Arizona State Head Coach Rob Evans -Opening Statement: I thought our guys did everything they could to win a basketball game, but we couldn't get to the line enough to match the opponent. 52% shooting in the game and 13 turnovers should be enough to win. A great player played a great game and that is what big time players do. Casey Jacobsen put them on their backs, that's why he's an All American.
What are you going to take away from the game?
We competed. We did everything we needed to win a basketball game.
What was the factor in Stanford's comeback?
Free throws.
Stanford Head Coach Mike Montgomery -
Opening Statement: We knew Arizona State was good and we tried to sell the kids this week that the game would be a war. On tape, they were good, but we didn't think they'd be that good. Casey was amazing. I have never seen him like that. He was feeling it. They didn't give in. They were making shots over us - they played extremely well. It's just the story of this conference. There are a lot of good teams and you have to be ready to play. We were having problems on defense, we had tough match-ups and then Casey caught on fire. It's a great win. In many respects, they should have won. Casey was phenomenal and we'll take it. We need more confidence, but we've also got to get other people scoring.
What was the mood at halftime?
We were shocked that Arizona State shot that well - 59% in the first half. Everyone was just jumping up and shooting. The theory is that they couldn't do that forever, but it seemed like they would. Without Casey we would have been in tough shape. [We discussed] playing better basketball. They were good. You've got to give credit where credit is due. They were good. We played a very good team tonight.
What are your thoughts on Arizona?
They had a heck of a win at Cal. They don't stay down long. They're not the dominant team like they've been in the past, just like us. They're tough and they know how to win and they have pride in the program. They're still Arizona, and if you don't believe that, it's lethal.
Stanford Player Casey Jacobsen -
Did you ever want to come out of the game?No. I never want to come out, I always want to play 40 minutes - no matter how I'm playing.
Did you feel different coming into tonight's game?
I was more relaxed before the game than any game this year. I wasn't thinking about it for hours during the day. I went to all my classes and was busy. I went out and was aggressive. I got a lot of looks early and I looked up at the clock and it was only five minutes into the game. That's when I knew I was feeling it.
Did you know you were approaching the school record?
To tell you the honest truth, I had no idea how many points I had. My teammates didn't tell me and I thought I was somewhere close to forty. I've scored this many before [in high school] and it just didn't feel like I had 49. I was looking to shoot the ball everytime I touched it. The ball was coming off my hand perfectly and I could see every play five seconds before it happened. I was being aggressive. When my shots go in, I get more confident and I think the defense gets scared.
How do you feel about your second half performance?
This is the third game in a row that I've had a better second half than first half. I want to be a second half player - a second half of the season player. I want to make plays at the end of the game. I want to be there for my team at the end of the game.
How do you feel about the 49 points?
It's an honor to be in the company of Kareem Abdul Jabar, Eddie House, Gary Payton and Hank Luisetti. The story of the game might be my 49 points, but we came back against a team that's pretty good. That's the most important thing. We needed this game.