Too bad more schools aren't this through with a recap of the game:
https://www.kstatesports.com/news/2...nts-wildcats-fend-off-george-mason-59-58.aspx
Dave Paulen, George Mason Head Coach
Opening statement…
"I told the guys in the locker room, we're really disappointed because we had a chance to win that game - they're all disappointed - but I'm really proud of this group of guys. We were down 20, really struggled in the first half and our guys really showed a collective will, a level of toughness defensively. We got good shots early in the game, the first half and just missed them, then we got a little ratty and took some bad ones. We turned the ball over five times, that was it, we didn't foul - we did a pretty good job, we just needed to come up with a couple of stops here and there. I think this is a tremendously different team I just looked at in the locker room than the one I looked at in the locker room down in Florida. We've made tremendous strides in the last month and I'm looking forward to the start of conference play."
On what changed in the second half...
"I thought there in the last bit of the first half, when we missed shots - we ran good offense early on then we stopped moving. The ball stopped moving and everything was kind of off a one-on-one play. Then we started moving the ball a little bit better and I think we also defended better, so we got out in transition a little bit. Sometimes you've got to make a shot go down. When Jamal (Hartwell II) hit that three that kind of took the lid off the basket a little bit for our guys, then we started collectively hitting our shot. I told our guys in the locker room, 36 points at the half, what K-State had, we've got to hold them to 20 points and I know we can go get 40 in the second half. We got 42, we just didn't hold them to 20, we held them to 23 - pretty darn close to how we wanted to comeback, kind of chip away at them. Again, a lot of credit to our guys for fighting."
On the opposing crowd and game atmosphere prepping the team for Atlantic 10 play…
"I think it is. We've played a really, really challenging non-conference schedule and obviously we'd like to be going into conference play with a better record, we left some wins on the table. But by the same token, I think we're really prepared for conference play, not only in terms of hostile environments but in terms of style of play. We've played against, with Cincinnati and Kansas State, these are two of the best defensive teams in the country in different ways. I think we've really prepared ourselves well and now we have to go out an execute starting with St. Joe's next Thursday."
On his feelings during the stretch run…
"The last 1.2 seconds not feeling so great. We were playing well in transition, so when we got the stop we just wanted to go attack and unfortunately we just kind of mishandled the ball. Justin (Kier) had been going in there and driving and making plays, we didn't necessarily want let K-State set their defense. Then we got the ball back and I thought Ian Boyd was open, it was just kind of a mishandled exchange in the pressure of the moment. I thought we really defended and we attacked the paint, got in there and got settled. Early on when we were attacking the paint we were throwing up prayers a little bit - we weren't used to the size and athleticism in the paint - and then we adapted and adjusted and did a better job."
