Fordham 87, Manhattan 64: Quotes From Jeff Neubauer & Mandell Thomas

Neubauer's opening statement:
"Our team did a lot of tough things here today, and it's important as we develop this program. In the first half, we turned it over too many times, we had 14 turnovers and that's not who we are. In the second half, we played more like who we've been and who we're going to be, meaning we only had five turnovers and we were still throwing the ball in the post, I mean, we threw the ball in the post over and over, so it wasn't like our guys were hesitant or tentative. They were just making the right passes. Defensively, we've got to work on not fouling. Once the intentional foul happened, we knew the whistle was going to blow every possession the rest of the way, and it did, and this year in college basketball, you've got to be able to guard the ball without fouling, and we certainly have to improve there."

On offensive balance with five players in double figures:
"Yeah, we talk about balance, and we're going to be balanced. Mandell (Thomas) is a terrific player, (and) we've got other really good basketball players on this team, but it's not one individual. It's about guys just playing together. Jon Severe had two fouls in the first half and didn't get to play many minutes, (but) I really thought he played well in the second half. He's the one starter that didn't have double figures, but he was making the right pass over and over, whether it was into the post or driving and sharing with a teammate. So, our guys are playing the right way, and we have a long, long way to go. Our defense is going to get better and our guys are doing a lot of good things."

On his first Battle of the Bronx experience:
"From my perspective, there really was no lead up to it. I haven't been interviewed by any TV station, so there's been absolutely zero lead up, and Rose Hill Gym was not sold out, so I've been part of bigger rivalries than this."

On focusing on Shane Richards when game planning for Manhattan:
"We did feel like Shane was very important to them. He is a terrific player and in past years, from what I understand, he's been an outstanding three-point shooter. Now he gets fouled, he puts it on the deck, he's got game, so he is really hard to guard and he was the focus of our defense. We did put different people on him, and he certainly was a key for us to defending Manhattan."

On Fordham's depth:
"That's who we are. We played the same amount of guys today that we've played the last several games, so right now, this is who we are and quite honestly, one of the things that really hurt us in the first half is I played too many defenses and we pressed. They really hurt our press. In the second half, we simply played halfcourt man-to-man, and our defense was much better."

On game plans early in the season before Atlantic 10 play:
"I think every game is different. That's the way we phrase it to our team, that we're going to do similar things every game. For example, we play our man-to-man defense. Now in certain games, we've got to focus on a player like Shane, or we have to focus on a point guard, we have to focus on a post player. That is part of the learning process, just tweaking your game plan every game. However, to me, it's more about that rebound we didn't get with 1:47 left. That's got to be our rebound, so it's more about our team."

On response following intentional foul against Manhattan's Zane Waterman:
"Our team was level-headed after the incident, and the rule is that only the head coach can leave the bench, so I obviously did not do a good job preparing our team for that situation. I thought the officials did handle it very well, but we had four guys ejected, and I've got to do a better job coaching our team."

Mandell Thomas (26 points, 5 rebounds) on Fordham's four-game winning streak:
"I think we're headed in the right direction. It's been a while since Fordham won four straight, so I'm looking forward to St. John's, another big team we're playing against on Wednesday, and hopefully we'll get another 'W.'"

On crowd atmosphere:
"I've been a part of this four years. This has always been intense, Fordham-Manhattan, a rivalry game, this year, another intense game, so it's fun being out there. The crowd gets into it and it's even better when we win, so it's always a good time."

On potentially making a statement should Fordham beat St. John's:
"I think it would be a big statement. We're all in New York City and we're trying to take over New York as well, but we've got more games after that. We've got to continue to strive to beat other teams as well. We can't just focus on those two teams, (Manhattan and St. John's) but if we get those two wins, I think we'll be good."