What Josh Pastner said after Tech’s ACC tournament loss

Georgia Tech guard Josh Okogie (5) is helped up by teammates after drawing a foul on a shot against Pittsburgh during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game in the first round of the ACC tournament, Tuesday, March 7, 2017, in New York. Pittsburgh won 61-59. (AP Photo/Julie Jacobson)

Georgia Tech guard Josh Okogie (5) is helped up by teammates after drawing a foul on a shot against Pittsburgh during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game in the first round of the ACC tournament, Tuesday, March 7, 2017, in New York. Pittsburgh won 61-59. (AP Photo/Julie Jacobson)

Post-game quotes from Georgia Tech coach Josh Pastner and Pittsburgh coach Kevin Stallings following the Yellow Jackets’ 61-59 loss in the first round of the ACC tournament Tuesday night at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y.

Josh Pastner

“It’s a credit to these young men on how we’ve come together and built as a team. We have a lot of shortcomings and deficiencies, including myself and all of us, in our group. But we’ve really come together as a team. I’m just so proud of our young men. It’s been just an amazing season. We’ve had some amazing wins. But, you know, we play hard. We’re going to look back, this team, this year, has set the foundation, whether in the NCAA tournament or the NIT, of what we’re trying to do for the long-term to build Georgia Tech basketball back, as Coach (Bobby) Cremins had it back in the day when he had that run.”

On Ben Lammers scoring six points:

“If Ben struggles, it’s nearly impossible for us. It might not even be possible. It’s very hard when he doesn’t play well. It’s literally impossible, because it just makes it really hard. We do everything through him offensively, everything. We just open things up. The second thing is what they did, they really played off of everybody and just sat in the paint. We didn’t make enough shots. We were 4-for-18. (Quinton Stephens) made big threes, especially those two in the first half, to keep us in. Had that one on that skip in the second half. We have to make some shots.”

On Josh Okogie trying to intentionally miss the second free throw in the final seconds, but making it:

“I think he tried to miss it. I told him to make sure it was soft, not just a line drive, so it would get a bounce. He ended up obviously making it, unintentionally. Then the other guy tried to miss the second one. (Jamel) Artis, was it? He ended up making it. So it kind of balanced each other out.”

On Stephens:

“He has given us his all. Like, he had other double-double tonight. I mean, the guy, I can’t say enough about him, about his energy and effort, how hard he’s played for this program, for the name on the front of the jersey. He’s laid it all on the line every practice, every game.”

Kevin Stallings

“We didn’t play great, but I don’t think that you look great too often against Georgia Tech. I think they scrum the game up a little bit. I think that’s part of the beauty in how they play.”