Feb. 28, 2004

Recap |  Box Score

SDSU Postgame Quotes
Feb. 28, 2004
Peterson Gym
SDSU vs. New Mexico

SDSU Head Coach Jim Tomey

On the team's last-second loss:
"At the moment, (the loss is) extremely painful. We had our team ready to play and they executed and out hustled the opponent for the majority of the game and weren't able to come up with the goods. It's disappointing - there's no other words to describe it."

On what he told the team at halftime:
"We talked about believing and outfighting the opponent for the last 20 minutes and felt we could shoot the ball a little better, which is what we did, and we'd have a great chance to win the game. The kids believed and were eager to play tonight and it's a disappointment that we couldn't seal it at the end."

On if the Aztecs' 25 three-point attempts were part of the game plan:
"We get three's and lay-ups mostly in our offense or shots close to the basket. If Courtney (Fritz) and Michelle (Elliott) have a look at a three, they're told to take them. We've been living and dying with that all year long and their three's helped us get back in the game tonight. It's part of our game plan every night."

On how long the loss will stick with the team and how they'll prepare for the two games next week:
"It's going to stick in our throats the next couple of days, but I'm that happy my team's still fighting. We've had a tough season - close losses and disappointing ones. It's a tribute to our team that it can come here this late in the season against one of the best teams in our league and play them toe-to-toe for 40 minutes. I'm going to promise you that we're going to go to Utah and be competitive in both those games."

SDSU Freshman Guard Courtney Fritz

On the team's last-second loss:
"It's hard. We fought so hard and feel like we deserved that game. It's hard to have our chances and not be able to grab a hold of them and take the game away."

On how long the loss will stick with the team and how they'll prepare for the two games next week:
"I'm sure it's going to last through the rest of the weekend, but come Monday we're going to have to have the mindset to come back and practice and stay eager. We need to comeback and work just as hard and surprise more people, just like we did with the score of this game and how we almost took it from them."

On the team's progress:
"We're improving each game and you can tell that our hearts keep growing and regardless of a win or a loss, we're ready to play. I'm proud that our team came out tonight against one of the best teams in our league and showed that we can play with them."