford Cardinal fan. They're in very good shape. I know they'll work hard this offseason and only get better. It's been an amazing four years, and something I'd do again in a heartbeat and wouldn't trade it for anything."

Stanford redshirt junior forward Reid Travis
On the flow of the game
"I felt like there were parts where we did a good job running our offense and attacking. There were other times where we were thinking too much. That's hurt us here and there all season. I was proud of the way we were aggressive throughout the game. It's unfortunate that some plays resulted in turnovers."
On Michael Humphrey
"I got a lot to say about Mike. He was my freshman roommate coming in and we spent a whole summer together. He was a great friend of mine and somebody I'll always remember being a teammate with the rest of my life. How we commanded the block over these past four years together was special. I've grown a lot with Mike and to see him cap his career off like this is something special. He's been willing to do the dirty work and got 20 rebounds if we needed it."

Stanford head coach Jerod Haase
On the 12-1 run the Cowboys had during the fourth quarter
"I think they got some clean looks from 3. Our defensive rebounding wasn't nearly as good in the second half as it was in the first half. I think that was a defining part of the game. They got some clean looks. Some of them were defensive breakdowns, and some of them were in transition. For the most part, I thought we were really good, but you can't give a team those clean looks, and I think that ended up being the difference."
On the second quarter
"The message in the first quarter was that we were doing the right things. The ball either wasn't going in, or we were a step too slow on defense. The gameplan was there and the intent of the guys executing the gameplan was there, but the scoreboard wasn't how we wanted it. There weren't really any tactical changes. It was more the ebb and flow of the game."
On turning the ball over
"That's been a problem for us all year, and it was a problem for us again tonight. Moving forward as a program, we have to address and fix that, and we will. We have to be in a position to attack. I want our guys to be aggressive. We haven't figured out collectively to make plays at top speeds and get them right, and that's completely on me. We'll coach that on the offseason."
On Humphrey's performance
"Mike was an absolute warrior out there, not only with points and rebounds, but also leading the team. He did everything right, which is a cool way to go out."
On how the crown impacted the game
"I thought it was great. I thought it was a fantastic crowd. I've been here before and understand it's an enthusiastic group and loud and the whole bit. I think their team feeds off their energy. I also think our team played with a lot of poise. We've been in a lot of good environments this season and this was fantastic. I think it fed energy to their team and they fed off that, but I thought we did a really nice job of keeping our poise."

Oklahoma State University Athletics

Players Mentioned

Jeffrey Carroll

Kendall Smith

Mitchell Solomon

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