March 6, 2006

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Loyola Marymount Head Coach Rodney Tention
I want to say congratulations to Mark and his team. They were a very good team and we were very fortunate to have the opportunity to play them here tonight. Wish them the best of luck. Difficult loss, you can see on these guys faces it hurt. It was a privilege to work with these guys and we are going to continue to work. They toughened up when they got down and we hung in there and I'm very proud of my team for that because they never stopped competing. We'll learn from this.

They(Gonzaga) did a good job, trapped him, we got a shot up and we got a put back attempt but it just wasn't meant to go in.

It's always about the defense, we got ourselves in the position to win the game, the shot just wasn't meant to go in tonight.

We can't win this game without you (Brandon) on the court. I tell all my guys they got to play smart now.

They are a dynamic duo for us (Knight and Worthy)

Our guys wanted to win tonight, they wanted it bad tonight

Loyola Marymount player Matthew Knight
Even when we had the 4 game losing streak we still believed in each other. We worked hard for this tournament

Loyola Marymount player Brandon Worthy
I looked up at the clock and all I remember is it being 4.4 seconds.

We were not giving them second chance opportunities and when we were coming down we were being patient with our offensive. It just came down to being patient with our offense and knocking down the shots.

I can't describe it. This is probably the most devastating feeling I've ever felt. It's like an emptiness inside you, a void that can't be filled and only time will heal I guess. To be so close and have the opportunity at the end to make it to the NCAA tournament and to have that taken away from you, it's a feeling I've never felt.

Gonzaga Head Coach Mark Few
We needed every ounce of McCarthey magic to fig that one out tonight. LMU beat us in every facet of the game for 30 minutes. I thought Erroll Knight, Jeremy Pargo and David Pendergraft got in there and really changed the complection of the game. They got us going and obviously these two guys (Morrison and Batista) were grinding all night. They just made play after play after play and really got us going, and that was the key to the whole game right there.

I thought Loyola far and away did a great job. It's sad that they got off to such a slow start in the non-conference season because I said when we went down there to play them in Los Angeles they have the look of a tournament team. I think Rodney Tention has done just a fantastic job. He would have been a very, very worthy coach of the year.

Jeremy and Pendo and Erroll just drew a line in the sand said it wasn't going to happen tonight.

JP, what a courageous effort by him. He probably slept an hour and a half the past 24 hours trying to treat this thigh bruise and knee situation.

We all take for granted poor Adam (Morrison) he just gets mauled for 40 minutes. And yet, he got some big rebounds and got some key stops.

Erroll's claiming he did (get a hand on the game's last shot). And the way he was flying around tonight, it wouldn't surprise me if he did.

We had no energy. We weren't pushing the ball. We weren't getting the ball in the right sports. We were very stagnant. It was just time to see somebody else.

We needed every ounce from the crowd tonight. I think the crowd didn't give up on us. They stayed with us and stayed with us and kind of pulled us back into the game.

They're playing like a tournament team. I feel for Rodney (Tention). I wish he would have got rewarded with an NCAA bid his first year out, because he deserves it.

They were ultra, ultra aggressive, and we were extremely passive. I think they saw blood in the water, and they just got after us.

We're going to take a couple days off, then we're going to get after it. We have to shore some things up.

It was loud (the crowd), and it got us going. And what it was it was unconditional, and thank God for that because we were stinking it up for a while. That's the greatest thing about our fans, it's unconditional support, and love for the Zags. And it was a factor in us winning the game. If this was somewhere else, we probably don't get it done.

I was so proud of Mo for getting on the floor, I lost sense of everything after that. That was huge. He sent a strong message to his teammates that not in my house. It's not going to happen. Then Jeremy made a nice little pass to Erroll. Those kind of plays can really get you going. But the message was sent by Adam by saying like 'hey I'm selling myself out, so everybody else needs to bring it.'

Gonzaga's Adam Morrison
Everybody just wanted to get off the floor (after the game). I think we've thanked the fans enough. We felt that we already did it (cut down the nets). Our fans got to see it on our senior night. We just didn't feel like doing it.

It's been a grueling, tough conference season. To come out the way we did, it's special for our fans and ourselves. I think being down 15 with 12 to go, it takes a lot out of you emotionally to try to dig down and not mentally quit and say 'It's too big of a deficit.' Coming back and winning, you just let all your emotions go.

That's what's so great about college sports, it's all about the team.

They got some great players on their team. They're one of the better team's in our league. It's just a shame that they didn't get a chance to go to the NIT or the NCAA tournament. You can see the way they battled us the last two times. I've been in those situations where bam your season's done, and I really feel for those guys. You know it's not a fun place to be. I just take my hat off to LMU. They played their hardest they could

We decided in the huddle to trap a ball screen, not to let someone get a rhythm dribble shot. And he was in the corner, and I was on Haywood. And I didn't want him to get the ball because he was calling for the ball. And I turned and I saw Ayer wide open, and it was one of those split second things. And Erroll made a play and got a hand on the ball or distracted him enough to have him miss. We're fortunate we played good enough defense down the stretch to win.

I still haven't made that decision (to go to the NBA). Obviously we want to win it in front of our fans, in front of my parents. So I just want to go out in style, but I might have another year to go out in style. So it all depends. You guys don't get to know yet. I know you guys are going to find out right now, but it's not going to happen.

Gonzaga's JP Batista
I want to thank God and all my friends who sent their prayers for me last night. I probably slept two hours last night, and I haven't been home since 8.

Everything that was going through my head was 'just help my team out.' I knew this was going to be my last game out on this floor. I thank God for the opportunity to come out and help.

I had an MRI this morning and it showed that it was completely fine, just a little strain in the MCL which is a minor thing.

It was a little sore this morning, but the trainers and the doctors did a great job. We worked the whole day. They taped my knee, and it was feeling great.