RECAP | GAME BOOK (PDF)
Overall thoughts on the game
"It was a good win and a tough, tough win against a really good Abilene Christian team. It's a team that is as well coach as any team in the league. They've got really good talent and every time we play it's a beat-them-up war. It's a great time each time we play. I was really proud of how hard and how unselfish our team played in the second half. We got dynamic performances from multiple guys. It's stuff that might not show up on the stat sheet. We got huge energy from the guys that came in. The bench changed the whole course of the game with their attitude and their energy. It was a big night for us."
On the difference in the way his team played in the first and second halves
"We shot over 80 percent from the foul line in the second half and only had three turnovers compared to 10 in the first half. We took a lot better care of the ball. They had a great game plan against us. We were able to make some adjustments offensively at halftime to clean some stuff up. We got better. We had guys play through some foul trouble – Frye had four, Broyles had four, Puou had four. They played through it. They played very, very smart. They played very hard and fearless. That was a huge piece for us."
On opening Southland Conference play with a win
"I'm just happy to get off to a great start. We had really positive energy here in this beautiful building tonight. This was a good start for us."
On the crowd on hand getting into the game at key moments
"This was a very spirited group here tonight. We've got another big one on New Year's Eve with Corpus. It's a really tough ballclub. They're one of the better teams in our league and it's going to be a war. Every time we play them, it seems like it comes down to the last couple of possessions."
On the lessons his team learned in non-conference play and how that carried over tonight
"They really played with poise. It's really two parts. One of it is veteran guys who have been in a lot of fights. Those three guards – Broyles, Gill and Frye – have played a lot of minutes. They kept their poise and didn't get shaken. The other thing is we played a lot of tough people. I've said this a lot of times, but we've played a lot of good minutes – probably more good minutes than a 5-6 non-conference record should show. It paid off tonight in the second half. They didn't get flustered. They didn't get out of what we were trying to do and stuck with the game plan. They really bonded together in the second half and got good stops and rebounds."
On the continued stellar play of forward Erik Thomas
"I don't know if there's a more efficient scorer in the country than him. He stays within the framework of what we're doing, which is a testament to him. He plays very smart. He doesn't get out of we're trying to do. He's not hunting shots. They guys are looking for him and I think he understands that. He makes the most of each of those shot attempts and doesn't get greedy with it. He knows that we share the ball. I've talked a lot with the team about being unselfish in our core group of forwards. They're very selfless passers. They're willing passers, I think that shows and it comes around to him. If his plus-minus isn't in the top 10-15 in the country, I'd be surprised. I don't know how it couldn't be."
On the upcoming game against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi
"It's a huge one. We need to finish this [league-opening] home stretch 2-0 before we get on a tough road swing. Lamar and Incarnate Word are two very difficult places to win, but we know if we can get this it would be good momentum for us. This league is wide open and has as much parity as it's ever had in my 16 years in the conference."
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