STATE COLLEGE, Pa. — Indiana junior guard Trey Galloway met with the media via Zoom following Indiana’s 85-66 loss to Penn State on Wednesday night. Here’s the full transcript of his interview, as well as the full video.
ASK: There were 18 threes for Penn State tonight. It seemed like a lot of guys were helping too much. Was that the game plan tonight or were the drivers given too much help?
TREY GALLOWAY: They take shots and our game plan was we knew they were going to shoot it. So like you said, helping too much and giving up wide open shots and more gamble shots than usual. We have to get up and contain the three point shot and can’t challenge them to shoot or they will do it like tonight.
Q: You sort of mentioned it there, but when you’re trying to keep up with an attack that doesn’t seem to be missing from the other side, how much pressure does that put on you to try and find an answer, and maybe one here string a few buckets together?
GALLOWAY: Well I mean momentum comes from stops and we couldn’t find enough stops tonight. And we weren’t in shape offensively because they just kept shooting. So I think momentum comes from stops and being able to get stops and run and switch. I think it all starts with defense. We have to get better and we know we have to get better. If we want to win games in the Big Ten, we can’t give up 80 points because we’re not going to win games. So we have to go back to practice and focus on the little things that the coach is trying to teach and we have to hold onto it and do the right things.
Q: You guys had a really tough February last year and were able to dig your way out of it and finish the season off right. How much can you get out of this and what do you think are the keys to working your way out of this funk?
GALLOWAY: We have people who have been here before who have been through this. So we just need the older guys including me to stand up and lead the other guys. We are little men right now. We cannot apologize for that. We have to find ways to take the other guys with us and lead by example. I think we’re not as good as we can be and I think we need to improve on that. I think just stick together and come together as a unit and block out all outside noise and focus on each other and win games.
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Q: Speaking of leadership, where do you think the efforts of this team are right now and what can you all do to ensure they stay where they need to be even when things aren’t going your way?
GALLOWAY: We can definitely play harder. Coaches preach and I think that’s our identity playing hard and I don’t think we’re doing that right now. And we all are. We can all give a little bit more. So, I think I really focus on practicing every day. Come to training to work and stay ready. We have to go out and play every game like it’s our last. We have to do that because every game in the Big Ten is going to be challenging. We can’t just go into these games without being ready for a war, because they’re all wars.
Q: During halftime or timeouts tonight, were there any specific teammates who spoke up or tried to get your team back in the game?
GALLOWAY: During downtime we need to keep talking to each other because we’re a unit, so all five guys in the crowd need to be talking, listening to each other and encouraging each other because that’s where you get your spark from when you come into downtime and stuff like that Just talking to each other in the dressing room and spying on each other. Because if you don’t speak, that means you won’t speak on the pitch either. So I think that during time-outs we make sure that we stick together and listen to our coaches, but also have player talks.
Q: All that tech stuff aside, Indiana was ranked No. 10 in the country in November — I think it was November 28th — now they’re 1-4 in the Big Ten and just suffered the program’s worst-ever loss to Penn State . Big picture what happened?
GALLOWAY: I just think we need to play harder. At the end of the day we don’t play hard enough. Our defense and always stops. I think the biggest thing is just focusing on our game plan and following it and doing the right thing in training and leading up to games. So, I think we just go back to practice and really find our identity on the defensive end, because the teams that win in the Big Ten play defense. So, I guess we’re not a good start 1-4 in the Big Ten, but it’s a long season and we have 15 games left in the Big Ten, so we’ve got a lot more games to play and if we commit to it , we’ll get out of this hole and right back in.
- GAME STORY: Indiana allowed Penn State to set a school record 18 three-pointers, and it all added up to an ugly 85-66 state college loss. It was Penn State’s largest-ever winning margin in the 56-game streak. CLICK HERE
- SEE GERONIMOS BLOCK: Indiana junior forward Jordan Geronimo jumped over the edge to fend off Kebba Njie’s dunk attempt. CLICK HERE
- WATCH THE HOOD-SCHIFINO JUMPER: Indiana freshman point guard Jalen Hood-Schifino continued Wednesday with an early jump shot in rotation. CLICK HERE
- WATCH THE JACKSON DAVIS DEAL: Indiana kept going, running 8-0 early in the second half, including that turning move from Trayce Jackson-Davis. CLICK HERE
- LIVE BLOG: Indiana will be looking to break its two-game losing streak at Penn State on Wednesday night. Welcome to our live blog where you can follow all the game news and opinions as well as highlights and opinions. CLICK HERE
