North Carolina State University Athletics
NC State-Duke coaches quotes
1/26/2008 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
NC State coach Jim Valvano
“This was a very good win. We really needed it. It’s tough watching a 15-point lead almost go down the drain. Something must be done about the rules. In the last four minutes when you’re trying to protect a lead and they’re trying to foul, the most we can get is two points. It’s usually a one-and-one. They can go down and get three points. The refs have a tough time trying to decide if the foul is intentional.
“We needed the win, obviously. We could be 10-5 (instead of 9-6), but we didn’t get the win Sunday against
“Duke is a fine club. Most of their players are younger, and they’re really going to be good in time. They’ve got a great future ahead of them.
“Ernie had a spectacular game. Like I’ve said before, he’s a scorer, not a shooter. You just don’t realize how many points he’s getting. I had no idea he had 35. When a guy swishes them in from the outside, you sit back and say Wow’ and you know he’s getting a bundle. Ernie just had a super game.
“If a guard can dominate a game without scoring a lot, Sidney Lowe did tonight. He made steals, he played great defense, he made super passes, he just did it all. Lowe is just an outstanding player.”
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Duke Coach Mike Krzyzewski
“The battle of the boards told the story. They beat us badly on the boards. When we played well defensively then we played well on offense. The boards were the key to the game. We just didn’t play well on the boards.
“It was a very physical game and I think that gave them an edge in the experience at Lowe and Bailey’s positions. They were key to the game. They both are outstanding players and played very well tonight.
“Our intensity on defense hurt us. Our effort on defense, if drawn on a graph, would show two peaks where we played with a good effort. Both times we got back in the ball game.”
NOTES: The 35 points by NC State freshman Ernie Myers was the most ever scored by a Wolfpack freshman. The previous record was shared by Myers against Georgia Tech and Clyde Austin against
