Highlights, quotes, presser video from Penn State win

Also read: Gophers beat PSU: Best pictures from the win ($) // PSU postgame presser notes ($)

Richard Pitino

On Reggie Lynch’s game today…
“He found a way. He is getting better from it. He is continuing to learn from it. Obviously, 29 minutes, 11 blocks, no fouls, I’ll take that every night...He wanted to play for his home state. He didn’t want to go anywhere else. He wanted to come here to play for the name on the front of the jersey.”

On how good this team can be…
“I think this team can be pretty good. I think it’s okay to say that we are in the NCAA tournament…I think that we are clicking, offensively getting better. Obviously, during that stretch, five game losing streak, we were in the 60s [for points] and now we are averaging in the 80s, so offensively we are getting comfortable where we are at. I think it’s clear the guys are playing their best basketball and improving."

On the difference from last year to this year…
“Oh man. Well it wasn’t like people were throwing batteries at me, but people just weren’t talking to me. Everybody is very friendly, but this is what you dream of. To play well, to get the fans’ support, to get the city behind you. This state is so proud, not only of basketball, but this university and when it’s good, it’s awesome. It’s fun to be the Gopher basketball coach right now. I think we have really turned a corner.”

On today’s crowd…
“Best crowd of the year. Our guys are responsible for that. With the way that they play, they attract people to the stands. Winning helps, obviously, but it is cool to see it traject in the right way and more empty seats were being filled. I thought that was an awesome crowd. Like I’ve said, we don’t need it against Wisconsin or Indiana, we need it against Penn State who was very good. I think the town was proud of these guys.”

Pat Chambers

On the first half...
"Our defense is our staple and we didn't play great defense, I'll give Minnesota credit, they are playing at a very high level, they have a lot of different weapons. They are a little bit ahead of us at this point in time, but I like the way we competed. They would go up 12,14 and we would come back, they would go up 16 and we would come right back, but we need to get better and I have to come up with different solutions and adjustments to make sure we are stopping teams."

On Reggie Lynch...
"We knew what he was going to do, we knew he is one of the best shot blockers in the country. At some point we need to understand that he has 6, 8, 10 blocks. 11 blocks is great, good for Reggie, and that is why their defense so good."

Reggie Lynch

On hearing the crowd chanting his name...
"That was something I did not expect at all. When it happened, I was like, 'wow. This is awesome.' Even when the chant was going on, our team was doing really well. That's what I was focused on. The chant was awesome, but everyone on the court was connected and we were celebrating each others success. I'm really happy everyone felt good throughout the course of the game."

On 22 wins...
"We all knew we were going to be a great team before the season even started this year. When that five-game losing streak hit, some teams might just fold and think 'maybe we aren't as good as we thought,' but we stayed connected and fought back. Seven games after losing five just shows how mentally tough we are as a team and how we came together and overcame huge adversity."

Jordan Murphy

On the team's success...
"I think the sky's the limit with this team, honestly. We're really deep and a really versatile team. We have a lot of pieces on this team. I think the sky's the limit for us."

On the seven game winning streak...
"I think we have a lot of momentum as a team right now. I think we playing good and we're confident. We're paying attention to little things and small details. I think that seven-game win streak is going to go a long way for us."