Sha Sounds Off: Rutgers

On Rutgers’ energy being the difference:

“I don’t know, that’s a good question. I want to give their guys credit, I thought they came out with a good game plan. I’m a big fan of Steve Pikiell, he’s doing a great job over there, him and his staff. But I don’t know, I’m disappointed, I thought they came out and out-toughed us, outscrapped us, outcoached us. We gotta do a better job, all of us, including me. It’s a quick turnaround, we gotta make sure we take care of business the next two days to get ready for a good Monmouth team on Tuesday.”

On Rutgers’ Jamichael Davis:

“He played good. I’m a fan of his, I’ve been watching him on film. He comes in the game and I wasn’t shocked he started tonight, just because he brings a lot of energy on the defensive end. He did a good job and he hit some shots, and again, hats go off to those guys. They made 12 threes, I think seven in the first half. We knew that a couple guys were gonna make shots, but they started bombing away and the next thing you know, you’re down. But even with that being said, in the first half, I think we missed seven free throws, right? So you’re down eight and you make those free throws, now you’re down one, and then it’s a different ballgame. But I thought he played well tonight.”

On Mawot Mag returning for Rutgers:

“He came back, I thought he gave them a boost. He actually gives those guys toughness. He’s a good basketball player. Of course he picked this game to come back, right? But it was good to see him back out there. I also, to tell you the truth, Jerry, I don’t think my guys understood the magnitude of this game. All our new guys, they don’t know the rivalry and how important it is. Obviously, I think (Rutgers) did a good job making sure their guys understood that, but we didn’t and I thought we came out and played a little timid. We weren’t aggressive. We got a couple of guys who gotta do more for us, and I’m disappointed in them.”

On Rutgers’ 3-point shooting:

“I thought we came out — we knew they had a couple guys who could make shots, that kid (Gavin) Griffiths could really shoot the ball, (Aundre) Hyatt, the kid (Noah) Fernandes as well. But I didn’t anticipate, like I said, Jamichael Davis, making those threes. I thought we did a good job controlling the paint a little bit, not letting them get baskets in the paint, but they started hitting threes. When you hit 12 threes, nobody’s winning, especially not in a game like this where it’s a rock fight.”

On Al-Amir Dawes:

“I’m gonna say the same thing I said to the radio guys: When you’ve got a guy who’s a 40 percent career 3-point shooter — and I thought he had some good shots tonight — I’m not gonna tell the guy who’s shooting 40 percent for his career, ‘don’t shoot the basketball.’ As a player, you gotta have a feel for the game too, and when your shot’s not going, you gotta do other things. And that’s what we’re gonna do the next two days, I’m gonna watch film with him just like I watched film with him the last couple days, just to make sure he’s seeing opportunities to drive the basketball and make plays for others.”

On not capitalizing on homecourt advantage:

“It was a great turnout. I’m happy that everybody came out to support this game, but we gotta do a better job of preparing. I thought we had a good game plan, but they just came out and out-toughed us, outplayed us.”