Marquette vs. IUPUI Game Notes-Quotes

Nov. 10, 2007

IUPUI Head Coach Ron Hunter
"I really thought my kids played hard. I thought it was great, when George Hill got his fourth, we could have folded and our kids hung in there a little bit. Our kids really just did a good job of hanging in there. I would have loved to see how the game would've played out had Hill not gotten his fourth. We played a great basketball game. We played the best team on our schedule and if we play like that the rest of the way, we've got the chance to have something special. We came into a hostile environment, played a good solid basketball team, I thought we did a great job. Our focus tonight was limiting Dominic. Our kids know him and I thought we did a really nice job of making it tough on him. We said some other guys were going to have to make plays and they did.

Lazar Hayward
On season being underway and getting first win...
"We came out and we had fun. We were happy to play. Even though the win wasn't really how we wanted it, we were pumped. You know, we went out, it was the first game, usually starts off slow, but everybody enjoyed the win."

On coming into the second half...
"We come out a little bit earlier than usual, so we can get a good sweat going, make sure we start off very well. I think it changed our view on when another team goes on a run and we take a hit and we take another one, I think the third time around we bounce back, it helps us."

On his own play...
"I'm really just playing hard. I want to win with the rest of the guys. I think it goes back to the summertime and being able to work out with Todd, it really helps a lot. Now I know I just have my legs on me. I think last year, I was kind of playing catch-up, but just working out all summer has really helped me."

Jerel McNeal
On spark in the second half...
"I think we just tried to focus on getting the best out of our offense and trying to move the ball, trying to get the ball in the middle of the court, basically just get stops. I think that was the main problem, we weren't getting enough stops or rebounds. We played a pretty good team tonight. It was one of those situations where it was a really good first game for us, it was a measuring stick for us, letting us know where we are and where we can get better in our weaknesses.

Head coach Tom Crean
"We played against a team that I think will be an NCAA Tournament team at the end of the year. I don't know their league obviously like they know it, but I know they're good. They did some really good things to us. They made us work for our baskets, there were certain things we did really well against this offense, and there were things that we missed. We need to keep working on that. They did a good job of taking away our penetration. I thought we did a good job of shooting the ball, we hit the right kind of shots for the most part. I think our decision making at times needed to improve, but that's part of it being the first game. I think it will improve. We played a lot of different lineups. We went with the four-guard lineup for awhile at the end of the game. I think it helped us. We just have to learn when we get somebody down we've got to keep them down. We broke our lead in the second half and we just let them come right back and we've got to learn to stop that. I think a lot of good things that nobody panicked on the team and our fans didn't panic, they stayed with us. It was a great, great crowd tonight. There was great fan support, great student support. It was a very educated crowd. I think they knew that this was a great team."

MU won the first series meeting between Marquette and IUPUI, 76-68.

Marquette is now 76-15 all-time in season openers. MU has now won seven consecutive season openers and eight-of-nine in head coach Tom Crean's tenure.

Ahead 55-54, MU held IUPUI scoreless over the next three minutes as Wesley Matthews sparked an 11-2 run by the Golden Eagles, sinking a trey at the 7:27 mark.

Jerel McNeal scored nine of his 20 points in the first half. He finished shooting 8-of-11 from the field and connecting on 3-of-4 from the charity stripe.

Marquette's bench outscored the IUPUI bench, 26-1. Lazar Hayward came off the bech scoring 11 and David Cubillan connected for nine. The Jaguars lone bench point came from LeRoy Nobles.