Myrtle Beach Invitational – Mississippi State 81, Coastal Carolina 56 Quotes, November 24, 2019

Mississippi State coach Ben Howland – “We really played well today. I was worried about this game watching how well Coastal Carolina has played. If the kid doesn’t get hurt, they beat Baylor (in the semifinals). I loved our defense. We came out and really established the defensive end of the floor early and held them to 35 percent for the game. Tyson (Carter) had a fantastic game with 10 assists, zero turnovers to go along with his ability to shoot and score. Reggie (Perry) had an outstanding game. Glad to come out of here with a win after a disappointing loss to Villanova. I think I learned we’re a little shorthanded still (point guard Nick Weatherspoon is out) but we’re going to be a really good team. We’ve got great camaraderie, great unselfishness. When your best player is incredibly unselfish, it permeates everywhere. I’m excited about this team.”

Mississippi State forward Reggie Perry – “I just felt like I wanted to get my teammates involved so I tried to go after the assists.” (On being the focal point of scouts): “I try not to pay attention to that; I try to pay attention to my team winning. I feel like I played all right this tournament, but I rebounded poorly. Just want to continue to get my team better.”

Coastal Carolina coach Cliff Ellis – “First of all, Mississippi State is a very good basketball team. We didn’t play very well, but they had a lot to do with that. I thought our legs were gone, this is our fourth game in (seven) days, and our identity has changed so we need to get on the practice floor. There are some things we need to adjust and do with the loss of Ebo (Ebrima Dibba). We think we played three great basketball teams in a row and at some point, down the line this will prove to be a benefit to us. We’re basically starting over. The road to success is always under construction.”