Quote Center: St. John's Postgame vs. No. 16/17 Arizona State

St. John's Head Coach Chris Mullin…

On Tariq Owens performance:
"Tariq [Owens] has so many skills. We have seen it, he just doesn't always put it together in a game, but those are shots that he makes routinely. I love when he shoots those shots and I was glad he made them because we are going to need that moving forward. This was his first really good offensive game. He's always great on defense, he communicates well, has nice skill and it was nice to see him put that together."

On tonight's game plan:
"Those three guards are big priorities, we wanted to contain them and keep them out of the middle. They came out really hot and I think we maintained our composure and got back in the game. On the flip side, we tried to put them in the post a lot and tried to make them guard us, overall I thought it was a good game."

On Arizona State:
"You always have to play to your strengths. They have three small guards and a nice shooter so I think [Bobby Hurley] is doing a good job with what he has. We know what it is like to build and he is doing a great job. Playing the right style for your personnel is what it is all about."

Redshirt junior forward Marvin Clark II...

On playing at the STAPLES Center:
"It was a great opportunity to play at the STAPLES Center, it is something you dream of. I am a kid from the Midwest, Kansas City, Missouri, so to get to come to L.A. and play here was a blessing. I am happy where I am at and happy to be a part of St. John's Basketball"

On second half performance:
"We played a lot more physical and we were quick defensively. We really used our length and I think we did a pretty good job. I think defensively is where we are hanging our hat this year and we picked that up."

On playing without Marcus LoVett:
"He is confident in us; he called and gave us praises before the game. It is good to play without him because it gives other guys a chance to up their game and when we get him back it is going to make us that much better."