Post-game quotes
Post-game QuotesArkansas vs TexasJanuary 6, 2009
Arkansas Head Coach John Pelphrey:“We were fortunate to win. I have nothing but the utmost respect for Texas. They are a tremendous team and we were very, very fortunate to win.”
“It was a tough first half with (Courtney) Fortson getting two quick fouls but Welsh stepped in and did a good job. (Michael) Washington was playing well, and then got into some foul trouble, and we fought hard to get through the first half.”
“Coming out in the second half we thought if we could run our game and get our shots we could win. It was a battle of two good teams and we were fortunate to win. It was a defensive battle and with 20,000 people behind us that put us over the edge. Razorback Nation really helped us out, we couldn’t have won without them.”
Arkansas Player Quotes:Courtney Fortson“We knew if we kept attacking we’d win. We played their game, it shows we can play with any team, and play any game.”
Stefan Welsh“The first half we were missing Michael (Washington) and we knew if we kept it at a manageable game we could come back at full strength and win. After beating Oklahoma, we knew we could come out and play anybody, and we proved that.”
Michael Washington“I just wanted to win. Loosing (Dexter) Pittman to foul trouble really hurt them and helped us. It was big for them to lose him and a big advantage for us.”
Texas Head Coach Rick Barnes:“I think John (Pelphrey) has done a good job with this team. They played hard and they really understand their roles. They hung in there and made the plays they needed to make down the stretch. We didn’t make those kinds of plays and that is what it really comes down to. We broke down at the end defensively and offensively we lost the ball too many times, plain and simple. You have to make the plays in the open court and we didn’t do that tonight.”
Texas Player Quotes:A.J. Abrams“We had a good week of practice and really competed hard against each other throughout the week. Arkansas is a tough place to play, but we really weren’t on our game tonight.
“Arkansas showed that they are a good team, they have beaten a couple of really good teams here in the last week and have really been able to execute their game plan.”
Damion James“Arkansas is well coached and a good team. They really do what they need to do. When they need to rebound, they rebound and when they need a three, they get a three. They are a good team.”
